The benefits of at-home physical activities (especially for kids with sensory processing disorders) are enormous. We reached out to Eric Amundson, co-owner of Leaps n Boundz — a Los Angeles–based center that provides recreation, therapy, and social activities for children with disabilities — to talk about the benefits of physical movement and how we can more easily incorporate it at home.
“Depending on your child’s sensory profile or sensory needs, there are physical activities they can do that will help them stay regulated and calmer throughout the day,” Eric says. He explains that when your child has specific exercises they can refer to, they’re able to say things like, “I need to do this exercise right now,” or “Doing this exercise will help me feel better,” which improves their ability to self-regulate. In fact, daily physical movements can actually decrease stress and increase organization for every family member’s daily life.
Short online exercise classes can be really helpful for getting kids to move around more each day. There is also the very real benefit of having a regular activity to look forward to with peers.
Initially, Eric and the other teachers weren't sure if virtual classes would be effective, but they've seen a lot of progress: "It's greatly helped our kids with strength, endurance, and practice following sequences so they can do tasks in a certain order."
Leaps n Boundz offers a free virtual community workout class for kids. Email Eric at eric@leapsnboundz.com for more information.
Kids Like Me LA offers in-person and virtual fitness classes for children and teens with autism and other disabilities. Check out their full schedule here!
Outschool provides live online video classes and clubs.
If you’re looking for something easy to try online, check out whole-family dancing with Go Noodle; for a calmer take, there are tons of free Cosmic Kids Yoga videos on YouTube. For ideas, be sure to check out our article on physical activities to do at home!
Eric also shared a few recommendations:
Use simple household items like a chair, water bottles, and maybe a yoga mat.
Try movements that require bilateral coordination, jumping movements, activities that use chairs, and exercises that bear weight on arms and legs. These are especially helpful for kids who need to work on sensory processing and OT.
Guide your child to complete a “sensory organizational piece” (essentially a warm-up) before they start the actual exercise activity. This includes arm movements, basic cardio (jumping around to get your heart rate up), doing plank, and trying various balancing positions on a chair. This will lead into the main exercise, such as chair crunches (your child sits on a chair and raises their legs off the ground while remaining seated).
Aim for 30 minutes to an hour of physical activity per day, but it’s completely dependent on what benefits your child the most.
Does your child have any favorite exercises to do at home? We’d love your suggestions!
