Much more than playing with balls
A ball pool offers a particularly rich sensory experience when users can immerse a significant part of their body in it. The balls surround the body and provide changing tactile contact and pressure as the person moves, sits, lies down or changes position.
This whole-body experience provides tactile and proprioceptive input and can promote a feeling of containment, body awareness and calm. Deep-pressure and proprioceptive input are commonly used in sensory approaches to support regulation, although responses are individual and the same experience will not necessarily have the same effect on every user.
A ball pool can therefore be a place for active play and movement, but also a resource for quieter sensory experiences.
Size and number of balls really matter
For this experience to occur, it is not enough simply to have a padded enclosure containing some balls. The quantity of balls must be appropriate to the dimensions of the pool so that the body can genuinely sink into and be surrounded by them.
The internal dimensions are equally important. Whenever the available space allows it, at HANDYCAT we favour ball pools large enough for more than one person.
Sharing the pool can open up possibilities for interaction, joint play, communication and activities between users or between a user and the professional accompanying them.
Choosing a ball pool
When planning a ball pool, it is worth considering:
- The internal dimensions and the users who will use it.
- The appropriate depth and quantity of balls.
- The possibility of entering, leaving and changing position comfortably.
- Whether it should allow shared use.
- The firmness and protection provided by its padded walls and floor.
- The space required around it for safe and comfortable access.
- Cleaning and maintenance requirements.
HANDYCAT can help determine the dimensions, configuration and number of balls appropriate for the users and the available space, so that the ball pool provides a genuine whole-body sensory experience rather than simply functioning as a container for play.
