Foot massage is very important for improving blood circulation and hardening the body, especially in childhood. Massage mats for kindergarten can be made with your own hands if you put in a little effort and imagination.
Advantages and benefits of massage mat for children
An orthopedic mat is a fabric or rubberized base with protrusions of various shapes, sizes and textures.
Walking on such a mat is useful for small children whose musculoskeletal system is in the process of formation.
The main advantages of using an orthopedic mat:
- stimulation of nerve impulses;
- improving cognitive functions of the brain;
- formation of correct posture;
- prevention of flat feet;
- raising the overall tone;
- increasing immunity.
Chinese medicine claims that there are a large number of points on the human foot that are connected to the work of all organs. Point impact improves metabolic processes and strengthens the body's defenses.
DIY massage mats for kindergarten are easy to make using improvised means. The advantage of hand-made is accessibility and safety in use. With the help of this simple device, you can change the asymmetrical gait of the child, correct the dysfunction of the foot and establish the correct development of children's joints.
Types of rugs
Orthopedic mats can be completely different in density and texture:
- soft;
- hard;
- ribbed;
- with spikes;
- with waves;
- with tubercles;
- combined.
The mat should create the sensation of walking on uneven natural terrain: a path, grass, sand, pebbles. It can combine different types of surfaces that stimulate points on the feet.
The mat must be made of environmentally friendly materials. It can be printed or set. In a printed product, the texture elements are sewn into fabric bags so as not to injure the skin of the feet. In a set rug, the components are sewn or glued to the base.
Forms
Do-it-yourself massage mats for kindergarten can have different geometric shapes depending on the imagination of the needlewomen. The most common is a rectangular shape, suitable for walking. There should be enough space to perform basic exercises.
Size
The size of the mat may vary: not less than 50 cm in width, 1.5-2 m in length. The product should consist of four or more sections of different structures. Also, the massage mat can be square, each side is 1-1.5 m.
Necessary materials and tools
Making a massage mat yourself is more economical than buying a ready-made product for a kindergarten.
For self-production you may need the following tools:
- Sewing machine.
- Glue gun.
- Big needle.
It will be easier to sew the base of the rug or individual sections on a sewing machine. The necessary elements are manually sewn onto the finished base or glued with a glue gun.
The materials needed for an orthopedic mat can be very diverse, depending on the capabilities and imagination of the needlewomen. The base should be sewn from dense natural fabrics (cotton, denim, flannel). Fabrics with a rough surface that do not slip are mainly chosen, so that the child does not accidentally slip.
For such a hand-made project you may need:
- thick threads;
- felt;
- fishing line;
- felt;
- buttons;
- fruits and seeds of plants;
- synthetic filler;
- natural corks;
- pencils;
- markers;
- pebbles;
- curlers.
Avoid sewing or gluing items onto the rug that can be easily damaged or crushed.
How to Make a DIY Massage Mat for Kindergarten-Age Children. Step-by-Step Instructions
Using an orthopedic mat forms a physiologically correct structure of the feet. The therapeutic effect of a massage mat made with your own hands can be much stronger than the effect of a purchased product. If you have free time, parents can sew a mat for their child themselves.
Button Rug
Almost every housewife has a large number of spare buttons at home. They can be successfully used to make a massage mat. It is advisable to make it double-sided: one side will be sewn from squares of fabric of different textures, and on the other side - buttons of different diameters will be sewn.
Touching the fabric provides a light massage and a change of sensations due to the different surfaces.
For example, the following can be used here:
- velveteen;
- wool;
- flax;
- silk;
- terry;
- reaper;
- velvet;
- boucle;
- fur.
The internal volume of the mat must be filled with a thin layer of artificial filler (synthetic padding, holofiber).
For the track, it is best to use voluminous plastic buttons with through holes, without sharp elements. When sewing on buttons, large elements should be surrounded by smaller ones.
The buttons do not need to be placed geometrically; a slightly chaotic arrangement will have a better effect on the surface of the foot. 
Children will find it more interesting to walk around and look at bright and colorful fittings.
Orthopedic chestnut mat
Natural elements are preferable to artificial ones for creating a massage mat. The mat should create the feeling of walking on a natural surface, so a product made of chestnuts will perform this function in the best possible way.
To make it you will need:
- thick fabric (eg denim);
- chestnuts of different sizes;
- filler;
- electric drill with a thin drill bit;
- thick threads.
First, you need to sew a rectangular base and fill it with holofiber, which will slightly soften walking on hard chestnuts. 
Using a drill, make two holes in each chestnut so that they can be sewn on. Large chestnuts are surrounded by smaller ones to create the illusion of a slight wave.
Such a rug will be environmentally friendly and beautiful, but not very durable.
Sand mat
As you know, walking barefoot on sand is good for children. You can imitate such a surface at home, but without using sand, which can spill out and become dusty. DIY massage mats for kindergarten can be made from several sections filled with natural plant seeds.
To stuff the rug you will need:
- grape seeds;
- apple and pear seeds;
- seeds of any fruit plants;
- coffee beans;
- beans.
