It's Summer!!!!

It's summer and time to decompress!  Schedules get easier, the days get longer and it's time for some fun in the sun.  Kids need down time, too, so allow them to relax some of the time and enjoy their summer.  But, that doesn't mean plopping them in front of the tv, ipad or phone all day, every day.  Go to the pool, amusement park or playground.  Take them to visit friends and have some friends over to play.  Get your kids outside for some fresh air and exercise.  Remember, though, to have them read, or read to them.  Have special time in your day to enrich their minds so they are ready to go back to school on track.  It is a known fact that kids can loose knowledge over the summer if not properly stimulated.  So, allow your kids to enjoy their time off, but have them do some school work too so they are not behind in the fall.  Happy summer, and be safe!

Water Fun

It's hot outside- so get out the sprinkler and water table and have some fun!  Give the kids squirt guns and have them squeeze the triggers (great hand/finger strengthening and eye-hand coordination).  Put containers into a water table and have them pour water back and forth.  Squirt them with water guns and watch them run (gross motor).  Outside water fun is great fun for everyone.

Play ball!

It's still nice outside and perfect weather to spend time playing catch with your kids.  It amazes me, and others, that kids these days do not know how to catch or throw a ball.  In working with preschoolers, it is shocking just how many kids have no idea how to catch a ball thrown gently to them.  Obviously, many of them have not ever been given the opportunity to learn this important skill.  There are many benefits to learning to catch and throw balls.  Eye-hand coordination is key to catching a ball.  Muscle strength and coordination play a part, as well.  If playing for a period of time, endurance is increasing.  Playing with another child, or even adult, is building social skills and the skills necessary for team sports.  So, please get out and play ball with your children.  It is not only fun for the two of you, but great bonding time between a parent and child.

Appropriate shoes for school

School has started, or is going to start in the next few days/weeks.  So, I am going to pass along some words from my Physical Therapist colleagues- Please have your child wear appropriate footwear to school!  Preschool and elementary children spend parts of every day on the playground or in a gym.  So, please put safe and functional foot wear on your child.  Appropriate foot wear includes sneakers (that fit- don't buy up a few sizes thinking to save money by wearing them longer- never works since kids ruin sneakers quickly) and tied, rubber-soled shoes.  While little girls in flip flops or dressy shoes may look cute, it is not safe for them to wear these types of shoes to school.  Dressy shoes are slippery and can cause your daughter to slip and fall, or to hang back and not run and play (This goes for boys and dressy shoes, as well).  The dangers of flip flops, for both boys and girls, are self-explanatory.  Although I think crocs are on the way out, there are still children wearing them to school  Some schools have rules banning these ill-fitting, non-supportive shoes and the PTs I work with agree that they are not good, supportive shoes for children to wear to school.  I feel that Crocs have there place- maybe to wear to swim practice or around the house, or on errands, but not at school.  If it's raining and you want your child to wear rain boots to school (or snow boots in winter), be sure to send in sneakers for him/her to change into. 
Part of your child's education is gross motor (in elementary and preschools) and you don't want to jeopardize this essential element of his education by allowing him/her to wear inappropriate footwear.  Gross motor allows that movement break that young children need  to fully function in the classroom.  Research has shown an increase in attention and brain function if gross motor breaks are worked into the school day.  So, allow your child to participate in the offered gross motor times so that he/she will function to the best of his/her ability in the classroom.

Ride Bikes

My daughter has been wanting to ride her bike every night now that it is getting cooler and I realized just how great an activity it is.  I remember riding my bike all over the neighborhood and beyond when I was growing up.  The neighbor kids and I would ride almost every day.  But it is not quite as popular an activity now with all the other activities out there to entertain our kids.  Our kids have so many activities and toys to choose from that they just don't ride their bikes as much anymore.  Kids have electric scooters, skateboards, video games, all the i stuff (pads, pods, phones),  tv and all the other electronic devices.  But bike riding offers many benefits that these other things just don't offer, such as coordination, physical endurance, visual motor control and socialization if done with a group.  We hear it all the time that kids don't get outside to play like they should.  I say get them out riding their bikes.  And, parents, go with them!  We all could use a little extra exercise, and it is great bonding for you and your child. 

Go to the Playground

Summer is a great time to head out to play.  Take the kids to the playground for some great gross motor play!  Playgrounds provide lots of room to run and jump and have fun equipment to slide on and climb on.  Swinging is a great sensory and coordination activity.  Improve muscle strength and coordination by climbing and using the monkey bars (although not a great idea to let little children dangle by their arms- provide some support).  Bring a ball and throw it to your child while he is sliding down the slide.  Playgrounds provide lots of gross motor fun, but also provide great opportunities to practice social skills with the other kids at the playground.  Allow your child to play with the other kids and have fun!

Scooter Fun

Kids love scooter boards!  And, they are great for upper body strengthening and coordination!  Have your child lay on the board and pull the board with his/her hands, or have your child sit on the board and pull it using his/her feet.  If you have access to a few scooters, have races.  Or, if you only have one scooter, time how long it takes the child to get to a certain point, and have them try to beat other children's times.  Or, just let your child ride the scooter.

