Category Archives: Movement

Sensory Integration, Vestibular Processing, Movement and brain breaks, Motor Skills, Home and School.

Sensory Chalk Walk Obstacle Courses

Lockdown has finally given us the impetus to create some Chalk Walk Obstacle Courses for our neighbourhood.  (See video examples below.)  I’ve always wanted to make these, and now that we have started, my son loves making them too.  

People often think these chalk walks are difficult to make, however they’re so fun and you can involve your kids in making them too.  We have now made a bunch of these during the past couple of months, including for younger and older children.  

We have done very simple ones by going down our street drawing designated areas for ‘dancing,’ being ‘goofy,’  doing ‘silly walks,’ and drawing Hop Scotch grids which even the older people on our street have loved doing.  

How chalk obstacle courses develop sensory processing and motor skills: 

  • FUN while social distancing!
  • gross motor skills
  • body and spatial awareness
  • balance and coordination
  • motor planning skills to create, plan and execute 
  • fine and visual motor control 
  • organisational skills
  • emotional regulation 

TOP TIP:  Check the weather before you draw out your chalk course.  We learned the hard way as it sadly rained the day after we made ours a couple of times. 

How to create and arrange a chalk walk obstacle course, keeping your child in mind: 

  1. Start with a more intense, heavy work component such as jumping or doing press-ups
  2. Next, do a balance and / or challenge task such as walking along a wavy line or jumping and turning
  3. Have a high energy component (running on the spot for a minute, running for the home stretch)
  4. a mindful calming section (e.g. blow out the candles, sniff the flowers, sing a song, or unscramble letters to words, or say affirmations).   

Although do just have fun, follow your child’s lead and get them involved in creating these.    

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Chalk Walk Obstacle Course Examples: 

Here are several examples that my son and I have done for our neighbourhood.  Do share your ideas.  We’d love to see them. 

 

Benefits of Yoga for Children in Occupational Therapy

Last year at this time, my husband, then 2-year old and I visited Copenhagen, Denmark for 9-days. Not a holiday. I attended Sonia Sumar’s course, Yoga for the Special Child. It was my first course after becoming a mum and first time away from my son for the entire day. He had fun with his dad, and I had fun doing yoga, meditation (well, trying) and relaxation everyday. It felt like a retreat. 🙂

Sonia Sumar is an amazing teacher with lots of personal wisdom to share. I have never taken a course that wasn’t offered by an Occupational, Physical or Speech Therapist. I had no idea I was going to learn about chanting, meditation, and lots of life lessons from Sonia versus just yoga (body) exercises. It has been as good for me as it has for my son and kids I work with.

A year later, I regularly do my own yoga routine learned in the course and have felt stronger, healthier and more energetic overall. The kids and my 3-year old love it too.

There are so many benefits to yoga but some of them are:

-calming and grounding

-chanting helps with calming, joint attention and engagement, auditory processing

-breathing alongside movements encourages children to breathe while moving (many children who are weak tend to hold their breath while doing motor tasks as they are using their diaphragm, a breathing muscle, to hold their body versus to breathe)

– builds an emotional connection between yogi and student

-yoga poses build core strength, body and spatial awareness, balance and motor planning skills

-yoga flow – a sequence of yoga poses that connect from one to another – build rhythm and timing, fluidity of movements and sequencing skills

-incorporates of breath and movement of eyes whilst doing the yoga poses

-kids learn how to calm and find a ‘quiet space’

-deep relaxation – it’s amazing how many of us can’t still our bodies or minds to relax. I’m still working on this myself and it’s a tough one.

For more information, check out:

Yoga for the special child

For those who are in or near London, check out the work of MahaDevi Yoga Centre

You can also learn more from the Yoga for the Special Child Book

Om Shanti Shanti. (Peace peace peace)

 

Sensory Swings Pre-Made Part 3/3

 
 
 
**Disclaimer:  The following are just ideas and must be used at your own discretion for safety.  Please be sure to use appropriate soft padding, measure for size in your space, and most importantly, provide supervision for your child’s safety.
 
