How to make a massage path for a child herself. DIY massage mats for kindergarten from corks from plastic bottles, chestnuts, stones

Let's talk about the importance of foot massage for young children. And also about what will help us in this best of all - about massage mats, which can help crumbs grow active, vigorous and healthy. We will learn how to choose the right one, as well as make a massage mat for children with our own hands.

Children are advised to walk barefoot on different surfaces - grass, warm earth, sand - massaging their feet and developing their gait. In big cities, where everything is covered with asphalt and paving stones, as well as at home, where there is only room for a carpet laid on a laminate, it will not be possible to give a child full development. That is why pediatricians recommend using a massage mat, because it is a great assistant to parents in maintaining the health of the baby.

Description of the massage mat and what is its use

A baby massage mat is not a toy for a baby to learn to walk on. This is a very useful device, thanks to which the baby will receive enough useful exercises to strengthen not only the musculoskeletal system, but also health in general.

At its core, a rug is a base made of silicone, rubber or PVC, covered with a variety of reliefs. It may have bumps, bumps or bulges that will affect the foot from pressing it.

These rugs come in different shapes, colors and purposes. But their goal is always the same - to give the baby a full foot massage.

They are produced in the form of bright squares and rectangles, turtles, cartoon characters and butterflies, decorating the nursery floor and attracting the attention of the crumbs.

If you delve into the essence of the issue, then the massage mat:

• trains the baby's muscle tissue,
• massages both legs at the same time, giving the same load,
• carries out the prevention of scoliosis, flat feet, hip dysplasia, as well as other diseases of the musculoskeletal system,
• eliminates the primary signs of colds,
• improves mood thanks to bright colors and playful form.

How and when to use the massage mat at home

It is not enough just to buy a rug and put it on the floor, hoping that the baby will understand its main function. You need to practice on it regularly, but only so that the baby perceives it as a game, and not as something obligatory and not interesting.

At first, it will be enough to place the child on the mat. Do not demand any action from him, let him just stand and meet his new friend. Let him tactilely get used to the relief under his feet and thoughtfully listen to his body. It is very important that the baby himself understands that the rug is his friend and will help him, not harm him.

Over time, start moving and walking on the rug. At first, a short interval will be enough - up to 5 minutes per lesson. Do not overdo it with the number of approaches. In the first years of life, a couple of minutes of walking on the rug no more than three times a day is enough. Then your baby will not have time to get tired. You can gradually increase the time spent on the rug. Also, when your toddler feels more confident, allow him to run on the surface, tumbling or crawling.

Please note that if you have chosen a rug with several types of surface, then you can walk on it only in one direction - from small bumps to larger ones, and then return to the beginning along the floor, and not along the rug.

The baby and his foot need time to recover. And if you change the direction, then his legs will receive only stress instead of benefit and the next time he will not want to play on such a rug.

How to choose the right massage mat for children

Nowadays there are so many rugs that it is difficult to choose one. And given that the variety is not only in price and colors, inexperienced parents can make a big mistake in choosing the right massage mat for children.

For a rug to help your baby, there are several factors to consider:

• the size,
• surface,
• filling.

It is quite logical that the older the child, the larger the area should be the size of the rug itself. If a baby who has just learned to stand will feel comfortable on a rug up to 50x50 cm in size, then older children will not be interested in playing on such a small surface. After all, they need to move, which means that you should immediately consider for how long you want to acquire an assistant in the development of children's health.

As we said, most of the massage mats are available in rubber, silicone or PVC. This affects the density of the mat, its stability and durability.

Do not forget that by purchasing rugs made of natural materials you also give safety. After all, they are not toxic and more wear-resistant, while synthetic ones lose their functionality faster and can harm the baby if, for example, he wants to try it on a tooth.

The strength of the surface should not be disregarded. After all, popular rubber massage mats can be too dense and tough for the baby's delicate feet. And PVC mats, on the contrary, will be so soft that they will wash out over time and lose their preventive properties.

That is why when choosing a massage mat, pay attention to what they are made of and how they are combined. After all, it is best to give preference to precisely those rugs on which different filling is provided.

So they can have a more rigid area with large bumps that stimulate points on the foot, and next to it there will be a soft relaxation zone where the baby can rest his legs.

This is done so that the baby can always rest if he gets tired of walking on a relief surface or he feels discomfort. It will also push him to reach the end of the rug.

Therefore, before carrying the rug to the checkout, ask yourself the following questions:

• how long do I plan to use it?
• do i need a cheap or safe mat?
• will my baby walk on such rough terrain?

And only after you can accurately and fully answer these questions, you can complete your search.

Orthopedic mat or massage mat? What are the differences and similarities?

Despite the fact that all this time we only talked about massage rugs, it is worth remembering that there are also orthopedic rugs for children. And, even if most often they are not separated, or even confused, we still want to understand - is there a difference in them?

At first glance, both rugs perform the main function - the formation of the correct gait and the musculoskeletal system of the baby, but if you dig deeper, you will find differences:

• the massage mat is used regularly and is aimed at preventing not only diseases of the musculoskeletal system, but also to maintain muscle tone, improve blood circulation, and the orthopedic mat is used for treatment,
• structurally, an orthopedic mat is always divided into several sections. It can simultaneously accommodate surfaces imitating grass, rocky terrain or other irregularities, while the massage mat can be completely covered with one relief.

Therefore, most of the combined or typesetting mats are precisely orthopedic, with a therapeutic effect, and not just a pleasant massage on the feet of your baby.

But still main similarity of all the rugs in their goal of helping parents raise healthy children.

You can clearly understand how an orthopedic mat for children works and what is its use in the video review Baby Nelly:

DIY massage mat

Creating a rug yourself is much more budgetary than buying a similar one in a store. And so we suggest you arm yourself with everything you need and create an orthopedic mat with your own hands.

Basic requirements for a do-it-yourself rug

At different ages, with different physical activity and under different conditions, we will need completely different rugs. It is necessary to think carefully, what is our goal?

