Rocking Bowl

Product Description

Physical 3

Skills

• The Rocking Bowl promotes the development of weight shifting familiarity as the player transfers his / her body weight within the Bowl to cause it to rock.
• The Rocking Bowl promotes balance and core strength development as the player engages the torso to maintain an upright position while standing in and rocking the Bowl.
• The Rocking Bowl develops hand and finger grasp as the player inside the Bowl hold onto the edges to rock it back and forth or to climb in or out of it.

Play Ideas

• To strengthen core strength and trunk stability, instruct player to stand on feet or knees in Bowl to play Ring Toss or Bucket toss as the player stabilizes self to toss rings or other objects.
• To practice bilateral coordination, reach and arm extension, instruct player to lie on top of the Bowl dome. Facilitator walks around child in circle, and hands an object to the player who must pass it to his / her other hand in order to hand it back to Facilitator when he /she reaches the other side. Repeat action in both a clockwise and counterclockwise fashion.
• To strengthen balance and weight shifting, on a smooth or carpeted surface, facilitator will push player seated in the Bowl through an obstacle course while the player shifts weight to “drive” the Bowl left and right through it.

Adaptation Ideas

• To enhance ability of participant to grip the Bowl, adhere anti-skid tape, clay or therapy putty to the Bowl’s edge.
• Using Velcro, attach a strap to the outer edges of the Bowl for player to grasp while playing inside of the Bowl, or to assist with stepping out of the Bowl.

Sensory 4

Skills

• The Rocking Bowl promotes proprioceptive awareness via the player pushing and shifting his / her body weight into opposing feet or hands to rock the Bowl.
• The Rocking Bowl offers vestibular input through the player’s rocking of the Bowl, thereby developing overall coordination.
• The Rocking Bowl encourage tactile exploration of the Bowl’s edges, molded waves, and materials placed in it while player is sitting / standing inside of it.

Play Ideas

• To practice tactile discrimination skills, fill the Bowl with plastic balls, water or other material and hide objects or various sizes and shapes to be found within it. Instruct player to close eyes to identify objects by touch.
• To practice visual and tactile experiences, offer the player finger paints / dry erase markers to draw pictures scenes of his / her favorite stories on the inside of Bowl.
• To strengthen sensorimotor skills, create a sensory ball pit by filling the Bowl with plastic balls for the player to sit in and enjoy the relaxation effects.

Adaptation Ideas

• To restrict the Bowl’s rocking motion, add weighted material to the bowl before or after participant steps into it.
• To dampen the tactile input while sitting in the Bowl, place a cushion at the bottom before participant steps into it.
• To enhance auditory input while playing inside Bowl, add objects that emit sounds when moved.

Social/Emotional 4

Skills

• The Rocking Bowl does not have rules as to a right or wrong way to play, thus encouraging experimentation, pretend and open-ended play
• The Rocking Bowl promotes emotional self-regulation skills through active play.
• The Rocking Bowl fosters self-confidence as the player grows more familiar with the Bowl action and learns to control the momentum and direction of it.   

Play Ideas

• To foster social interaction, utilize the Bowl in a game of Partner Scavenger Hunt by filling it with toys or recognizable objects and providing clues to players to find the object that matches the clue’s description.
• To develop and improve feelings of self-esteem, instruct player to rock in the Bowl and keep record of successful rocks without stopping. Facilitator will create a chart / graph to reflect player’s progress.
• To build a sense of teamwork, instruct player to utilize the Bowl as a drum in a peer “band”; other players will utilize toy instruments or other objects to play a song together.

Adaptation Ideas

• Frame the Bowl with two pillows to limit the rocking motion while player is learning to get in and out of the Bowl or learning how to rock it.