The Thrive Group

The Whole Self | The Whole Family

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Learning to Listen with Theraplay

Some children just cannot do as they are told. They simply close their ears or worse, do the exact opposite of what they were instructed.

This week’s vlog gives practical advice and is a must see for any parent who is struggling with a child that will not and cannot listen to authority.  

The vlog spotlights the Theraplay technique, one we use often at The Thrive Group.  Created by Ann M. Jernberg, this method works on developing a warm healthy relationship between the child and people of authority.  In a playful, fun and non-threatening manner, children get used to following rules and accepting structure from others. 

Preventing Outbursts and Meltdowns when Cooped Up Indoors

All summer they ran free. They crashed into bed at the end of the day and you felt good knowing that they ran, swam, biked or climbed all day long. They developed valuable physical capabilities and released pent-up energy.

And now school, and the structure of sitting in class. They still enjoyed some sunshine and outdoor time in autumn but the fallen leaves, frigid weather and the time change means that in addition to staying inside during school hours, most kids are going to be staying inside after school as well. Even the weekends now won’t really draw them outdoors.

Kids Fighting

Potential meltdowns lurk indoors

If kids are getting chaotic or sloth-like indoors, they may be becoming dysregulated. What this could look like is excessive emotional outbursts, an inability to calm themselves down, or a reaction to every seemingly-insignificant noise.

To prevent dysregulation, it helps when a parent or other caring adult helps the child maintain regulation. (This blog post has some great tips).

Restore mental and physical balance

Let’s discuss what you can you do to keep your child balanced in both body and mind. Time to get creative and embark on an indoor movement adventure with your child!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Blanket forts

Blanket forts get kids thinking, building, crawling and moving in the horizontal plane. Moving in the horizontal plane aids proper development. It helps with:

  • Coordination
  • Decreasing rigidity
  • Emotional flexibility

So gather up all the blankets and pillows you can find and let them build a fort. Throw some stuffed animals into the pile of supplies and their imaginations will flourish!

Play Doh

Play Doh on the kitchen floor will keep kids laying and moving in that horizontal plane. Kids with decreased core strength often struggle with fine motor skills, and may find the Play Doh easier to manipulate while lying on their belly.

That’s because the body doesn’t need to focus on staying upright, so the hands get the benefit of the body’s full strength and focus. So, let them lay on their bellies while creating! Let’s be realistic – it all ends up on the floor anyway!

Homework with a twist!

Some writing homework can be done while laying on their bellies. Those boring spelling words could be recited while doing jumping jacks, hopping on one foot or circling around the kitchen table on a scooter.

Keep things interesting and keep things moving! It will feel like less of a chore for the both of you.

Cooking and Baking

Cooking and Baking will fill your home with great smells and your child with coordination and confidence! Have you ever mixed a batch of cookie dough until you felt your arm would fall off? That is exercise!

Let the kids help mix, and the dough, and strengthen bilateral coordination (use of both hands) at the same time. Measuring, lifting, pouring, and climbing the step stool in search of the hidden cinnamon are more ways cooking and baking add movement to a sedentary day.

Everyone feels good after making – and eating – a tasty treat!

Paper Cup Bowling

Paper Cup Bowling is for those nights when you wish you had the motivation to take the

whole family to the bowling alley, but the temperatures outside and that howling wind are keeping you in for the evening.

Let the children stack cups in whatever formation they like, and then take turns bowling them down with a tennis ball. They might decide to see if they can bowl them down from across the room, or if they can bowl them down one at a time without letting the others fall.

Or take it from me, they might just end up playing stack the cups and creating castles.They might want to see who can create the highest castle! Mental note: buy paper cups in bulk!

A little movement goes a long way

A little creativity is all it will take to get the kids moving. If you are lucky, maybe they will generate some heat and you can save a few dollars on your heating bill this winter!

What is your family’s favorite way to keep moving indoors during these winter months?

This post was written by Krista Caines, OTAS, a fieldwork student, currently studying at Jefferson University to become an occupational therapy assistant. She spent eight weeks shadowing at The Thrive Group.

Absent Minded Children- The Solution

Some of our children may be absent minded or have difficulty focusing causing many challenges to the child and those around him. Jake (see last blog post) had a hard time knowing he needed the bathroom because he was not aware of his own body and his surroundings.  Thankfully, though, there are activities that we can do to help them through it. By helping our children become more grounded in their bodies, they become aware of their surroundings and become more ‘with it’!

At The Thrive Group, one of the ways we help individuals become more attentive, is by using co-contraction activities. Co-contraction activities are when a child uses antagonistic muscle groups, namely the flexors and extensors, particularly of the trunk muscles.

See 3 different activities in the video below and see how we helped Jake become outwardly focused and get past the hurdle of toilet training (see part one in Vlog #1).

GETTING OUT OF YOUR BRAIN, AND INTO YOUR BODY (Part II):

Key points from this video:

  • Co-contracting. [0:24]
  • Exercise #1: Standing on the balance board by weight shifting to play puddy. [0:46]
  • Exercise #2: Standing on the spooner board while playing balloon-bop. [0:58]
  • Exercise #3: Sitting on the bolster swing while playing Spot-It. [1:04]
  • Having the right posture while doing co-contraction exercises. [1:09]
  • Why co-contraction exercises help a child become more alert. [1:27]
  • The benefits of a person who is properly aware of his/her surroundings. [1:36]
  • Jake’s progress! [2:00]

If your child seems to be absent-minded and stuck in his/her own body, we can help.
Contact Us for an Evaluation.

Juggling Parenthood

For the first half of this past summer, I chose to do Mommy Camp which is an alternative option for summer camps and is done at home by mom. Even though I work throughout the year, I made sure to adjust my schedule so that I could spend time with my children. However, juggling my children (who I love) and work (which I also love) is just that: a juggling act. So, with a long list of things I have to do which include (but are not limited to) taking care of the kids, handling a business and caseloads, taking care of myself, making dinner, cleaning up, and attending to a parent or sibling in need…how was I to handle this juggling act? [Read more…] about Juggling Parenthood

For Teachers: Breathing Activities To Improve Behavior and Learning In Your Classroom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B06NFLvtnc

For this vlog, I present two breathing exercises that teachers can use in the classroom. These exercises can strengthen a child’s inner core. A child with a weak inner core will breathe mostly with the belly in shallow, rapid breaths. Having a weak inner core could signify a child who has a hard time recovering from various types of stressful input. It could also affect the movement of the eyes, reading, and hand-eye coordination. Breathing helps to regulate the body’s systems and increases a child’s ability to focus and concentrate. Additionally, I have also found that the children I work with in my practice calm down far more quickly from tantrums 100% of the time when they practice breathing.

For more ideas on breathing exercises or even other type of exercises, please check out my book, The Parent-Child Dance: A Guide To Help You Understand and Shape Your Child’s Behavior.