I’d love to have more DIY skills or even a little workshop to build toys and equipment. But alas, I often resort to Amazon!
 
I’ll share some swings, trapezes and other equipment I’ve purchased from Amazon or local shops that kids really like.
 
Firstly, I’ve bought carabiner hooks and rope from a local outdoors climbing shop.  Make sure the carabiners will hold the amount of weight for your child to safely swing.  When looking for rope, consider whether your child will do better with static rope which has no give and will be less unpredictable, or dynamic rope which has some stretch and bounce to it.
 
 
If your child responds to spinning input, a rotary spinner can be found on Amazon.  This is what I use at ot4kids’ clinic:
 
I have also used aerial yoga ‘daisy chains‘ to help adjust the swings either higher or lower if kids need their feet to be close to the ground.
 
Here are some ideas of swings and trapezes from Amazon:
Please note I have included affiliate links below so do receive a little ÂŁ, however all proceeds go to charity.
 
For hanging and climbing:
Twizzler – this is a fun one that also spins
 
Trapeze with gymnastic rings for hanging by arms and also hanging upside down.
 
Crow nest swing seat – add pillows and blankets here for nice calming deep pressure input.  It appears very similar to the IKEA Ekorre Swing.
 
Hammock swing – There are many different varieties and although I often suggest to parents to go to the fabric shop and feel the material and how stretchy it is (if your child likes bounce, a stretchy one may be great, if they need a calming space, a less stretchy lycra one may be more suitable). I have both a lycra hammock and a Yogapeutics hammock which has no-give for different situations.
 
Flexible Swing Seat – Try this one from different positions such as laying on tummy or sitting forwards or even sideways
 
 
Tire swing – for sitting or standing
 
Nest Platform Swing – This swing looks like it could be used from different positions similar to a platform swing, albeit, not the same. Perhaps a more economical option if you struggle with DIY like myself.
 
 
 

Homemade Sensory Integration Swings – Part 2 / 3

 
 
**Disclaimer:  The following are just ideas and must be used at your own discretion for safety.  Please be sure to use appropriate soft padding, measure for size in your space, and most importantly, provide supervision for your child’s safety.
 
 
This time I thought I’d share more on how to make some swings.
 
In my clinic, I mostly use my homemade platform and hammock swings.  Personally, I love the hammock swing after a long day and my toddler would love to nap in it.  I wish I were a bit more handy and could actually sew, I’d create a lot more.
 
Here are some ideas to guide you to make homemade swings:
 
1) Platform Swing –
 
If you’re into DIY, you could make this. Here are a few alternative ways others have made their platform swings.
 
 
 
 
2) A Hammock Swing
 
This one is so easy to make and requires no sewing or tools.
For mine I bought 4 yards of Lycra material from Fabrics Galore on Lavendar Hill in London.  I tied a knot on both ends through a ring and then attached it to my swing ropes. Here are some other more detailed guides.
 
 
 
I’d love this one!
 
3) Inner Tube Swing
I don’t have one but kids I previously treated loved playing bumper cars with these at my first job in California.
 
 
 
4)  Taco Swing
This is on my wish list along with a homemade bolster swing. It looks relatively easy to make if only I could sew.
 
 
Next blog post, I’ll share some of the swings easily available locally.
 

Installing Sensory Integration Swings – Part 1/ 3

 

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**Please note all ideas shared in this blog post are to be done at your own risk or discretion. It’s recommended to have an engineer or contractor assess your ceiling structure to determine whether it is safe and sturdy.

During OT sessions, parents often want ideas they can replicate at home, especially activities their kids really enjoy.  Swinging often falls in this category.
 
Part of classical sensory integration therapy includes using suspended equipment and therapeutic swings. Although there are lots of other effective and fun ways for children to get movement input without swings, swings are an option for the home.
 
The following are some ideas of how to install a swing for your child at home:
 
1) CEILING
 
Here is a great resource explaining different ceiling hooks. This is where an engineer or contractor will help.
 