Massage mats, created by parents on their own, are also divided into types. So these days there are:

• massage mats made of natural materials,
• massage mats from sewing accessories, as well as scrap materials,
• textile rugs, which most often have some kind of filler,
• combined mats (which are most often referred to as orthopedic).

As you can see, a massage mat can be made of anything. In addition, it is very important to know a few basic requirements for rugs so that upon completion you will not be disappointed with the result:

• the elements of the massage mat should not cause pain, therefore, we recommend that you exclude from the materials any objects with sharp corners, since this will not be beneficial, and even scare the baby away from classes,
• if you plan to make a combined rug, then be sure to provide relaxation zones - areas uncovered by nothing, on which children's feet will rest from the load,
• the size depends not only on your desire, but also on the age of the fidget. If you are creating a massage mat for children who have just gotten to their feet, then a small square will be enough for you, on which it will only stand or shift from foot to foot. More adults, and therefore active children, will get bored on such a rug, so they need to provide a larger area.

If you want to save your efforts and materials when creating a massage mat, you can either make it large at once, or sew it to the main and additional sections of the Velcro, in order to add new areas if necessary.

In general, orthopedic and massage rugs for children, according to the method of creation and assembly, can be divided into:

• printed, where all the massage elements are inside, in sewn pillows or bags,
• type-setting, where elements are sewn, glued or otherwise attached to the surface.

Massage mat made of natural materials

The most common way to massage the feet of any person, regardless of age or height, is to walk along the rocky beach. Pebbles of different sizes and shapes press on the nerve endings of the leg better than any masseur and do not require any effort from us, except for a uniform step.

• electrical conductivity due to quartz in the composition of the stone allows you to give a weak and useful electrical massage,
• natural, non-toxic origin,
• smooth, rounded shape that does not harm children's feet,
• availability

These pebbles are great for making massage mats, whether they are simple, one material, or as a patch on a combination mat.

First, decide on the basis. It is very important to remember that pebbles are a stubborn material that does not change shape and therefore is solid, not playing along with the foot. Therefore, it is not enough just to take a piece of dense fabric and glue stones on it. It is very important that the substrate is soft enough to press through.

Therefore, we recommend to sew a pillow from two dense fabrics, and insert several layers of padding polyester or foam rubber with a thickness of at least 15 mm inside. Such a layer will be enough so that when the pebble is pressed, it deepens a little, succumbing and softening the baby's step.

After preparing the base, you can take on the fastening of the pebble itself to the mat. Do not forget that we are creating for children - big fidgets and naturalists - so the glue should be non-toxic, but strong.

PVA is considered the safest glue, but it can be used only if your base is made of cotton, otherwise the stones will periodically fall off, and this creates a risk of being tested on the tooth.

It will be more effective to use construction glue or universal polymer glue. However, do not forget that then there must be a lot of pebbles in order to close all access to the surface with glue, or you will have to apply the glue material to the pebbles so that it does not appear because of it.

You can clearly understand how to create a simple but effective pebble massage mat thanks to a detailed video master class from Guidecentral Russkij:

However, not only pebbles are great for creating massage rugs. If your house loves nuts, then you can create a great fidget leg trainer.

Walnut shells, glued upside down to the base, will give an excellent massage and therapeutic effect. These mats will develop the baby's foot and allow it to be more flexible.

Well, chestnuts will become an excellent material for an orthopedic rug. After all, besides the fact that they have the most suitable size and shape, they also emit useful, healing vapors.

They can be sewn onto a base that is the same density and thickness as for a pebble rug. Or string on a fishing line and put such beads on a carpet or thick carpet.

The only drawback of using chestnuts as the main material for an orthopedic mat is that they are not durable.

From long storage and even more so trampling, the shell will crack, and this not only causes discomfort for the children's foot, but also provokes the release of tannins contained in the kernels of the nut, which is unsafe for the health of the crumbs. It is worth monitoring their condition and saying goodbye to them in time.

Massage mat from fittings and scrap materials

And yet not everyone has the opportunity to collect nuts or collect pebbles by the sea, and there is an abundance of sewing accessories in the house of every needlewoman.

Pay attention to the buttons first. After all, they:

• are certified for chemical resistance, which means they are safe for our babies,
• strong and wear-resistant,
• come in different sizes and shapes.

First, choose a base. And here you have no restrictions, everything will go to work:

• old terry towels,
• stool cushions,
• a piece of carpet,
• a sandwich made of cotton and padding polyester, which quilting masters make.

Even a thick blanket will do! The main thing is that you have enough buttons and strength to sew them on.

Arrange them wisely. After all, if you randomly sew on buttons "in bulk", then you can not just not get the expected effect, but also harm.

Therefore, be guided by the following principles:

• do not allow large gaps between buttons,
• place small buttons closer to each other, forming tracks so that the baby puts his foot on them, sew large ones between the tracks.

However, you can create a massage mat for children with your own hands without using buttons; other materials at hand will do.

Sew on felt-tip pens and handles to the base, and here is a ready-made path in front of you, along which the baby will run with fun and with interest.

Caps from five liter bottles will be great bumps for children's feet. Lay them out in the form of a pattern or arrange them in stripes depending on the size to increase the load on the baby's legs.

Sew on like buttons capsules from chocolate eggs.

Arrange on the base wine corks... If they are not enough for a full-fledged rug, you can cut into discs and sew.

Use sponges, ribbons tied in knots, or artificial turf trimmings for the material and sew them onto a solid base.

Moreover, please note that a thick towel that is no longer used for its intended purpose, a fleece blanket or a small piece of carpet can become the basis.

Massage mat with fillers (textile mat)

One of the most effective massage mats for children is considered to be bulk. Their main feature is that you will not find any reliefs on the surface, but they are much more pleasant and attractive to the touch even for an adult, like an anti-stress toy that you want to crumple and iron.

Inside such a rug is not just foam rubber or synthetic winterizer, inside there is a material that gives the same massage effect that is useful for children's feet.

