Scooters are fun! But they also offer a tremendous amount of physical and sensory benefit. From motor planning to coordination and strengthening, scooter play can be a great break from the regular exercise and sports routines. Scooters also come in a variety of styles and sizes to meet your individual needs. Use them as a sensory break in your classroom, as a therapy tool in your practice or as part of the physical education program in your school.
- For toddlers or even older kids who have trouble with crawling, a Soft Tummy Scooter provides a great surface for tummy time. You can use the scooter as a supportive platform and then encourage the child to move it back and forth. Using a soft scooter will add to their comfort and enable them to spend more time in a prone (face down/tummy) position. While lying prone, do a puzzle or play a floor game.
- You can create relay races as part of your physical education program. Ask the kids to race across the floor in a seated position (with or without scooter paddles) or face down position. Turn your race into a crab race. Get into a crab position on the floor and use arms and legs to maneuver the scooter forward, backward or sideways.
- Leg Toning. Have a child sit on a Soft Saddle Scooter and move forward and backward and then sideways. This will give their legs a great workout. You can also have a student sit on a standard chair with their feet on the scooter (do not stand) and move the scooter front to back, side to side and around in circles.
- Arms only. Sit cross-legged or lay face down on the Tummy Scooter. Use your arms only to maneuver around the floor to get a terrific upper extremity and core workout. You can also lie over a peanut-shaped therapy ball and have your hands on the scooter. Now move the scooter around while using your core to stabilize the ball, and your arms to move the scooter.
- Rope Pull. Have a child sit or lie face down on the scooter. Give them the end of a rope and have another child or adult hold the other end and pull them around the floor. They have to hold on using a good deal of strength from the hands, forearms and upper body. Or connect your scooters together to create a big scooter train.
- Follow A Path. Create a scooter path using masking tape or cones. Follow the path in a prone or sitting position.
- Go Fish. Provide a bucket of fish or make one with magnets or metal clips attached to pretend fish. Now have your kids go fishing as they sit up on their scooters. You can integrate this activity with your curriculum as well.
- Soccer Scooter. Using a soccer ball, create 2 teams and play soccer scooter. Ride the scooters in a sitting (using legs) or prone (using arms) position.
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