Email Gold

gross motor skills

Crossing Midline Activities

by
Crossing midline activities

In this blog post, we are covering all things crossing midline activities…but what is crossing midline?? We’ll get into that too, as well as some fun ways to develop midline crossing skills and specific exercises that kids (and all ages) can do to support development of this motor skills task that is huge in the way of gross motor coordination.

Crossing midline is one of those motor skills we do constantly throughout the day, but never really give a second thought. And that automaticity of motor movements is a good thing, too! Imagine processing the action to use one hand to pull a door open. Imagine the time it would take to shower, dress, put on and tie your shoes if you had to process through the action to move your hands fluidly across the middle line of your body.

As therapists, we hear “crossing the midline” all the time.  Have you ever wondered what the big deal is?  Why is crossing the midline so important?  In this post we will delve into what crossing the midline is, what causes issues, and how it impacts daily function, especially schoolwork.

Before we get started, if you are doubting the validity of crossing the midline, tie one hand behind your back and go about your day.  How much did you reach across your body to get something?  You reached across, diagonal, up and down to interact with your environment.  While a two-handed person does not do this much crossing the midline, there is still a fair amount.

Crossing midline activities and exercises for crossing the midline.

What is Crossing Midline?

Crossing midline refers to moving the body (hand/arm/foot/leg across an imaginary line that runs vertically down the center of the body to the other side (and vise versa). Additionally, crossing midline also refers to twisting the body in rotation around this imaginary line, as well as leaning the upper or body across the middle of the body.

Let’s break it down further:

Midline of the body is an imaginary line that drops from the middle of the head, straight down over the nose, to the belly button and divides the body into left and right sides.  Imagine a line that starts at the middle part of your hair and runs straight down your forehead and ends at the core of your abdomen. This imaginary line effectively divides your body into a symmetrical (mostly) left side and a right side.

“Crossing the midline” is a simplified way to indicate that part of the body moves over that imaginary line. This can look like 3 different aspects of movement:

  1. Reaching an arm/hand or foot/leg across the middle of the body to the other side of the body (Example: Reaching the right arm across the body for an object placed on a table to the left side)
  2. Rotating the body around the midline in a rotary motion in order to twist at the hips. This can look like putting your hands on your hips and rotating your upper body around at the abdomen (Example: reaching for a seatbelt involves reaching the hand and arm across the midline but it also involves twisting at the hips)
  3. Leaning the upper body over the middle line as in doing a side crunch. The head and shoulders move over the middle of the body (Example: Bending sideways at the waist while getting dressed or reaching while sitting for an object that’s fallen to the floor)
What is crossing midline and why is it important to a child's development?

Crossing the midline is a motor skill that requires using both hands together in a coordinated manner (bilateral hand coordination) allows kids to cross midline during tasks. This bilateral coordination ability is deeply connected to crossing midline.

Why is Crossing Midline Important?

Midline crossing is a developmental ability that is important for so many fine motor and gross motor tasks. This relates to functional skills in a major way. When a child has difficulty with crossing midline, they will demonstrate challenges in practically every functional task.

When a child does efficiently cross the midline, they can use their dominant hand in skilled tasks.  They develop a dominant hand and the other extremity becomes the assisting hand.  They can manipulate objects in the world around them through all planes. They can demonstrate sensory integration by motor skills with vestibular, proprioceptive, and visual input.

In particular, crossing the midline offers vestibular input. Moving the head from center plane shifts position of the inner ears. When bending, twisting, and moving from center, the vestibular system is at work.

When the child does not cross the midline, they tend to use both hands equally in tasks like handwriting, coloring, and cutting with scissors. They may demonstrate awkward movements by moving the body to position itself so they don’t need to cross the middle line.

Challenges with this motor skill impact learning, social skills, play, and self-care.

In particular, we might notice sensory motor challenges at different age levels. For example, for children aged 3-5, we might see specific midline red flags that impact learning and play. We cover this specific age group in our blog post on Crossing Midline Activities for Preschoolers.

Child crossing midline to place one hand on opposite knee

Crossing Midline Occupational Therapy Asessments

Occupational therapists perform individualized evaluations and assessments of underlying skills as they impact functional performance in every day tasks. Because of this, crossing midline is an essential skill that will be observed and looked for in every OT evaluation.

Occupational therapists can complete a standardized evaluation, but most often, their skilled abilities will enable them to identify when crossing midline is a problem through play and interaction during the evaluation process.

When you are watching for midline crossing, you should observe kids playing in normal situations.  A child will demonstrate a tendency to avoid crossing midline in activities or tasks, but if “set up” to cross the midline (i.e. setting items to the left of the body and asking them to reach over the midline with their right hand), they will typically be able to complete the requested movement pattern, but not carry over the action in a normal situation.

If they have difficulty with crossing midline, a child will switch hands during handwriting because both hands get practice with pencil manipulation.  

The child might rotate their whole body instead of twisting at the trunk or shift their weight in a task rather than leaning the upper body over the midline.  

You can often times observe a tendency to avoid midline crossing in activities such as kicking a ball, throwing beanbags, switching hands in coloring, difficulty with putting on pants and shoes independently, and difficulty with visual tracking and reading.

Crossing the midline exercise for child

Crossing Midline Activities

So, what do you do when crossing the midline is an issue? There are many ways to support the development of this skill.

The ideas listed below are fun ways to play and develop motor skills by crossing midline, however they have a sensory component too.

We mentioned above the aspect of vestibular input and proprioceptive input that occurs in crossing the midline. These midline activities have those sensory motor considerations through play.

  • Rotate the body in a twisting motion.
  • Bend the upper body side to side.
  • Play Simon Says. Use these therapy Simon Says commands to get you started.
  • Play hand clapping games
  • Thread lids on a long string – Position string and beads or lids at different placements to encourage crossing the midline.
  • Wash a large wall with big swooping arm motions.
  • Erase a large chalkboard.
  • Scoop balloons in a water bin.
  • Wash a car.  Encourage the child to use large circular motions with the sponge.
  • Kick a ball.
  • Yoga
  • Dinosaur Gross Motor Game
  • Brain Gym Bilateral Coordination activities
  • Toss bean bags -Encourage upper body movement! Bend through the legs, turn sideways, reach back behind you, rotate side to side…encourage vestibular input by bending and rotating.
  • Squirt gun activities at targets.
  • Play with magnets on the garage door.
  • Play Twister.
  • Slow motion cartwheels- Place both hands on the floor to the side, kick legs over. By doing the cartwheel in slow motion, the body is forced to move sequentially, adding midline crossing at the trunk.
  • Hit a ball with a bat.
  • Use pool noodles to hit a ball- think hockey and hitting the ball into a target on the floor
  • Play catch with rolled socks- Use a bucket or bin to catch the rolled socks. They will fly high, low, left, and right!
  • Play flashlight tag.
  • Catch lighting bugs or butterflies.
  • Show the child how to write their name in the air with large arm movements.
  • Bend over at the waist and swing the arm side to side, in large circles, and in figure 8 motions.
  • Play with scarves to music.
  • Move a ribbon wand to music.
Midline march. Crossing midline gross motor activity to help with handwriting, and bilateral hand coordination skill.

Crossing the Midline Exercises

I love this crossing midline exercise below, because it has a ton of different movement options with one fun activity.

We had fun one winter day with a few crossing the midline exercises, including marching, crossing arms over, and stomping out some wiggles.

Our midline march activity was a marching parade with “Stop Stations”.  We marched along to music and when I turned off the sound, the kids had to do a midline exercise.    

