Playground Tips

First, keep in mind that a playground is an awesome place to take our learners and it's free. Encourage family members (Grandma? Grandpa?) to take your learners along to give you some much deserved rest. Playground partners can and should encourage the learners to do something other than sift sand and rocks through their fingers, although that is OK for a break. Here are some ideas for playground play:

  1. Curb walking: Improve body awareness in space by helping your learner stay balanced on the balance beams, parking lot curbs or playground borders.
  2. Rope ladders: Another good choice to help your learner improve stability and confidence. This will be uncomfortable for your learner, so support them as needed with full physical assistance, fading your assistance as fast as possible to increase independence.
  3. Slides: Our learners often really enjoy slides, but have a hard time feeling comfortable getting on one when they have gravitational instability issues. If that sounds like your learner, gently support them as they go from standing to sitting on the slide, offering lots of encouragement and assistance at first. Use their fear barometer as your cue for how fast to fade your prompting. Careful not to make them fear the playground.
  4. Wobbly bridges: Another good choice to help your learner improve body awareness and confidence with shifting gravity. Again, hold their hands or wrists and walk behind them until they feel comfortable.