 
Nice step by step directions from the DIY Network:
 
 
This blog post is written by a parent describing the process:
 
 
 
 
2) DOORWAY
 
This is a good alternative if you can’t access a ceiling for swings, especially if you happen to have a double doorway. 🙂  Prior to my current clinic space, I used the Rainy Indoor Playground Support Bar, however now am fortunate to have a larger area.
 
See how these two parents have used their doorway for swings:
 
 
 
I can personally recommend the Rainy Indoor Playground Support Bar. It’s so easy to install and if you move or rent homes, the holes from the screws can very easily be patched up.  For those in the UK, it can be purchased from Sensory Direct here:
 
 
Many parents have also installed a pull-up bar in their doorway from which they’ve attached a swing or trapeze.
 
 
 
For those in the US, there’s an Indoor Gym which I haven’t tried but looks interesting.
 
 
 
3) LOFT BED 
 
I’d love to do this when my son is ready to sleep in a loft bed.
 
 
 
 
4) A STRONG TREE!
 
My neighbors are so lucky to have a great tree from which they’ve hung a cool IKEA swing for their kids. If you do too, consider attaching swings there.
 
Here’s a tree swing kit on Amazon.
 
 
For all of the above ideas, be sure to put down an old mattress, crash pad or gym mat under and around the swing for safety.
 
Happy Swinging! 🙂
 
Munira

Therapeutic Benefits of Babywearing

 

I’ve an 8-month old baby with sensory processing difficulties and who has had a bit of a rough start from a traumatic birth.  Babywearing has been a huge part of our lives as he struggles to tolerate any seating devices especially strollers and car seats.  We started with a ring sling when he was home from the hospital, then a hop tei (a modified mei tai Asian carrier), and now as he is older, we also use a more supportive Ergo carrier. It’s our favourite therapeutic, ahem “fun, ” activity. 🙂

 

I have found many therapeutic benefits to babywearing and often recommend it to parents for these reasons:

 

SENSORY:

 

1) Deep pressure input, warmth, and comforting smell of parent are calming and organizing. This is particularly helpful for babies who are sensitive to touch, movement, or sounds, who have had long NICU / SCBU stays, or who need support settling into the big, outside world.
2) Boundaries of the carrier give body input and awareness for comfort and motor skills development such as babies with low tone, sensory motor difficulties, or prematurity.
3) Vestibular / movement input – the gentle bouncing, rocking and swaying motions provide movement input which is again soothing but also helps stimulate tone for balance and coordination and make sense of one’s body. The vestibular system is also strongly connected to the visual, auditory, and emotional centres of the brain. Movement helps kids focus, learn, and coordinate both sides of their bodies.
4) Powerful way to bond after a traumatic birth and from personal experience, so fun to interact with baby wherever you go.
You can see how it can either help decrease sensory overload for sensitive babies or provide extra input to babies who need more sensory information.  By integrating, touch, body and movement input, we are helping develop multi-sensory processing.
MOTOR:

 

1) Encourages flexed  positioning – oftentimes babies with traumatic births, brain bleeds, prematurity, low tone, or sensory processing disorder assume an extended posture due to tightness, arching their back or sensory overload.  Heathy, full-term babies are in a flexed curled-up position from the womb. Extension is a red flag. Slings and carriers can be used to help encourage this flexed position.  Have your occupational or physical therapist help with positioning.
2) For positioning, remember it is important to face inwards and assume a squatt position. See this article:

http://blog.ergobaby.com/2012/02/facing-inward-or-outward-the-physiological-aspects/

3) Alternative to tummy time – many babies struggle wit tummy time for varied reasons. Baby carrying can be a gentle step towards tummy time by holding your baby against you.
4) Upright positioning can be more comfortable for babies with reflux, gutt, or respiratory problems.
Resources:

 

UK Sling Libraries
Visit a sling library to try different carriers and find what suits you and your baby.

http://www.ukslinglibraries.co.uk/

Babywearing International

http://babywearinginternational.org/