The midline exercises included:

  • Place left hand on right knee
  • Place right hand on left knee
  • Stand and bend to touch the opposite foot
  • Standing and place right elbow on left knee
  • Standing and place left elbow on right knee
  • Crunches with touching right elbow to left knee
  • Crunches with touching left elbow to right knee
  • Cherry picker crunches- lay on the back slightly bent forward at the hips so the upper body is off the ground. Move a ball or small toy from the right side to the left side.

Because we were doing these midline exercises to music that quickly stopped and started, the thought process was quick. The kids had to quickly complete the exercise without much forethought.

This quick start and stop activity allowed them to practice crossing midline without over-thinking about the action.

Child crossing the midline with hand on knee
Child crossing midline with hand on opposite knee

Fine Motor Crossing Midline Exercises

Crossing the midline can be done on a small scale, too. This activity is similar to the midline marching activity described above, but it uses paper, pencil, and small colored dots such as stickers or a small circle drawn with markers.

  1. Draw dots on the left margin of a paper using colored markers or colored stickers. There should be one of each color going down the left margin.
  2. Draw dots using the same colors going down the right margin. Use each color only once.
  3. Turn on music. The student can draw to music on the center of the page using their pencil or markers.
  4. Turn off the music. When the music stops, call out a direction: “Left hand, yellow!” The student should put down their marker and touch the yellow dot on the right margin using their left hand.
  5. Turn on the music to draw again and repeat.

This activity is similar to the gross motor midline exercise because it requires the child to think on the spot. They have to listen to several instructions, but also process the motor skills and cross the midline automatically.

You can adjust this activity by numbering the dots, using less colors, or less dots, and reducing the amount of instructions. This activity can be used with any level by grading the activity.


Child bending to touch hand to opposite foot to cross the midline.

This post is part of the Gross Motor A-Z series hosted by Still Playing School. You can see all of the gross motor activities here.

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

Apple Brain Breaks

by
apple brain breaks for kids

These Apple Brain breaks are a resource that has been popular on the site for many years. During the fall months, all things apple theme is the way to go, so when it comes to adding themed resources into a Fall, harvest, farm, or back-to-school theme, apple themed exercises and movement activities are the way to go!

Apple brain Breaks

Many of you have used the brain break activities that we have here on the OT Toolbox help kids focus and pay attention in the classroom environment. Movement in the classroom is helpful for learning and helping kids with movement needs such as fidgeting or attention. The brain break activities listed below can go along really nicely with an apple theme. Try adding the Apple themed brain breaks in between activities, lessons, and other classroom tasks.

Apple themed brain breaks can be a great way for kids to extend on an Apple theme activity while adding movement into the classroom.

Other brain breaks you might enjoy include:

Apple Theme Brain Breaks

apple brain breaks for kids

Looking for brain break videos for the classroom or home? Here are the best brain break videos on YouTube.

Related read: These visual perception apple theme shape stamps are a perfect way to work on visual perceptual skills and fine motor skills with DIY stampers.

Apple themed brain breaks for kids to use in the classroom or as part of an apple theme in learning and play.

How to Use Apple Brain Breaks

Get this list of apple theme activities as a printable sheet to use in the classroom. Print them off, glue them to cardstock or index cards and laminate for durability. Kids can complete apple brain breaks as a group or individually.      

In the PDF below, you’ll find printable cards that you can cut out and use over and over again as a movement break for kids. Other ways to use these fall brain breaks?

  • Incorporate into an apple tree life cycle curriculum or any apple lesson plan
  • Use with talking about Johnny Appleseed during the Fall months
  • Use as a Johnny Appleseed game
  • Add to a harvest theme or visiting the Farm during the Fall
  • Use as a transition activity between classroom activities
  • Use along with our Fall sensory stations kit (another great Fall brain break!)
  • Indoor recess activities during the Fall months
  • Great for waiting activities or transitions in an apple themed classroom!
  • Use when waiting periods during classroom breaks
  • Add as sensory motor activities to promote attention, focus, re-direction, or needed heavy work input

These apple theme exercises can be added to a weekly therapy theme when planning occupational therapy lesson plans, and then individualized based on the child’s needs and interests.

Apple Exercises

The brain break cards include activities like these ones. These apple theme exercises can be adapted or modified as needed to meet specific needs.

Here are some apple think brain break activities that can be used at movement into the classroom using an Apple theme:  

1.) Reach and climb- Ask students to stand up beside their desks and pretend to climb a ladder. Students can reach up high with alternating arms as they climb in place. Imagine climbing up a ladder to reach the top of an apple tree.

2.) Pick apples- Ask students to imagine reaching up to grab an apple from an apple tree’s branch, and  then bend down to drop it into a basket. Ask students to repeat this motion repetitively reaching up high and then bending down low to the ground.

3.) Peel and toss apples- Ask students to imagine peeling an apple as they roll their arms over and over again at the elbows. Then ask them to toss an imaginary apple into a bucket. They can imagine the buckets are at different levels and distances as they pretend tossing apples. Continue this exercise for one minute.

4.) Apple dash – Ask students to run in place and imagine running at an apple farm. Students can pretend they are delivering bushels of apple from a tree to a barn as they run in place while carrying an imaginary bucket. Ask them to imagine hopping over logs or running faster or slower.

5.) Make a pie- Ask students to imagine picking an apple and buffing it with their sleeve. Ask them to buff an apple on their left sleeve and then their right sleeve. Doing this activity encourages crossing of the midline. They can then pretend to slice the apple, roll out dough, pour the apple slices into the pie pan, and putting the pie into an oven.

6.) Apple spell- Ask students to form the letters used to spell the word “apple” using their arms and legs. To make an “A”, the student can reach up over their head putting their hands in the middle and stretching their legs wide next. Next, make a “P” by standing with feet together and arms curved toward the side to create the bump of the letter. Complete the same movement again for the second P in the word apple. Next, form a letter L using by sitting on the floor and bending at the waist stretching legs out straight. Finally, create a letter E by sitting on the floor bent at the waist with leg s extended straight and feet together. Put one arm out at the waist and reach the other arm out overhead bent at the elbow.

7.) Spell and clap- To the tune of “BINGO”, spell the word apple. After singing a round, replace one letter with a clap of the hands. Each round adds another clap in place of a letter. Try adding other movements in place of clapping such as hopping in place or stomping a foot.

8.) I’m a Little Apple- Use the song “I’m a little teapot” only pretend you are an apple. Kids can sing  “I’m a little apple small and round. Here is my stem and here is my leaf. When I get so red, I fall from the tree. Reach down low and pick me up.” Add movements to go along with the words.

Can you think of any other apple themed brain breaks?

Squirrel Themed Brain Breaks may be another fun movement idea that you are looking to pair with a book.  

Apple themed brain breaks for kids to use in the classroom or as part of an apple theme in learning and play.

Free Apple Brain Break Cards

Want a copy of these apple brain break cards to add to your toolbox? Enter your email address into the form below to access these printable tools.

This freebie is also available inside our Members Club! Members have easy access to all downloads on the site, in one place, without the need to enter your email address for each item.

Want to add this resource to your therapy toolbox so you can help kids thrive? Enter your email into the form below to access this printable tool.

This resource is just one of the many tools available in The OT Toolbox Member’s Club. Each month, members get instant access to downloadable activities, handouts, worksheets, and printable tools to support development. Members can log into their dashboard and access all of our free downloads in one place. Plus, you’ll find exclusive materials and premium level materials.

Level 1 members gain instant access to all of the downloads available on the site, without enter your email each time PLUS exclusive new resources each month.

Level 2 members get access to all of our downloads, exclusive new resources each month, PLUS additional, premium content each month: therapy kits, screening tools, games, therapy packets, and much more. AND, level 2 members get ad-free content across the entire OT Toolbox website.

Join the Member’s Club today!

