Whether your child is a perfectly normal or average little person or whether your child has a learning disorder or has been diagnosed with ADHD, there are certain therapeutic activities for children that can be beneficial for a child. We look at some of these activities that can help children learn and which also help them relate better to their environment:
1. Fantasy Play
Young children benefit greatly from fantasy play and role playing. Offer them doctor’s kits, dolls and stuffed animals, and animal figures that will help the child play by enacting roles and situations. According to experts, this kind of play when the child creates whole situations and plays at make believe, is important for all kids… and particularly for kids with ADHD because it gives them an outlet for expressing their concerns, fears and their experiences which their disorder would otherwise prevent. When parents help and guide along this sort of play the child can increase their attention span and understand the connection between actions and their possible consequences.
2. Outdoor Physical Activities for the Whole Family
Exercise is therapeutic in more ways than one: it improves physical health, mental wellbeing and enhances immunity. This is why it is important for all children including those who may have physical or mental handicaps. Getting out into the fresh air can be fun and therapeutic as well: it can help a child build muscular strength and get them interested in a sport as a hobby that will make it a regular activity. This can be time spent with a parent that a child comes to value. For the parent as well this is quality time that increasing interaction and communication with a child.
3. Computer Programs
Computer based reading and writing aids can help regular school children get that little bit of an edge in class or they could help children with learning disabilities or dyslexia improve their skills. Earobics is for instance a reading intervention that seeks to engage multiple sensory abilities of a child to improve academic achievement among different student populations. Scientific learning products is another resource for web based teaching aids to accelerate learning in a variety of different settings.
4. Play Therapy Techniques
Play therapy techniques put together and devised by experts in the field can be easily used as enjoyable, effective and inexpensive tools for therapy. Simple games such as the feeling word game helps a child verbalize feelings, the color-your-life game helps kids develop better awareness of different states, the pick-up-sticks game facilitates better expression, to name just a few.
5. Other Techniques
There are some other activities that can prove effective. Therapeutic Activities for Children and Teens Coping with Health Issues by Robin Hart and Judy Rollins is a great resource for parents looking for therapeutic activities for their children.