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Safety and Connection

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SAFETY AND CONNECTION

As we continue to break down and share with you the way Explore and Soar supports our clients and families in our year of ‘self-awareness and growth’, it’s only fitting that after having dived into our continuity support plans and parent coaching strategies, we address the topic of ‘safety and connection’ with you. 

Upon reflection and after reviewing a large amount of continued professional development over the years as a practitioner, one valuable skill set remains a constant. This integral part of development is always discussed at the beginning of each theory or model for paediatrics. It is the ultimate foundational skill required for us as human beings in order to begin our journey of  overall development; from infant > toddler > child > preteen > teenager > adult. 

These skills are safety and connection. 

The premise being, no developmental milestone or emotional and social skills can be obtained optimally without the foundations of safety & connection. 

Establishing a sense of safety and security is essential to all stages of development, with connection following this. 

As occupational therapists when working with our clients and families, we begin by establishing what safety looks like for each family, in order to use our therapeutic practices in the most efficient and successful manner. Before any goals can be targeted or reached, it is essential for a sense of safety and security to be built between our client and their therapist. 

As a therapist when working with families, to be able to identify their strengths, boundaries and what makes them feel most secure allows for adaptive intervention methods. When this occurs, there is a natural sense of relief and sense of calm that is not only beneficial for our parents and caregivers but with our children as well. If there is no sense of safety between the clinician and parent/caregiver, then the safety the child will feel with the therapist can be altered, impacting all therapy intervention and a child’s ability to achieve their desired goals and skills in regards to development. 

Safety and connection work simultaneously. 

Connection is a feeling. It is often described as the way in which someone unconsciously connects to another’s energy and then interacts with your own. Think about when you meet someone for the first time. With some people there is a sense of calm and connection straight away, like you have known them your whole life. But then others can also have the opposite effect, with a great sense of disconnection. These feelings are our internal navigation system that helps determine whether we are feeling safe and connected or whether there is a potential threat to our sense of safety. Acknowledging these feelings then allows us to make a choice on how to respond. 

Personally, many of my decisions as an adult, especially in work have been navigated by my sense of safety and connection. I wanted to provide the support that I didn’t have growing up in a small rural town. I want to provide the knowledge, research and intervention strategies that I have learned over my lifetime to families in order to enhance their sense of safety and connection, especially in our remote areas that lack greater levels of support. At the heart of my why is relationships. And establishing Explore and Soar as a safe and connected space for our families is paramount. 

Ensuring that your children feel a consistent sense of safety and connection is what allows them to evolve and grow as a human.  

Connection is established from birth, however due to individual differences for each child, parent and/or caregiver we all have different ways of establishing these connections or different individual reasons as to why some of us may have difficulty establishing connections.  

Connection is the foundation to any relationship and is paramount for all of us as humans to feel connected. The bond between parent and child from birth is where this all begins. A model that we use within Explore and Soar is the DIR Model (Developmental Individual Differences Relationships-Based Model originally developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan) which allows us to work on providing strategies, interventions through parent coaching and relationship approaches to help our parents and children obtain a healthy parent-child connection. 

We seek to support the development of these skills in order to allow your children to enhance their own skills through a model of “Shared Attention and Regulation” – being the foundational pillar. 

It has been extremely exciting for us to explore the recent research addressing more specific developmental skills in relation to connection. These skills contribute to the beginning of development and enhance the child’s relationships and connectedness to both parent and self, ultimately allowing for future emotional and social development to occur.

So how do we as humans actually establish connectedness? 

We establish this through;

  • Mutual gaze – visually connecting in face to face interactions for connection of shared emotions which is foundational and earlier than shared attention (joint attention), through games with parent and child (Rollins, De Froy, Campbell, & Hoffman, 2021). 
  • Unconscious mimicry (shared actions), is linked to movement and body synchrony, outlining the importance of rhythmicity with movement, mirroring body language to connect to others (Peper, Van Der Wal & Begeer, 2016).
  • Synchrony – shared social timing, known as timed relationships, some examples include predictable rhythms of mother for baby to connect with such as heart rate, respiration, reciprocity (tone) of voice, sleep/wake cycles and an ability to have an interactive and rhythmic flow of interaction to connect the parent and child’s emotional state to match (foundations of co-regulation and regulation) (Feldman, 2007). 

