Starfish Therapies

A pediatric therapy company operating in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. We provide physical, occupational, speech and aquatic therapy services in the most beneficial and convenient setting for you and your child, including our clinic, currently located in Burlingame, your home, school or daycare.

  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • FAQ
  • Our Services
    • Motor Smart Kids
    • Continuing Education
    • FREE Resources
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Corona Virus (Covid-19) Response / Move to Telehealth

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

September 14, 2009 by Stacy Menz

Rachel08

I’ve talked about the importance of climbing in ‘Climbing:  The Catch-22‘ but this is something I get asked about as well and I always forget about it until I’m asked again. Many parents will ask what the trick is for getting their child to come back down the stairs. Going up is easy to teach because you put something your child wants in front of them and they are going to figure out how to go get it.  It provides them with visual motivation.  Coming down is not nearly as easy to teach because we want them to go down on their belly and with feet first.

I have found that there is no magic trick for making this happen.  The best thing is repetitive practice.  On top of the repetitive practice I also find using consistent words such as “on your belly, feet first” helps to imporove carryover for your child.  Practicing is easy for you and your child if you have a set of stairs in your house.  Just get them to the top and put them on their belly and begin moving their legs down one at a time.  Sometimes the result is sliding on their belly until they get the hang of bringing one leg down at a time.  When you are manually bringing their legs down really try to take turns with their legs so they are going right, left, right, left.  This keeps them balanced on both sides.

Some little tricks that may help to make it easier is to show them a toy and then put it down one to two steps so they get immediate gratification once they reach the toy.  Let them play with it for a short period and then move it down again.  They will start to realize that they can use this method of mobility to get to what they want.  If they try to turn around just remind them of what you want, with whatever phrasing you have chosen.

Another way of reinforcing this pattern of movement is everytime your child goes to get down off of the couch, or other height, instead of picking them up, turn them onto their belly and have them go feet first.  Kids are amazingly smart and will start to figure it out with enough repetition, consistency and reinforcement.

If you can get your child to learn this before they are already walking it makes it much easier because they won’t want to try to walk down the stairs.  After they have mastered this you can begin practicing walking down the stairs by holding their hand and having them hold onto the railing.  I just think its important to teach them a safe and independent way to navigate stairs!

Related

Filed Under: Developmental Milestones Tagged With: climbing, crawling, education, gross motor development, kids, Motor Smart Kids, physical therapy, Starfish Therapies, walking

Search

Subscribe To Our Emails

Subscribe and receive access to our FREE products, incredible list of pdfs, websites, readings, and many other useful recommendations!

Primary Programs

  • Motor Smart Kids
    • Free Play
    • Kids Action Hour
    • Yoga for Kids of All Abilities
    • Functional Movement Screen
    • Video Running Analysis
    • Youth Sports Injury Prevention
    • Concussion Screening and Management
  • Continuing Education
    • PNF 1: Introduction to PNF
    • PNF 2: Accessing the Trunk
    • Strength Training in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder
  • Resources
    • Telehealth
    • Informational Handouts
    • Useful Websites
    • Recommended Readings
    • Helpful Products
    • Blogs to Follow
    • Favorite Therapy Products at amazon.com

What Clients Are Saying

I could see the progress being made in my son’s communication and overall disposition. Not only were the classes fun, but he also became a lot less frustrated when trying to communicate with others.”

Recent Blog Posts

  • Occupational Therapy Round-Up
  • Should I Be Concerned?
  • Dr. Seuss Books and Activities
  • More Ideas for Catching
  • Book Inspired Activities

Disclaimers

  • Full Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • HIPAA Patient Notice
  • Accessibility Statement

Search

Patient Resources

  • New Patient Intake Forms
  • Starfish Resources
  • Our Services

Clinical Resources

  • Career Opportunties
  • Continuing Education

Contact

  (650) 638-9142
  (650) 638-9141
  admin@starfishtherapies.com

Join Our Online Community

Location

BURLINGAME
  1541 Old Bayshore Highway
  Burlingame, CA 94010

© Copyright 2023 Starfish Therapies · All Rights Reserved · Powered by babaLucas

 

Loading Comments...