4 Quirky Kid Behaviors That Actually Have Purpose

Rocking and spinning

While a kiddo who rocks themselves to sleep may seem worlds apart from one who spins in circles after a long day of school، they're not. Both are working hard to jostle the fluid، the hairs، and the tiny calcium-carbonate crystals in their inner ears that make up the vestibular system، which monitors motion and balance، says Lucy Jane Miller، Ph.D.، clinical director of STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder، in Greenwood Village، Colorado.

Kids who naturally rock، spin، swing، or bounce likely have a vestibular system that requires more movement than most because they have a lower-than-average sensitivity to the stimuli. The key with these quirks? Knowing when enough is enough.

"There's something called an inverted U-curve،" says Dr. Miller. "When a child spins، their arousal goes up and their ability to stay calm and focused improves. That is، until they get to the top of the curve، when arousal continues to go up but performance goes down."

Going overboard can bring on both immediate and delayed sensory-overload issues. "It's important to work with your child، and possibly an occupational therapist، to pinpoint the top of the curve،" says Dr. Miller. For instance، you may want to limit your spinner to one revolution a second for no more than 10 revolutions and then switch directions.

"Stopping and restarting benefits kids by giving the most information to their vestibular receptors، which process movement information،" says Biel. It's also smart to have special toys at home that fulfill your child's sensory needs، like a hobbyhorse، a rocking Rody rider، a Dizzy Disc Jr.، or a Sit 'n Spin.

While Mollie still rocks to settle down for bed (she curbs her quirk on sleepovers)، her mom jokingly wonders whether Mollie will be rocking her way into college and beyond. Chances are، she won't. As rockers and spinners age، their habits often morph too.

"One of my young clients was a bouncer and bed roller، and she wound up going to college on an equestrian scholarship،" says Biel. "Like a lot of kids، she turned to athletics that offered her a lot of whole-body sensory input، including stimulation of the vestibular system، deep pressure، and joint compression." In addition to horseback riding، activities like gymnastics and swimming have a similar effect.