5 Fun Physical Therapy Activities for Children
Melissa GehretPhysical therapy can be a lot of fun depending on how it’s presented and handled. Whether you want to find professional services that feel like play or incorporate new support methods at home such as pediatric physical therapy games, try these five fun pediatric therapy activities:
1. Animal Walk
Make physical therapy exercises fun with the help of your imagination. Put a piece of tape on one side of the room and a second on the other, then ask your child to walk between them like an animal. Call out different animals like frogs, kangaroos, crabs or horses and watch as your child practices movements!
2. Floor Ice Skating
Bring ice skating home with this engaging physical therapy game for at-home practice. Grab two paper plates and allow your child to draw an ice skate or decorate them as they, please. Have them stand on the plates and slide around an open area without carpet in your home, like the kitchen, dining or living room.
3. Wheelbarrow Race
For a wheelbarrow race, you or someone else will need to participate. If you remember playing this game, it’s the same idea — you’ll hold up your child’s legs while they use their hands to walk across the room.
You can use a timer to see how long it takes to get from one side of the room to the other. Keep trying for better times or, if you have multiple people in your household, make a competition out of it! This physical therapy activity for parents is a great way to get the whole family engaged.
4. Scooter Board Races
If you have scooter boards, you can try this next activity. You will need at least two boards for a race. Ask your child to lay on the scooter board on their stomach. Tell them to keep their toes off the ground and use both arms simultaneously to move.
You can do multiple rounds of this, with each one getting slightly trickier — for example, you might ask them to alternate arms or lie on their back and push off the wall using their feet.
5. Adapted Yoga
Yoga can be for anyone — including your child, no matter their abilities. Adapted yoga exercises allow everyone to participate to the best of their abilities. You can either develop your own adapted yoga session or find a guide online. Most of the time, adapted yoga involves modified poses and props like chairs, blocks, and walls.
Choose Kids SPOT for Professional Pediatric Physical Therapy
Does your child need physical therapy to help with an existing condition or a recent injury? Kids SPOT is here to help by providing your child with physical therapy activities and support! Contact us today!