Month: May 2020

Here are some ideas for the kids to practice catching and throwing. Keep adding something new or interesting to keep them motivated and to keep on trying. It’s good for their eye-hand coordination and lots of fun too. Enjoy!☀️

Hi! I trust you are having a good week so far.

When school work is getting a bit much and the kids (or the parents) need a break, or get some fresh air outside, here are some ideas for strengthening their hand and finger muscles, away from tables, chairs and papers:

1. Draw pictures or play tic-tac-toe with charcoal on the pavement
2. Practice writing patterns in the sand or mud (can use their finger, or a rock or stick)
3. Pop bubble wrap
4. Make a tent with pegs over the washing line.

Remember, the more their hands and fingers work against resistance, the more feedback they get from their muscles and joints. This is good for building strength in their hands and fingers, as well as grading and guiding their fine motor movements more accurately.

They can work flat on the ground, or on a vertical surface. The more they can use their trunk muscles and shoulders, the better for their postural development.

Enjoy the week, and remember to have fun with the kids too, you also deserve a break.

Hi again! Children do not need expensive toys or electronic devices to have fun, they just need something novel and a little space. When you are busy cleaning and sorting the house again, it is a good idea to collect some “scrap” materials e.g. different containers, plastic bottles, toilet rolls and boxes.

There are many creative ideas for making things with egg boxes e.g. you can paint them, string them together or decorate them. There are some lovely websites when you google something like “craft ideas with egg boxes”.

However, after about 8 weeks in lockdown, we felt like doing something a little more destructive today 😅

You will need: egg boxes, rubber hammers, dry egg shells and spoons. Best to do this outside, or on a soft surface where the floor would not crack, and the kids are not able to hit each other by accident.

These activities provide resistance (e.g weight of hammers, resistance of cardboard, action of smashing shells) and therefor good for strengthening hand and fingers muscles. These are also great for getting rid of some built-up frustration!

May you experience the beauty and blessing of simple joys ♥️

🐻 Find small soft things the child will be able to hold between his/her feet e.g. teddies, socks, cushions, bean bags or door stoppers.

Remember it should be:
✳️ small enough to hold,
✳️ heavy enough to provide some resistance so the child exerts some effort, but
✳️ soft enough that he/she will not get hurt if it lands on their faces by accident 🙂

💡Find a place where the child can lie on his/her back, head supported e.g. with pillow. Place a bowl or basket behind their heads that will be the target to drop the toys.

🎯 It can be done in two ways:

• in the direction from their feet to their heads (toes-to-top) ,
• from their heads to the feet (top-to-toes)

🎯 This activity is quick and relatively easy. Good for working on their tummy muscles!

Good day! When it is almost weekend, and you are looking to get out of the house and do some fun activities with the kids, here are some ideas for Building Bodies.

Make different swinging targets by stuffing things you can find around the house such as:

Remember to:

✳️ Hang the targets where they will not hit something or someone else, or perhaps break a window
✳️ Ensure all knots are secured
✳️ Adjust height of target to about child’s eye level

🎯 A good tip to remember: Increase weight to provide more resistance against which the child needs to push/hit. This will enhance feedback from the child’s body that is helps to build and develop muscle strength, endurance and motor control.

Try different ways to hit the target:

💡 both hands together in midline, one hand on either side (forward hitting motion away from body)
💡 one hand above the other hand while holding onto the same end of e.g. the pool noodle (sideways movement, crossing body midline when hitting target from right and left sides)
💡 can hang two targets (both sides of the child); targets should be within reach when it swings, but far enough that child has to look at target and wait for it to swing closer in order to hit it (good for developing timing and eye-hand coordination)
💡 can encourage child to stand on a mat to limit walking/moving closer to target

Can also incorporate a trampoline so that the child can jump with both feet and hit/push target with hands.

For older children: use right/left hands alternating or together. Can also try and bump the swinging target with his/her head 🙂

When children would like to get moving and try something different, here are some ideas to try. If you have a scooter board, the child can use it. Alternatively, you can make a scooter board with wood (+- 50 – 90 cm) and 4 swivel wheels.

If the board/plank has splinters, you can sand it down and cover it, or even cover it with a folded towel.

To get the most value out of the scooter / skateboard games, keep the following principles in mind:

1. Experiment and use a variety of body positions e.g. lying on tummy, lying on back, sitting on knees, sitting with crossed legs, or standing on knees.
2. Use a variety of objects to push and pull e.g. cooler, brother/sister, dolls/teddies, soft but heavy door stoppers.
3. Use a variety of surfaces e.g. smooth tile floor is the easiest. Can also go on tar road, sand or grass (more difficult but good for older children). The heavier surfaces provide more resistance so children get more feedback through their bodies when they have to pull harder.
4. Use different inclines e.g. it is easier to start on a straight level, then try subtle downhill and uphill inclines. Uphill is more difficult but provides more feedback🙂
5. Use different ropes and things to pull on e.g. trapeze, pool noodle, rolling pin, rolled up and knotted sheet or cloth, or rope. Tie it onto something very strong and stable (e.g. pole or tree) so that the children don’t perhaps pull something over onto themselves.
6. Children can try different hand positions: holding onto a rolling pin with hands next to one another, holding with one hand above another hand on pool noodle, or using alternating hands e.g by putting one hand in front of the other hand while pulling self forwards onto rope.

Above activities assist with developing tummy and back muscles that are needed for balance, and are also good for strengthening shoulder, arm and hand muscles.

It is usually lots of fun too. Enjoy!

The following videos show how the level of difficulty can be increased, and how ropes and things to experiment with, can be combined.

Here are some activity ideas that are fun and easy to do at home. These games will help with their motor development, sensory and emotional regulation, and to blow off steam when school work or other pressure is getting challenging. Although these activities can be done indoors, they are ideal to do outside if possible, which will help them to get off the couches and screens, which is something we are all battling with.

Do what you can or feel that you have energy for. The idea is to share ideas and to spark creativity.

Make a trapeze out of an old broom stick. Make sure that you hang it up where the kids will not get hurt or fall. Make sure all knots are secured.

To summarise activity ideas with a trapeze:

• Spin
• Swing and land
• Pull-ups
• Kick against a hard surface like a tree or pole
• Throw objects with different sizes and weight in a basket
• Lift legs and swing over a higher object e.g. cooler
• Throw objects into the basket while lifting legs over the cooler
• Hold knees together and swing over a rolling ball
• Swing and kick a ball that is thrown by an adult or sibling