Ready Kids Occupational Therapy
Pillows and couches are not just bedding items for relaxation. That’s right. Pillows can also be used as props to explore your child’s creativity. Use them as markers or trampolines, and let your kid burn off the excess energy by playing with pillows. Pillow games are super fun and can be used to build a child’s gross motor skills. These games are also effective in building proprioception and help your child to boost strength in the long run.
When compared to other indoor games, pillow games are highly economical and can be arranged easily. In fact, games that can be played with pillows require very little preparation. So, let’s catch hold of some pillows and get down to the action!
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Pillow-Jumping
A very interesting game to play indoors, pillow jumping is one activity that can improve your child’s gross motor skills. To play the game, help your child to put all the pillows across the floor. Now let them jump from one pillow to another. To make it more interesting and effective, encourage children to jump with one foot. Also, consider using pillows with different colours to take it a notch higher. You can then call out specific colours and ask your kids to jump to that specific pillow.
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Balance or Skyscraper Game
Though this game is absolute fun, it needs to be played under the supervision of parents. Depending on your child’s age, height and balancing skill, stack pillows as high as you want to. For those who enjoy taking some more risk, encourage your little one to balance on top of the pillows. This activity will improve their balance and increase their strength.
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Pillow-Throwing
To play this game, apart from pillows, you need a large bucket. Now, ask your kid to throw pillows into that bucket from different distances. Keep on changing the position of your child to make it more interesting. Here, you can also make use of a timer to check how many pillows they can throw into the bucket in a minute. This is undoubtedly an interesting way to boost their strength and aim.
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Pillow-Kicking
It is another game that your kids can play using pillows and a bucket. Ask your kid to lie flat on a plain surface with feet up in the air. Now, keep a pillow on their feet and ask them to kick it into the bucket. Initially, place the bucket 1 meter away. However, as they improve at kicking pillows, pull the bucket further to improve their legs’ strength.
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Brick Road Game
Set up pillows across the floor like a road. To play this game, you can also use other props like stools to create twists and turns between two points. Now, encourage your kid to reach from one point to another without falling off. Check on their speed and ensure that they don’t hurt themselves while playing this game.
There are a lot of household things that you can make use of to engage your child in play while exploring their own creativity. These fun games are perfect for indoors and super easy to arrange. Also, they are a great way to challenge your little one’s mind while building their physical strength at the same time.
Ready Kids Virtual OT (http://members.readykids.com.au/) provides access to all our occupational therapy resources and activity ideas.
Resources:
https://www.andnextcomesl.com/2016/03/gross-motor-activities-for-kids.html
https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/pillow-party/