Member’s Club not for you? No worries. You can still access this free resource. Enter your email address into the form and the apple brain breaks will be delivered to your inbox.

Free Apple Brain Breaks

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.
    Built with ConvertKit

     

     

    More Apple Theme Activities for Kids:

     
    You will love these apple activities to go along with an apple theme.
     
    Ten Apples Up on Top pre-writing activity
     
     
    Apple fine motor strengthening activity and fall math with hands-on learning.
     
     
     
     
    Gross Motor Apple Tree activity for learning red and apples with toddlers and preschool children. Kids love this in the Fall!
     
     
     
     

    Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

    Tag Games To Develop Motor SKills

    by
    Tag games for kids

    The thing about playing tag games is that you can take a classic lawn game and make rules to change the game a thousand different ways and never play the same game twice! Chase games are a fun way to get kids moving and outside with movement, balance challenges, development of the visual system, and heavy work. Best of all? Tag activities can support developmental needs on all levels and abilities. Add these tag games to our massive list of outdoor lawn games to get kids moving, running, jumping, and building motor skills!

    These tag games are powerful ways to help kids develop skills. Use the creative tag games in therapy or in summer camp activities.

    Tag games

    There are so many reasons why tag games are a must for summer time fun. Let’s break it down:

    • Tag games are great ways to add motor movement to kids, to get them off the screens, and outside. Running and playing tag supports gross motor coordination.
    • Tag also is a powerful way to play together as a family, adding a chance for connection and creating memories. What better way to spend some time together as a family than playing a game of tag that offers heavy work, sensory input, in the great outdoors?
    • Tag games are also great running games for physical education.
    • Tag is a fun way to support therapy goals with a small group. Use the tag games in a group therapy setting, in PE planning, or in summer camp activities.
    • Playing tag at summer camp offers a break between activities, adds heavy work, and can get kids moving and building skills. Best of all- you can modify the tag game to meet any theme or topic!

    The options are limitless! Here are more summer camp ideas that tag can fit well into with therapeutic and team-building benefits.

    There are many therapeutic benefits of playing tag. Use these tag games in therapy or summer camps to help kids with child development and have fun too!

    Therapeutics benefits of playing tag

    When kids are running, stopping, turning course, running around obstacles, there are many developmental benefits.

    Let’s break down games of tags for their therapeutic benefits:

    Running- running in short bursts offers cardio input that gets the blood pumping. When kids run and stop in short bursts, they are gaining heavy work input through their legs and core.

    The short intervals involved in tag games build muscle strength, and allow for running at various speeds. As opposed to longer distance running, kids can be successful in running in short bursts.

    This is also a great way to “reset” after being indoors for a while, on a long car ride, in the classroom all day, or on screen devices for a long period of time. We talked here about the benefits of treadmills and wellbeing, but for shorter bursts of running, the mindfulness benefits definitely exist!

    Stopping and Starting- When we run and then stop abruptly or stop and turn, there are so many motor components occurring at one time.

    The muscles that are actively engaged need to stop abruptly, adding heavy work input through those muscles and joints. Then the opposing muscles and core need to activate to maintain posture. The whole body is engaged in this action. Kids often play tag in a yard or park where there are trees or other stationary structures.

    These provide a need to move around targets and slow running speed. This requires the visual processing system to interact with the motor tasks. When kids are running around other tag players, they are running around moving targets, which further engages muscles and visual processing system.

    Stopping and starting motor skills are a challenge for:

    • Proprioception
    • Vestibular input
    • Motor planning
    • Body awareness
    • Depth perception
    • Balance
    • Coordination
    • Postural control

    Tagging others- Tag is such a great way to interact with others in an appropriate way. You may have had a school yard experience where you were pushed down in a game of tag. When others tag you and it occurs unexpectedly or with too much force, a fall can happen!

    However, by playing tag, kids get that experience with proprioceptive input, vestibular input, and visual motor skills.

    • How much force must they exert to tag without pushing over a playmate?
    • How far do they need to reach out to tag a friend without hitting their face?

    All of this experience in movement is powerful! It helps kids learn about how their body moves in space, body awareness skills, visual perceptual skills, spatial awareness, and eye-hand coordination skills.

    Spatial awareness- Expanding further on the spatial awareness skills, or spatial relations, body awareness, posture exercises for kids, and position in space, all of these body concepts are able to be carried over to other functional tasks.

    This experience allows kids to use this knowledge when walking in crowded hallways without bumping into others, spatial awareness in handwriting on a page, moving while carrying plates or heavy items. All of these experiences can be integrated for functional movement.

    Executive functioning skills- Playing a simple game of tag can build executive functioning skills, too! Think about it: when you play tag, there is working memory to recall movements that allowed you to escape in a previous game or trial.

    If you’re playing a fun tag game version, you need to recall specific words or phrases that were already used. Other executive functioning skills that are used in tag include planning, prioritization of movements, impulse control, task completion, initiation, processing speed, self-monitoring, foresight, mindset, and cognitive shift. What a powerful game tag is in building cognitive skills!

    Motor planning- Moving, making motor plans, running around obstacles and other children…what a great game tag is to build motor planning skills.

    There’s more: tag is a fast-paced game. So those motor planning sequences and movements need to happen quickly. The good news is that a game of tag offers many trials and repetitions to build motor plans and muscle memory.

    Visual Processing Skills- Visual processing skills is an umbrella of visual skills and tag addresses many of these areas through play. And playing tag requires many visual processing skills under that umbrella!

    Take a look at all of the visual skills needed for tag:

    What a powerful game tag is!

    So, now that we know the massive therapeutic benefits of tag, let’s take a look at some fun tag games for kids.

    Play these creative tag games to add a twist to the classic tag game.

    Fun Tag Games

    Classic tag–

    Someone is it and chases the others in the group. When they touch someone else, that person is now “it”. The game continues.

    TV Tag

    One person is “it”. When they approach another person, the player yells the name of a TV show and drops to the ground. They are then safe and the person that is “it” needs to run and tag another person. This type of tag can be adjusted to call out music, songs, YouTube shows, games, sports, favorite foods, animals, etc.

    Flashlight Tag–

    Play tag in the early evening hours with flashlights. When you shine your flashlight on a fellow tag player, that player is tagged and they are now “it”. This is a great activity for challenging visual scanning skills, visual discrimination, visual figure ground, and visual tracking skills.

    Sharks and Minnows Tag–

    One person is the shark and the others are the minnows. When the shark touches another player, that person then turns into a shark. Now there are two sharks. Play until all of the minnows turn into sharks.

    Freeze Tag-

    When a person is tagged, they need to freeze in place until another player touches them to “unfreeze” them.

    Cops and Robbers Tag-

    A group splits into either “cops” or “robbers”. The cops chase the robbers and once tagged, they need to sit in “jail” until another robber tags them and releases them.

    Pizza Tag-

    One person is “it” and chases the others.  Players run from “it” and can stay safe from being tagged by naming pizza toppings and touching the ground.

    Animal Walk Tag-

    Players can assume an animal walk (crab walks, hop like a bunny, waddle like a penguin, sway like an elephant, etc.) and play tag!

    Social Distance Tag Games

    No-Touch Tag Games-

    Tag games can be modified to any theme which is great for social distancing. One person is “it”. When they near another child, that person yells out a word or phrase, or completes an action like hopping, squatting, acting like an animal, touching the ground, dabbing, or completing any physical action. Tag could take any action or theme in this way.

    Shadow Tag-

    Play classic tag but tag one another by stepping on the shadow of others. This is a great social distancing version of tag, as well.

