Sometimes, the most therapeutic exercises for your child are also the most fun. With the weather finally warming up, it’s a great time to start exploring all the recreational therapy opportunities the outdoors have to offer. Trying some of these exercises at home may perfectly complement your in-person therapy sessions this spring. Take a look!
With the weather warming up, let’s explore all the great recreational therapy opportunities the outdoors have to offer.
Wildflower Hunting
What engages our sense of vision quite like looking at nature’s beautiful wildflowers? Flowers grow everywhere—from cracks in city sidewalks to lush river bottoms in your nearby parks.
Springtime presents the perfect opportunity to get out and see some bright, colorful wildflowers. Why not head out with your child and see what you can find? Wildflower hunting also presents a great opportunity to teach your child about respecting nature. Teach them to admire the flowers without picking them and taking them home!
Fun with Sidewalk Chalk
The recreational therapy opportunities with sidewalk chalk are practically endless. Even aimless doodles on your nearby sidewalks present the perfect opportunity for your child to hone their motor skills and maybe their artistic sensibilities, too.
Here’s an idea: why not use sidewalk chalk to create an ‘obstacle course’? This exercise will engage your child’s gross motor skills. Try drawing ‘platforms’ that your child can step on, and other ones that they cannot. You can mark them with x’s and o’s respectively. If they can make it through the first course, it will be easy to add on and make it more challenging if they feel ready.
Fun in the Garden
Here at the Connections Therapy Center, we’re big believers in the virtues of horticultural therapy. Now’s the perfect time to finally get to work in the garden. There’s nothing quite like getting your hands in the spring soil to engage all your senses.
If you participated in our seed starting exercise this winter, it’s about time to start planting your seedlings out into the garden. Even if you didn’t, no worries! You can just stop by your local lawn and garden store and pick up a few seedlings that are ready to plant.
Egg Hunts
Who says egg hunting has to end with Easter? The truth is that egg hunts are an incredible form of recreational therapy. They really engage your child’s sense of sight and stimulate their sense of adventure.
If your child enjoys egg hunts on Easter, it couldn’t hurt to try it a little more often. One word of caution: if egg hunts are going to become a regular thing, you probably shouldn’t fill them with candy. Use your creativity to come up with something they’d enjoy to find!
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (301) 577-4333. Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.