These established skills result in a parent child synchronicity and connectedness, reinforcing the sense of safety as outlined above and supporting overall emotional skill development.

I personally love working within this field because you can learn so many different models of support and expand your intervention approach and strategies for all children, as no child is ever the same. As I continue to work in this field, I have begun to see each model overlap and support one another.

Safety and connection is vital in building the foundations to co-regulation and regulation. It greatly impacts social development which we will be discussing in greater detail next month.

Articles

Geller, S. (2018). Therapeutic Presence and Polyvagal Theory: Principles and Practices for Cultivating Effective Therapeutic Relationships. From Porges and Dana (2018) Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies. New York: WW Norton 

Feldman, R. (2007). Parent–infant synchrony and the construction of shared timing; physiological precursors, developmental outcomes, and risk conditions. Journal of Child psychology and Psychiatry, 48(3-4), 329-354. 

Peper, C. L. E., van der Wal, S. J., & Begeer, S. (2016). Autism in action: reduced bodily connectedness during social interactions?. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 1862. 

Rollins, P. R., De Froy, A., Campbell, M., & Hoffman, R. T. (2021). Mutual gaze: An active ingredient for social development in toddlers with ASD: A randomized control trial. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51(6), 1921-1938.

Until next time,
Jess

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 3, 2022

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School Readiness

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SCHOOL READINESS

Another month gone! That means that 2022 is fast approaching us. And with a new year, comes a new group of children and their families making the scary and exciting transition into ‘big school!’


Transitioning into the primary school setting can be a tricky time for lots of children. It is a very exciting period, filled with new friends, new teachers and new activities. But it can also be a stressful time, as there is a lot of change in our routines, structures and expectations within every day. It is important that we support our children to make a happy, supported and successful transition into ‘big school’.

School readiness skills are about more than just reading, writing and maths. It is easy to get caught up on these details, wanting our kids to be proficient in basic handwriting, counting, or even being able to identify letters and words. It is however, really important to look at the whole picture and holistically support our children to build all of the smaller less recognised skills that will support them in achieving success in Kindergarten.

School readiness refers to the foundational skills that support a child’s body, mind and wellbeing as they transition into the primary school environment. 

The first thing to remember when starting the transition to school, is that your child is going to school to continue to learn and develop their skills such as reading, writing and maths. These are not skills that they are expected to be perfect at on their first day. However, there are lots of activities and tasks that children will be expected to independently perform when they start Kindergarten. These range from self-care skills, to fine and gross motor skills, and even social and play skills. 

Let’s start by thinking about the self-care skills that a child needs to be able to independently complete within an average school day. They will need to be able to dress themselves in their school uniform at the start of the day, undress/dress to go to the bathroom at school, and undress at the end of the school day. School uniforms often have buttons, zips, shoelaces and even ties depending on the school you are attending. Children will be expected to be able to go to the toilet independently without supervision during the school day. At lunch and recess breaks children will be expected to open and close their own lunch boxes, unwrap snacks and packaging such as chip packets, zip-lock bags, drink bottles and lids.

Developing a child’s fine motor skills is another important step in preparing them for success in school. For the transition to school, focus on building basic foundational skills such as being able to open and close a school bag. Teacher’s may expect that children can hold a pencil and use it to write their own name, draw a person, form pre-writing shapes (vertical line, horizontal line, circle, x, diagonal line), and colour in an up to down and circular motion. Other skills that will be explored are holding and using scissors to cut paper and gluing for arts and craft. 