To create a bulk massage mat with your own hands you will need:

• dense fabric,
• various filler,
• velcro (optional)
• thread, scissors and a sewing machine.

You can use any fabric for the base, even old jeans. The main requirement is durability, so that during active use the mat does not break.

You will have to tinker a little with the filler. The most common recommendation is to use cereals, but you can substitute them:

• plant seeds,
• pits of small fruits (such as apricot or plum),
• cherry pits
• wooden beads of different sizes.

But how the rug will look depends on the place in the house. After all, you can:

• sew a long path, start a line at the same distance from each other to make pockets, and after inserting the bags with filler inside, sew everything up and decorate with an oblique inlay,
• sew separate bags, and then collect them into one rug, moreover, it does not have to be square or rectangular, choose the shape yourself,
• sew a few pillows, and fasten them with Velcro sewn around the edge.

In the latter case, you can not only adjust and choose the size of the massage mat, but also change the combination of fillers. In addition, such a rug can always be put away in the closet or taken with you on a visit so that your baby does not get bored and has a good time.

The most common and effective do-it-yourself massage rugs are combined ones. You can use a huge variety of materials in them, which will only benefit children's legs. In addition, they have not only a preventive, but also a curative effect. That is why they are often called orthopedic.

They got the name "combined" due to the fact that several zones with different relief can be located on one mat, which allows the child's foot to change the load and sensations from it.

Such rugs are both more difficult to perform and simpler. After all, a variety of materials will go into work, and the sites will be smaller, which means less effort will be required to put everything together. But its overall size will be larger and you need to take a very responsible approach to the combination of relief so as not to harm the baby.

The most common and simpler orthopedic rug can be called a rug in two sectors - with pebbles and buttons, respectively. Even it has everything you need for the proper development of the foot, gait and spine.

It is very easy to create such a rug - take a suitable base (a piece of carpet or thick towel is best) and divide it into two zones. They should be visually the same size so that the periods of loading and relaxation for the foot are the same. Next, just glue the pebbles on one section of the base and sew the buttons on the other.

Olga Platonova gladly shares his experience in a video master class:

But more complex combinations from many sectors are more common:

• using scrap materials,
• with a combination of type-setting and bulk areas,
• thematic rugs, on which children not only walk, but also learn something new.

The principle of creating such an orthopedic mat is only to sew sectors of the same size and sew a previously prepared relief to them. A basic set of materials will look something like this:

• fabric for the base,
• foam rubber or synthetic winterizer to seal the base,
• cereals, seeds or seeds for bulk sections,
• buttons, old felt-tip pens, pencils, beads and other accessories,
• stoppers, lids, sponges, capsules and containers from shoe covers,
• threads, needles and scissors.

The easiest way to create a rug is to arrange the massage elements on one canvas. Its convenience and simplicity lies in the fact that you don't need a lot of effort to sew the base itself - just take a suitable piece of carpet, an old rug or a large towel.

If you want to make the rug more neat and attractive, then take a bright fabric (cotton, calico or satin is best), cut out the top layer from it and sew massage elements to it, and then assemble a classic sandwich from two layers of fabric and a layer of filler. as for a quilt.

How easy and convenient it is to arrange everything on the combined rug, Yana Agaeva will gladly tell us in her video master class:

If you want to sew the sections separately in order to alternate the typesetting areas of the rug with the loose ones, then you have to work a little. To begin with, you need to tailor the required number of squares or rectangles - future sectors - to sew on some massage elements, pour cereals and other filler into others, and then sew them all into one long path.

How to alternate the relief and which is more suitable for your baby? The answer is only in your heart, because all children are different and if some like walking on the sand, then others will find such entertainment boring. And as a hint, we suggest you look into Ekaterina Kuzmina and get inspired by her combined rug, in which she used only available materials.

If you want to combine education and health in one rug, then you will love the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a themed rug. After all, this way the baby will not only develop his musculoskeletal system, but also learn something new.

Try to sew an original rug with a river, a meadow and a house, or send your baby on a trip around the world, or even release it for a couple of minutes into space. And an excellent, understandable master class of the video channel will help us with this. Women's hobby:

Baby's health is the main concern of parents. We all know that curing is much more difficult than preventing disease. This means that prevention must come first.

Massages and classes in health groups are a great way out, but they take a lot of time and money, while a massage mat for children becomes a friend, helper and a great game for several years to come!

Massage mats are a product of a sedentary life and to some extent can replace physical labor in the fresh air and walking barefoot. This is especially important for a child: flat feet or clubfoot are unpleasant in themselves and contribute to the development of rickets. In adulthood, its consequences are not treated, and living with them is not very comfortable. But for adults, a massage mat is also useful, because significantly reduces fatigue and helps fight stress. Massage massage can be bought, or you can do it yourself. If you do it right, then the effect of a homemade massage mat will be stronger and better than the one purchased for a decent amount. How to make a massage mat with your own hands from scrap materials is described in this article.

We will further focus on massage foot mats. Back mats are also available, but, firstly, the choice of manufacturing methods and materials for them is strictly limited (solid wood or food grade plastic). Secondly, the back mat does not have a general beneficial effect - there are simply few active zones on it (back) and below (see below). And most importantly, the effect of reducing back mat fatigue is quite relative. On the seat of a minibus or truck driver, you rarely see a mat for the back. They say there is no sense from it, it only interferes. Doctors - specialists in industrial sanitation and occupational diseases - agree that the effect of a massage mat for the back is reduced to self-hypnosis. There are also therapeutic massage mats for different parts of the body, but this is medical equipment used as directed and under the supervision of a doctor.

Why - legs?

