Five ways to use your swing set for physiotherapy

Tired of doing therapy inside? Looking to change up your scenery and get the kiddos outside?! Continue to read for some creative ideas on how to use your swing set for physiotherapy at home!  

1. The swing

The pumping of the legs can be tricky for some kiddos if your child struggles with coordination, I use verbal cues such as “ kick out” and “ pull in”. How I facilitate pumping of the legs is to stand perpendicular to the child and physically assist them with the pumping for a few trials.  

2. The slide

Bear crawling up the slide is an excellent way to get weight bearing through all four extremities, provide the joints with good proprioceptive input, help provide sensory regulation, and activates the core!  

3. Planking with the swing

Placing your child’s feet on the swing with their hands on the ground, this will make a modified plank. You can have your child walk forward and backwards while they are holding a plank! This is very advanced, requires upper extremity and core strength! If your child likes a competition, join in the fun with them and see who can hold it the longest. I guarantee you will feel the burn too! ; )  

4. Climbing

If your kiddo likes to climb up the steps with the same leg leading every time, try and encourage them to go up with every other leg (enforcing an alternating pattern). You can facilitate this by holding down the leg they like to lead with forcing the other leg to lead.  

5. Mountain climbers

There are multiple ways you can set this up and adjust the difficulty! Place your child’s hands on the side of the slide or on the steps of your swing set (the higher up the hands are, the easier it will be). You can use verbal cueing to help your child understand what a mountain climber is such as “knee to belly and switch”. If this is too easy and you are up for a challenge, put their hands on a dynamic surface, for instance the swing. Ouch, this will be tough! Feel the burn! You can always change up their leg movements as well. Have your child jump their legs out and then in (jumping jack motion) while their hands are weight bearing on any of the surfaces mentioned.  

About NAPA Centre

Article written by the therapists at NAPA Centre, which is a paediatric clinic offering occupational therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech Therapy for children with complex needs. NAPA Centre has 9 locations across the world, including three here in Australia – Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. At NAPA Centre, we take an individualised approach to therapy because we understand that each child is unique with very specific needs. We embrace differences with an understanding that individualised programs work better. For this reason, no two therapeutic programs are alike. If your child needs our services, we will work closely with you to select the best therapies for them, creating a customized program specific to your child’s needs and your family’s goals. Let your child’s journey begin today by contacting our team to learn more. www.napacentre.com.au