Connecting with Nature: Helping Children Develop Interoception Outdoors
When you ask a group of children “What do you notice or how do you feel?” It’s interesting because every child and even adult experiences interception differently.”
Today we are hearing from Caroline Santangelo, an occupational therapist specializing in nature-based therapy, together we are discussing the importance of interoception and how it can be nurtured through outdoor activities.
Understanding Interoception
Caroline Santangelo, an OT practicing in Pennsylvania, emphasizes the significance of interoception in a child’s development. Interoception refers to the sense of the internal state of one’s body, including sensations such as hunger, thirst, heartbeat, and emotional cues. By becoming more attuned to their bodily signals, children can build essential skills related to self-regulation and emotional awareness.
Embracing Nature-Based Therapy
Caroline emphasizes the powerful role of nature in enhancing sensory experiences and promoting interoceptive awareness. Her practice centers on nature-based therapy, where children are encouraged to immerse themselves in the outdoors, using sensory experiences to progress in their goal areas. By integrating movement and play in natural environments, children can organically experience interoceptive awareness and develop essential skills.
Facilitating Interoceptive Conversations
Caroline provides practical strategies for parents to initiate interoceptive conversations with their children. Using outdoor activities such as walking in a creek or engaging in movement-based play, parents can ask questions like
- “How does this make your feet feel?”
- “Are you breathing heavy or slow?”
These conversations not only foster a deeper connection with the child but also help them recognize and articulate their internal sensations.
Promoting Language Development
For children who may struggle with expressing their internal experiences, Caroline suggests strategies to promote language development. Parents can describe their own bodily sensations during outdoor activities, providing a model for children to associate internal signals with specific words. Visual feedback, such as using videos to illustrate bodily movements, can also help children connect their experiences with language.
Engaging in Nature-Inspired Movement
Caroline recommends simple yet effective movement activities that parents can facilitate outdoors to promote interoceptive awareness. These activities include rolling down hills, walking on fallen trees, and building nature-based obstacle courses. By fostering movement in natural settings, children can receive vital proprioceptive and vestibular input, contributing to their sensory development.
The Power of Nature’s Simplicity
The simplicity of nature and its ability to support children’s interoceptive journey is a valuable resource we can all use. She highlights the calming and regulating effects of natural elements, encouraging parents to embrace the basics of nature as a catalyst for their child’s growth. By immersing themselves in the natural world, children can find small wins and embrace the inherent learning opportunities it offers.
Embracing the Journey
Our conversation is a valuable reminder for parents – every child is on their unique journey of continuous learning and development. Through nature-based experiences and interoceptive exploration, children can cultivate essential skills, and parents should celebrate the small wins along the way. Embracing the simplicity of nature, along with the journey of growth, forms the foundation for nurturing interoception in children.
Integrating nature-based experiences and movement activities not only fosters sensory development but specifically nurtures children’s interoceptive awareness. By engaging in conversations, facilitating movement, and embracing the simplicity of nature, parents can support their children on their unique interoceptive journey.
OT is IN #14: Outdoor Activities to Develop Interoception in Children with Guest Caroline Santangelo
In this episode, I chat with Caroline Santangelo, an occupational therapist who specializes in nature-based therapy for children in Pennsylvania. We dive into the world of interoception and explore how nature can help children develop self-awareness. Caroline shares practical insights on how movement, sensory experiences, and outdoor activities can enhance interoceptive awareness in children. She emphasizes the importance of facilitating conversations and providing language to help children articulate their internal experiences. Our discussion also touches on the benefits of nature in simplifying the learning process and promoting interoception. Tune in to discover how the power of the outdoors can influence the development of interoception in children.
In this episode you’ll hear about:
- Starfish Occupational Therapy’s approach to developing children’s grit, grace, character, confidence, and knowledge
- Using the outdoor environment for sensory-rich experiences and organic interceptive awareness
- Impacting interoception through movement and internal body signals activation
- Starting Conversations with Children about Interoception including using open-ended questions like “What do you notice?” and “How do you feel?”
- Describing experiences to model language and providing visual feedback to help children internalize input
- Discussion on how external stimuli in nature can affect internal awareness
- Examples of how different individuals experience the same stimuli differently
- Suggestions for simple outdoor activities to promote movement, proprioceptive input, and vestibular movement
- Emphasizing the lifelong journey of learning and development
- How nature’s simplicity allows individuals to understand internal body signals and interception
Links and Resources From Today’s Show
- The Interoception Curriculum: A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Mindful Self-Regulation
- The Body Check Ring: Printable Cards, Activity Booklet, and Online Mini-Course
- The Interoception Curriculum in The Homeschool Setting with a Homeschooling Mom
- Building Interoception Awareness: Questions to Ask
- Integrating Interoception and Language Arts in Your Homeschool
- Sensory Balanced Homeschool Focus Group
Connect with our Guest
Caroline is the owner of Starfish Occupational Therapy, PLLC a private nature-based occupational therapy practice for children in the Philadelphia region. Combining comprehensive neurology-based approaches with outdoor therapy, individual and small group sessions promote children’s development in sensory processing, coordination, ocular motor skills, regulation, and daily living skills. Natural healing strategies and techniques for children with chronic pain conditions and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome are offered. Sessions are focused on fostering children’s Grit, Grace, Character, Confidence and Knowledge, all representing the five arms of the starfish. Let’s find the root cause for healing and get back to the basics all while splashing in the creek and building tree forts!
Specifically, Caroline is Certified in the CONTIGO Nature Therapy approach and is currently in the process of obtaining her Pediatric Functional Vision Rehabilitation Certification.
Caroline has expertise in pediatric chronic pain techniques and daily management. She also has pediatric occupational therapy experience in early intervention, outpatient, acute care, and horse therapy settings.
Caroline loves the beach, her golden retriever, and hiking! Caroline hopes to travel all 50 states with only 8 left to visit!
