Tunnels and Swings

1. Fabric tunnels

   If you live near a fabric store, you might ask the salesperson for cloth cut in tubes (usually knit ). Buy as large a piece as you want and have your learner crawl through it. Or buy our favorite tunnel from Abilitations.

   Item 1-25855-444 Call 1-800-850-8602 to order, or visit Abilitations.com to request a catalog.

2. Cardboard boxes

   Make friends with the owner of the nearest furniture store, and grab the unwanted oversize boxes to make tunnels, houses and castles for imaginative play. Work on fine motor skills while you paint and draw on them. Talk about rooms of the house and draw the furniture in each room on the inside of the boxes. Great opportunity to learn labels for furniture and parts of the house such as windows, shutters, roofs. Use your imagination!

3. Blanket trains and blanket swings

   Any sturdy blanket will do. In the Early Learner video, you see that Ethan's favorite reinforcer is to swing in a blanket, not play with a $60. toy. Swing your learner with one or two people, depending on your strength. Great for requesting, proprioceptive and gravitational input, and for centering a child's attention before a therapy date. Don't forget that the simple blanket can be used for rolling up on the ground (pretend your learner is a hot dog and ask if they want ketchup), rolling while swinging in the air (recommend sewing a thick rope in the borders of the the blanket to help keep child from falling out!), and dragging the child behind you as you pretend to be a train (imagination play--Where are you visiting?). Highly recommend getting out your blankets