An orthopedic foot mat not only helps to shape the arch of the foot. Acupuncturists know that the soles compete with the auricle in the concentration of active (and very active) zones in it. The active zones of the body during acupuncture procedures are stimulated pointwise or in the old fashioned way with acupuncture, or with a probe of an acupuncture device (by the way, such a device can be made independently, and it finds active points absolutely correctly), or with a laser. For the foot, the point effect on the active zones is not very suitable - they walk with their feet. Even in newborns, the active points of the feet are hardly found by an experienced specialist, and a point effect on them is ineffective. But for an ordinary person it is so good: acting on the active zones of the feet with the help of a massage mat, it is very difficult to overdo it and cause harm. But there can be many benefits - if the rug is made properly, see below. In the end, only a few of the children spoil their feet, who have never seen a massage rug and have never seen them in their eyes, and they get even less sick with rickets. But strengthening health from infancy, at the same time guaranteeing yourself slender legs and a smooth gait, will not hurt anyone.

The location of the active zones on the soles of human feet is shown in the figure:

The massage mat acts on them by means of soft acupuncture, which is nothing more than a massage. The basic principles of soft excitation of active points are as follows:

• The impact is made on a limited, but rather large area of \u200b\u200bthe body surface.
• The impact should be rhythmic.
• The force of each push (pressure) should smoothly increase and decrease as smoothly throughout its duration.
• A double or triple rhythm is very effective, when an impact wave, as it were, rolls over the treated area, accompanied by rhythmic smaller jerks.
• An increase in the strength and / or speed of action before the onset of pain is unacceptable, because if the brain has received a signal of pain, then the corresponding active point begins not to stimulate, but to suppress the organ associated with it.

Specifically (physiologically) with mild acupuncture, the keratinized layers of the skin slightly squeeze the active point (so that it does not slip to the side), and then they themselves are a little pressed inward and squeeze it. On the feet, gentle acupuncture is facilitated by the fact that the upper layers of the skin are denser and the layer of soft tissue between them and the bone is thinner. In a properly made massage mat (see below), this happens automatically. However, if the mat is not made correctly, the opposite effect is possible.

Note: if you have ever broken your foot bones, then without consulting a doctor, you can use only a padded, cork or felt massage mat, see below. Otherwise, due to bone fracture scars, beneficial procedures can turn into harmful ones.

How not to

General information about the essence of massage is already enough to understand how not to make a massage mat. Examples of it wrong execution shown in the photo:

Pos. 1 - from inverted plastic stoppers. It hurts! There is no orthopedic effect because the total (covering) surface is flat compared to the size of the feet. Such a rug will protect you from flat feet and clubfoot no better than a laminate floor, but it will not be useful for health.

The bumps (pos. 2 and 3) are, in principle, capable of giving an orthopedic effect in size, but again - it hurts! The general strengthening effect is negative. Even worse is a mat made of grinding wheels (pos. 4) or concrete castings, it will wear off your feet before infection. Concrete rugs are also dusty with allergenic and carcinogenic cement dust. According to sanitary and construction rules, any room with bare concrete walls is considered unsuitable for housing, industrial activities, and other cases of long-term stay of people in it. To understand how you can think of a massage mat made of concrete or abrasives, you need to be a psychiatrist not of the last.

The orthopedic effect of rugs made of corks with the flat side up (pos. 5), bath and kitchen utensils (pos. 6) or plastic household items (pos. 7) is possible, but unpredictable, even negative. General strengthening - absent. A rug made of pompons (pos. 8) gives a positive orthopedic effect, but very weak. General strengthening - zero.

How to

It is possible to make a massage mat correctly, in general, in three ways:

1. Sewn from natural felt;
2. Printed - elements that affect the active zones are in shells (bags) made of natural fabric;
3. Typesetting - active elements are sewn or glued to a base that absorbs grease.

From felt

Even N.M. Przhevalsky noted that the nomads of Central Asia, living in literally deadly natural conditions, enjoy enviable health and longevity. In the light of subsequent research, it was found that the felt bedding of the yurt plays an important role in this; Shoes, both the owners and visitors, when entering, left at the entrance and walked in the yurt on the rough felt barefoot or in soft ichigas. The yurt bedding wore out quickly, so they sewed it from waste and scraps, and the upper surface of the bedding was all scarred.

The orthopedic and general strengthening (therapeutic) effects of the felt massage mat are very high and are provided by the very mechanical properties of the felt, it seems to adapt to the skin of the foot that steps on it. Therefore, it is possible to sew a massage mat from felt without worrying about its visible structure and texture, if only a relief with a height of approx. 1 cm (see photo). But, of course, a felt foot mat will take a lot of work and is expensive. But if you add imagination to work, a felt massage mat can become a meaningful interior item. There are no contraindications for a felt mat for people of any age and health condition.

Printed

The therapeutic effect of a printed massage mat is stronger, but softer than a felt one, because, firstly, it falls evenly over the entire foot area; secondly, irritation of the nerve endings by hard villi is excluded. The orthopedic effect is much less because smoothed by the fabric covering the active elements. Therefore, a padded massage mat is best for:

• An adult whose bones are already completely hardened.
• For a child who has barely started to walk - the bones are still soft, the typesetting mat (see below) can bend the arch of the foot too much or lead to clubfoot.
• A child up to 2-3 years old, if there are doubts about the correct formation of the leg bones. Suddenly it seems to the parents that the baby's legs are somehow different, and the doctor says: “It is not clear yet. Let it grow up ”, the padded massage mat will not harm in any way and, quite possibly, will eliminate the problem in the bud.

A padded massage mat for children and adults will have a beneficial effect if it is made in the form of a path of sections, see fig., Filled with active elements of different fractions (different sizes).

Section length in length - per user step; in width - arbitrarily. The number of sections, except for end sections, is at least 4. The penultimate section is often stacked to enhance the overall effect, see below. During the passage of the track, the impact gradually increases to a maximum and abruptly ends. For a secondary pass, the walkway is bypassed and started again with minimal impact. When they say that you need to go to the end, stand at the last section and return, this is wrong. For active points to perceive and transmit excitation, its peak must be fixed, for which active points need 5-20 s of complete rest. The active points need the same complete rest to prepare for arousal. Compare with sex: without foreplay and rest after intercourse is not satisfaction, but harm. Therefore, if bypassing the rug on a hard floor, then for preparation at the beginning and at the end for “sludge” it is added along a section filled with granular fibrous filler for upholstered furniture - holofiber. Without them, a sharp transition to solid will shock excited active points and reduce, completely eliminate or even reverse the overall effect.

