First of all give your kiddo a high five! Its great that they are walking. I always laugh because I like to warn parents of kids that I work with that once their kiddo starts walking that’s all they want to do for the next several sessions. That said, the challenge becomes how to […]
Top 10 Blog Posts of 2011
I love Top 10 lists! Here is this years list of Top 10 Blog Posts: 10. Core Muscles: Building a Solid Foundation 9. No Kid Left Inside – Benefits of Outdoor Play 8. Having a Ball With Core Muscle Strength 7. Gross Motor Development vs. Fine Motor Development 6. Standing Straight and Tall 5. A […]
Obstacle Course Fun!
Do your kids ever get tired of the same activities during therapy or even while playing? Well one of the ways I’ve tried to spice things up is by adding in obstacle courses. Generally I take the same skills we’ve been working on and put them all together. For the older kids I let them […]
‘Spiderman’ Climbing
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmdzHujvXnA&w=560&h=349] Climbing is a great way for kids to work on core muscle strength, balance, motor planning, coordination, visual focus and attention. Notice in the video how he has to attend to where to place his feet as well as where to move his hands to and what order to advance them. With a […]
Pretend Climbing
Climbing is a great way for kids to not only develop strength but also to work on motor planning and coordination. Ladders and cargo nets and stairs are all great ways to work on climbing as well as rock climbing walls. If you don’t have these things available to you, have no fear you can […]
Top 10 Blog Posts of 2010
Its the end of the year and its time for my Top 10 Blog Posts of 2010. Based on readership these were the posts that got the most views this past year. If you want to compare to last year check out Top 10 Blog Posts of 2009! 10. Repetition and the Beauty of ‘Redo’ […]
Imagination Play
Do you ever feel like you are in a rut or play the same things over and over with your kids? Or maybe you start to run out of ideas of things to do to help them stay active. Well one solution is to let them come up with ideas. I am always amazed at […]
Consistency and Carryover
When we are working with kids in therapy we are often asked by parents what they can do to help their children make improvements towards their goals. My answer is to be consistent and to carryover what they are learning. I have said in the past that one of the biggest factors for kids is […]
What Influences Gross Motor Development?
I have recently been involved in several discussions with regards to the influences that surround the development of movement. These discussions have been with people of different backgrounds and professions, including parents. Basically what became clear is that we had each created a picture of how movement evolves and the factors that influence it, and […]