Activities Archives

8 Summer Activities That Support Speech, Language, and Development

Activities, Featured, General | Jun 11, 2026 4 min read

Make the Most of Summer While Supporting Your Child’s Development

Summer brings longer days, family adventures, and a welcome break from the school-year routine. It also creates countless opportunities for children to build important developmental skills through play.

The good news? You don’t need expensive camps, complicated activities, or hours of structured learning to support your child’s growth during this break. Some of the best opportunities for speech, language, sensory, and motor development happen during everyday summer fun.

Whether you’re spending the day at the beach, playing in the backyard, or looking for ways to keep little ones engaged between activities, these therapist-approved ideas can help support your child’s development while making lasting summer memories.

1. Beach Treasure Hunts

A trip to the beach can become a language-rich learning experience.

Challenge your child to find items such as shells, seaweed, smooth rocks, or driftwood. As you explore, encourage them to describe what they find using words related to color, size, texture, and shape.

Skills supported:

Vocabulary development
Following directions
Descriptive language
Sensory exploration
Fine motor skills

For older children, create clues and have them problem-solve their way through a scavenger hunt.

2. Water Play

Whether it’s sprinklers, water tables, buckets, or squirt bottles, water play offers endless developmental opportunities.

Talk about concepts such as:

Full and empty
Pour and dump
More and less
Heavy and light

Children can practice requesting items, following directions, and learning new vocabulary while staying cool.

Skills supported:

Language development
Following directions
Sensory processing
Hand strength and coordination

3. Backyard Obstacle Courses

Obstacle courses are an occupational therapist favorite because they combine movement, problem-solving, and fun.

Use pool noodles, sidewalk chalk, cones, hula hoops, or household items to create challenges.

Have your child:

Jump over lines
Crawl under obstacles
Balance on a path
Toss bean bags into a target

Skills supported:

Gross motor coordination
Balance
Body awareness
Motor planning
Listening skills

Make it even more language-rich by having your child help create and explain the course.

4. Summer Story Time Outdoors

Take reading outside.

Whether you’re at the park, on a picnic blanket, or relaxing in the backyard, reading together helps strengthen language development and early literacy skills.

As you read:

Ask open-ended questions
Predict what might happen next
Discuss characters’ feelings
Connect the story to your child’s experiences

Research consistently shows that shared reading supports vocabulary, language development, and parent-child connection.

Skills supported:

Language comprehension
Vocabulary growth
Early literacy
Social-emotional development

5. Make Frozen Treats Together

Homemade popsicles or smoothies are a fun way to build skills while creating a summer snack.

Invite your child to help:

Follow directions
Measure ingredients
Stir and pour
Describe tastes and textures

Skills supported:

Sequencing
Following directions
Fine motor skills
Vocabulary development
Sensory exploration

Bonus: picky eaters may be more willing to explore new foods when they’re involved in making them.

6. Nature Walk Conversations

A simple walk can become a powerful communication activity.

Talk about what you see, hear, smell, and feel. Encourage your child to ask questions and make observations.

Try prompts like:

“What do you notice?”
“What do you think that bird is doing?”
“How does that flower feel?”

Skills supported:

Conversation skills
Expressive language
Attention and observation
Vocabulary development

7. Sidewalk Chalk Games

Sidewalk chalk isn’t just for drawing.

Try:

Writing letters or sight words
Drawing obstacle paths
Playing hopscotch
Practicing speech sounds with target words

For example, if your child is working on the /s/ sound, write summer-themed words such as “sun,” “sand,” and “swim.”

Skills supported:

Speech practice
Early literacy
Fine motor development
Gross motor movement

8. Pretend Summer Adventures

Pretend play is one of the best ways to support communication development.

Create a pretend:

Ice cream shop
Camping trip
Beach day
Lemonade stand

Children naturally practice conversation, problem-solving, social skills, and flexible thinking during imaginative play.