    Social Distancing Tag-

    This tag game is another way to play with others, gain the benefits of tag, and play in a socially distanced form. Simply play tag in the classic version (or use any of the fun tag versions described here) and when “it” is within 6 feet of another person, they have tagged the other player. This is a nice way to work on spatial awareness and scanning at a distance, too.

    Tag Games for Different Themes

    The cool thing about a classic game of tag…or any of the versions listed above, is that you can adjust the theme to fit a weekly therapy theme, a summer camp theme, or a learning theme at school. Different types of tag games can be played using all one theme to add different movement opportunities and motor planning challenges.

    • Have an ocean summer camp? Play ocean animals tag (kids call out ocean animals and drop to the ground to stay safe.)
    • Planning a space camp? Play space tag. Kids can call out planets when the “it” person is near and stay safe.
    • Creating a Pirates theme summer camp? Modify sharks and minnows tag to meet your theme.
    • Coming up with a handwriting camp to work on handwriting skills? Encourage heavy work through the arms by adding crawling, hopping, or heavy work animal walks.

    What do you think? Have you played any of these tag games before? Let’s get those kids moving!

    Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

    The Development of Balance

    by
    Development of balance

    Balance development is a pivotal part of child development. Gross motor coordination, balance and motor planning are all part of the processes of acquiring these skills. Here, we cover balance development, strategies to support this skill, and specific balance activities.

    Development of balance from infancy through preschoolers.

    Balance Development

    Acquiring or practicing balance can be seen in a toddler swaying step by step, a child pretending the sidewalk curb is an Olympic balance beam, or a teenager managing their new crutches.

    Strong standing and walking balance equal safe mobility, which opens the door to so many wonderful new things; running, jumping, cartwheels, backflips…you get the picture.

    Achieving physical balance plays an important role in the development of many different skills, some of which may surprise you!

    WHAT IS BALANCE?

    Before officially diving into the development of balance, we first need to define and understand it. 

    • Balance – According to the Harvard Medical School, balance is the ability to distribute your weight in a way that lets you stand or move without falling, or recover if you trip. Good balance requires the coordination of several parts of the body: the central nervous system, inner ear, eyes, muscles, bones (Check out this list of bone names), and joints
    • Static Balance – maintaining body position during an unmoving task, such as sitting or standing
    • Dynamic Balance – the ability to remain standing and stable while performing movements or actions that require displacing or moving oneself

    The various muscles of the body contract or relax in order to maintain the proper balance for our daily activities, as controlled by our balance center in the brain; the cerebellum. 

    In addition to the cerebellum, the inner ear also sends signals to the brain, to give a status report on the environmental changes that affect balance. The inner ear is where the vestibular system is located.

    Its’ fluid picks up on the motion and position of the head, constantly sending information back to the brain via the eighth cranial nerve. When there is a medical issue within the ear, such as an ear infection or torticollis, it may affect balance. This is generally in the form of dizziness or unsteadiness. 

    The primary source of information for the following list of balance developmental milestones was primarily sourced here.

    Information from different sources may vary slightly, largely due to the fact that developmental patterns fall into different ranges. For a general list of developmental milestones, refer to the CDC resource here.

    For balance to occur, we need lower extremity strength integrated with other areas of development, including vision and processing of vestibular input.

    Balance Development in the first year

    Prenatally

    • The vestibular system is developed at five months pregnancy

    0-3 MONTHS

    • Primitive reflexes (uncontrolled movement) lay the groundwork for future motor development
    • Tummy time develops vision and postural control required for optimal balance later on 

    4-6 MONTHS

    • Rolling prone to supine (front to back), then supine to prone (back to front)
    • Supported sitting, then unsupported sitting

    7-9 MONTHS

    • Picks up a dropped toy, may fall while reaching
    • Begins to army crawl, cruise crawl, or scoot
    • Holds majority of their own weight while standing supported
    • May squat up and down while standing 

    10-12 MONTHS 

    • Pulls self up to stand, then stands unsupported
    • Manipulation of toys/ movement of arms while sitting unsupported 
    • Moves in and out of laying and seated positions with control
    • Cruises along furniture or walks supported

    Development of Balance in Toddlers 

    13-16 MONTHS

    • Walking unsupported, but may tumble easily
    • Crawls up and down furniture and stairs with support for safety
    • Begins to learn how to walk faster/run 

    17-19 MONTHS

    • Is able to get onto small chairs without help
    • Walks up stairs while holding on with one hand
    • Runs stiffly and falls often
    • Can pick up objects while standing, without losing balance

    2 YEARS

    • Pulls off socks without losing balance
    • Runs with improved coordination
    • Can kick a ball without losing balance

    Development of Balance in PReschoolers

    3 YEARS

    • Can briefly balance and hop on one foot
    • May walk upstairs with alternating feet (without holding the rail)
    • Able to pedal a tricycle

    4 YEARS 

    • Hops on one foot without losing balance
    • Throws a ball overhand with coordination

    5 YEARS:

    • Skips, jumps, gallops, and hops with good balance 
    • Stays balanced while standing on one foot with eyes closed 

    The majority of our balance skills have developed by age 5, but will continue to fine-tune up until around age 12. Remember to keep in mind, these are averages for the typically developing child. 

    Balance is required to do just about anything in daily life. 

    Balance is needed to stand at the mirror while brushing teeth, get out of the car, and put on socks, to name just a few. Without the development of this balance skill, support aids (walkers, crutches, braces) may be necessary for safety and function.

    Static Balance

    Did you know that balance is also related to non-physical, or static tasks?

    Research suggests that when balance is improved, so are attention and learning skills. Good balance helps children develop better reading, writing, and language skills, as well as improved concentration. 

    One way balance is theorized to improve academic skills, is through increased body control, and knowing where the body is in space (proprioception). Having better body control and knowing how to coordinate movement in various environments is important.

    Correct body awareness makes it easier to have a comfortable seated posture. Good balance also makes activities such as sitting still while moving the head to look up at the chalkboard, and then back down to write easier. 

    Check out these Body Awareness Activities from the OT Toolbox.

    Without proper body control, it is just that much more difficult to perform the tasks of a student: copying from the board, holding and reading long textbooks, carrying materials from space to space, and supporting an upright seated posture for many hours a day.  

    How to Support Balance Development

    Knowing the huge impact that balance has on the body, what can you do to improve it?

    Check out this blog post on balance activities.

    The OT Toolbox has great articles on gross motor skills, that will suit the needs of your children. Check these out and let us know your favorites!

    If you love all of the great resources found above, consider becoming a member.

    Want to add this resource to your therapy toolbox so you can help kids thrive? Enter your email into the form below to access this printable tool.

    This resource is just one of the many tools available in The OT Toolbox Member’s Club. Each month, members get instant access to downloadable activities, handouts, worksheets, and printable tools to support development. Members can log into their dashboard and access all of our free downloads in one place. Plus, you’ll find exclusive materials and premium level materials.

    Level 1 members gain instant access to all of the downloads available on the site, without enter your email each time PLUS exclusive new resources each month.

    Level 2 members get access to all of our downloads, exclusive new resources each month, PLUS additional, premium content each month: therapy kits, screening tools, games, therapy packets, and much more. AND, level 2 members get ad-free content across the entire OT Toolbox website.

    Join the Member’s Club today!

    Sydney Thorson, OTR/L, is a new occupational therapist working in school-based therapy. Her
    background is in Human Development and Family Studies, and she is passionate about
    providing individualized and meaningful treatment for each child and their family. Sydney is also
    a children’s author and illustrator and is always working on new and exciting projects.

    Alphabet Exercises for Kids

    by
    Alphabet exercises for gross motor activities for kids with an alphabet theme

    Exercise for kids is so important on many levels. Use these alphabet exercises to help build skills, and get the kids moving with an alphabet theme. Add this alphabet for kids activity to your list of gross motor coordination activities.

