Motor Skill Blogs
While most people have a concept of the “five senses”, your body also has a sense to help understand movement: your vestibular system!
Crawling is a foundational skill for gross motor development. Learn more about why we include it in our curriculum.
Spinning Tea Cups and the Vestibular System
Remember going to a big amusement park as a child? The cause of those post-ride dizzy feelings, the ones you either crave or hate, are rooted in your body’s ability to detect and process rotational movement.
If your child has a fear of swinging, avoids escalators and elevators and becomes fearful with any change in head position, then he or she may be gravitationally insecure.
Learn the potential causes of toe walking, the effects on development, and what you can do to minimize it, from a Blue Bird Day physical therapist.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Move!
These words are often spoken in regard to helping the environment, but did you know they can also relate to fun ways to improve your child’s gross motor skills?
There is nothing better than turning on a Disney playlist and watching a child light up. Incorporating music and dance into physical therapy sessions at Blue Bird Day creates a wonderful environment for self-expression and creativity.
Music is a wonderful and motivating way to get your child moving.
Studies show that yoga is a great tool to improve motor coordination, self-regulation, imitation skills, and self-awareness.
Prone extension can be explained by the “Superman” pose, or when the child is laying on their stomach with arms and head elevated upwards.
My Child Sometimes Walks on His Toes, Should I Be Worried?
Toe walking starts to become a concern when it is the only way a child walks or they are not meeting other developmental milestones.
Safety Awareness and the Vestibular System
Does your child seem to fall more frequently than others? Take major climbing risks? Seem to fall on purpose? Seem disorganized or lost in space? Seem to never stop moving?
Therapists may recommend a screening for orthotics if they notice that your child has flat feet, if their feet turn in or out when they are walking, or if your child tends to fall frequently.
How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Child
For the team of therapists working with each child, it is imperative to understand how those pieces connect.
We know about sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch… but what if someone told you there’s a sixth sense?
