How everyday outdoor play can support regulation
If you’ve ever wondered how to support your child’s energy, focus, or regulation without turning your home into a therapy clinic, this conversation is for you.
In this interview, occupational therapist Diana Fitts, OTR/L shares how one of the most powerful regulation tools for kids, especially those with ADHD, is already all around us: nature.
We explore the concept of “heavy work,” what it actually means for your child’s nervous system, and how everyday outdoor play like carrying logs, climbing, and digging can support regulation in ways that feel intuitive, playful, and effective. You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of when your child might benefit from this kind of input and simple, doable ways to weave it into your daily rhythms.
Read the interview below:
Rebekah: What would you like to share with our community today about the work you have been doing with kids in nature-based occupational therapy?
Diana:
This is rather specific, but since my group has a big ADHD focus, I’m often thinking about how to do “heavy work” out in nature for proprioceptive input to help with dysregulation. Parents are often unsure of what to do for heavy work, but there are actually quite a lot of them in nature - try to push over the tree, carry the heavy rocks or logs to build a fort, push the sand to build a castle
Rebekah: What do you feel like parents would benefit from hearing about encouraging heavy work in nature? Also, how do we know when heavy work would benefit a child with ADHD?
Diana: Heavy work activities provide strong input to the proprioceptive system, which is the body’s sense of position, movement, and force. This input comes from the muscles and joints when children push, pull, lift, carry, climb, dig, or do other weight-bearing activities. For many children with ADHD, this type of deep pressure can help the nervous system feel more settled. It can help reduce over-arousal and improve focus in some kids, while boosting alertness in others who are feeling sluggish or zoned out. The effects vary from child to child, so watching how your individual child responds is the best guide.
Diana: The good news is that nature is full of heavy work opportunities without any special setup. As long as it’s safe, kids can haul logs for a fort, carry rocks, dig holes, climb, drag branches, or try to push over tree. It works best when it feels like play or a challenge rather than a therapy exercise. Rather than waiting until things unravel, try building heavy work into your routine proactively. For example, starting outdoor time with something physically demanding, or doing a big activity just before heading home, can catch the nervous system before it tips into dysregulation.
Rebekah: I love learning this from you! What do you find is the most helpful advice for parents who are looking to add heavy work to their routines but aren't sure when, or how?
Diana: It can be great to make heavy work activities a part of the daily routine throughout the day. Here are some examples!
In the morning shortly after waking up:
--carrying their backpack around the house or yard
--do bear crawls down the hall
--do 10 frog hops from the door to the car
Before tasks that need a lot of focus:
--pretend to push over a large tree
--climbing a hill right before sitting down
--push down on the table with their hands
After school or mid-afternoon:
--help with yard work and gardening by carrying full watering cans, moving bags of soil, pushing a wheelbarrow, raking leaves, or shoveling dirt
--if you’re able to go to a park - hang from the monkey bars, climb the structures and jump off of them
--eating crunchy snacks like carrot sticks or apple slices
Before bedtime:
--using a weighted blanket during reading time
--getting tight hugs from their trusted adult
Resources
Self Regulation Interventions and Strategies: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=6ZlEBgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=info:UuGZ17okH2IJ:scholar.google.com/&ots=HBCj0O3UNx&sig=BJirwPnu_zHdSrvvjqsY0jR34BI#v=onepage&q&f=false
The Out of Sync Child: https://out-of-sync-child.com/