Outdoor Fun: Playing outside in the fall and winter provides great sensory and learning opportunities. Just remember to bundle up, and make sure your child is doing as much of the dressing/undressing as possible - practice will make us faster by ourselves. J
Activity / Movement / Other SkillsMarching and Stomping through leaves or snow.
/ Make the movements big and small, loud and quiet, long and short steps.
If your child is working on walking, this is a fun and often motivating activity.
If your child isn’t able to walk have them sit in the leaves or snow and move their legs. If they have trouble moving their legs, sometimes the sound of the leaves is very motivating for kids. Otherwise move their legs for them, it is still a great experience for them. / Talk about what you hear, see, smell, and feel.
Talk about the colors and sizes of the leaves.
Count the leaves.
Rolling through leaves or snow
/ Rolling is a very important motor milestone for kids. If your child is able to roll already, it is a great activity for developing the sense of movement (vestibular sensory system). It can be a good activity for strengthening, especially if you stop them mid-roll and they can push through you.
If your child isn’t able to roll independently, you can help them, but encourage them to do as much as possible. The first step is turning to look in the direction they are rolling. / Roll fast and slow.
You can put the pieces of a puzzle on one side and the puzzle board on the other side and then roll across to get each piece to complete the puzzle. Use this same set up to match colors, shapes, numbers, letters…
* If you are helping your child, make sure to keep arms at sides, or overhead, so they don’t get stuck and/or hurt. **Watch for dizziness (eyes may shift side-to-side quickly, or the child may say they feel funny), take a break until they feel better.
Sledding
/ Sledding is a great way for kids with limited mobility to get the sensation and experience of moving fast, which is a very important sensation for development. Sometimes kids will be frightened by this sensation initially. It is important for them to get used to it while they are younger (because as we get older our tolerance for this sensation naturally decreases for all of us). / Ways to make it easier for your child:
· go slower
· sit with them and give them a hug as you go down the hill.
If your child is able to, have them climb up the hill, it is a great strengthening activity. If they are getting tired, see if they will crawl up the hill instead.
Making Snow Angels
/ Making snow angels is actually a complicated movement that many of our students have trouble coordinating. Sometimes it is easier for them if they do arms, then legs, separately. Sometimes if you start by moving their arms and legs through the pattern initially (often takes a lot of repetition), they can then help you do it, and eventually you can take your hands away and they can continue the motion. / This is an opportunity to talk about body parts: arms, legs, body, and head.
Make several and count them, describe them, point out that yours are bigger.
Make a Snowman
/ For kids who are able to help make the balls, whether they can walk or crawl on hands/knees, this is a great strengthening activity.
If your child isn’t able to push the ball, they can make a small snowman either on their lap as they sit in the snow or on the tray of their wheelchair. / Great opportunity to talk about small, medium, big or big, bigger, and biggest concepts.
Talk about body parts: eyes, nose, ears, mouth, head, body, arms, and legs.
Contact Lisa Barczyk at 2-16-16