Another important skill set to support the transition to school, will be a child’s use of gross motor skills. I’m not talking about being able to play a full game of team sports such as soccer or netball but it is important that our kids are able to safely play on playground equipment and participate in common childhood games such as tips, hopscotch, hide and seek or bullrush. Age-appropriate gross motor skills for children transitioning to school include running, jumping with two feet, hopping on one foot, skipping and balancing. It is also important for children to have developed core strength and postural stability for use within the classroom so that they are able to sit cross legged on the mat for floor time, as well as sit in their chair at the desk for extended periods of time while they complete activities. 

Children learn and develop the majority of their foundational skills through ‘play’. Therefore, it is so important that our children transitioning into the school environment have developed social and play skills such as shared attention and engagement with peers. Children aged 4 years and older are expected to engage in ‘cooperative play’. This means that a child will play with other children, showing interest in both toys or the activity, as well as the other children or child they are playing with. At this age it is also expected that children will engage in pretend play themes and making use of their imagination within play. Further social skills that will be expected in the school environment include sharing, turn-taking, patience and whole body listening skills.

A skill that you might not have considered yet, but is imperative for success in the school environment is a child’s emotional regulation skills. This refers to a child’s ability to find and maintain the level of arousal in which they are able to best engage in the world around them. Think about whether your child can maintain and adapt their own emotions, behaviour and arousal appropriately to suit the activity and situation at hand. For example, if a child is playing a new exciting game, do they get over-excited and silly to the point that they are no longer able to engage in the game? Or, do they become angry or upset because the activity is too challenging for them and they don’t know how to ask for help? Additionally, can the child recover from heightened emotions such as anger or frustration, in an appropriate manner and time frame> All of these situations refer to emotional regulation skills and need to be developed for a successful transition to school. 

Lastly, let’s talk about our child’s ability to cope with and manage transitions themselves. The transition to school is a big one, but along with this there are many other smaller transitions to consider. These transitions begin early in the day from waking up and getting ready for school, to leaving home for school, being in the playground with friends, moving into the classroom for morning period, and so on and so forth throughout the day with lunch break, home time, ect. School days are very routine and structured, and children are expected to learn and follow these routines. Challenges that come with these transitions can be as simple as having to go to the toilet at a set time, rather than just going whenever you need to at home; only having a certain amount of time to eat your lunch; or moving back into the classroom appropriately after an exciting play break. 

Some children may still be having difficulties achieving success or independence in any one or group of these skills. This increases their risk of falling behind their peers and having to play ‘catch up’ or requiring additional support to be put into place to achieve success.  Therefore, it is immensely important that we support these children by actively facilitating the necessary skills for school readiness throughout pre-school.. 

If you’d like to help your child develop their school readiness skills, here are some ideas that you can do at home together. Often the repetition of everyday activities is a simple yet effective helping hand! Practice is key!

  • Encourage your child to open their own snacks and containers.
  • Encourage your child to start drinking out of a water bottle.
  • Encourage your child to be responsible for their own items, packing them, and then packing them away. 
  • Follow a morning and evening routine to support your child’s ability to understand and follow structures. This can be supported by the use of a visual schedule of ordered pictures of each step that needs to be performed. 
  • Support transitions within the home with the use of a visual and/or auditory timer to mimic the bell system used within schools and support your child’s understanding of time, space and transitions. 
  • Practice with your child getting dressed and undressed with their school uniform once you have bought it. 
  • Practice and role-play the drop-off and pick-up routine ahead of time. Also discuss and role-play changes in routine and unexpected events i.e., somebody else picking them up. 
  • Engage your child in arts and craft activities at home. Use pencils, crayons, paints, string and beads, scissors and glue to create masterpieces together. 
  • Encourage your child to participate in colouring in activities, tic-tac, toe, mazes, colouring in, dot to dots, etc. 
  • Engage your child in card and board games that will teach them turn taking, sharing, and problem solving skills. 
  • Play and create obstacle courses within the home to practice your child’s movement and gross motor skills. Include jumping, balancing and hopping. 
  • Teach and expose your child to common group games such as tips, hide and seek, bullrush etc. 
  • Facilitate safe social encounters with similar aged children for your child to practice play and social skills with. 
  • Support your child to identify their emotions and explore and practice different ways to calm their body when in a heightened state of arousal. For example, practice deep breathing, drinking cold water, movement breaks or other tricks that work for them as an individual. 

