2. Week
The first week is already over and I’m sure you did great! Although certain tasks may have been more enjoyable than others, I am confident that you all completed them well as a team.
For the upcoming week, we will be increasing the difficulty of our pillow exercise by incorporating movements where the pillow is positioned in front of and behind the body. Additionally, we will be focusing on enhancing gross motor skills and fostering pre-math concepts by exploring the order of magnitude.
Video, download and description of exercises
Files:
In front and behind
Have the child squat down with a pillow in his/her right hand
Have the child slowly bring the body to standing and let him/her pass the pillow in front of his body, then continue to tiptoe standing and let him/her pass the pillow overhead to his/her right hand again, maintaining visual gaze.
Then have the child squat down again, in the meantime he/she passes the pillow behind his back to the left hand.
Repeat approx. 6 times, try also the other way back
Goal:
Maintain a smooth movement and maintain visual gaze on the pillow.
Ability to stay balanced
Ability to tilt back the head independently
Ability to differentiate right and left parts of the body
Improve body awareness
Inhibit Moro reflex if persists
Rolling
Have the child sit upright with bent knees and palms around the shins.
Have the child roll down and up on the back in a fluid motion. Repeat, trying to return to the upright position before tucking down again.
If it goes well, try it with the eyes closed.
Goal:
Ability to “fall back” without uneasiness and fear
Keep the head up (the child does not let fall the head on the floor)
Fluid and controlled movements
Stimulate the vestibular system
Inhibit the Moro reflex, if persists
Improve balance and body awareness
Note: if the child need help to get back to upright position, that’s fine.
Cargo ship
Have the child lay down on the belly on a mat a pillow or a skate
Encourage the child to push himself forward with his hands, picking up toys along the way.
Goal:
Straightening of the spine - necessary to inhibit the Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (if it persists)
Strengthening of the interscapular muscles
Improve coordination
Develop gross motor skills.
Note: when the child pushes his/herself forward, the fingers should point forward (not inwards)
Sort by size
Cut out the circles, triangles, squares and stars you find in the attachment
The child arranges the cut-out shapes in order of size from smallest to largest. The next day from the largest to the smallest
Next days you can try to sort by size other things, like stuffed animals, dolls, cars, trains, people...
Goal:
Learn to sort by criteria
Improve vocabulary
Develop pre-math skills
Rocking on the waves
Have the child lie on his/her back and put a heavier pillow or a cuddly pillow/toy on the belly, just below the rib cage
Have the child listen to pleasant music, a fairytale or just relax a breath freely
Goal:
Encouraging diaphragmatic breathing (also called "abdominal breathing" or "belly breathing"), which encourages full oxygen exchange
Relax
Note: we do not want the child to bulge the belly up as much as possible. During proper diaphragmatic breathing, the belly doesn’t just arch up, but also to the sides and even towards the back. Therefore, you better not point out too much that he has to breathe into his belly.
Often, paradoxically, they then start to do exactly the opposite (inflate the tummy on exhalation).
But when we put something heavier on top of the tummy (the cuddly pillow), it reflexively starts breathing against the resistance, and so moves the diaphragm. So, you do not have to explain anything. Just put the pillow/toy on the tummy and let it “rock on the waves” freely.
I hope you enjoyed the exercise together and I will look forward to seeing you next week with more exercises. See you!