Note: if there is no room for a long track, you can sew a compact one, see fig. on right. They don't walk on this, but step over. The compact massage track should lie on a carpet or the like. soft floor covering.

The sections of the massage track are sewn from any cotton fabric suitable for children's bedding and accessories, for example, soft sides for a crib: coarse calico, flannel, bikes. For the little ones, in order to develop a smooth gait, it is useful to supplement the massage track with footprints, see, for example, the video below.

Video: homemade massage track for children

The sections of the track are usually filled with cereals and / or plant seeds. They are good at absorbing grease irrevocably. The key to the benefits and effectiveness of the massage mat is clean, dry feet. This, by the way, is a serious advantage of massage rugs over barefoot walking on the ground. However, cereals, firstly, quickly break up and get dusty. Secondly, trampling food somehow does not fit with generally accepted moral principles. Therefore, it is advisable to completely replace cereals with seeds (ranging from small to large):

• Grape seeds, mountain ash, wild hawthorn, boxwood are a must.
• Seeds of apples, pears, quince, cultivated hawthorn, cucumber seeds are a must.
• Cherry plum seeds.
• Date pits or pits of cherries, cherries are a must.
• Hungarian plum seeds.
• Plum or apricot seeds are a must.
• Peach pits - you can replace the typesetting section.

The word "obligatory" marks the positions for filling the sections of the mat in the minimum configuration, 4 sections. Seeds indicated in one position can be mixed in the section, only it will be better. Acorns, unfortunately, are useless: the thin shell soon breaks, and the kneaded kernel releases tannins that are not useful for the skin. The same applies to acacia seeds, but they are too flat. All seeds must be properly dried before backfilling.

Typesetting

The typesetting children's massage mat has a strong orthopedic effect and therefore is useful for a child from 3-4 years old, for whom the absence of anomalies in the formation of the skeleton has been accurately established. Adults up to 23-24 years old - no more than once a day to correct and / or improve gait. For completely ossified uncles and aunts - sporadically to relieve severe stress and fatigue. The basis of a type-setting massage mat is sewn from 2 layers of fabric (the lower one is made of a coarser technical fabric) with a pad of 5-7 mm padding polyester, except for one case, see below. Materials for active elements, in descending order of effectiveness:

1. Pebbles;
2. Natural cork or pressed cork crumb products;
3. Soft wood, best coniferous;
4. Horse chestnut seeds;
5. Buttons.

However, before starting to analyze them, you need to know the general principles of the arrangement of active materials on the basis, their visible structure. Take, for example, the segments of factory massage mats (see the picture on the right), everything is the same color and you can clearly see what is where and how. Active elements take 3-5 fractions of coarseness, from 4-5 to 1-1.5 cm. The finer the fraction of an element, the more such elements will be required per unit area of \u200b\u200bthe mat. Fragments are placed on the basis not completely randomly. First, large fragments are laid out, approximately around them following in decreasing order, etc., so that the virtual (imaginary) covering surface is soft-wavy, pos. 1 in fig. In this way, you can provide a double (for 3 fractions of size from 5 to 2 cm) or triple (for 5 fractions) rhythm of exposure.

To correct the already detected rudiments of anomalies of the skeleton of the feet, multiple components of the rhythm of the impact must be increased. For this, the largest elements are arranged in rows, but not ideally uniform and straight. The "disorder" of the placement of the elements following the degree of grinding is increased so that the smallest ones are located by eye the more chaotic the further they are from the largest ones, pos. 2. But - remember! - the complete arrangement of active elements at all size levels (pos. 3) will make the rug not only useless, but also harmful even for children without bone anomalies. Simply - the massage mat is the same as in pos. 3, can ruin the legs of a healthy child.

Pebble

Pebbles by themselves do not play along with the feet, therefore, the laying in the base of the pebble massage mat should be made of padding polyester with a thickness of 20 mm or furniture foam rubber 35-45 with a thickness of 15-25 mm. In this case, its orthopedic effect will be no worse than that of felt. But its therapeutic effect is simply phenomenal; in the old days they believed in the spirit of the stone.

The fact is that smoothly rounded pebbles are formed only from solid rocks, which include quartz and other minerals that have a piezoelectric effect. When the foot is pressed on the surface of the pebbles, microscopic and micropowerful electrical discharges occur, which are completely imperceptible to us, but “finishing off” to the very nuclei of active points is better than any medical laser. Moreover, the discharges themselves find active points, tk. their electrical conductivity is an order of magnitude higher than that of the surrounding tissues; this property of hotspots is used for their electrical search. The same effect is used in hot stone massage, but there micro-discharges are caused by thermal deformations of the cooling stone.

However, the massage mat pebbles need to be positioned competently. The ideal case is smooth, well-rounded, white or gray without conspicuous redness, with noticeable veins of quartz. Pebbles are placed on the basis according to the above rules (item 1 in the figure above). By the way, pebbles are also laid out naturally on the beach. So, if you take it from there, take a photo first, and lay out according to the photo. In addition, in this way, up to 15% of not readily available material is saved per unit area of \u200b\u200bthe rug. PVA is glued to the base, cleanly washed and dried pebbles.

But sort one fraction on the mat, as in pos. 2 is unnecessary for the above reasons. Then, the color of reddish and yellowish stones may be due to compounds not of iron, but of sulfur, which are not completely harmless. And it will certainly be very bad if black stones are colored like that due to the content of monazite in them. Its natural radiophone "rolls over": monazite - uranium ore. Until richer deposits of radionuclides were discovered, deposits of monazite sands were actively exploited for uranium.