    Why Use these Alphabet Exercises?

    In therapy, we look to help children build their gross motor skills, core strength and endurance, body awareness, motor planning, and self-regulation skills. It is recognized that regular exercise can help defend against childhood mental health and behavioral disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

    The consistent engagement in physical activity promotes overall health and wellness and provides a more grounded mindset for daily living and participation in life activities.

    These alphabet exercises were actually created as a resource in 2020, when many children were working remotely. With all of the time that children spent completing school work as part of teletherapy activities, or even their increased time engaging with electronics at home, they needed encouragement to exercise or simply participate in physical activity during the day.

    However, there is even more of a need for these alphabet exercise even though most students are back to traditional learning environments. Students are on screens more than ever before. The symptoms of too much screen time is evident. Additionally, therapists are seeing more of a need to address self-regulation challenges in schools and in homes.

    That’s where this movement-based alphabet for kids comes in as a support activity.

    Research tells us that outdoor play is essential. However, even going outside to play or engage in motor skills is a challenge for some children!

    Making exercise a fun playtime activity is the best way to help a child build skills while benefiting their health and wellness and keeping weight in check.  

    Exercise can build confidence and self-esteem, helping a child to feel better about themselves and increasing their overall happiness.

    Alphabet Exercises

    One way to engage children in activity is with a structured therapy band exercise program, however, occupational therapy home programs can be creative and use out-of-the-box ideas like this ABC theme exercise activity.

    For a printable PDF version of this alphabet exercise page, scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address.

    These letter exercises are also available in an interactive Google slide deck where students can move parts of the slide as they complete each letter activity. Click here to access that ABC exercises slide deck.

    Alphabet exercises for indoor gross motor activities for kids

    Alphabet Gross Motor ACTIVITIES

    Would you like a playful way to engage a child or children in therapy exercises or in a home exercise program?

    How about trying this fun ABC’s of Exercise activity page? There are many ways to use these alphabet exercise letters in learning and occupational therapy activities guided by individual goals.

    • Children can either spell words or even their names to engage in the physical activity which accompanies each letter.
    • Use some homework spelling words and perform the exercises related to them! Wow…homework AND exercise!
    • Another easier way to play is by placing either A through Z foam letters, Bananagrams, or Scrabble tiles into a bag or basket and then have the child pull one letter out at a  time and match it to the corresponding letter on the ABC’s of Exercise chart to perform the exercise listed.
    • Work through the child’s name for an individualized exercise program.
    • Add the letter gross motor activities to a letter of the week learning program.

    Don’t have foam letters or board game letter tiles?  No worries, just grab some puzzle pieces, folded pieces of paper, beans or craft sticks and write the letters on them!

    Toss any of these into a bag or basket and pick one…easy and cheap!  You can also incorporate some handwriting with this activity too by having them write each exercise letter or a word beginning with that letter after they complete the exercise.

    The best part about this activity page is that it is open-ended so you (or they) get to determine how many to perform of each exercise and how many exercise letters to perform.

    In addition to being open-ended, this activity page provides a wonderful opportunity for teaching students exercises which can later be used when the child is feeling heightened and needing some self-regulation intervention tools.

    Use the activity sheet as an inclusion tool for a whole class activity, small group or individual therapy session, or even as a supplement to a motor pathway in the school building! Have the child do the activity that spells their name when using it as part of a motor pathway in school!

    The following list are the exercises and their descriptions which are utilized in the ABC’s of Exercise resource:

    ABC Exercises:

    A is for arm rolls gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Arm rolls – Have child lift arms out from their sides and rotate arms in small circular patterns, first forward and then backward.

    B is for butterfly legs gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Butterfly legs– Have child sit on the floor with legs flexed and bottom of feet touching. Then have them flap their legs up and down to resemble the wings of a butterfly.

    C is for crab walk gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Crab walk – Have child sit on the floor, lean back on their arms and lift their body up with their legs and arms to walk along the floor resembling the walk of a crab.

    D is for duck walk gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Duck walk – Have child squat down and walk on the floor while squatted resembling the walk of a duck. Add having them bend their arms up to make them look like duck wings.

    E is for elephant trunk swing gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Elephant trunk swing – Have child stand up and lean forward with arms extended and fingers linked together. Once this position is achieved, have child sway their arms left and right resembling an elephant’s trunk.

    F is for frog jumps gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Frog hops – Have child squat down on the floor with their arms in front of them and have them leap forward as far as possible resembling a jumping frog. Do this repeatedly.

    G is for giant leaps gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Giant tape lines – Place tape lines on the floor to work on jumping from line to line or complete giant jumps by attempting to jump as far as possible from a standing position.

    H is for high knees gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    High knees – Have child lift alternating knees up to hands for tapping and while marching around the room. Have them lift knees as high as possible.

    I is for incline climb gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Incline climb – Have child climb up a slide, long wedge or hillside or toss the couch cushion or even the bed mattress in the floor and make a ramp. If all else fails, just use the stairs!

    J is for jumping jacks gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

     Jumping jacks – Have child start by standing with arms out to their sides and legs together then have them jump while spreading their legs and feet apart and arms up and over their head. Follow with bringing arms back to sides and legs and feet back together.

    K is for knee squats gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

     Knee squats – Have child start with standing up and then squatting to floor and back up again, repeatedly.

    L is for lunges gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

     Lunges – Have child step forward with one leg and lower their hips until both knees are bent, then push back up to starting position. Alternate legs.

    M is for mega jumps gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

     Mega jumps – Have child jump from a higher level to the floor, either from a chair, sofa, steps, etc. or they could also simply try to jump as far as possible forward and then try to jump farther each time to beat their last distance.

    N is for neck rolls gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

     Neck rolls – Have child stand or sit to roll their neck and head in a circular pattern from left to right and from right to left.

    O is for overhead stretch gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Overhead stretches – Have child reach up overhead, link fingers together (a great finger strength exercise) and stretch arms up as high as possible. Add standing on tiptoes to make it really high. 

    P is for push ups gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Push-ups – Have child lie on the floor and push their body up with their hands and arms. If a regular push-up is too difficult, complete knee push-ups by simply weight bearing on flexed knees while completing push-ups rather than trying to weight bear on toes.

    Q is for quad stretches gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Quad stretches – Have child perform, sit to stands and stand to sits, while sitting in a chair. Do this repeatedly.

    R is for run in place gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Run in place – Have child run in place for a specific amount of time such as while counting to 20.

    S is for snake slither gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Snake slither – Have child lie on their stomach and move their body forward trying to keep as much of their body in contact with the floor as possible, similar to an army crawl.

    T is for toe touches gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Toe touches – Have child stand and bend over to touch their toes with their fingers and back up to standing. Do this repeatedly.

    U is for under over maze gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Under/over laser maze – Create a laser maze with use of tape, string, or streamers in the hallway and have child go under and over to move through it. Or have them crawl under tables and over furniture to achieve under/over.

    V is for vertical wall taps gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

     Vertical wall taps – Have child stand beside a wall and jump to tap the wall attempting to beat their last height touched with each jump.

    W is for windmills gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Windmills – Have child stand with arms and legs out to the sides. Have them bend over to touch right fingertips to left toes and back up to standing and then bend to touch left fingertips to right toes and back up to standing.

    X is for x marks the spot gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    X-marks the spot exercise – Have child cross over legs and feet and cross over arms and hands while jumping to create X patterns with extremities. Or complete ‘X’ cross crawls to work on cross-lateral activity of extremities.

    Y is for yoga gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Yoga poses – Have child pick a yoga pose to complete, such as cat pose, cobra pose, or shark pose.

