Occupational Therapy

Please bear with us while we work on this page

Rocky road 

• Support your child to lie over the ball on their tummy. Support either with a hand on their back or if needing a little extra help, place hands on their hips. 
• Encourage your child to walk forwards onto their hands, stopping with the ball at their thighs. Then walk back, until their knees are on the ground.
• Continue with this motion for up to 10 repetitions and give deep pressure after (described below). Complete no more than three times without a break. Keep this slow and controlled.
• When the activity finishes, apply some deep pressure to help your child to processes the movement.
• You could encourage your child to give themselves a big hug for the count of 10. 
• Or, offer them a squeeze on their shoulders, using open palms to push down and in with firm but gentle pressure for a count of 10.

Squish and Squeeze  

•  Get your child to lie on the floor on their tummy, arms at their side and legs flat and out behind them, with their head turned to one side.
• Sit on your knees to the side of your child, at waist level, and place the space hopper onto their back applying firm but gentle pressure. 
• Begin at the top of the back, roll the space hoper down one arm and over the hand and back up, and repeat on the other side.
• Roll the space hopper slowly down the back.
• To avoid injury to delicate organs, stop at the lower torso and lift the space hopper onto the legs.
• Roll down one leg to the feet then back up, and then lift and cross to the next leg and repeat.
• Lift the ball and place onto their back, working back up the body.
• Ask your child if they would like more or less pressure. 

Hopper chair

• Make sure your child’s feet are always touching the floor.
• When bouncing, some children may need some support at the hips.
• Please make sure that the bouncing motion is delivered in a safe, slow and controlled.
• Complete 10 bounces and give deep pressure (described below). Complete no more than three times without a break.
• When the activity finishes, apply some deep pressure to help your child to processes the movement.
• You could encourage your child to give themselves a big hug for a count of 10. 
• Or offer them a squeeze on their shoulders, using open palms to push down and in with firm but gentle pressure for a count of 10. 

Saturn jump

• Support your child to get on the Saturn ball.
• Now encourage 10 controlled jumps. Follow this with deep pressure to help your child to process this movement more effectively (described below).
• Encourage a break after three turns. You can return to this later if you want.
• For deep pressure, you could encourage your child to give themselves a big hug for the count of 10. 
• Or, offer them a squeeze on their shoulders, using open palms to push down and in with firm but gentle pressure for a count of 10.

Saturn press up

•  Support your child to get on the Saturn ball.
• Using a wall, get your child to place both of their hands on the wall creating 90-degree angle.
• In a slow and controlled manner begin to push back against wall until your child has a subtle bend at their elbow, and then slowly move forward to the wall, just like a press up, but in standing!
• Do this for 10 repetitions at a time. Follow this with deep pressure to help your child process the movement effectively (described below).
• Encourage a break after three turns. You can return to this later if you want.
• For deep pressure, you could encourage your child to give themselves a big hug for the count of 10. 
• Or, offer them a squeeze on their shoulders, using open palms to push down and in with firm but gentle pressure for a count of 10.

Saturn push up

•  For this activity, your child needs to be in a kneeling position. Place the Saturn ball Infront of your child and get them to lean forwards, putting both of their hands on to the sides of the Saturn ring/ ball.
• Make sure that they have flat hands on the ring and that their back is nice and straight. Encourage your child to bend at the elbow, bringing their chest close to the ball. Once low enough, encourage them to then bring themselves back up to the starting position.
• Be sure that they have a subtle bend in the elbow. You may need to sit alongside your child and position your hand on their back, to guide and help them practice the movement first.
• Do this for between 5-10 repetitions at a time. Be sure to have a break following this. When the activity finishes, encourage deep pressure to help your child to processes the movement more effectively
• For deep pressure, you could encourage your child to give themselves a big hug for the count of 10 or offer them a squeeze on their shoulders, using open palms to push down and in with firm but gentle pressure for a count of 10.