 

Benefits of Skating for Sensory Seekers

OK, so I've been recommending this a lot lately...  skating, whether it be ice or roller.  There are many benefits to trying this activity.  Great heavy work (got a high energy or sensory seeking kid?), balance, and self-esteem boost to name a few.  Your child will sleep well that night!  The trick is to find a place that will let you and your child approach the challenging task in your own way so as not to frustrate your child with too great a demand.

• Roller rinks will tighten the wheels so they roll less... try tightening them down so your child can walk on the wheels at first, then slowly loosen them.  It might take a session or two to get to gliding, but this way they can advance at their own speed.
• Although they may seem harder, some kids respond better to rollerblades type wheels all in a row vs. the traditional roller skate two wheels in front two in the back.  Try both kinds to see which one your child can move better.
• Ice rinks often use metal frames or even big orange cones for the kids to hang onto while they're learning to skate.  It is harder than roller for sure, but if you're up for the challenge or a hockey or figure skating fan it's worth a try.
• If your child is pretty much skating, but still nervous, try holding a wooden spoon between the two of you... when you and he feel he's ready, you let go of the spoon.  Sometimes they'll keep right on skating holding onto that spoon, watching them realize they're doing it alone is great!

Challenging himself on the ice!

Resting on the boards... skating is hard work!

Here's another fun way to use an exercise ball.  Have your kids play catch, or volley, with it.  Have them throw it so they hit,or catch, above their heads to work on upper extremity strengthening and stability.  This is good for eye-hand coordination, and works on visual motor skills.

Movement to increase brain function

We are going to continue to talk about ways to increase the attention and focus of children in school.  One thing that we advocate is movement.  Aerobic exercise is shown to stimulate the brain for optimal learning.  One elementary school near us has all the students, and teachers, walk around the perimeter of the school prior to school each day.  Another has 15 minutes of exercise before begining their day.  Children, especially elementary and preschool children, function best after movement.  Many teachers use taking away recess as punishment for bad behavior.  This only makes it harder for the child to learn, as he/she did not get the necessary gross motor play.  In essence, this teacher has punished herself/himself as the children will have even more difficulty focusing for the rest of the day.  The younger the child, the more movement breaks they need.  Have the children crawl to circle. Have them hop to their desks or to the bathroom.  15-20 minutes/day of aerobic activity is recommended for optimal learning.

Learning letters

Recently, I have had a few parents of kindergarten going kids ask for different ways to teach their kids to recognize letters. I always find that kids, especially little boys, like gross motor activities. So, a few suggestions: play hop scotch with letters, but tell the kids which letter to jump onto (good for numbers, as well). Make paper "targets" with letters on them and have the child throw a ball at them. You can put them on your wall, garage or even on the driveway and have them throw at the letter you state. I recommend focusing on a few letters at a time. Once these are mastered, add some more (maybe 2-3). It's a good idea to teach both upper and lower case letter recognition at the same time. Learning is easier when the kids are having fun!

Play Ball!

Being a nice day today, the preschool class in which I was working decided to go to the playground to play.  I brought a ball outside to throw and roll to the kids to work on their eye-hand coordination and strengthen their arms. Very few of the kids were able to trap a ball thrown slowly at them.  Most of the kids did nto even watch the ball as it was coming at them. In speaking to the teacher and aide, we all agreed that kids these days don't spend enough time outside doing these types of activities.   It is so important that kids get outside for gross motor play!  Catching and throwing a ball works on many skills, including eye-hand coordination, bilateral hand use, sequencing, motor planning and attention.  All kids can benefit from playing with a ball.  Get outside and play ball!

Muscle strengthening and sports

So, I just got back from seeing a pediatric sports medicine doctor for my 12 year old daughter. Turns out she has loose shoulder joints causing the right shoulder to pop out of joint (sublux) for no reason. This happens during simple movements such as raising her hand during class. The appointment today inspired me to post about other aspects of Occupational Therapy that are important to children and their overall development. The physician said that with proper shoulder and back exercises, my daughter's shoulders would become stronger and would, thereby, pop out less. Now, I feel that I should mention that my daughter is a soccer player and does summer swimming, so she is a somewhat athletic child. She is not the perverbial couch potato. She just happens to have hyper mobile shoulder joints and needs to focus on exercises that strengthen her shoulders. Soccer, does not provide a lot of opportunities to strengthen the shoulders. It is important for children to be active. Sports, whether organized or not, provide great opportunities for children to increase their strength, endurance, balance and overall well being. It is, however, important for children to be well rounded in their sports playing, for many reasons. Focusing on one sport at an early age, and playing only that sport year round can lead to overuse injuries. Focusing on one sport, focuses on certain muscle groups and can lead to injury. It is beneficial to switch sports throughout the year. For example, do soccer in fall and spring, swimming in winter and summer. That way, your child will use different muscle groups allowing the others to take a break between seasons. When switching sports, it is important for your child to "ease" into the new sport, allowing his/her muscles to adapt to the new movements. In the next couple posts, we will provide fun, safe, movement activities and games for children to do to maintain a strong, healthy body.