It’s Halloween time, and there’s been some spooky goings-on at Swim Lab International.
We know how much our children love dressing up, creating decorations and playing games themed around this autumn holiday.
We love creating fun activities to develop skills naturally, from fine and gross motor skills, hand strength and dexterity to core stability and strength. We’re always finding new ways to make the physio fun.
We’ll be creeping some of the Halloween spirit into our therapy sessions around this time, and we wanted to share some fun therapy activities you can easily do at home with the whole family.
Wash the pumpkin.
This is a nice easy one to do but still has lots of benefits. Pop the pumpkins into a bath of water with some bubble bath or fairy liquid and give your child a sponge to wash them over with before our next little activity.
They’ll be high kneeling in front of the bath, encouraging them to use their core and leg muscles for a prolonged period without even noticing. Washing with a sponge is also good for grip and coordination.
Pumpkin painting
Instead of carving a pumpkin, paint a face, a bat, or ghost on the pumpkin with finger paint. Small to medium size pumpkins are ideal for this and aren’t so expensive, meaning you can have fun creating several variations.
If your child doesn’t like the feel of paint on their hands, you can also use brushes or buy a cheap sponge and cut it into shapes to stamp a design. Want an extra challenge? Try using each hand alternately to press the sponge into the paint and onto the pumpkin.
Want to practice high kneeling or standing? Pop the pumpkin at the right height for your child to high kneel or stand while painting. This activity has so many benefits, including coordination, hand and finger dexterity, as well as encouraging your child to explore their creative side.
Monster Print Trail
Make cutouts of Monster paw prints using colored cardboard. You can make a trail through your home or garden path for your child to follow, where they have to step each foot on the paw print.
If you want to make your trail a little more challenging, you can turn it into more of an obstacle course, depending on your child’s ability. You can even make it into more of a game – The monster took your child’s favorite toy and they have to follow the paw prints to find them.
You can lay the paw prints on blankets to make the surface more uneven, or even pop pillows in along the way to give him or her more of a balance challenge.
You can hang sheets to make tunnels to walk through or create a giant spider web using wool or string between a couple of chairs – your child has to maneuver through, over, or under it, depending on their ability to follow the trail.
Wrap the mummy – sorry mummy!
This one’s as simple as it sounds. Give your child a roll of toilet paper and get them to wrap the mummy!
They have to walk around you to wrap your limbs, using both hands, which encourages bilateral coordination as well as fine motor skills – just make sure they unwrap you again afterward!
We hope we’ve given you some fun inspiration for your home therapy routine.
Happy Halloween from the Swim Lab International team
