Let’s Do Therapy at the Playground
Summer is officially HERE! Summers are so fast, especially when we have active kids. At GASLC we work to provide our patients with home programs throughout the course of treatment to allow for the most progress. Sometimes it can be hard to feel like you have one extra thing to work on with your kids at home, so we like to make this as realistic as possible by providing ways to practice targeted skills or use strategies that can fit into your daily lives. Allowing any type of practice to become of a part of your daily routines ensures that we get good carryover at home.
So what’s one realistic way to practice targeting your child’s goals this summer? We recently posted a series on our Instagram and Facebook pages to talk about different ways to work on your child’s goals at the PLAYGROUND.
Because we are already at the playground with our kids a lot this summer, right? So let’s take something we are already doing and see how we can use it to get in some good practice outside of the therapy room. No matter the discipline, (occupational, physical, or even speech therapy) - we have something for you!
First up..
How can you use swings to target your child’s goals?
Physical Therapy
The swing is great to improve your child’s vestibular system. The vestibular system tells our brain when and how we are moving.
Occupational Therapy
Vestibular input from swings is great for sensory regulation! When your child is pumping the swing with their legs, it is also great work for strengthening their core and upper body as well as coordinating both sides of the body.
Speech Therapy
Early Language: Model language for your child! You can label objects (‘swing’), actions (‘sit’), and spatial concepts when pumping legs ‘out’ and ‘in.’
Gestalt Language: Model gestalts like “let’s swing, push me higher, this is fun!”
Articulation: Talk about your time on the playground on the way home and practice any targeted speech sounds! (e.g., swing)
Next up, let’s talk about targeting goals on the rock wall or going up a ladder.
Physical Therapy
This is fantastic for full body strengthening, coordination of arms and legs and balance. An inclined rock wall or ladder would make this activity easier for your child while a fully vertical ladder/rock wall would be harder.
Occupational Therapy
Climbing activities are great to improve strength, body awareness and motor planning for your child. This is also great heavy work and proprioceptive input for sensory regulation!
Speech Therapy
Early Language: Again - model language for your child! Modeling objects (rocks, ladder), actions (climb), spatial concepts (up, down).
Gestalt Language: Model gestalts like “I’m so high!, this is fun, watch out! let’s cliimb higher”
Articulation: Talk about your time on the playground on the way home and practice any targeted speech sounds! (e.g., ladder, rock, up, down”
Next up, let’s talk about uneven surfaces! (Think: grass, mulch, pine straw, sand).
Physical Therapy
Walking on uneven surfaces is a fantastic way for your child to work foot and ankle muscles that are necessary for balance. Opportunities like this help their brains learn how to move in space while staying upright.
Occupational Therapy
This is great tactile sensory input for your child’s hands and feet! Outdoor play provides a great opportunity for multisensory experiences and for differentiating between textures and sensations.
Speech Therapy
Early Language: Model the name of the surface (sand!) adjectives to describe how it feels (soft, bumpy, etc.), or actions (walk, jump)
Gestalt Language: Model gestalts like “It’s bumpy! It feels soft, this is hard” etc.
Articulation: Pick out target sounds in relevant words to practice on the way home (E.g., sand, mulch).
Lastly, let’s talk about monkey bars!
Physical Therapy
Going between the rungs works on visual-spatial skills, safety awareness, and proprioceptive skills. This is a great activity to work on your child’s landing skills and building confidence.
Occupational Therapy
Monkey bars are great for challenging the vestibular system as well as improving your child’s upper body strength, coordination and motor planning.
Speech Therapy
Early Language: Model core vocabulary words like “up, go, help,” model action words such as “grab, hang, reach.”
Gestalt Language: Model gestalts like “I’m up here! I’m so high, this is hard work, let’s grab it, let’s go across,” etc.
Articulation: Look for your child’s target sounds in words that are functional and relevant (e.g., working on a final /p/ sound in up!” Sometimes this can be hard to practice in the moment. You can also target later as you are talking to your child about their day!
BIG thank you to Ms. Megan (PT) and Ms. Erin (OT) for contributing and providing great info for this post! As always, if you have questions about easy ways to work on your child’s goals at home, message us or reach out to your therapist! We are here to help.
