At Ready Steady Therapy we see many children who have coordination and motor planning difficulties or delays to their gross motor skills. These difficulties often become more apparent once your child starts pre-school or school as they are not keeping up with their peers or they are moving differently.
We offer a thorough physical assessment of your child’s walking, running, balance, coordination, motor planning and strength. We also speak in depth with you and your child about their physical challenges and goals. A treatment plan is devised which encourages home based exercises and activities that will support your child’s physical skill development and coordination.
Where appropriate we may go into school to support your child in PE and with other physical activities at school or community sports activities.
Do you have concerns with any of the following?
- Your child is very clumsy
- They trip over frequently without any obvious reason
- They avoid physical activity or sport
- Throwing, catching and a kicking ball is difficult
- They struggle to stand on one leg or complete balance activities such as walking along a beam, hopping or skipping
- They can’t sit for long periods or when they do they move frequently or rest in a slumped position
- Jumping is difficult
- They find it hard to follow simple movement patterns e.g. star jumps
- They tire easily
- Keeping up with their friends when carrying out physical activity is hard
How physio can help coordination and motor planning difficulties:
- Helps to build muscle strength, especially at the core for improved muscle and postural control
- Perform task specific activities so the skill is broken down into smaller parts which are easier to practise
- Activities that challenge balance to develop good balance reaction skills
- Repetition of movement tasks to maximise motor planning and skill development
- Support for parents and educational team so strategies for success with physical skills can be integrated into everyday routines
Activities you can try with your child to help their coordination:
- Play games like twister, try a home-made version by colouring squares on the ground with chalk, call out the colours and the part of their body that needs to touch it e.g. left leg yellow.
- Practise throwing and catching with balloons or a beach ball, they’re lighter so move slowly making them easier to catch.
- Play target throwing games with one leg up on a step the other on the ground, when reaching for the ball get them to reach across their body. Standing with one leg doing something different to the other is challenging for motor planning.
- Play ‘Simon says’ start simple and make the activities harder.
- Dancing to action songs e.g head, shoulders, knees and toes or our personal favourite The Wiggles!
- Climbing on playground equipment at parks or soft play centres.
- Try to watch how your child is moving, try not to move their body into the correct position, use words or actions to show them how to move their own bodies.
If a few of the above concerns are true for your child, then they may benefit from having a Paediatric Physio assessment. Why don’t you book in for a pre-consultation call to discuss your child’s abilities and things they find challenging to see if a physio session is right for your child.