It is important that the seeds or pits are dried before placing them in cloth bags. By filling sections of the mat with elements of different sizes, you can stimulate the points of the feet in different ways.
It is desirable that at the beginning and at the end of the mat there are sections with fine-grained elements, in the middle - with coarse-grained ones. The gradual increase and decrease in the rigidity of the sections has a favorable wave effect. The material of the mat should not be very thick, but dense, so that the seeds do not spill, but are felt when walking.
Railway rug
It is always more interesting for a child to walk and look at a rug with something depicted on it. An orthopedic rug in the form of a railroad can be made from an old blanket.
You can depict a winding path using foam curlers, and fill the surrounding space with convex appliques. From pieces of felt, you can make natural landscapes that your baby will be interested in touching and examining. Walking on such a rug will have a soft massage effect.
A rug made of pebbles and simple stones
A pebble mat is a great alternative to a child walking on a natural rocky surface. To make such a mat, you will need pebbles or rounded stones without sharp edges. The stones will be glued to a base made of synthetic padding or foam rubber, which will soften the exercises on the track.
Criteria for choosing stones for an orthopedic trainer:
- white and gray;
- plain;
- smooth;
- rounded;
- of different sizes.
The pebbles are glued to the base with a glue gun. Large stones should be placed with gaps, uneven lines. Small stones are laid out around the large stones, gradually decreasing in size as they move away from the large ones. The pebbles should be laid tightly, without visible gaps. The advantages of a stone mat include the naturalness of the product and its beautiful appearance.
Massage mat "walking game"
Do-it-yourself massage mats for kindergartens not only have a therapeutic effect, but also a developmental effect. A large mat can be made in the form of a game. It is necessary to sew pads in the form of footprints onto the base. Such footprints can be filled with some seeds or convex elements can be sewn onto them.
In this way, the child will learn to regulate the length of his step and the regularity of his gait. To make it less boring to walk on such a rug, you can also sew on various appliques in the form of animals, leaves, flowers.
Cereal rug
Cereals are often used to fill stuffed massage paths. In this case, whole grain cereals that do not get dusty are suitable. For the base on the bottom, you can choose a thicker fabric, and for the top - a thin but dense material. Such a massage mat should have several sections with cereals of different fractions and sections with synthetic filler.
An example of how to sew a rug yourself:
- 1 section – holofiber;
- Section 2 – millet;
- Section 3 – buckwheat;
- Section 4 – beans;
- Section 5 – pearl barley;
- Section 6 – holofiber.
There should be a smooth transition from soft to hard filler and back. Thus, the impact on the active points of the foot gradually increases and decreases without sharp changes. The number of sections of the cereal rug can be any.
Combined massage mat
The combined orthopedic mat combines the capabilities of all types of mats. Making such a hand-made product requires more time, imagination and effort, but the result will be more effective. Options for stuffing the mat sections:
- cereals;
- seeds;
- fruit stones;
- coffee beans;
- beads.
For sewing and gluing to the base of the rug you will need:
- chestnuts;
- buttons;
- pencils;
- curlers;
- pebbles;
- round chips;
- bottle caps;
- cords;
- ropes.
The rug can be made in the form of a forest glade or a sea coast, so that it is more interesting for the child to walk on it. You need to think over the arrangement of the components and carefully secure them so that the baby cannot tear off or crush anything. A functional and beautiful rug can become an exclusive element of the interior.
Pencil Rug
A massage mat made of pencils is also used to prevent musculoskeletal disorders. Such a path can be easily made by sewing pencils with a ribbon onto a base in the form of a piece of carpet.
You will need 3-4 dozen pencils; you can also use felt-tip pens with thick plastic bodies. 
The elements of the rug should be sewn tightly to each other, in one line, zigzag or in the form of footprints. In addition to walking, the child will be interested in looking at such a rug and remembering the colors.
How often and for how long can the mat be used?
The first training sessions on the mat may be unusual for the child, so the duration and intensity of the exercises should be increased gradually.
| Age of the child | Time for training | Frequency of training |
| Up to 2 years | 10-15 min | Every day, in the morning and in the evening |
| 2-6 years | 20-30 min | Every day, in the morning and in the evening |
It is better to start classes with simple positions:
- Normal walking.
- Rolling from heel to toe.
- Maintaining balance on one leg.
- Walking on toes, on heels, on the inner and outer sides of the feet.
- Stretching.
Over time, the exercises can be made more difficult:
- Walking backwards.
- Alternate jumping from foot to foot.
- Walking in a half squat.
- Jumping with two legs.
- Jumping and running in place.
Each exercise takes 2-3 minutes. It is necessary to monitor the correctness and unhurried execution of tasks in order to avoid injury to the child.
Classes can be turned into a game process by asking the child to imitate the animals' gait. Regular exercises develop the musculoskeletal system, and the game form improves the mood and has a positive effect on the child's overall psycho-emotional state.
Orthopedic massage mats for kindergarten, made with your own hands, help to strengthen the body from childhood. The use of such exercise machines is important for the correct formation of the child's foot and posture.
Author: Ovcharenko Liliya
Article formatting: Vladimir the Great
Video on making foot massage mats
Fun DIY Massage Mat for Baby: