Upper Body Strength - Page 6 of 7

Over the Rainbow

Steps:

Using different colors of construction paper cut a crescent shape from each color.

Place the pieces at one end of the room.

Ask the child to be in the prone position – position of the body is lying face down on the scooter board.

Ask the child to pick up one piece at a time and pull himself forward to the other end of the room.

Then have the child go back while he is sitting on the scooter board to pick up another piece.

Repeat the activity until the child transferred all the pieces and created a picture of a rainbow.

You can also use a rainbow puzzle for this activity.

The child can also use a rope tied to a pole/table to pull himself forward.

Midline Passing

This ball passing game can be done in groups or during a 1×1 session.

Sit back to back with the child. Make sure the child is sitting cross-legged or on their knees. While seated, pass a ball or any other object around to each other.

Make sure to switch directions after a few times.

Make sure the child is crossing the midline while passing the ball without rotating the trunk.

Spelling Push Ups

A six-year-old child balances on a therapy ball while reaching for construction paper letters on a playroom floor to practice spelling.

Use the construction paper, the pen and the scissors to cut out letters of the alpha-bet. You will need more than 1 of each letter. You can also use pre-cut letters.

Spread the letters on the floor or a mat in a random order. Help the child lay prone on the therapy ball. The child should be able to touch the floor. Instruct the child to use his hands and reach out to grab one letter at a time, then to walk back and place the letter in front of them. After the child gets all the letters he needed, he can spell the word.

You can also use magnetic letters and a magnetic board, or use math equations where the child has to walk out and grab the correct answer.

Holiday Gifts

A 4-year-old girl uses a scooter board in a cozy home to collect green toys and place them into low-hanging holiday stockings.

For this activity, all the materials should be green colored and spread across the room.

Hang the stockings at different corners of the room at a child reach level.

If using a scooter board, have the child lay prone and propel the scooter board around the room to collect the different items and place them in the stockings.

If you do not have a scooter board available, ask the child the perform different animal walks to collect the items and to receive the sensory input (i.e. bear walk, crab walk, frog jumps, etc.)

Visit our shop to explore our themed playdough kits

Big Tac Toe

A 6-year-old child lying on his belly plays a large tic-tac-toe game on a living room floor using masking tape and construction paper shapes.

Help the child cut 4 equal pieces of masking tape. Each piece should be about 3 feet long.

Use the masking tape pieces to make a large tic tac toe board on the floor.

Use the construction paper to cut shapes (each player should have his own shape). You will need 5 pieces of each shape. Let the child help you with a cutting of the shapes.

If working on writing skills, each player can write his name on his shapes.

Instruct the child to lay prone next to the tic tac toe board.

Using the pieces you cut, play the tic tac toe game by placing the pieces while keeping your body prone and reaching with your arms out to place the pieces on the board (i.e. crossing midline).

For grading: instead of writing your name on each shape, you can write your initials or any other word as appropriate.