Pillows - OTPlan

The Sticky Spider Crawl Maze

Set up a ‘web’ area by placing two large boxes or firm pillows a few feet apart. Use masking tape to string yarn back and forth between the two structures, creating a low, crisscrossing maze pattern (the sticky spider web).

The goal is to cross from one side to the other. You can grade the activity up and down by spacing the spider webs.

Pillow Bridge Balance

Steps:

Set up a ‘Pillow Bridge’ by placing a large, firm pillow or cushion on the floor (use a couch cushion if available).
Place a small stack of craft sticks within easy reach on the floor on one side of the pillow. Place 3-4 empty paper cups on the floor just beyond comfortable reaching distance on the opposite side.
Ask your child to lie on their stomach over the pillow, draping their body so their belly and hips are supported (this is called prone extension).
Encourage your child to reach across the ‘bridge’ with both hands to pick up a craft stick, then stretch forward to place the stick carefully into one of the empty cups. Try to fill all the cups!
To add a challenge, move the cups slightly further away or ask them to sort the sticks by color into different cups, encouraging sustained reaching.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise this activity closely. Ensure the pillow is stable and soft enough for comfortable support. Stop the activity if your child experiences neck strain or fatigue. They should lift their head and chest, keeping their shoulders engaged.

Pillow Mountain Delivery Service

Build a ‘Pillow Mountain’ obstacle path across your living room floor using 5-8 pillows. Arrange them so your child must step or jump carefully between them without touching the floor.

Jump and Kick

Place steppingstones along a path.

Place cardboard blocks to the left and to the right side of each steppingstone.

Ask the child to stand on the first steppingstone and use the right leg to kick the cardboard block on the right side and the left leg to kick the cardboard block on the left side.

Next, instruct the child to jump to the next steppingstone and repeat the previous step.

The child will continue jumping to the ext steppingstones ad knocking down the cardboard block until the end of the path.

Don’t have steppingstones? Use pillows instead (this also increases the challenge for your child’s balance).

Don’t have cardboard blocks? Use water bottles instead (empty for an easier challenge, and filled with water or rice/beans/sand for more challenge and increase the proprioceptive input) or use empty shoe boxes, paper rolls, paper cups, or plastic containers.

Grading option:

The challenge can be graded by placing the blocks further away (see the 2nd video below)
Ask the child to frog jump from one steppingstone to the other, then stand back up, and kick the block.

A Day at the Beach Obstacle Course

Place towels, sunscreen, hat, ball, bucket, and pail & shovel at one end of the room, or play area.

Place the beach bag/basket on the other end.

Using the tape, mark a trail from the items to the beach bag.

Place the chair, step stool, and pillows (covered with the blanket) along the trail you marked.

Ask the child to transfer one item at a time and place it in the beach bag, following the trail, by crawling under the chair, walking up and down the step-stool (you can also put more than one and have the child go up and down several times), and walking on the blanket-covered pillows.