Some benefits of using the tunnel in occupational therapy

• Receiving tactile input throughout the whole body
• Receiving proprioceptive input on the head of the child if the child is crawling forward and opens up the tunnel to the front by pushing with the head
• Improving body space awareness and motor planning if the child is asked to crawl with his feet first or to crawl on his tummy or to go through doing different animal walks
• It can also be used as part of an obstacle course where the tunnel is draped over crash pads, beanbags, or mattresses, creating an exciting surface to crawl over in order to improve tactile, proprioceptive and kinaesthetic awareness.
• For very adventuress kids the tunnel can be twisted in the middle and they have to plan how to unwind it while they are inside in order to get out at the other end

Erika Kleyn 
Occupational therapist
2013