Skills supported:

Language development
Social communication
Executive functioning
Creativity

The Best Summer Learning Happens Through Play

Children learn best when they’re engaged, connected, and having fun. Summer doesn’t have to be packed with worksheets or structured activities to support development.

Simple moments spent talking, playing, reading, exploring, and moving together can have a lasting impact on your child’s communication, sensory processing, and motor skills.

At SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, we love helping families find ways to build developmental skills into everyday routines. If you have questions about your child’s speech, language, sensory, or motor development, our team is always happy to help.

Looking for more ideas that support your kiddos growth without sacrificing fun? We have plenty! We hope your family enjoys a summer filled with sunshine, play, learning, and plenty of fun along the way.

8 Halloween Activities to Boost Your Child’s Development

Activities | Sep 22, 2025 2 min read

Halloween is the perfect time to mix festive fun with developmental support for kids. Whether your child is working on communication, sensory processing, or fine motor skills, these activities combine holiday excitement with therapy-friendly strategies you can do at home.

1. Pumpkin Vocabulary Hunt

Explore different pumpkins and talk about size, color, texture, and shape. Words like “big,” “tiny,” “smooth,” or “bumpy” help build descriptive vocabulary.

2. Pumpkin Scooping Sensory Play

Scooping out pumpkin seeds offers a great sensory experience while building hand strength. Encourage squeezing, pulling, and scooping to support fine motor development.

3. Trick-or-Treat Role Play

Practice social phrases like “trick or treat,” “thank you,” and “happy Halloween”. This helps kids prepare for the big night and encourages real-world communication skills.

4. Spider Web Fine Motor Craft

Use yarn or string to weave a spider web across a paper plate or cardboard. Threading supports hand-eye coordination and bilateral hand use.

5. Halloween Storytelling

Start a story with a Halloween prompt like “On Halloween night, I saw…” and let your child finish it. This activity builds sequencing, creativity, and sentence structure.

6. Candy Sorting & Labeling

After trick-or-treating, sort candy by type or color. Encourage your child to describe categories (“chocolate,” “red,” “round”) to strengthen vocabulary and organization.

7. Costume Dress-Up Practice

Encourage your child to put on and take off costume pieces like zippers, buttons, or masks. This builds independence and fine motor dressing skills.

8. Halloween Obstacle Course

Set up a course with crawling under “spider webs” (streamers), balancing on a “witch’s broom” (pool noodle), or jumping over “pumpkins” (pillows). Obstacle play strengthens gross motor coordination and body awareness.

Bringing It All Together

Blending speech, language, and occupational therapy activities into Halloween traditions makes the holiday both fun and beneficial. At SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, we encourage families to use play as a natural way to support growth and development. Looking for more ideas? Learn more about our speech and language therapy and occupational therapy services.

Inclusive Activities and Resources for Kids in San Diego

Activities | Sep 10, 2025 3 min read

At SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, we believe that progress doesn’t stop at the clinic door. For many families, the most meaningful growth happens when therapy skills carry over into everyday life, whether that’s at the park, in a museum, or through a community program. Luckily, San Diego is full of inclusive activities and resources that align beautifully with speech and occupational therapy goals.

Here are a few local favorites that we often recommend to families:

1. Inclusive Playgrounds and Outdoor Spaces

San Diego has made great strides in creating parks that welcome children of all abilities. Places like Mission Bay, Waterfront Park downtown, and Balboa Park offer wide, accessible play structures and open spaces that encourage movement, social interaction, and imaginative play. From an OT perspective, these playgrounds provide opportunities for climbing, balancing, and building gross motor skills. For speech, they create natural opportunities for children to practice communication in play with peers.

2. Museums with Sensory-Friendly Programs

Several local museums host inclusive events designed with children’s sensory needs in mind. The Fleet Science Center and The New Children’s Museum both offer accessibility programs, and the San Diego Children’s Museum of Discovery provides hands-on learning that is both engaging and adaptable. Visiting these environments can help children generalize skills such as, following directions, asking questions, or practicing turn-taking, in real-world settings.

