Therapist Recommended Pediatric PT Exercises

At PT-Connect/PT-Helper, we are always looking to add new exercises to our library to improve our ability to help physical therapists prescribe exercises to their patients resulting in enhanced health care. I find that pediatric therapy exercises extremely interesting as it is obvious that therapists make a conscientious effort to make the exercises fun and interesting for the child. As an adult PT patient, I can attest that many exercises are boring compared to more enjoyable activities such a riding a bike.

We have recently added new exercises that were recommended to us by a pediatric clinic that they regularly prescribe to their patients. We were very happy to collaborate with the clinic to add these exercises to our library. We hope that you find these exercises helpful. These new exercises can be found below.

If you are a physical therapist and would like us to add new exercises to our library, please contact us at info@pt-helper.com.

Reminder: Please consult your physician or health professional before engaging in any physical activity and stop if you experience pain or discomfort.

• Baby Supported Early Walking: Have your baby/toddler stand up while holding onto a hula hoop or small curtain rod. Gently move the hula hoop away from your baby to shift their weight in a forward direction to facilitate forward steps.

• Pediatric Crunches: Place your child on the floor on their back. Arrange pieces of a puzzle or multiple blocks above their head. Sit or kneel at their feet (arrange knees bent with feet planted – you can hold their feet). Encourage your child to grab a toy and sit up to stack the block. Repeat until complete.

• Elevators: Stand your child besides a box or chair that is 5″-10″ or higher. Place a small toy (small block, figurine, puzzle piece, etc) on top of your child’s foot and encourage them to balance it on top of their foot by raising the front of their foot up. Encourage them to lift their leg up while keeping the toy on their foot and then placing the toy on top of the box or chair. Repeat.

• Child Standing at Couch, Squatting for Toys: Stand your child in front of a couch and have your child hold place one hand on top of the cushion. Place a toy on the floor beside your child. Encourage your child to squat down to pick up the toy while you provide support on the sides of their hips. Encourage your child to let go of the couch and use both hands to pick up the toy and stand back up. Place the toy back down on the floor or put another toy on the floor and repeat.

• Stepping In/Out of a Hula Hoop: Place a hula hoop or draw/tape a circle on the floor in front of your child. Encourage your child to step in and then step out of the hoop. Continue for the duration of the Hold period.