PT

PT Activities and Recommendations for the extended break

Pick 2-3 of these to perform daily as students are very active during normal school days. Also, movement breaks are a great way to reset the brain when kids are stuck or have been using technology for an extended time period.

*** Make sure all kids have supervision when performing any movement activities ***

1)Stay active - Go for walks

Easy - flat pavement

Medium - flat grassy surfaces

Hard - incline pavement, incline grassy hills, sand/beach areas

2) Practice going up and down curbs or stairs

Easy - hold your child’s hand and have them use the railing going up or down

Medium - have your child perform without handheld assist and only use the railing if they are safe

Hard - Have children go up and down curbs without any assistance

3) Practice standing on 1 leg to improve balance and increase leg strength

Easy - Stand on 1 leg for 15-30 sec and use 1 hand on wall or table for support; switch legs and repeat

Medium - Stand on 1 leg for 15-30 sec and use 1 finger on wall or table for support; switch legs and repeat

Hard - Stand on 1 leg for as long as you can and see what your best time is; switch legs and repeat

4) Jumping for 20 sec Easy - Take off and landing on 2 feet up and down

Medium - Take off and landing on 2 feet side to side or forward and back over a line

Hard - Perform jumping jacks (X, I pattern)

5) Tall/High kneel or 1⁄2 kneeling to build core strength/stability

6) Balance with feet together on an unstable surface for up to 30 sec - pillows or couch cushions work great.

7) Walk along curbs pretending the ground is “hot lava” or “the ocean” and your child needs to walk with one foot in front of the other to improve their balance and not “fall in.”

8) Perform different animal walks (~ 7-10’) around the house

9) Cosmic kids on youtube.com provide a lot of fun mindfulness and yoga routines for kids

Thank you,

Mike Minerva, PT mminerva@bostonpublicschools.org