As Occupational Therapists, we also facilitate the development of all of the aforementioned skills through our one-on-one therapy intervention sessions, home programming and our school holiday ‘BIG School STARS’ transition to school group which Explore and Soar run in the January School Holidays. If you have concerns about any of the skills discussed in this post, just ask your therapist and they can help you best support your child to achieve the success they deserve at big school. We also have a transition to school activity handout on our website, click the link here to view and download it, to help with all the activities ahead over the next couple of months.

By supporting our children to build these foundational skills, we are giving them the tools and skills that they need to not only achieve success at big school, but to have the best time while doing it!

Until next time,
Georgia

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 3, 2021

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Understanding Motor Planning and Coordination

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UNDERSTANDING MOTOR PLANNING AND COORDINATION

This month we are going to talk about motor planning and coordination.

Each child develops at a different rate and at Explore and Soar it’s our job to identify and offer intervention solutions to help that process. 

Developmental Coordination Disorder is what postural and motor sensory based disorders are diagnosed under, in the DSM-V. We use sensory based motor disorder definitions, information and research to help us identify behaviours consistent with this, as occupational therapists.

One of the most common reasons we find that children are referred to Explore and Soar is difficulty with gross motor skills. This could be concerns regarding poor coordination, appearing clumsy and falling over a lot, difficulty with crawling or an inability to jump with two feet at a time, to skip or to ride a bike. 

As part of our initial assessment process and during our intervention sessions, we pay close attention to how your child moves their body in various scenarios. This provides us with vital information regarding how your child is processing the varied types of sensory inputs around them.

Last year we wrote about Sensory Processing Disorders on our blog, how to correctly identify the warning signs and how to best assist your child. One of the types of sensory processing disorders that we only spoke briefly of was sensory-based motor disorders (SBMD) also commonly known as a developmental coordination disorder, as recently outlined in the DSM-V under the category of neurodevelopmental disorders.

In SBMD, we see children who have difficulties with “stabilising one’s body or thinking of/planning/sequencing or executing a series of movements based on sensory information outside and inside the body” (Miller, L.J., 2014, pg.14). SBMD can be categorised into two groups; Postural Disorder and Dyspraxia.

Postural disorder is seen in a child who has difficulty in maintaining the control of their body, to meet the demands of an activity. It involves our muscle tone, core strength and stability. It is the action part of all motor movements. 

Children who have difficulty with ideation (forming an idea in the brain), planning and sequencing (identifying what steps are involved) and execution of motor movements fall into the dyspraxia category. This can occur across all motor movements including gross motor, fine motor, visual motor and oral motor. This is known as the planning part of all motor movements.

Motor planning is an automatic subconscious process that occurs every time we seek to move our body. We tend to take this process for granted. It occurs with many common daily activities such as opening a door, putting a jacket on, writing our signature, or chewing our meals. Once acquired it becomes like riding a bike – once you know how to do it, it begins to happen without too much conscious thought. Everything we do can be broken down into steps that our brain automatically executes via motor movements for successful completion of the desired activity. Children who are experiencing difficulties with motor planning find such tasks difficult, awkward and exhausting because of the level of conscious energy they have to put into completing each and every task! 

One common result of motor planning difficulties is an impact upon the ability to form social connections and self-worth. This is often due to difficulties with oral motor (eg. speech), visual motor (eg. difficulties copying work from the board at school), fine motor (eg. difficulty with buttons, shoelaces) and gross motor skills (eg. difficulty keeping up with their peers at recess). 

So how do we address motor planning difficulties in OT sessions?

We practice all the steps involved – ideation, planning and sequencing, and execution – so that it eventually becomes an easy and automatic process for the child. We provide opportunities for the child to create their own ideas for an activity, we break skills down into smaller steps to achieve success and we provide high repetition rates to allow feed forward and feedback loops to develop around the sensory information the child receives from the world around them. This is where we apply our knowledge and skills of activity analysis as OT’s to coach and teach your child skills that allow them to increase their independence. 