    Z is for zig zag run gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

    Zig-zag run – Use small obstacles to create a zig zag course or simply attempt to run a zig zag pattern.

    With home learning, indoor activities, and social distancing upon us, this exercise activity page will help meet the needs of your child so they can get in their daily exercise while also releasing some extra “cooped up” energy!

    Alphabet gross motor exercises for kids

    FREE Alphabet Exercise PDF

    Enter your email address below to access this free ABC PDF to add heavy work, core strength, movement, and gross motor skills with an alphabet theme. Use the printable alphabet exercise PDF as a poster for learning letters through movement.

    Best of all this alphabet for kids activity supports learning through play!

    Get a free ABC Exercise PDF

      Are you interested in resources on (check all that apply):
      We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.
      Built with ConvertKit

      Resources:

      Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Editors: Harold W. Kohl, III and Heather D. Cook. Authors: Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment; Food and Nutrition Board; Institute of Medicine. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013 Oct 30.

      This post was written by contributor author, Regina Parsons-Allen.

      Powerful Action Rhymes and Nursery Rhymes with Actions

      by
      nursery rhymes with actions

      Kids love finger plays and action rhymes.  You know the ones, right?  Here, we’re sharing nursery rhymes with actions that support development including gross motor coordination, bilateral coordination, and body awareness. These movement and rhyme phrases and songs that fill every childhood, preschool classroom, and library story time are a classic  part of childhood. 

      Rhymes with action movements inspire rhythm and rhyming skills, but there is more than that: They are engaging, fun, and repetitive ways to work on motor development.

      These nursery rhyme actions are great additions to nursery rhyme crafts!

      nursery rhymes with actions


      But, did you know that action rhymes help with childhood development? Childhood development and action rhymes go hand-in-hand so to speak.  Kids learn and grow by moving and repeating and then independently saying and singing rhymes that many kids could sing along to.  

      What are some ways that childhood development and action rhymes help a child grow?

      Action rhymes are a great way to address skills such as:

      Use these creative and powerful nursery rhymes with actions to develop skills in OT sessions.




      This post contains affiliate links.




      Looking for brain break videos for the classroom or home? Here are the best brain break videos on YouTube.

      What are action rhymes?

      Action rhymes are movement songs or nursery rhymes with movement.  

      They might be gross motor activities like “I’m a Little Teapot” or “Duck, Duck, Goose”. Or, they might be a fine motor activity like “Eensy Weensy Spider” or “Where is Thumbkin”.  

      There are so many nursery rhymes with actions out there that preschool classrooms are using or even making up to suit their needs, but one thing is common with all action rhymes; They have sing-song phrases and involve movement.  

      Fine Motor Action Rhymes:

      1. Where is Thumbkin?
      2. Creep Them, Creep Them
      3. Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee
      4. 5 in the Bed
      5. Eensy Weensy Spider

      Gross Motor Action Rhymes:

      1. Wheels on the Bus
      2. I’m a Little Teapot
      3. Duck, Duck, Goose
      4. Farmer in the Dell
      5. If You’re Happy and You Know It
      6. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
      7. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
      8. 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
      9. Grand Old Duke of York

      How to use nursery rhymes with actions to build childhood development?
      Action rhymes and finger plays are perfect for the 18-24 month age range and the preschool years when so much development is occurring.  

      Consider all the ways a toddler or preschooler are developing: fine and gross motor skills, language, cognitive, social-emotional…these years are full of natural progression with development going through the roof!

      Childhood Development and Action Rhymes

      There are so many ways that nursery rhymes with actions help to build childhood development in a healthy way:

      • Fine Motor Skills– Use the fingers and hands to build dexterity, eye-hand coordination, and finger isolation through movement. Encourage kids to follow along with the fine motor action rhymes listed above to improve dexterity and fine motor control.
      • Gross Motor Skills– Using the trunk, legs, and shoulders builds strength in the limbs and core muscle strength needed for attention and focus. Read more developing core strength through movement rhymes here.
      • Social/Emotional Development– Striving for independence, asserting ones independence, engaging with peers, and an emerging awareness of ones own body and a sense of awareness of others is developing and growing in the toddler and preschool years.  Action rhymes in a group setting promote all of these areas. Encourage kids to connect with other children and adults by pairing up kids to perform action rhymes in small groups of kids.
      • Speech and Language Development– The toddler and preschool age sets are flourishing in language skills.  There is a huge opportunity for developing and building skills through repetitive action rhymes.  Children can be encouraged to develop these skills when encouraged to participate in verbal exchanges.  Further promote communication skills by asking questions about the rhymes.
      • Spatial Concepts– Important for awareness of ones self and position in space, as well as in visual motor integration tasks like handwriting, action rhymes allow children to explore position in space through movement. Encourage development and understanding of front/back, over/under, top/bottom, etc. Try this action rhyme trick: when a spatial term is mentioned in an action rhyme, try pointing in the direction instead of saying the words or phrases.
      • Attention Span– Action rhymes allow kids to focus for a period of time on a teacher as well as peers individual and group action rhyme activities. Encourage longer attention by increasing time spent singing action rhymes. Lead into a group activity with action rhymes or use them as a tool to take a break during seated tasks or classroom activities that require focus and attention. 
      • Cognitive Development– Using action rhymes, children are introduced to concepts such as numbers, colors, shapes, sizes, names, letters, and more. Concrete concepts of the toddler and preschool years can be enhanced to more abstract ideas through cognitive development using sensori-motor components of action rhymes.  Movement and learning are very well connected and action rhymes add a sing-song rhyming component as well. Additionally, concepts such as patterning, sequencing, and cause-effect are addressed through action rhymes.
      • Self-Concept– Action rhymes provide an opportunity to learn about body parts. Encourage kids to learn about their body parts with action rhymes like, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
      • Behavior Development– Action rhymes promote movement and an appropriate opportunity for students to get wiggles and fidgets out in a classroom setting.  Following the rhyme actions, kids can discover how they can move their body in purposeful ways.
      Use these creative and powerful ideas to boost and build childhood development with action rhymes and finger plays with toddler and preschool kids in the classroom, home, or Occupational Therapy clinic.

        What are some favorite action rhymes in your classroom, home, or clinic?  

      More movement and development ideas you will love: 

      The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook
      The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook

      The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook walks you through sensory processing information, each step of creating a meaningful and motivating sensory diet, that is guided by the individual’s personal interests and preferences.

      The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook is not just about creating a sensory diet to meet sensory processing needs. This handbook is your key to creating an active and thriving lifestyle based on a deep understanding of sensory processing.

      Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

      Spring Gross Motor Activities

      by
      Spring gross motor activities

      This blog post on Spring gross motor activities is part of our collection of Spring activities for occupational therapy. Here, we’ve got gross motor ideas that have a Spring-theme, including balance, coordination, stability, and gross motor coordination tasks like skipping, hopping, jumping, and throwing. You’ll find throwing activities, ways to work on the eye-hand coordination needed for catching a ball, bilateral coordination ideas, core strengthening activities, and more.

      These are the gross motor skill ideas that you can use in so many ways to address the skills kids need to succeed at home, at school, and in the community! Get the ideas below!

      These spring gross motor activities are great ways to build strength in kids, including posture, stability, core strength, shoulder stability, and coordination, balance, and posture.


      Spring Gross Motor Activities

       

      Before we cover the gross motor ideas for Spring, be sure to check out  our Spring Fine Motor Activities collection. You can add ideas from each of our Spring Occupational Therapy Activities… because we’re loading you up on different ways to address developmental skill areas with a Spring-theme!