3. Inclusive Recreation and Sports Programs

The City of San Diego Parks & Recreation Department’s Therapeutic Recreation Services offers year-round programs for children with developmental needs. Families can also explore adaptive play opportunities like Play My Way and TOPSoccer, both of which emphasize inclusion and fun. These types of organizations are a wonderful complement to therapy, giving children the chance to build confidence and social skills in a supportive environment.

4. Sensory-Friendly Events and Entertainment

Local theaters and organizations host sensory-friendly performances and movie showings, such as AMC’s Sensory Friendly Films and productions at some community theaters. These events are designed so children can move, make noise, or take breaks without worry.

5. Community Support and Learning Opportunities

Organizations like the National Foundation for Autism Research provide resources and host events, while programs like Learning for All offer educational therapy that can complement speech and ot. Local libraries also frequently offer inclusive storytimes that support early literacy and language skills, perfect for families who want to carry speech therapy goals into daily routines.

SmallTalk attends the Race for Autism 2025

Why These Resources Matter

At SmallTalk, we see firsthand how important it is for therapy to connect with everyday life. When a child practices communication at storytime, strengthens motor skills on a playground, or builds social confidence on a team, they’re not just learning, they’re living the skills we work on in therapy.

We encourage families to explore these inclusive opportunities around San Diego. They can make a big difference in helping children feel successful, connected, and celebrated both inside and outside the clinic.

Looking for more information about how SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy can help your kiddo grow? Give us a call at 619-647-6157 or email us at hello@smalltalkspeech.com and we can give you more information or schedule an evaluation.

Summer Speech & OT Tips: Five Ways to Support Your Child’s Development at Home

Activities, General | Jun 18, 2025 3 min read

Summer break is here—and while it’s a great time to relax and recharge, it can also be the perfect season to support your child’s developmental goals through fun, play-based activities. Whether your child is working on communication, motor skills, or sensory regulation, there are plenty of simple ways to keep therapy going at home.

At SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, we believe that kids learn best through play—and summer is full of playful opportunities. Here are some therapist-approved tips to help you make the most of the season.

1. Build Speech Skills Through Everyday Moments

Language is everywhere! Use summer outings—like beach trips, park days, or even grocery runs—to model vocabulary, ask open-ended questions, and encourage your child to describe what they see or feel. For younger children, narrate your activities and encourage imitation. For older kids, play games like “I Spy” or storytelling prompts in the car.

Summer Speech & OT Tips: Five Ways to Support Your Child’s Development at Home

Try this: Pack a “summer bag” and talk through each item: “This is sunscreen. It keeps our skin safe!”

2. Make Sensory Play a Daily Routine

Sensory bins, sand play, water tables, and even messy play with shaving cream or finger paint can help children with sensory processing challenges stay regulated and engaged. Summer is a great time to get messy outdoors!

Try this: Fill a bin with water, sponges, and cups for a simple, calming sensory station.

3. Strengthen Fine Motor Skills with Summer Crafts

From sidewalk chalk to water balloons, summer is full of hands-on activities that boost coordination. Crafts like beading, finger painting, and cutting shapes are great for improving grip strength and control—key goals in occupational therapy.

Try this: Make homemade lemonade and let your child squeeze the lemons, stir, and pour—great for hand strength and sequencing.

4. Keep a Routine—but Keep it Flexible

Kids thrive on predictability. Try keeping some structure to your summer days (e.g., morning chores, mid-morning activity, afternoon free play), but allow room for spontaneity. Consistent mealtimes, bedtime routines, and regular movement breaks support both sensory and communication development.

Tip: Use visual schedules to help your child understand what’s coming next.

5. Stay Connected with Your Therapy Team

If your child is enrolled in speech or OT over the summer, be sure to attend regularly—and talk with your therapist about summer goals and carryover activities. If you’re taking a break, ask for a few at-home strategies to keep skills fresh.

