Therapy sessions only happen for a small part of your child's week. What happens at home in between those sessions can give them many more chances to practice the skills they are learning. The good news is that this does not have to mean turning your home into a therapy centre.
General Principles for Home Exercises
● Short and frequent beats long and occasional. Five minutes every day is usually more useful than trying to fit in thirty minutes once a week.
● Keep activities playful, rather than making them feel like drills. Children are much more likely to participate when practice feels like something they enjoy.
● Follow your therapist's specific recommendations instead of picking random exercises online. The right activity for one child may not be useful for another.
The goal of home exercises isn't to replace therapy sessions. It's to give your child more repetition of the exact skills being worked on, which speeds up progress meaningfully.
Simple, General Examples
Always check with your therapist before starting an exercise, especially if your child has specific physical or developmental needs.
● Core strength: superman poses, animal walks
● Fine motor: playdough, threading, tweezers games
● Balance: standing on one foot during everyday routines, such as while brushing teeth
● Bilateral coordination: simple crafts that require both hands to work together