      Remember, if you are looking for fun ideas to incorporate into therapy sessions, at home, or in the classroom, our Spring Fine Motor Kit is on sale right now. It’s 100 pages of spring ideas for addressing sensory processing, gross and fine motor skills, visual motor skills, visual perceptual skills, handwriting, and more. The packet will last you all season long and can be used over and over again. 


      Grab the Spring Fine Motor Kit here. AND get the bonus Spring Break Kit, filled with handouts for Spring break activities, handwriting prompts, brain breaks, and a Spring homework sheet.

      Spring Gross Motor Activities


      Let’s get right to those Spring-themed Gross Motor Skills.

      Shoulder and wrist stability are such a necessary part of fine motor control and precision. You’ve probably seen it before; a kiddo that writes or colors with their arm “floating” up off the table surface.

      You probably know a child that writes with their whole arm as opposed to moving those fingers. You might recall a child manipulating small items like beads with their elbows smashed into their sides in order for them to have support and control…It’s all shoulder stability that is lacking!

      We’re also talking about core stability, postural control, and balance. You might know a student that slouches at their desk.

      What suffers? Handwriting legibility, reading comprehension, and the ability to copy materials without missing items.

       You may have seen a kiddo that is fearful on uneven surfaces like when maneuvering on bleachers, or struggles with active games in gym class. What may be the culprit to these coordination skills?
      It just might be postural control, core strength, and stability.

      The gross motor activities below provide opportunities to improve bilateral coordination, core strength as part of improving  postural stability, balance, coordination, shoulder stability, and shoulder girdle strengthening.
      The activities follow a Spring-theme to use this time of year. 


      These general activities combine movement combinations and motor planning that can be used as a fun brain break in the classroom, or a party game idea:


      Create a Bunny Hop Gross Motor Game much like our Dinosaur Gross Motor Game! Just make the activities actions like Hop like a bunny, jump like a bunny, stomp your bunny feet, etc. You can add other spring animals too, like a lamb, baby chicks, or robins.


      Make a DIY Dance Stick using ribbons, crepe paper, and string. Then, practice forming letters or writing spelling words with the dance stick. It can be decorated like a May Pole, too. Incorporate bilateral coordination and eye-hand coordination to wrap the stick with ribbon all the way up and around a dowel rod. 


      Bean Bag Activity- We made ice cream cones, but carrots would be super easy, too…or just pretend the bean bags are carrots 🙂  Here are some bean bag games to use when working on midline crossing, core strength, motor planning, and other gross motor areas.

      Build shoulder and wrist stability 

      Shoulder stability is an area that so many kids can struggle with! Writing with their arm “floating” up off the table surface, using the whole arm to manipulate and move a pencil, and other small motor actions. Sometimes, kids that do activities and tasks quickly are compensating for weakness in the shoulder girdle. 


      Use Wikki Stix to build Easter Eggs by sticking them to a wall. Position the child at a seated position facing the wall so shoulder flexion occurs at eye height. This is a great way to work on shoulder and wrist stability and mobility. 


      Use Spring cookie cutters and small pieces of chalk on a chalkboard or easel. This activity is great for drawing and writing at shoulder height and uses both hands at midline. Working at the vertical surface promote core strength as well as shoulder stability and wrist extension. Bunnies, Easter eggs. hearts, and colorful circles or rainbows are fun this time of year.


      Try Spring Yoga- There are some Yoga positions with a Spring theme described and listed in the Spring Occupational Therapy Activities Packet. Add fun animal names and positions to basic yoga positions.


      Use a scooter board in prone. Push and pull the scooter board across the floor to transport Spring items into a basket. The dollar store is a good place to find small items. Better yet, use bunny tongs or other tools to transport the items.


      Roll a small ball or a therapy ball up and down a wall. Use painters tape to make a ball maze or a strait line like the stem of a Spring flower. “Walk” the ball up the wall to shoulder height and then back down again. Get the ball to the top of the step to create the flower!


      Spring Animal Walks- Do the bunny hop, frog jump, and lamb crawl from one side of the room to the other. Think: wheelbarrow walks, crab walks, donkey kicks, and bear walks with a Spring theme!


      Color or play on the ground- Use Easter grass to create a sensory space on the floor. Use a large, low tray such as a jelly roll pan to create a sensory bin. Kids can use tongs to find hidden items such as mini-erasers.

      Spring Posture and Balance Activities

      Posture and trunk stability is essential for positioning in the classroom and in functional tasks in general. Postural control is needed to enable the student to sit upright at their desk, allowing for better handwriting, reading, and copying skills.

      Kids who struggle with postural control and balance will be uncoordinated in fine motor tasks, activities requiring sustained positioning, have trouble with motor planning, and may be fearful of tasks that require mobility or uneven positioning such as maneuvering on bleachers or during active play.


      Try some of the Spring themed gross motor activities below to improve postural control and balance:

      Spring Obstacle Course- Use the printables in our Spring Sensory Stations (free download) to create motor planning tasks that build balance and coordination. Add in jump ropes to hop over, sand buckets to navigate around, and brain breaks (from our Spring Break Kit bonus) to make gross motor planning tasks.

      Spring Heavy Work Activities- Add heavy work that challenges motor planning, balance, endurance, positioning changes, and motor skills. These can be used in Simon Says games, obstacle courses, and gross motor play. Print off a copy of these free Spring heavy work cards and get started. You’ll also like these therapy Simon Says commands.

      Spring Caterpillar Pose- Assume the “superman pose” on the floor, but call it a caterpillar pose! You can be a caterpillar in the Springtime, gaining strength to start crawling and munching on leaves. Relax rest but then return to the extended arms, legs, and head positioning as you wake up again! 


      Balloon Pass- Lie on your back and pull the hips and knees into flexion, toward the belly. Try to hold a ball or balloon between your feet. Then, pass the ball to a friend lying opposite on the floor. Pass the ball into a hoop or large basket. 


      Egg Pass- Sit on a partially inflated beach ball and try to balance a plastic egg on a spoon. Try to pass the egg to a friend and then drop it into a basket. 

      These spring gross motor activities are great ways to build strength in kids, including posture, stability, core strength, shoulder stability, and coordination, balance, and posture.

      Spring Fine Motor Kit

      Score Fine Motor Tools and resources and help kids build the skills they need to thrive!

      Developing hand strength, dexterity, dexterity, precision skills, and eye-hand coordination skills that kids need for holding and writing with a pencil, coloring, and manipulating small objects in every day task doesn’t need to be difficult. The Spring Fine Motor Kit includes 100 pages of fine motor activities, worksheets, crafts, and more:

      Spring fine motor kit set of printable fine motor skills worksheets for kids.
      • Lacing cards
      • Sensory bin cards
      • Hole punch activities
      • Pencil control worksheets
      • Play dough mats
      • Write the Room cards
      • Modified paper
      • Sticker activities
      • MUCH MORE

      Click here to add this resource set to your therapy toolbox.

      Spring Fine Motor Kit
      Spring Fine Motor Kit: TONS of resources and tools to build stronger hands.

      Grab your copy of the Spring Fine Motor Kit and build coordination, strength, and endurance in fun and creative activities. Click here to add this resource set to your therapy toolbox.

      Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

      Spring Occupational Therapy Activities

      by
      Spring occupational therapy activities

      There might just be a turn in the weather! Spring therapy takes on a whole new meaning with these Spring occupational therapy activities! With a new season comes a new set of OT activities for the school-based occupational therapist or the OT working in early intervention or an outpatient clinic. I’m excited to share an update to our Spring Occupational Therapy packet that now has a TON of therapy tools and Spring activities to develop various skills like fine  motor, gross motor, visual perceptual, handwriting, sensory tolerance and play, and more.

      Use these Spring OT ideas in everyday play!

      If you are specifically looking for SPRING CRAFTS that support occupational therapy goals, we have that, too!