Not in therapy yet? Summer is a great time to schedule an evaluation or get started without the school-year rush!

SmallTalk is Here to Help All Summer Long

At SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, we’re here to support your family year-round—with fun, effective, and compassionate care. Whether you’re continuing therapy this summer or want ideas to use at home, our team is always happy to share tools and encouragement.

If you have questions about your child’s speech, motor, or sensory development, schedule an evaluation today.

Here’s to a summer full of growth, play, and connection!

Spooky Speech Practice: Fun Halloween Words to Try at Home

Activities, Speech Therapy | Sep 26, 2024 3 min read

Edited October 23, 2025

Halloween is one of the best times of year to make speech therapy fun and engaging for kids! Between costumes, candy, and spooky decorations, there are endless ways to turn everyday speech practice into something magical. At SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, we love helping San Diego families find creative ways to support communication goals at home. Whether your child is working on articulation, blending sounds, or building confidence while speaking, this Halloween-themed activity brings speech and language learning to life—no tricks, just treats for your child’s development.

Step Into the Haunted Mansion of Speech Practice

When asking for candy is an appropriate behavior
And fun and colorful doors decorate the halls
When you get a pumpkin sticker
Because your speech therapist said you did well
That is the time when kids are learning
Practicing their speech sounds in “ghoul”, “witch”, and “fright”.

Welcome, SmallTalk families, to our Halloween celebration. I am your speech therapist. Well,
your child’s speech therapist. Kindly reschedule any missed appointments, and call ahead for
planned absences. Please switch to a virtual session if you’re sick.

Our lesson begins here on this blog post, where you see lists of words for some of our
frequently-targeted speech goals.

Ghostly Repetition: Why Short, Repeated Practice Works

Your puzzled facial expression betrays your sense of skepticism, almost as though you think
this might be a waste of your time. Is practicing just five target words daily actually useful? Or is
it just more busywork? And consider this interesting observation: your child is motivated to say
these ghostly words this time of year…which offers you this additional challenge: to think of
more spine-chilling Halloween words! Of course, there’s always Halloween word lists published
online.

Did you know that when practicing speech sounds, repeating target words is often more
effective than practicing a long list of new words? Here are lists of some of our commonly-
targeted speech sounds to incorporate into your regular speech practice routine at home. If you
don’t see a list appropriate to your child’s speech sound goals, try making your own!

Final /l/
candle
chill
ghoul
howl
caramel apple

Initial /k/
costume
cauldron
candy corn
coffin
cobweb

Medial K
Pumpkin
decay
licorice
Chocolate
rock candy

Final K
Shriek
Spook
Panic
Cloak
Magic

SK blends
skeleton
skull
scarecrow
scream
Skittles

SP blends
spooky
spider
spell
spirit
Spice Drops

SN blends
snack
Snickers
snake
Sneak
sneer

SM blends
smash
Smarties
smoke
smelly
smile

SW blends
swarm
swoop
swamp
Swedish Fish
SweeTARTS

SL blends
slime
slug
slash
slay
slab

ST blends
street
glowstick
sticky
stem
Starburst

Medial ST blends
Costume
Frankenstein
Gravestone
Haystack
monster

Initial R
rat
raven
robe
robot
Reece’s

R Blends
Creepy
Broom
Frankenstein
Dracula
Graveyard

“AR”
dark
carve
larva
Mars bar
hard candy

“ER”
October thirty-first
spider
wizard
Butterfinger
Hershey

“AIR”
werewolf
fairy
eclair
gummy bears
Ghirardelli

“IRE”
vampire
dire
conspire
bonfire
entire

“EAR”
fear
appear
hero
3 Musketeers
Zero

“OR”
trick-or-treat
decorate
candy corn
Lindor
Oreo

Celebrate Every Ghoul and Giggle

Halloween offers the perfect opportunity to blend play and progress. By turning speech practice into a fun, seasonal activity, children can stay motivated and continue building strong communication skills in a setting that feels exciting and natural. Whether your family is practicing speech sounds during trick-or-treating or at home with a candy-themed game, every little bit of practice helps.

At SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, we believe learning happens best when children are engaged and supported in ways that feel joyful and meaningful. From our clinics around San Diego in La Mesa, Mission Valley, and Scripps Ranch, we’re here to help families make every milestone, spooky or sweet, a success.

Happy Halloween from all your friends at SmallTalk!

By Kathleen Winger, M.S., CCC-SLP

Handwriting Readiness

Activities, Educational, General, Occupational Therapy | Aug 29, 2024 2 min read

Handwriting readiness is a crucial part of a child’s development, involving fine motor and visual motor skills, which are essential for writing and dressing skills, like buttoning and zipping, that support their overall participation in school and activities of daily living.

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills involve the small muscle movements in the hands and fingers that allow children to hold and manipulate writing tools effectively.

Children’s grasp of writing tools will change as they grow. By 4-5 years old, most children should be using a more mature grip. Here’s a timeline:

1-2 years: Fisted grip (holding with their whole hand).
2-3 years: Digital pronate grasp (holding with fingers pointing down, thumb up).
3-4 years: Static tripod grasp (holding with three fingers, but using the whole hand to move the pencil).
4-5 years: Dynamic tripod grasp (using three fingers with wrist and fingers moving independently for control).

Visual Motor Skills

Visual motor skills are essential for using scissors and making pre-writing lines, as they involve coordinating what the eyes see, with how the hands move.

Children typically begin using scissors around 2-3 years old, starting with simple snipping. Here’s a timeline:

2-3 years: Snipping paper and cutting along straight lines.
3-4 years: Cutting out simple shapes like circles and squares.
4-5 years: Cutting more complex shapes

Practicing pre-writing lines is crucial before learning handwriting because it helps children develop the fine motor skills and visual motor coordination needed to form letters and write neatly. Here’s a timeline:

2-3 years: Scribbling and imitating horizontal lines, vertical lines, and a circle
3-4 years: Copying simple lines, a circle, and imitating a cross
4-5 years: Copying a square, cross, triangle, diagonal lines, and an ‘X’

Fun At-Home Activities to Boost Your Child’s Visual and Fine Motor Skills

Practice drawing pre-writing lines, shapes, and letters in sensory bins filled with rice, shaving cream, or sand
Use playdough or wikki stix to create different shapes, lines, and letters
Use broken crayons when coloring/drawing to help initiate a proper grasp
Use large or small beads to string on a shoelace, pipe cleaner, or string
Rip paper to make crafts at home and practice opening and closing markers and glue sticks

By Allie Calcagno, OTR/L

Summer Themed Activities for Speech and OT

Activities, General, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy | Jun 28, 2024 3 min read

Summer is finally here! We are excited to share some summer-themed activities you can enjoy with your child. These activities offer therapeutic benefits, helping your child work toward their goals while still enjoying the summer season.

Ice Cube Animal Rescue

To do this activity, put little plastic animals in an ice cube tray, fill it with water, and freeze it. Gather some tools found in your home to break the ice and rescue the animals. For example, use a small hammer to break open the ice, tongs/tweezers to pull the animals out, or an eye dropper with warm water to melt the ice. Use the tools to break and melt the ice more quickly. Once all of the ice melts, you have rescued the animals!

To target language goals, talk about the animals using descriptive language. Describe the animal’s appearance, where they live, and the sounds they make. Use language like, “Oh no, we need to rescue the animals,” “The animals are stuck,” “It feels very cold,” “This animal is really fast,” “That animal has cool stripes,” etc.

To target occupational therapy goals, use a variety of tools, as mentioned above, to work on hand strengthening, force modulation, and grasping patterns, which will contribute to your child’s overall fine motor development.