Also, you do not need to place pebbles with large gaps, pos. 3, the orthopedic effect will almost disappear. It is also not necessary to varnish, electrostimulation will disappear. If there is not enough natural material, it is better to fill in the gaps with buttons, see below. From replacing pebbles with fragments of facing materials, pos. 4, there will be no orthopedic or therapeutic effect, but poorly rounded angular pebbles, pos. 5, both will give the opposite.

Suberic

Experts have come to the medical properties of natural cork flooring by researching such wood, about which see below. The plug also stimulates the active zones additionally, but not with electricity. With what? Thermal radiation from the body itself: the cork perfectly reflects infrared (IR) rays. In addition, it irrevocably absorbs a lot more grease, and plays along with the feet when walking only slightly weaker than felt. Therefore, anyone can use a cork massage mat as much as they want without any contraindications.

The cork massage mat can be simply assembled from wine corks glued with PVA to the base (pos. 1). True, if you drink so much yourself, then no foot massage will help. You can save the orthopedic effect without fiddling with the base by piercing the corks with fishing line and collecting them into the mat at intervals, pos. 2. Even better - to collect closely, but changing the orientation of neighboring pairs to perpendicular, pos. 3. If there is not enough material, the corks can be cut into slices of the same thickness (from 1 cm) and sewn to the base with the ends, pos. 3. But to sew the cork slices up and down, pos. 5, it is impossible: the orthopedic effect will be harmful, because its correct rhythm will not be.

Wooden

Back in the days when acupuncture was considered the machinations of the devil, subject to severe punishment, it was noticed that the sailors of sailing ships were physically stronger, healthier and more durable than officers, although the latter ate better, were less deprived and did not engage in excessive work. One of the reasons for this phenomenon became clear much later - sailors walked barefoot on a tree a lot. Softwood has all the properties of cork, albeit to a much lesser extent, and the decks and gangways of sailboats were made of cheap softwood for the sake of economy.

Wood massage rugs also have features. Firstly, they are not suitable for everyone, but only for the categories of users indicated at the beginning of the section. Secondly, wooden massage mats with thorns (item 1 in the figure), which are now sold almost for sale, can be used only after consulting a doctor and for his purpose. Rugs with large active elements made of soft wood (pos. 2) are similar to pebble mats in terms of the general range of effects, but much weaker. It is useful for an adult and a child from 4-5 years old to stand on a finely fragmented wooden rug made of hard wood (pos. 4) after bathing procedures for a minute or two before stepping on another floor, incl. wooden, this negates the probability of a shock to the hotspots. A rug made of transverse planks of pine, fir or spruce with partial intervals (pos. 4) is suitable for a child of 1-5 years old with a normal bone: the baby first steps along the solid middle path, and then along the lateral paths at intervals, this prevents hurrying from clubfoot. A rug made of small cuts of hard wood, staggered at intervals in the composition of the massage track, is much better than a button link and more accessible than a pebble one.

From chestnuts

Horse chestnut seed massage mat, like seed mats in general, perfectly absorbs grease. Due to the rounded shape and optimal size of horse chestnut seeds, the orthopedic effect of a massage mat is better than that of a wooden finely typesetting and button mat. A good therapeutic effect is provided by evaporation from fresh seeds: as you know, horse chestnut seeds are successfully used in medicine and cosmetology. A serious drawback of a chestnut rug - it will not be enough until spring. The seed shell will dry out, crack, and tannins will come out, which are more in horse chestnut than in acorns.

Making a massage rug out of horse chestnuts (item 1 in the figure) is not difficult: take the material, I don’t want to. The chestnuts can either be sewn onto the base (pos. 2), or you can do without the base by piercing the chestnuts with thread or fishing line, pos. 3. In this case, the rug should lie on a carpet, thick rug, etc. soft floor covering.

Button

Why buttons? Because they are certified for chemical resistance, grease absorption and mechanical strength. The materials of jewelry, cosmetic cases, toiletries and stationery are tested (or should be) for compatibility with the human body, but are not designed to be trampled. Tough engineering plastics, on the other hand, are not designed for permanent contact with unprotected skin.

The rules for the arrangement of buttons on the basis of a massage mat are common for active elements of typesetting mats: no artistic disorder with overlapping fragments (item 1 in the figure) is necessary, wide gaps between buttons (item 2) are also undesirable. It is necessary to arrange the buttons on the basis of the rug, like a pebble, pos. 3. But the best option for a massage rug with buttons is a thick base that absorbs grease and perspiration, small buttons of the same size on the tracks, and larger and less often on the base between them, pos. 4.

In any case, both the effects of a rug of buttons are at best 3 with a little plus sign. Therefore, a massage mat made of buttons is advisable, firstly, as the last, coarsest, padded section, see above, because here the last section only reinforces the effect obtained on the previous ones. But the best use of buttons in a massage mat is in addition to pebbles. If 3/4 of the area of \u200b\u200bthe rug is filled with buttons, evenly distributed between also evenly distributed pebbles, the overall effect will not be much reduced compared to a pebble rug, but four times less material is required for hard-to-reach material. How to make a massage mat from pebbles and buttons, see, for example, next. roller.

Taking the first steps, the child learns to walk. Then, when the basics of walking are fixed, and he boldly starts to run, the question arises about the correct gait and the formation of the foot. Today, almost half of children have foot problems. Clubfoot, flat feet, and other serious foot conditions can cause serious health problems for your baby in the future. Therefore, at the first signs and alarm bells, parents need an orthopedic consultation.
To avoid flat feet, it is very important to timely and regularly carry out its prevention. A self-made massage mat can turn boring exercises into a fun game. My daughter herself asks to unfold the rug for her so that she can walk on it.

We are starting a master class.
To create a developing mat you need:
1) Thick, narrow and long fabric. Old rugs are ideal. My base is a striped car cover.
2) Tubules,
3) lids from plastic bottles and jars from baby food,
4) old washcloths,
5) Christmas tree beads,

7) the fabric from which the bag is sewn and the sponge rump is poured,
8) Footprints (I cut them out of white fabric)
9) A box from under a box of chocolates.

The list can be lengthened depending on what you find in the house. I didn't buy anything on purpose, I just took what is on the farm.

