The proprioceptive system probably isn't something you think about regularly, but most of us use it every day without even considering it. Proprioception is a sense that helps us to understand where our body parts are in relation to ourselves and our environment. Like all skills, it begins with small developments which combine over time to build a strong, efficient proprioceptive system.
Your baby noticing and focusing on their hands is brilliant because...
- It is the beginning of them connecting the feeling of their movements with what they can see.
- Once your child’s proprioceptive system can connect what they see with the movements that they make, they can connect their action and the feelings they are experiencing when their muscles, tendons and joints work. Over time, they won't need to look at their hand to know it is moving, as they begin to develop an unconscious awareness of their body's position.
- It tells them where their body is in space, and recalls how to get into a particular position or achieve a set goal, without having to look at the moving limb.
- Having this awareness allows us to complete tasks that require us to look at our environment and control our body at the same time. It's how we can pick up our cup without looking away from a screen, get dressed in the dark, and steer a bicycle while looking around for oncoming traffic.
Read more: Yack, E., Sutton, S. and Aquilla, P. (2002) Building Bridges Through Sensory Integration, 2nd ed. Arlington: Future Horizons.