Use your imagination with this activity! If you do not have little animals, you can freeze other mini objects or toys, little craft pom-poms, etc.

Fun with Chalk

Use sidewalk chalk to draw pictures to target both speech and language goals! Draw pictures and practice speech sounds your child works on in speech therapy. For example, if your child is working on “s,” draw a sun, a bus, an octopus, ice cream, etc. Play pictionary! Take turns drawing pictures and guessing the drawing. Use language to describe colors, patterns, etc. Drawing with chalk is great for developing fine motor and visual motor skills as well!

Make a sensory path! Use sidewalk chalk to create a series of guided movements to challenge your child’s gross motor skills while providing regulating sensory input. These movements could include anything that involves running, jumping, skipping, spinning, or balancing.

For example, start with a two-foot bunny hop, then walk along a curved line, trying to maintain balance. From there, do an animal walk, such as a bear walk or frog jumps, followed by a hopscotch sequence. Then, balance on one foot for 10 seconds and end with a race to the finish line! Get more inspiration on Pinterest or Instagram!

For an added challenge, have your child create their own sensory path to work on executive functioning skills such as planning and organization. See how creative they can get!

Scavenger hunt

Get outside and look for items in nature that are a specific color, texture and/or size! For example, look for something pink, yellow, bumpy, smooth, crunchy, etc. This simple activity can target skills such as describing, following directions, and increasing vocabulary. It is also great for tactile sensory processing, for example, exploring and discriminating between textures. Scavenger hunts can also help your child develop visual perceptual skills, such as finding differences between items and scanning through a busy background to locate an item.

By Nathalie-Rose Malecot, MS CCC-SLP and Jamie Carlson, OTR/L

Valentine’s Day Activities for Speech and OT

Activities, Educational, General, Speech Therapy, Therapy | Feb 01, 2024 2 min read

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we’re excited to share some heartwarming and therapeutic activities that not only celebrate the season of love but also contribute to the growth and development of our clients. Join us on this journey of combining affection with effective therapy!

Speech and Language Therapy

Valentine’s Day provides a unique opportunity to explore the language of love. Speech and language therapy can be both educational and enjoyable as we engage our clients in activities that focus on expressing emotions, social interactions, and building meaningful connections through communication.

Activity Ideas:

Love Letter Writing: Encourage clients to express their feelings by writing or dictating love letters. This activity enhances language skills and emotional expression.
Conversation Hearts Challenge: Use conversation hearts candy with words or phrases related to communication goals. Clients can create sentences or engage in conversations using these sweet treats.

OT- Sensory

Occupational therapy often involves sensory activities that stimulate and enhance sensory processing. This Valentine’s Day, let’s explore sensory-rich experiences that promote engagement and development.

Activity Ideas:

Scented Sensory Bins: Create sensory bins with Valentine-themed scents like roses, chocolate, or strawberries. Clients can explore different textures and engage their senses.
Heart-shaped Stress Balls: Make heart-shaped stress balls filled with different textures to provide tactile stimulation. This activity is great for hand strength and stress relief.

OT- Fine Motor Fun

Fine motor skills are crucial for daily activities, and what better way to practice than with Valentine-themed fine motor activities?

Activity Ideas:

Valentine’s Day Crafts: Engage clients in crafting activities like making heart-shaped cards, cutting out paper hearts, or creating tactile crafts. This enhances fine motor coordination.
Cupid’s Arrow Game: Use a bow and arrow game to target various objects. This activity improves hand-eye coordination and fine motor precision.

Valentine’s Day is not just about chocolates and flowers; it’s about fostering growth, connection, and joy through therapeutic activities. We invite you to join us in celebrating the language of love and the development of essential skills that make every day special for our clients. Happy Valentine’s Day!

