An OT’s Tips for Summer #SensoryHop

Heavy work is more fun when you do it with a friend!

Last week, before school let out, I had the chance to sit down with Ben’s occupational therapist to discuss ways that I can reinforce what he has learned in therapy during the summer.  

We talked about lots of things, but she continued to emphasize the importance of including lots of push/pull/lift/carry activities throughout our day.  These are also often referred to as heavy work. 

These activities keep the child calm and organized.  Ben’s emotions tend to swing between the extremes.  He can become over-excited, which can quickly spiral into frustration, anger, and meltdown mode.  Ben calls heavy work tasks “money in the bank” because they can help to “buy” a little calmness for later.  This is especially important to do before a potentially exciting event, such as a birthday party or a trip to the toy store.

Here are a few ways I plan to incorporate heavy work into our summer routine.  I’d love to hear your ideas as well!

1)   Heavy work at the beach

The sand and the surf provide lots of natural opportunities for heavy work.  Carrying a bucket of water to and from the ocean and dumping it into the sand provides a nice heavy weight to lift and carry.  Sometimes Ben digs a hole and fills it with water to make a “pond” for his plastic sea creatures.  Other times he likes to dig a hole and fill it with water to make his own personal pool.  On rainy days we can still dig and mold using kinetic sand.

2)   Walk like an animal

Ben used to HATE it when his OT would ask his group to “bear crawl” to the lobby at the end of a session.  I think the reason may have been because his core muscles weren’t strong enough at that point.  Now he loves animal walks, and they are great heavy work opportunities!  Ben has begun inventing his own variations.  During rainforest night at school, he jumped around his classroom like a red eyed tree frog, slithered like a snake, and walked on all fours like a jaguar.  In addition to the traditional bear crawl, another fun walk to try is the turtle walk.  Put a pillow (aka shell) on the child’s back and have him walk around on all fours.  Ben loves using his imagination so I’m sure we’ll be inventing all kids of new animal (or alien- his new passion) walks this summer.

3)   Help in the garden

Nana and Papa have a garden, and Ben loves to help when he visits them.  There are lots of heavy work opportunities here, such as pushing the wheelbarrow, digging out the weeds, and pouring water from a pitcher onto the plants.  And, of course, picking the produce and carrying the basket proudly to the house is the best part of all!

4)   Books in a Bag
We're planning regular trips to the public library throughout the summer to keep a steady supply of new books in the house.  As we travel to and from the library, Ben can wear a backpack with his books inside to build in some extra heavy work.  Climbing the stairs to the second floor children’s area offers an additional boost of pulling and carrying work.

5)   Shop ‘til you Drop

During trips to our local grocery store, I plan to put Ben to work.  He loves pushing the shopping cart (with assistance), and sometimes I have him carry a basket to fill with certain items.  This has the extra bonus of teaching responsibility during our shopping ventures.

Incorporating heavy work tasks throughout the summer doesn’t have to be a chore.  Finding ways to incorporate it into your daily routine will keep everyone in a great frame of mine. 

Have a fun summer!

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