This is not a quick process. It takes time to rewrite neural pathways in the brain for autonomic responses to sensory input. By addressing motor planning goals within intervention sessions, we are not only looking to increase a child’s skill level but also their self-esteem and confidence to complete activities that are meaningful to them, ultimately leading to a happier successful life!

If you have any questions around motor planning, please reach out to one of our therapists who will be able to provide more information to you.

Reference:
Miller, L.J. (2014) Sensational Kids: hope and help for children with sensory processing disorder (SPD). New York:Penguin Group.

Until next time,
Lori

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 2, 2021

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The Impact of Relationships on Social Development

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THE IMPACT OF RELATIONSHIPS ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Over the last few months, I have seen a consistent theme emerge with clients and families within our communities, centered around personal health, well-being and relationships. 

As we are focusing on the importance of mental health this year, I thought it would be good to talk about the impact of relationships on social development – especially in that of our children in their early stages of life. 

Modern life seems to be filled with more stresses as humanity progresses. From a social emotional perspective, as a society, many of us are struggling. Our emotions are high, and we are feeling anxiety and uncertainty more than ever before. Once felt, this stream of thought and instability transfers to all aspects of life. But what if I told you that there is an intervention model designed by a psychologist, Stanley Greenspan that acknowledges our emotional social development and how it stems from relationships developed soon after birth? As health professionals we can use this model to support our families, both parents and children in developing the skills to maintain healthy relationships from the first 3 months of life! At Explore and Soar, we reference this model and use it as a guide in our intervention sessions. It is called the DIRFlootime Model; a Developmental, Individual Differences and Relationship based model that acknowledges each child’s unique differences and uses relationships and connections to establish a strong emotional social connection to further enhance development. This model is integrated into our sessions by following the child’s lead and adapting their ideas to enhance these skills through play. 

So why DIRFloortime? 

Well for us it aligns perfectly with our core values and supports our ability to develop connections and relationships with all our clients. But most importantly, it is an intervention model that acknowledges the emotional social development from birth into our adult years. It allows us as clinicians to work through developmental milestones from an early age. It is also a model firmly based on parent coaching; supporting our client’s parents/carers to further develop the skills needed to support healthy relationships. 

So how can we support our communities and families in developing these skills from birth to increase emotional development, resilience and social engagement, in order to avoid seeking intervention at an older age? This is done through awareness, education and acknowledging that the first months up to two years of life are of great importance when developing healthy relationship skills. 

In the first 3 months of life the foundational skills of regulation begin. This is the beginning of co-regulation between the parent and child and fosters shared attention; where the baby can seek the mother’s attention and they respond or vice versa. This then becomes the child’s foundation to a secure attachment. Attachment between the caregiver and the baby. The start of co-regulation is around the caregivers/mother’s ability to understand the baby’s wants, needs and desires. It’s the ability to answer cues and answer questions like are they hungry, uncomfortable, do they require a nappy change or are they in fact tired? The connection and relationship is based on love and learning to soothe the baby, creating a positive experience and strong connection. This ability comes from the baby having their own unique cries or cues to indicate to the mother or caregiver what they need. This is where the baby and caregiver become entrained with one another forming a bond; the foundations to co-regulation.

In an ideal world this seems simple, easy and realistic. However, every baby enters this world differently, every mother has a different experience and every baby has different sensory processing capacities that then impact their own biological rhythms. There simply is no one size fits all when it comes to taking care of an infant. 

As a new baby comes into the world, parents are presented with an array of challenges. Difficulty sleeping, reflux and feeding concerns, high stress births, babies being unable to settle or babies that simply do not enjoy being touched or soothed. These difficulties that arise for every parent, have a flow on effect with little to no sleep, stress, anxiety, self-blame and hormonal changes being merely a few of the impacts on our parents. This too then has an affect on the relationships that surround mum and dad, including their relationship with one another.  

