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

Core Strengthening with a Tunnel

November 5, 2012 by Stacy Menz

We love tunnels and our kids love tunnels so we often find ways to incorporate them into therapy.  We have standard tunnels with a ‘solid’ form and we have lycra tunnels that provide resistance that the kids have to work against.  I thought I would take a moment and share one of the activities that we use our tunnel for to work on core strength (primarily) but other things as well.

We love to put the tunnel over top of our crash pad, although you can use pillows or couch cushions instead.  Then we have them crawl through the tunnel over the crash pad.  Often times they won’t be able to maintain hands and knees because it is a bit challenging but with practice their core gets stronger so they can crawl all the way through.  If you have them doing reps you may notice that they will start off maintaining hands and knees but with increased repetitions they aren’t able to maintain it.  This is because they don’t have the endurance in their core muscles to complete higher number of reps.  Since core muscles are mainly used in an endurance type fashion, to help keep our trunk stable as we go about our day to day activities, making this a high repetition activity is a must.  We use puzzles or toys with multiple pieces to keep the kids going over and over and over.

Some things to consider when you are setting up.  The softer the surface, the harder it will be for the child.  If you want to ease them into it find something that is a little firmer.  Next would be the steeper the incline or decline the harder it will be.  For a kiddo just starting out using a flatter surface will be easier.  You can also start them out on softer and steeper and as the repetitions increase make it firmer and flatter.

In addition to working on core strengthening it also gives kiddos a chance to crawl which many kids skip in this day and age.  With crawling they get to work on motor planning between their left and right sides as well as between their arms and legs and use reciprocal patterning.  All in all we love this activity!

How have you used tunnels?

 

Related

Filed Under: Developmental Milestones Tagged With: core, crawling, gross motor development, motor planning, strengthening

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

“Our experience with Stacy and the team at Starfish Therapies has been fantastic. The group is incredibly passionate, very professional, and know how to make therapy fun for a child! Our daughter looks forward to her session — whether it’s in-person or via the convenient tele-health option. The intake process is comprehensive and involves collaborative goal-setting with quantifiable measures and milestones. In addition, we get a list of activities we can work on at home, which has become part of our daily routine! We’ve seen big gains in our daughter’s movements, balance and confidence. Thank you, Starfish Therapies!”

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...