      Spring occupational therapy activities for helping kids develop skills, in school based OT, early intervention, and at home.


      Spring Occupational Therapy Activities

      Looking for fun ways to add a creative spin to therapy sessions this time of year? You’re in luck! This week on The OT Toolbox, you’ll find loads of Spring activities. Each day, we’re rounding up activities, ideas, strategies, and tips that all have a Spring theme in common. Use these activities in your therapy plans to meet the specific needs of kiddos. 

      You’ll find tons of activity ideas in our Spring Fine Motor Kit, too.

      Click here to grab the Spring Fine Motor Kit.

      Here’s what you can find when it comes to Spring Occupational Therapy activities here on The OT Toolbox:

      Spring fine motor activities
      Spring gross motor activities
      Spring handwriting activities

      Spring Fine Motor Activities– Spring crafts, spring fine motor precision activities, sorting insects, mixing colors, and beading rainbows! These Spring fine motor activities develop hand strength, coordination, pincer grasp, and a functional pencil grasp!

      Spring Gross Motor Activities – Work on balance, coordination, core strength, and motor planning skills with these gross motor activities for Spring. Kids will love the therapy slide decks that challenge skills (great for pediatric physical therapy, too!)

      You’ll love the Spring balance beams, sequencing activities, and more (with shoulder stability, balance, coordination, and core strengthening activities at the focus!)

      Spring Sensory Activities– these Spring sensory play ideas include sensory bins and heavy work activities that are great for sensory diets. While you’re at it, be sure to grab these Spring OT tools:

      • Spring Sensory Stations– great for building a sensory walk with a Spring theme
      • Outdoor Sensory Diets– so much information about supporting sensory needs through being outdoors.
      • Sensory Garden– Create a sensory garden on a large scale or small scale to support sensory needs through gardening this Spring.

      Spring Visual Perception Activities– Use these Spring OT ideas to support visual perceptual skills like visual discrimination, visual closure, form constancy, figure ground, and other visual motor skills with a Spring theme.

      Spring Handwriting Activities– School based OTs will love these handwriting occupational therapy ideas to support legibility, functional pencil grasp, writing on lines, and letter formation.

      So, be sure to check out each link above to load up on creative ways to promote healthy development of kids!

      Spring handwriting activities
      Spring sensory activities
      Sensory stations free printables
      Use these Spring Occupational Therapy activities to promote skills like fine motor work, gross motor skills, bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, and more, all with a spring theme!

       

      Working on occupatioanl therapy goals? Here are OT activities designed to use a spring theme for fine motor skills, gross motor skills, handwriting, visual motor skills, sensory processing, bilateral coordination, and more.



      There’s more…
      This time of year, one of our more popular products here on The OT Toolbox is our Spring Fine Motor Kit!

      Spring fine motor kit activities
      Spring Fine Motor Kit

      Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

      Indoor Ice Skating Activity for Gross Motor Skills

      by
      indoor ice skating activity

      This indoor ice skating activity is an older blog post on The OT Toolbox, but the gross motor benefits are perfect for today! Did you know you can use an indoor balance and coordination activity like paper plate ice skating (and the inside skating task below) to challenge and integrate proprioceptive input, vestibular sensory input, and work on various gross motor skills. This is a fun indoor gross motor activity kids love.

      Use this indoor ice skating activity to challenge gross motor skills, balance, endurance, and add sensory input.

      Indoor Ice Skating Activity

      Sometimes, you come across a play activity that provides many skill areas and is just plain old fun.  These indoor ice skates proprioception and vestibular activity is one of those.  

      A few years ago, we shared a bunch of winter sensory integration activities.  This is on of those movement sensory ideas (that we’re just getting around to sharing this year!)

      With this indoor ice skating activity, you can play indoors AND incorporate proprioceptive input, vestibular input, crossing midline, visual scanning, motor planning, among other therapy areas…all with play.  


      Add these resources to the ones you can find here under sensory diet vestibular activities to meet the sensory needs of all kids. 

      This is a great indoor therapy activity for challenging balance and endurance.

      • Ask kids to follow a specific path to work on memory, sequencing, and motor planning.
      • Ask the child to move the indoor skates along a straight line and then bend and stoop to retrieve objects.
      • Incorporate the indoor skating activity into an Olympics therapy theme.
      • Use the indoor skates to move in circles, curved lines, and move as a real ice skater.
      • Ask the skater to carry objects from one point to another.

      In this skating activity, kids are really challenging strength and balance. The carpeted surface is a slick and slippery surface when sliding with a non-resistant surface when sliding on a paper plate, wax paper, or cardboard. TO slide, you need to move the legs along without lifting along the carpet, using core strength to maintain balance.  

      To move the feet, kids need to engage muscles of the core help maintain balance without falling or sliding.  

      Indoor Ice Skates proprioception and vestibular sensory play activity

      Tissue Box Ice Skates

      This is an activity that I remember doing as a kid.  When the weather is too cold or icy to get outdoors, adding any vestibular or proprioception input can be just what the child with sensory needs craves.

      To make your own indoor ice skating activity, all you need is a couple of cardboard tissue boxes and a carpeted floor.

      If you don’t have tissue boxes, you can use other materials to make indoor ice skates. Or, try some of these ideas. The options are limitless:

      • Tissue boxes
      • Cereal box cut in half
      • Paper plates
      • Styrofoam plates
      • Two pieces of wax paper
      • Pieces of cardboard delivery box
      • 2 plastic frisbees
      • Padded delivery envelopes (think Amazon delivery pouches)
      • Any cardboard box!

      Depending on the material and the user’s motor skills, you may need to strap the cardboard pieces onto shoes with pieces of tape. Other users can slide their feet to move the materials along carpeted surface by sliding their feet.

      There are many skills that are developed with this indoor ice skating activity. Let’s cover those therapy skill areas:

      Indoor ice skates with cardboard boxes add proprioception and vestibular sensory play.
      Use cardboard boxes to make a pair of indoor “ice skates” that work on a carpet.

      Indoor Ice Skating and proprioception

      Use empty tissue boxes to create ice skate “boots”.  Moving the feet along the carpet requires heavy work, coordination, balance, and awareness of position in space.

      Incorporate proprioceptive input by using a blanket and pull your child around a carpeted area.  Ask them to squat down to a skater’s ready position as you pull them, too.


      Try skating with the tissue boxes as an adult pulls the child along with a blanket or towel.  Play tug of war with the blanket, too.

      Read more about proprioception activities and how they impact functional skills.

      Indoor Ice skating and Vestibular Sensory

      A child can work on vestibular input by skating fast from one target to another. Encourage them to position themselves in different ways as they skate around a carpeted room.  

      This activity works on crossing midline as the child “skis”.  Sometimes you might see children with vestibular difficulties who have difficulty determining proper motor planning in activities.  They might have trouble crossing midline in functional tasks as well as difficulties with reading and writing.  


      A movement activity that challenges the body’s position in space like this one can help with these problem areas.

      Read more about vestibular sensory activities and how these therapy tasks impact functional skills.

      More Winter activities to use in occupational therapy

      Add this indoor ice skating activity to these other winter ideas for occupational therapy sessions or home programming:

      Snowman Therapy Activity Kit
      Snowman Therapy Kit

      This print-and-go snowman-themed therapy kit includes no-prep fine motor, gross motor, sensory, visual processing, handwriting, self-regulation, and scissor skill activities to help kids develop essential skills. Includes everything you need for therapy tasks, home therapy sessions, and movement-based learning.

      Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

      Quick Links
      Explore
      My Account
      Sign Up for the OT Toolbox Newsletter

      Get the latest tools and resources sent right to your inbox!

      Get Connected
      Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter