Children’s Occupational Therapy
Strategies for Helping a Child with Motor Planning Dysfunction
1. Before doing a task encourage the child to:
a) Visualise the task;
b) Verbalise before doing the task or repeat instruction;
c) Verbalise end result;
d) Assess whether plan worked- if not work out why not for next time.
2. Help the child identify steps needed to begin and accomplish the task.
Have the child repeat directions and, if possible, write down the steps.
3. Timing and sequencing are important to introduce into activities.
Sequencing may include getting from one position to another or
remembering which movement comes after which.
4. Tasks presented must offer a challenge and success.
5. Giving a short assignment so that the child can feel instant success in
completing a task.
6. Giving one direction at a time. After one action is successfully completed,
add another direction.
7. Helping the child physically move through the action.
8. Minimising visual distractions. Check for clutter in classroom environment.
9. Reviewing how to play a game before actually playing it. Demonstrate
and verbalise actions.
10. Marking the boundaries of the game. For example, rope, yam, masking
tape, or chalks can be used to mark a game circle, or start and finish lines.
11. Using signals for control, e.g. two blows of a whistle to signal freeze.
12. Rehearse what the child has learnt on a regular basis.
Ideas to assist organisational skills
1. Ensure a clutter free environment.
2. Use a home/school diary for recording homework and school timetable.
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3. Have instructions written down in simple sentences.
4. Ask child to repeat instructions- gradually increasing the number and
complexity of instructions.
5. Have coat peg with nane above it.
6. Label clothes.
7. Reinforcing the rules of the game i.e.: in a PE lesson.
8. Encourage the child to sort objects e.g: toys when tidying up own space.
9. Encourage child to pack school bag for the next day.
10. Discuss with your child their time plan for the day, e.g.: ‘What will you do
this morning?’ ‘What will you do after lunch?’ A daily planner on the wall
at home will prompt items required for the day.
11. Gradually withdraw the amount of help you are giving your child and
encourage them to develop their own strategies for planning and
organising e.g. making a list, putting out reminders.
Graded Motor Planning Activities
General tactile (touch) and vestibular (movement) stimulation are important for
motor planning. Include regular visits to play parks with rides on swings and
slides.
Activities should be graded from more total/gross body motor patterns to more
selective/fine motor patterns.
Start with activities giving input through the senses, particularly the sense of
balance, of touch and of where body parts are in space. The following are a few
ideas:
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Rolling on floor to pick up objects placed some distance apart to
complete a puzzle.
Animal walks e.g. crab, bear etc. These can be done to music
with the child ‘freezing’ in position with music stops.
Windmills- the child twirls around on the spot with arms
outstretched, first one way then the other.
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1. Pass the ball. This can be played with two children or if there is only one
child the child can put it in a box behind him/her. Be careful not to strain
the back or neck.
2. Tug of war game. This can be done sitting, kneeling or standing.
3. Trapeze. Hanging from a trapeze and swinging.
4. Wheelbarrows. Walking on hands. Held at hips initially and grade to
holding further down the legs.
5. Foot volley ball. Gently throw ball and child kicks it back. This can be
done with alternating feet or two feet together.
6. Crawling or commando over uneven surfaces.
7. What walk? Play a game of walking in various ways e.g using knee of one
leg and foot of other/walking with knees slightly bent/walking without
taking feet off floor.
8. Bear walking on all fours around obstacles courses.
9. Ask the child to move like different animals e.g: jumping like a frog,
swimming like a fish wriggling like a worm etc.
10. Crab walking around obstacle courses.
11. Climbing trees and ladder.
12. Stilt walking. Try this around obstacle courses.
13. ‘Simon Says’ games copying body postures.
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14. Statues. The child runs, dances, skips, jumps around in time to music.
When the music stops the child ‘freezes’ in that position.
15. Charades. One child mimes a task and others have to guess what it is.
16. Follow the leader.
17. Stepping stones-scatter a path of hoops on the floor, the hoops are steps
and the floor is the river. The child needs to get across the river by only
stepping in the hoops.
18. Knee soccer. Roll a ball and the child must push it back with his ball.
19. Ball catch. Catching a small ball in a cut down detergent bottle.
20. Ball games with feet. Dribble a ball around targets, kick at targets, stop
ball with feet.
21. Hoop stepping. Step through a hoop and turn it over the head.
22. Hoop jumps. Jump in and out into the hoop, lift hoop over the head and
place in front. Repeat.
23. Bouncing a ball with arms outstretched.
24. Obstacle courses which can be graded.
a) Set up and demonstrated to the child
b) Set up and give verbal instructions.
c) Set up and the child uses own initiative.
d) Verbal instructions given and the child sets it up.
e) Child designs obstacle course him/herself.
25. Swimming. Kicking whilst holding a board, front crawl.
26. Ribbon sticks. Encourage the child to move sticks in various directions to
make patterns.
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27. Art projects that require assembling parts to create an object. This
challenges the child’s ability to develop strategies for organising parts as
they relate to the whole.
28. Twister game.
29. Following a map. Draw a map of the house with treasures placed in
various rooms, then find.
30. Paper folding games.
31. Ladder walk. Place a ladder on the ground and see if the child can walk
between the rungs forwards, backwards and sideways. Also try whilst
carrying something e.g a ball or large toy.
32. Walking around chairs. Walk around two chairs while hitting a balloon to
keep in the air.
33. Activities involving sequences of movement are particularly useful in
developing motor planning. Start with simple sequences, gradually make
them more complex. Where possible involve the child in making up
patterns.
a) Clapping patterns.
 left hand on left knee, hands together, right hand on right knee,
hands together;
 Left hand on right knee, hands together, right hand on left knee,
hands together;
 Clap two hands onto knees, then two hands together etc
 Tap right foot on floor, clap hands together, tap left foot on floor
etc.
b) Patterns with a ball
 Bounce ball, clap between each bounce;
 Toss ball, clap and catch, toss ball, catch in left hand, bounce ball
catch in right hand;
 Bounce ball, throw up and clap before catching it;
 Throw ball against wall and turn around before catching it;
 Bounce ball along a line marked on the ground using left and right
hands in sequence.
c) Jumping patterns
 Child imitates a sequence of movements produced by the adult e.g:
jump, clap, jump, clap;
 Jump, jump, clap, jump, jump, clap etc.
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Mark a cross on the ground, mark each quadrant with a number.
The child jumps in patterns of number e.g; 1-2-3-4-1;
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Variations on this- patterns of jumping involving two feet then one
foot.
d) Patterns of hopping and skipping e.g; hopscotch
e) Chinese skipping.
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