By Amy Rawlings, MA, CCC-SLP

San Diego’s NEW All-Inclusive Playground

Activities, General, News | Jan 01, 2024 2 min read

I recently checked out a brand new playground in Mission Bay that is a game-changer for families with children of all abilities – the all-inclusive playground. I did a bit of research and want to share the inspiring story of the origin of this park and why parents of kids with special needs should make it a must-visit destination.

How did the playground come to be?

The story begins with a shared vision among Mission Bay’s residents – a space where every child, regardless of their abilities, could play together. Turning this vision into reality required financial backing, and Mission Bay’s residents, local businesses, and organizations joined forces in a series of fundraising initiatives. From charity events to donation drives and sponsorships, the community garnered enough financial support to begin the process of getting bids, imagining, and drawing up plans. To ensure the playground met the highest standards of inclusivity, design and accessibility experts were brought in. Their expertise played a crucial role in crafting a space that accommodates children with a wide range of physical and cognitive abilities.

How is this play area different?

This isn’t your average playground – there are areas where every child, regardless of their abilities, can play and explore. From inclusive play structures to sensory-rich zones, this playground is designed to be a haven for kids of all kinds.

Pathways are wide and ramps make it stroller-friendly. Kids with different mobility needs can move around freely with wheelchair-accessible swings to inclusive slides and climbing structures. This playground has some cool sensory play zones with textures, colors and engaging sounds that rival our OT gyms at SmallTalk!

Not only is this playground a place for play, but it also offers a bit of casual learning. Info panels and interactive features are scattered around, providing a chance for kids and adults to explore and talk about different abilities in a natural, easygoing way.

If you haven’t checked out Mission Bay’s new all-inclusive playground yet, what are you waiting for? Grab the family, pack a sweatshirt and enjoy one of the best months outdoors in San Diego with very few tourists. :) See you at the playground!

By Jen Traina, CEO

How Should My Child Swing? Intensity of Vestibular Input

Activities, Educational, General | Nov 01, 2023 3 min read

Swinging, or any kind of movement, provides input to the vestibular system. There are a variety of types of vestibular input, as well as the impact that it has on a person. This can vary depending on how their sensory systems process the information. Our vestibular system gives us information about movement and where our head is in relation to gravity. The vestibular system provides us with information about the speed and direction of our movement. This system provides the foundation for our balance reactions and has a strong connection to our postural control. There is also a connection between the vestibular system and a child’s ability to self-regulate. Depending on the type of vestibular input received, the effect on a child’s brain can be calming, organizing, or altering. The more intense the type of vestibular input, the more alerting the input will be for the child.

Depending on the child’s threshold for vestibular input, they may require a more intense type of vestibular input in order to register the input. For a child that is under-responsive to vestibular input, that child may need more intense vestibular input such as spinning or swinging in an orbital motion. Some children may also benefit from having their head inverted or being upside down for an increased registration of the vestibular input. For children who are over-responsive to vestibular input, starting with lower levels of input such as up and down (vertical) or front to back (linear) can help increase their tolerance of vestibular input.

Levels of Vestibular Input in Order of Increasing Intensity

1. Up and Down Movement

2. Front to Back Movement

3. Side to Side Movement

4. Diagonal Movement

5. Arc Movement

6. Spinning

7. Inversion (upside down)

High Level of Arousal Protocol:

For children with high levels of arousal the goal of swinging is to provide the sensory system with calming input.
Children with high levels of arousal often respond best to slow, predictable, and rhythmic movement.
Giving your child the ability to self direct their vestibular input may be beneficial in bringing them to the optimal level of arousal.
Rhythmic front to back or side-to-side movement can provide calming input to the child.

Low Level of Arousal Protocol:

For children with low levels of arousal the goal of swinging vestibular input is to alert the sensory system.
Children with low levels of arousal often respond to vestibular input that is unpredictable, fast, and angular.
Some children may respond best to input that is received in side lying, rather than in upright.
Spinning can provide alerting input to the child to bring them to optimal level of arousal.

By Erin Christensen, OTD, OTR/L