This is all normal. But why don’t we talk about it more? Why do we gloss over the early stages of parenthood and try to make it look as easy as possible to the outside world? I remind my clients and friends that as parents, you simply are NOT a failure for not being able to soothe your baby. The only way you will ever fail is when you stop trying to understand your child. It is about asking questions and seeking medical advice when required, but also not being afraid to ask for help from your family and friends. 

It takes a village to raise a child. 

As OT’s we provide an extra level of support to parents, children and families. We understand and work with children in motor movement patterns at a young age to support their discomfort and the development of their sensory systems, including their sleep-wake cycles. We have the skills and ability to discuss with you your routines and support in identifying cries and ability to connect with your babies. We also acknowledge where other health professionals’ unique strengths can provide positive impacts for you and your child. But most importantly for us, our skills lie in the development of connection. We look to support our parents/caregivers by building the skills to interact, laugh, smile and play together with your child from a young age. We work with you to build upon the ability to co-regulate emotions, to keep you calm in challenging circumstances and to be present in order to assist in the soothing and engagement of your child. 

If you have any questions around the foundational skills of co-regulation and shared attention please don’t hesitate to reach out. The first three months with your baby’s life is the starting point to all engagement, self-regulation and social skill development for life. My hope is that in having these conversations, we will increase our ability to ask for help when needed. We will foster strong, resilient children who have confident, calm parents who are a little kinder to themselves in challenging circumstances. If we make an effort to start from birth, we can positively impact the mental health of our children as they get older. I know I’d love to see our children’s quality of life, self-esteem and love for themselves be greater in future generations. 

In our socials this month we will go through some examples of challenges and strategies that can help to support you. Take a look at our instagram or facebook to see more. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need a helping hand or would like further information on how we could help you!

Until next time,
Jess

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 7, 2021

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Gross Motor Skills

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GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

Whilst we continue to navigate the current disruptions and changes to our everyday life, I thought I would focus on a term we regularly see in our referrals from parents, caregivers and teachers. Gross motor skills. The development of these skills allows a child to participate in everyday activities such as self-care, school work and socialisation.

What are Gross Motor Skills?

By definition, Gross Motor Skills are the physical abilities acquired during early childhood, those which require whole body movement such as standing up, walking or running.

Gross Motor Skills develop through the use of large muscles in the body in a controlled and organised manner including the torso, arms and legs to complete whole body movements. It involves both the coordination of muscles and the neurological system in the body. The development of these skills impact upon balance, coordination, body awareness, physical strength, endurance and reaction time. They are developed through experience, practice and repetition during everyday life and impact upon confidence and the execution of further skills such as; walking, running, skipping, sitting, jumping, hopping, hand-eye coordination (catching a ball), dressing, bathing, feeding oneself and even academic skills such as the ability to sit at a desk, manage a full day of school or carry a heavy school bag. 

Children need to be exposed to a range of diverse opportunities in order to move freely and practice their Gross Motor Skills, with each skill building on the one before and preparing your child for the next challenge. They are a vital part of childhood development for movement during daily activities and also provide a stable base for the development of fine motor activities, such as writing. As a child continues to develop their Gross Motor Skills and overall body awareness, their self-esteem and confidence grows, allowing them to explore the world around them, interact socially and develop relationships. 

The development of Gross Motor Skills:

It’s important to remember that each child develops at their own pace, however the development of Gross Motor Skills usually occurs in stages with each skill building upon the next. Categorically by age, your child should be:

  • At 3 to 4 months an infant can raise their head and chest when lying on their belly.
  • At 6 months an infant can roll over, both ways (from the stomach to back and back to stomach).
  • At 8 to 9 months an infant can sit without support and may start to crawl.
  • At 12 to 18 months a child can walk on their own. They’re a toddler now!
  • At 2 years of age a child learns to run, jump and throw a ball.
  • At 3 years of age a child can walk on their tiptoes, climb, attempt to balance on one foot, gallop, jump, kick a ball and try to skip.
  • Between 3 and 4 years of age a child can pedal a tricycle.
  • By 5 years of age, a child can leap, hop, skip and run. Proceeding this age we continue to grow and develop our motor movements which aid in the development of Fine Motor skills.