1) To begin with, we prepare all the covers: with a nail and a hammer we push 2 holes in each cover so that they can be sewn to the base.

2) Then you need to sew or find a small bag to fill in the cereal. I chose chickpeas (chickpeas), it is large and dense, it ideally massages the feet.

3) The next step is cutting out a slick from a plain cotton fabric. I cut 4 footprints and I think that's enough. Of course, you can cut more in someone whose path is longer than mine.
4) Now you can begin to gradually sew all the prepared elements to the track. The first thing I have is a shower sponge. Then there was a bag of chickpeas, after it, lids from under baby food, then tubes (each tube had to be sewn separately in three places for the fortress, because the daughter immediately tried to grab them).

After the tubes, I sewed on the sponges with the hard side up, and then the mat.

The next step is plastic bottle caps. I searched and collected them for a long time, but it was worth it. They are an excellent massager. The more, the better. After the covers, the same fabric tracks follow.

Beads, a container for sweets on the back and an old washcloth complete the track.

Here's a massage mat I got.

My daughter adores him. It unfolds easily, folds up and takes up little space.

Each parent can make such a rug for their child. There are a lot of benefits from it, and the costs are simply minimal. Of course, you have to spend a little time, but the result is worth it. Good luck in your endeavors!

I share my experience in making a massage mat with my own hands.

Massage mat made of cereals and old clothes

In the process of preparing for little Yana's first steps, I came across information about a large number of different deviations in the formation of feet. According to some experts, these deviations are physiological and go away without any intervention. According to other specialists, the sooner you start treating abnormalities, the more chances of cure are. The most important thing is that both of them are unanimous - the more natural (or close to them in structure) surfaces for walking the child has, the lower the probability of deviations! Ideal in this regard is walking barefoot on sand, grass, pebbles, but all this is difficult to provide regularly to city kids. It is with the aim of filling the gap in the textures for small developing legs that moms weave hard weaving mats and make all kinds of massage rugs. I decided to keep up with the leading moms, so I came up with and made a massage mat with my own hands.

Do-it-yourself massage mat made of cereals: required

• 2 daddy's old shirts;
• 1 old daddy jeans
• 3 napkins with wooden elements for hot dishes (two napkins were used for decorating the outside, one bamboo was inserted into one of the squares);
• fillers: beans, buckwheat, lentils, rice;
• synthetic winterizer (I decided to use it to make the mat more dense. In fact, it was not needed in jeans squares);
• 50 cm satin (I wanted to use it to introduce Yana to an unusual smooth and pleasant texture). I chose a very dense satin, on which puffs are not made;
• 80 buttons for decorating one square;
• grandmother's sewing machine.

Sequence of work

1. Old shirts, jeans and satin I cut into squares.

The hot napkins immediately attracted attention.

The beauty of a hand-made rug is the colors that match the interior. I hate the bright rough colors of the store rugs, they don't fit into any interior. All materials, including those from old clothes, turned out to be my favorite shades - spring thaws and slush.

2. All further work consisted of sewing together the bags of squares, inside with padding polyester. I used the synthetic winterizer to make the rug more dense, if initially coarser materials are taken, then it is possible without the synthetic winterizer.

3. The bags, in which the filler was supposed, I pre-sewn with longitudinal stitches so that the filler does not get lost in one heap.
4. In the stitched bags, there were many small pockets, which I filled with cereals and sewed up. The bags for which the decor was supposed to be on top were simply sewn up with a padding polyester inside.
5. In the end, two bags were decorated with napkins under the hot, one with buttons.

Before starting sewing, I thought for a long time about the layout of the rug, which is easy to clean, but nothing came to my mind and I just started sewing as it would. I sewed and sewed the bags to each other sequentially, which I regretted at the end of the work. If anyone decides to repeat my experience, I recommend sewing independent bags with fillers and decor. And provide each bag with Velcro or buttons for grip with a neighbor. With this scheme, your rug will be very convenient to clean in separate blocks, and mine is quite difficult to clean. I wash it only when necessary and only on my hands.

Correct placement

After the fuse of enthusiasm is over, these rugs are often abandoned over time. Not every mother has the patience to spend time exercising regularly on a regular schedule. I have a life hack for this case - I placed the rug in the most passable part of the corridor. With this placement of the rug, the legs of all family members receive a daily dose of prevention from flat feet and pleasant sensations from relaxing the muscles of the feet. By the way, other names for such rugs are "orthopedic". In addition to the handmade option, you can consider industrial ones. Now there is a great variety of them.

Orthopedic rugs in My-shop are presented with imitation of various textures: stones, seaside, forest, and even there is an option for the first steps.

Mom's helper 😉

In the meantime, I was sewing a rug, little Yana threatened to disrupt the whole event several times. She made repeated attempts to sew on her own and each time was very upset when she was not given a needle. But at the moment of filling the bags, Yana was engaged in real cereal lawlessness - she poured and scattered them on various containers and surfaces. In doing so, the entire kitchen area turned into a large sensory box 😀.

We develop fine motor skills

DIY massage mat | Completion

The result exceeded my expectations - the rug turned out to be not only functional, but also a nice addition to the interior!

UPD:I share my operating experience. Now our rug is over a year old. Most of the time he lay in the corridor and did not lose his appearance and relevance.

UPD after 3 years:in the third year of operation of the rug, the coasters for hot wooden elements could not stand it and began to crumble. I had to reinforce them all over the area with a fishing line.

Other publications on the topic of baby feet care:

• (It turns out that our orthopedists are behind the rest of the planet. Hard shoes with heels in the West are considered harmful, and ours still categorize shoes as soft and hard, while not knowing about the existence of flexible, but moderately elastic shoes.
• (the best prevention of flat feet is classes barefoot on the Swedish wall);
• О (gurneys are an excellent preparation of the leg muscles for walking);

Do you care about the health and development of your baby? Have you been advised to buy a special foot track? Want to do such a thing yourself? You can easily make massage for kindergarten or for home use from scrap materials. Read on! See the photo! Do it!

