Horizons’ New Gross Motor Room: Supporting Growth, Movement, and Emotional Regulation
At Horizons for Homeless Children, we know that movement and sensory play are vital for healthy early childhood development, especially for children who have experienced trauma and instability. As part of our latest expansion, we thoughtfully designed a new Gross Motor Room funded by the Berlin Family Foundation to support children’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional growth in a safe environment.
Every feature was chosen with intention, ensuring that children can move their bodies freely, practice new skills, and find calm when they feel overwhelmed.
Below are a few highlights of this new space and the developmental benefits each element provides.
Greater Impact for Greater Good
With this expansion, Horizons is poised to serve even more children and families, providing them with the support and resources they need to thrive despite the challenges of homelessness. These new spaces will open in time for the start of the new school year in September 2025. This capital investment was made possible by the generosity of mission-minded philanthropic supporters.
Tactile Walls: Touch, Discovery, and Communication
Our tactile walls encourage exploration through touch, sight, and sound that build fine motor skills and sensory awareness.
- Fine motor development: Strengthens hand and finger muscles, enhancing dexterity and coordination.
- Sensory integration: Helps children process and organize sensory input through texture and movement.
- Cognitive and language growth: Promotes vocabulary building as children describe textures, colors, and shapes.
- Social engagement: Encourages cooperative play, turn-taking, and shared problem-solving.
- Focus and regulation: Provides a soothing, hands-on activity that supports attention and self-regulation.
Foam Ramps and Stairs: Building Strength and Confidence
Our foam ramps and stairs provide children with opportunities to climb, slide, and jump. These safe, playful activities build strength, coordination and confidence.
- Gross motor development: Strengthens large muscles in the legs, arms, and core.
- Body awareness: Helps children understand balance, weight shifting, and movement control.
- Cognitive growth: Encourages sequencing, problem-solving, and planning as children navigate obstacles.
- Social learning: Reinforces turn-taking, cooperation, and safety awareness.
- Confidence building: Empowers children to test limits and celebrate new achievements in a supportive space.
The Padded Tunnel: Strength, Exploration, and Calm
When children crawl, roll, or push through the padded tunnel, they’re engaging in fun, purposeful movement that builds both strength and awareness.
- Physical development: Strengthens arms, legs, and core muscles while enhancing balance and coordination.
- Body awareness: Helps children understand how their bodies move through space, improving motor planning, and control.
- Social skills: Encourages turn-taking, cooperation, and shared play.
- Sensory regulation: Offers a calming, enclosed space that provides comfort for children who may feel overstimulated.
Cocoon Swings: Regulation and Focus Through Movement
The Cocoon swings are both fun and functional, offering movement-based experiences that help children calm and center themselves.
- Emotional regulation: The deep-pressure “hug” sensation provides comfort and helps reduce anxiety.
- Sensory organization: Rhythmic motion supports regulation of the central nervous system.
- Attention and readiness: Gentle swinging increases focus, while faster movement boosts energy for classroom learning.
- Flexible use: Teachers can tailor movement for each child’s sensory needs: slow for calm, fast for alertness.
Adjustable Lighting: Creating the Right Atmosphere
Lighting plays a powerful role in setting the tone of the gross motor space. Unlike the bright fluorescent lights of hallways, this room features soft, dimmable, color-changing lighting to match each child’s sensory needs. Lighting adjustments help staff create the right balance between calm and stimulation.
- Blue hues: Create a tranquil, spa-like atmosphere that encourages relaxation.
- Soft greens: Promote focus and reduce stress.
- Warm tones (golden yellow, soft purple): Foster comfort and emotional security.
- Bright reds, oranges, and yellows: Increase energy and stimulate engagement when needed.
The addition of the Gross Motor Room represents another step in Horizons’ ongoing mission to create safe, supportive, and developmentally rich environments for children experiencing homelessness.
As our educators have observed, the growing need for social-emotional and sensory support is vital for children impacted by trauma, helping them regulate emotions and re-engage in learning. Every element of this new space reflects Horizons’ trauma-informed approach, using movement, touch, light, and sound to help children regain a sense of control and security. Through these experiences, children strengthen the foundational skills needed for school readiness and long-term success beyond our early education program, setting them on a path for future success.