There are three types of Gross Motor Skills:

  • Locomotor skills: those used to move your body from place to place such as running or walking.
  • Manipulative skills: those that involve moving an object such as a bat, ball or skipping rope. 
  • Stability skills: those that are related to balance and body weight transfer, including standing on one leg or manoeuvring around an obstacle. 

How to encourage Gross Motor Skill development:

Infant development: Infants have very little control over their bodies, so they rely on their parents for support to move safely and comfortably in the world. Whilst a baby’s head needs support in the first few months of life, as they continue to grow they will slowly begin to strengthen the muscles in their neck. To support this strengthening and confidence in movement, hold your child to your chest so they can begin to peer over your shoulder. 

Furthermore,  you can encourage your child to learn how to move their body through tummy time.  Through this activity, you are allowing them to build strength and become mobile. To do so, put them down on a comfortable mat or blanket on the floor on their stomach, and walk around the room to motivate your little one to lift their head and continue to develop their neck muscles to see you. 

As OTs, part of our method to support engagement within a session is to play on the child’s motivations and interests. As your child continues to grow, I encourage you to do the same. Place toys nearby so that they can move and reach for them. Play games and songs with movements that they can imitate to develop an understanding of their body. Play parades or follow the leader to explore their surrounding environments. Throw or roll a soft ball back and forth. The ideas are endless and unique to each child. 

Toddlers and young children: Skills develop through practice and repetition. Children are more likely to repeat activities that are fun, supportive, encouraging and promote success. Always encourage trial and error, rather than the attainment of perfection. Break harder asks down into smaller steps and allow plenty of rest breaks when needed. Remember that children develop at different rates, gently encourage but don’t push your child to do things if they are not yet ready.

How OT’s support the development of Gross Motor Skills?

I love how fun my job is as an OT. We use a variety of games, equipment and toys to support the development of these necessary foundational skills. There are done through a variety of activities such as:

  • Visiting environments where children feel safe (at home or school) and exploring movement-based tasks that can be transferred to everyday skills.
  • Providing education to parents, carers and teachers to assist the collective understanding of supporting the child to best achieve their goals.  
  • Individually supporting sensory processing capacities to allow the child to work through challenging activities. This supports regulation and attention, as well as ensuring the body is receiving and interpreting the correct messages from the muscles in terms of their position, their relationship to each other, the speed at which they move and how much force they are using. 
  • The strengthening of core muscles in order to move the body confidently, as well as expanding upon balance, coordination, crossing midline activities, body awareness and motor planning. 
  • The breaking down of tasks or skills to become simplified components, gradually expanding the skill in its entirety to support participation and success.
  • Exploring varying duration and intensity of activities to support endurance. 

Building Gross Motor Skills at home:

In light of the current situation we are all living in, our families are asking for a greater array of ideas and experiences to continue to build upon these Gross Motor Skills. Here are some that you can do at home:

  • Skipping rope 
  • An obstacle course in the home or backyard to explore different surfaces and a variety of different movements including running, hopping, jumping, crawling etc. 
  • Bouncing, rolling, throwing, kicking or batting a ball
  • Balancing on uneven surfaces like different sized pillows or an air mattress
  • Keeping a balloon up in the air by hitting with their hands or head 
  • Water play! Splashing about in water strengthens leg muscles 
  • Dancing, walking or skipping to music, improving coordination and balance 
  • Bike riding 
  • Using body weight to gain momentum on a swing
  • Hopscotch 
  • ‘Simon Says’, which can assist in following visual cues, body awareness and motor planning 
  • Bouncing on a trampoline
  • Chasing bubbles can provide lots of fun while using arms, legs and eyes together 
  • Hula-hoops, which encourage children to activate their core muscles, ensuring further development.

That’s all for now! If you’d like some help or have a question, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at Explore and Soar! We are always happy to help and find the right solutions for you and your child! 

Madeleine Simms

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 3, 2020

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