What We're Working On: Tackling the Swingset

Wow - time flies!  It's been a few very full weeks since I've written - we've wrapped up preschool for C, been to my parents' house on the Bay for Memorial Day, and are finally settling into a bit of a relaxed Summer routine.  The girls are loving sleeping until they feel like getting up (my husband and I are loving that, too!) and days filled with playing with friends, hitting the pool, and getting outside as much as possible.

We're taking all that being outside has to offer as an opportunity to work on some of the play skills that many kids take for granted.  Our own back yard is the perfect little sensory gym!  One of the things that is a little tricky for C is swinging on the swing set by herself.  She loves to swing, but it's hard for her to figure out what to do with her legs and the rest of her body in order to get going and stay moving.  The rhythm of "Push off the ground with my legs, extend them upwards while swinging up, then bend and pump them back underneath while swinging back, all-the-while stablizing my core so that I don't fall backward or forward, and repeat..." takes coordination that she doesn't always have quite yet, but she's definitely trying!

What we're working on: Bilateral Coordination & Motor Planning

Bilateral coordination is being able to use both sides of your body at the same time in order to perform a task.  It's an important skill that is connected to many different activities that C is regularly expected to do, including cutting, writing, and drawing.  Being able to cross the midline of the body (the ability to reach across the imaginary middle line of your body to the other side, using your arms or legs) is also part of bilateral coordination - and is something that is challenging for C.  We are trying to give her lots of opportunities to practice using both sides of her body, as well as encourage her to practice crossing her midline.

C loves her Octopaddles and scooter!

Using both arms simultaneously to push herself...

Perfect for bilateral coordination and motor planning...

Motor planning is understanding the steps necessary to complete a task, organizing yourself and your body, and then following through.  People use this skill constantly throughout their daily lives, whether they are playing sports, doing school work, or even tying their shoes.  For most people, these steps happen in their brain so quickly that you don't even realize they are processing them.  They are just able to do whatever it is they want to do.  As for C, she often knows exactly what she wants her body to do, but struggles putting the steps together to make it happen in a timely manner.  The result is that she appears somewhat clumsy and uncoordinated.  We are working on this, too.

Puzzles are great practice for both bilateral coordination AND motor planning, too!

(So is playing with princesses - that's what M is up to... :)  )

Using one hand to stabilize herself while fitting the puzzle piece with the other...

Finished product with Daddy!

Bilateral coordination and motor planning are two areas that C definitely finds challenging, but fortunately, there are tons of ways to help her practice and have fun doing it at the same time.  And as for M, whatever we are doing with C can absolutely help her develop these skills, too.  To the girls, it's just play, but these days we try to think about what other benefits can come from their play time.