When should I do heavy work activities?
It is easy to incorporate at home, in the classroom or in therapeutic settings. Children can also gain valuable tools that they can use when they feel that they need to regulate themselves. How often you use it will depend on the child, gauge by their enjoyment and response to the activity.
Consider including a heavy work activity in the morning before going to school and again in the afternoon when they arrive home from school. This can help with regulation through transitions.
What are some examples of heavy work that I can try at home?
- Pushing – pushing a full laundry basket across the floor, wall push-ups, scooter board activities, etc.
- Pulling – pulling a sheet with stuffies on it, pulling on a rope tied to a tree, etc.
- Jumping – rocket jumps (crouch on the floor, count down from 3, and jump with hands to the sky), sitting on a small therapy ball and bouncing, jumping from the bedroom to bathroom for a morning routine, hopscotch on the way to/from the car, etc.
- Lifting – carrying backpack from one room to another, Bridged leg lifts (go on all fours and lift one leg up at a time)
- Chewing/Sucking – chew sticky, dried fruit, drink thick liquids through a straw, blow bubbles through a straw
- Animal walks – great for transitioning! Bear walks, crab walks or crawling
- Squeezing – using a stress ball, therapy putty or hand squishes
