When playtimes are tricky

Sensory integration

﻿Playtimes can be tricky, especially when our movement sense struggles to process what's happening around us. In today's lesson, we are going to look at different games that we can play to help our movement sense. We as therapists have tried to think of the best way to continue to support children, young people, and their families. We will be exploring topic areas that we regularly provide advice and support on across all ages and abilities. Each lesson will have ideas and activities that can be carried out at home or in school. This information is to be used alongside any specific strategies or resources which have been given by your child's school or therapist. If you have any questions or would like help tailoring this to your child's needs, then please contact your local therapy service. In today's lesson, we are going to play some games, and we're also going to think about why playtimes can be difficult because of our movement sense. So let's just think a little bit about why this can happen. Why can playtimes be difficult? Sometimes when you're moving around, it can be difficult to keep track of your friends and active games can be hard. Sometimes it can be really difficult to just sit still and play with people because your body needs to move around a lot. So that's just two of the things that makes playtimes hard. But here's a few tips that we can think about when we're playing with other people. When you play tag games, you may be someone who love running around and who absolutely enjoys not to have too many rules, but just to run around wildly around the playground. Or you may be someone who prefer quieter games, and this may be something that you want to introduce to your friends as things like Duck, Duck, Goose or piggy-in-the-middle may be quieter games that you can play, but still move around with your friends. With board games, it may be really tricky for you to sit still because you love to move around. For this, you may want to think about sitting on something different. So if you have a gym ball at home, you may want to try and sit on that. Keep your feet on the floor, and it will give you a little bit of a bounce that may be just enough to keep you focused for board games. Other things that you may try is a wobble cushion or an air-filled plastic cushion that's available that you can use on your chair, and that'll also give you a little bit of movement in the same way that sitting on a gym ball can. The other trick to do is that maybe you shouldn't be sitting down when you play board games, maybe you would like to stand up while you play a board game instead, because that is what your body finds easier when you're doing things that are not, that doesn't involve a lot of body movements. On the other hand, if your body does not like to move around a lot, you maybe enjoy slower and more predictable ball games. So things like playing Donkey, where you all stand in a circle and people call out your name and then you have to catch the ball. Maybe something that gives you a little bit more predictability. You don't have to run around so much, but you can still have fun with your friends. And piggy-in-the-middle is another ball game that you can play, which doesn't involve too much running around. So there's just a few tips that you can kind of think about. But what we're going to do now is we're going to play some games. And the first game we're going to play is musical statues. So I think this is a very familiar game. So I will briefly tell you what it's about, but then I want you to please pause the video here and play this game with your family or with your friends. And then when you're finished, you can press play again, and we will carry on with the lesson. So the game of musical statues goes like this. You have some music, so choose a lovely track, and then one person controls the music, so you control the on/off button or the pause button. So everybody has to move around in different ways. You can have a nice little dance and try and see that you don't stay in one place. So maybe move around the room, just making sure that you don't bump into things or into people. And then as soon as the music stops, you have to pause in whatever position you are. So even if it's a funny one where you have to kind of stand like this, and you have to pause and not move at all, and then when the music starts again, you can carry on moving again. And then the one person, if one person is moving and you get caught out, then you have to go and help the person who is controlling the music to see if you can spot anybody else moving when that music stops and you have to be a statue. So have fun playing this game and when you're finished, press play and we will carry on with the lesson. Okay, great! I hope you had fun playing musical statues. Now, the next game I am going to leave up to you. I want you to think of your favourite playground game, and you can play this with your family. So have fun with this and think about your body and how it moves around and what it is that you prefer. So pause the video here, and then you can carry on playing your favourite game, and remember to tell your family or friends what it is and what the rules are so they know exactly what to do. And once you're finished, you can press play. Great! Well, that was a fun lesson playing lots of games. I hope you have a fun day and that you will keep playing. See you soon.

When playtimes are tricky

When playtimes are tricky

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