Five ways to play with a large gym ball
In this blog we will explore the play options using a large gym ball.
I always include the inflation of the ball as part of the activity. This encourages team work as everyone is contributing to a shared goal. One person might hold the ball while the other pumps, and then roles can swap. You can use a hand or foot pump to surreptitiously work on strengthening or balance skills! This activity provides lots of body awareness (or proprioceptive) feedback which most people experience as calming and organising. Direct eye contact is not required, eyes may be focused on the task, but this need not limit communication.
Basic ball skills are fun to learn using a gym ball. It is larger, and easier to see and anticipate in preparation for catching. I always start with rolling the ball and asking the child to stop it. This can be with 2 hands, 1 hand or a foot! I may roll it to the side of the child to challenge their balance and core stability. The activity can become a game of skittles with items to knock over using the ball. These can be plastic bottles or books!
Sit and balance on the ball. Ask your child to back themselves up to the ball and sit on it with their feet slightly apart. It is impossible to sit still on a ball and it requires constant small postural adjustments to keep your balance. This is an ideal start position for a number of games. These might include singing an action song, looking at a book or catching a bean bag, thrown to them by an adult. Some children use gym balls to sit on whilst gaming or watching TV.
Roll on the tummy over the ball to play with balance and movement sensations. Help your child to kneel behind the ball with the front of their body against the ball. When they are ready they can move forwards to lie over the ball and to place their hands on the floor to balance. This works on core stability and balance reactions in a really fun way. Be guided, always, by your child’s tolerance for these sensations as they can experience big responses to movement sensations.
At the end of the session / activity, it is fun to deflate the ball by rolling on it or squeezing it in the child’s and your arms. This also provides proprioceptive feedback and has the added benefit of signaling the end of the activity and helping with transitions. It also means that the ball can be more easily stored.
Enjoy!
Rachel White
Children’s Occupational Therapist