OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY HOME ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS Part 1 Gross Motor Skills

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY HOME ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS
Part 1: Gross Motor Skills

GENERAL PROGRAMME GUIDELINES:
• Do a combination of these activities.
• Be aware of signs of fatigue – sweating, heavy breathing, poor attention.
• If one activity is to hard try another.
• Make sure the session is fun.
• Provide lots of praise.
• Feel free to use other similar activities.
• Always provide direct adult supervision.
• If you have any questions with this programme contact Jessica Brown, OT.

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
These skills involve the use of larger muscle groups or muscles which control larger parts of our
body. Hip, leg, spine, arm and shoulder movements are considered ‘gross motor’, as are the static
muscle patterns which provides stability at the trunk/core. Running, jumping, standing upright and
crossing a balance beam are examples of gross motor skills at work.

GROSS MOTOR COORDINATION AND WHOLE BODY STRENGTH.
These activities are suggested to improve aspects of gross motor coordination and whole body
strength. This involves muscle strength and control and also awareness of the body in space,
modulation of movement and simultaneous arm and leg control.

• Practice swinging on a swing.
• Play all sorts of running games.
• Create obstacle courses where the child or children have to follow a sequence.
• Encourage the use of all sorts of playground equipment.
• Practice going up and down the stairs, alternating feet.
• Kick a ball at a target.
• Throw a ball at a target.
• Play catch with a beach ball.
• Practice rolling on the floor or grass, doing tumbles etc.
• Practice riding a tricycle or bicycle.
• Learn to swim.
• Practice skipping and galloping.
• Hop with feet together.
• Use a skipping rope.
• Play hop-scotch.
• Have a child coordinate tapping with the right hand and foot together, then right hand and foot
together.
• Do the same as above but try left hand and right foot and vices versa.
• Have the child walk like a certain animal and then add speed and obstacles.
• Play ‘follow the leader, ‘red light’, or ‘may I’
• Do push ups on the floor or wall.
• Practice walking heel toe.
• Do three legged races
• Use ‘Sit and Spin’.
• Play ‘tug of war’
• Push a wheelbarrow.
• Dig with a long handled shovel, pushing it into the ground with the feet
• Wheelbarrow walk and crab walks
• Have a ‘push of war’. 2 people have a ball between them and push at each other until one
moves.
• Climb up and down a slide ladder.
• Spread out shoes boxes, hoops or chalk circles. Have the child walk by stepping in each
one.