Therapy Treasures (they’re closer than you think)

As a Pediatric Physical Therapist, there are times when we have to provide our littles ones with effective interventions even without the common use and luxury of our handy therapeutic equipment. This is the time when we as therapists really have to be creative in our treatment approaches and think beyond the therapeutic boxes. Sometimes we are looking at our equipment pieces as the golden method, but there are still some great therapy treasures waiting to be discovered and put to use.

Therapy treasures can be simple, readily materials or activities that can foster an even greater therapeutic experience for your little one. For example, everyday household items we overlook, such as a broom/umbrella are great therapy treasures that can be used to work on stepping over or jumping over obstacles. Another example could be taking some paper plates with the middle removed and using a paper towel tube to set up a fun ring toss game for hand eye coordination skills. Therapy treasures can also present themselves in the form of chores. For example, ask your little one to help you clean a large upright surface like a window/wall to foster upper body stabilization and even lower body strengthening with repetitive squat to stand movements.

Some other therapy treasures include:

1. Get a medium/large paint brush and let your little one paint the outside fence or walls with water only going up and down (lower body strengthening: squat to stands)

2. Take pillows and couch cushions and place them on the floor for your little to walk over/across (balance obstacle course) or crawl over (core strengthening/stability)

3. Take some clean sponges (you don’t plan to use 😉) and cut them in half and let your little one stack them as blocks as high as they can while in a quad position (core stability); Afterwards have them stand up and knock it down with their feet only (fun part 😊; which is great for single leg balance and kicking skills)

4. If you have Tile floors in the kitchen or living room, etc the tile squares are perfect for distance markers and visuals for (jumping and hopping skills)

5. Get a laundry basket and an old newspaper with various pages. Have your little one ball up the newspaper pages into single balls (great for hand strengthening) and then have them toss the newspaper balls into the laundry basket while standing at varying distances (great for object manipulation skills/coordination)

What therapy treasures have you discovered and used lately? Please share below ❤️😊

#therapytreasures