In this video, NAPA Director of Intensive Therapy Services, Jessica Hernandez, shares her favourite scooter board exercises and explains how they will benefit your child. If you prefer text, we have the video transcribed for you below. Happy exercising!
Video Transcript:
One of my favorite pieces of equipment to use, highly under-rated and under-used, the good ole roller board! Probably something you already have somewhere in your house.
This can be used with many different bodies of many different abilities.
I like to use this in particular for one of my favorite lower extremity strengthening activities, particularly for friends like Sally (doll) who can’t really hold herself up in sitting all by herself yet, and can’t stand by herself yet.
I like to work in a facing-up position, so place Sally on her back. Next, encourage Sally to bring her knees up to the sky and plant her feet, then push as strong as she can into the ground. So, even if Sally can’t sit up independently, or stand, walk, or crawl, this is still imparting really good information to her system. Hopefully she is feeling that really good pressure throughout her legs to help wake up all those joints and get her to activate those legs as much as possible.
One other activity that is a favorite of mine is what we like to affectionally call the magic carpet. Now, this can be done on a foam roll or peanut ball, but I like to use it on the roller board because it’s low to the ground, and Sally will have the added input of added stability of propping her feet and really feeling how her feet impact her stability when we move the magic carpet under her.
Now, you can hold as high or as low as you need to make Sally feel safe. Move the roller board in a thousand different positions to see if she gives you some sort of response to keep her body up against gravity. This activity is quickly becoming one of my go-to’s for doing a whole body strengthening activity, particularly with some of our friends that are up against gravity.
Now, this is the one I’ve really been loving lately — bear walking with your hands on the roller board! Now, as you would expect, bear walking is placing your bum facing the ceiling as much as you can, legs slight bend in the knees, hands on the roller board. And move it forward, move it forward, move it forward! This places major demand on the upper extremities to stabilize, huge work on the tummy to avoid taking a spill, and major stretch and strengthen to the lower extremities to propel yourself forward.