What does a massage mat look like?

This thing is a relief surface made of some material. In stores, rubberized products with various pimples are most often offered. They can protrude strongly above the surface or be very slightly prominent. The sensations when walking on it depend on this. In the first case, the massage will be like running on freshly cut grass, in the second - walking along a soft silky lawn. Combined options work best.

Cheap, but not very durable ones, on which plastic embossed elements are glued or installed in another way on top of the base. Usually these models are harsh and do not last long. Pebble rugs are also sold. These are used for stone therapy, warming them up.

If you are doing needlework or just want to make this device yourself, this is not very difficult. Do-it-yourself massage rugs for a kindergarten or at home can be made either with a fabric surface, under which a relief is created in some way, or have a clearly textured structure, for example, from sewn-on parts. Any option will cost less than the purchased one.

Why do you need a massage mat

Even if your baby is in good health, doctors note the good condition of the arch of the foot and the absence of any problems; having this device is useful for preventive purposes. Almost everyone knows that there are many points on the foot, the impact on which has a beneficial effect on the body. on a massage mat provides the following benefits:

• contributes to the correct formation of the foot;
• is an ;
• enhances immunity;
• stimulates the development of the baby (including speech);
• relieves nervous tension, relaxes.

In fact, this is not a new trend in the healing of the body. For a long time, people walked barefoot on the ground and grass. It improved health. Nowadays, most people do not have the opportunity to run in dew, mowed crops or lawns. Home health treatments are a good alternative. And for a child, this can be combined with an exciting game and developmental activities.

DIY massage mats for kindergarten or at home are made very simply from available materials. Their prime cost is relatively low. The time you spend will form the basis. However, a self-made product will be a unique, original author's project. The result will delight both you and all the kids.

DIY massage: master class

In any creative process, the main thing is to show imagination, however, there are some simple tips that you should follow. If you decide to find out how to make, then you need to choose one of two manufacturing methods, when the embossed elements:

• sewn on top of the base;
• fall asleep between layers of fabric.

Let's consider the second method first. This product is safer. The child walks on the fabric base, under which the texture of the massage particles is felt. The baby will not be tempted to tear off small objects and put them in their mouth.

The shape of this thing can be any. The easiest way is to make a regular rectangle or square. If you have experience with sewing, follow curly options in the form of vegetables, fruits, a butterfly, ladybug, sun, clouds and any other object. Both the base and the decor can be embossed in them.

Take a fabric base and sew it in the form of a bag. It's good if you take the bottom denser. Make the upper part, on which they will walk, of coarse calico. You can not use too thin material such as gauze: the filler will break through it. To make a rectangular rug with filler, you need the following:

1. You can gradually sprinkle the cereal in strips along the narrow side of the rug and overlap after 5-10 cm.
2. To make squares or rectangles with different alternating internal reliefs, you should first sew long pockets from the bottom to the top of the "bag", filling them with cereals, beans, balls and other small elements, sew the fabric in a perpendicular direction.

The options discussed below are performed in the first way. If the child is big enough and he understands that small parts cannot be torn off and put into his mouth, then feel free to sew such a multifunctional masterpiece. If you are unsure of your child, just do not leave him unattended with this rug until he grows up.

Massage mat - educational aid

Provide fun activities to draw your child's attention to a healthy activity. Sew a product that will not only allow you to walk on it with your feet and get pleasant ones, but also make it possible to play with its elements. Use ideas like this:

• you can make parts with Velcro, zippers, buttons that unfasten;
• ribbons and laces are threaded or untied;
• beads or other decor, move along threads or strings. For example, a decorative toy butterfly moves from the center of the flower to the petals;
• use shreds of different textures. They can be collected in two columns in order to find the same in each;
• use bright monochromatic elements (foam sponges for dishes, straws from felt-tip pens), by which you can learn colors.

In short, use your imagination to the fullest.

Massage Mat - Walking Game

Another interesting option is to invite the child to move along the path, overcoming obstacles, jumping from bump to bump. Children love to fantasize, so it is enough to ask them to run to an imaginary pond, ride along a bridge or a path, and the kid will be fascinated by the process and begin to invent tasks himself. Everyone wants to demonstrate dexterity, courage.

DIY massage track for children

In stores, small rugs are most often sold on which you can step over, you will not be able to run on them. To do this, you will have to buy several and put them in one line. It is also better to make them yourself.

Do-it-yourself massage rugs are made in the same ways as mentioned above. The only difference is in the shape of the base. Here, a long strip is taken, but in width it can be quite narrow, for example, corresponding to the width of the child's legs set at shoulder level. The younger the baby, the narrower you can make the track. It can be expanded over time. In any case, it is better to proceed from the materials that are available.

Massage mat in half an hour

Below is the easiest way to make a rug. A small-sized massage for children can be done very quickly from scrap materials:

1. Take any rubberized rug as a base.
2. Collect rounded rounded pebbles of approximately the same thickness on the bank of the river. You can also buy them at the pet store. They spread the bottom of the aquariums.
3. Stick the pebbles on the base tightly or at a distance. Proceed from considerations of convenience, conformity to the size of the child's feet, stones and gaps.

Here's a rug. Its only drawback is that it turns out to be heavy, and you will have to allocate a special place for it in the apartment, since it will be problematic to constantly wear it, folding and rolling it again.

Do children like these products (review about)

A do-it-yourself massage mat is always done carefully and with love, so creating it yourself or ordering it, you can be sure that your baby will definitely like the product.

Usually, kids first check it for strength, investigate if something can be disconnected, torn off, and then they are happy to engage in the proposed activities: walk, walk, jump over a bridge, puddle, stone, etc. The main thing is to interest the child and play different options scenes, then the boring "must" will turn into a pleasant "want".

So, you read that DIY massage rugs for kindergarten or at home are quite simple to make. Any materials that have a different textured surface are used. Choose the idea you like and start creating your original health improvement tool.