By Rachel Brown

Intended for the Recreational Therapist or an individual looking for activities to do with disabled children!

Therapeutic Recreation: What is it?  Services and recreational activities for individuals with disabilities or illnesses  Techniques improve everyday skills with leisure activities

Therapeutic Recreation in Different Settings Healthcare:  Hospitals  Rehabilitation Centers  Long-term Residential Facilities Community:  Park and Recreation Departments  Special Education Programs for School Districts

What Therapeutic Recreation helps overall  Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression  Build confidence  Recover basic motor functioning and reasoning abilities

What Therapeutic Recreation Helps Overall (cont.)  Socialize effectively  Improve and maintain physical, mental, emotional well-being  Eliminate effects of disability or illness

 Sports  Arts and Crafts  Dance and Movement  Music/Body Awareness

 Games  Relaxation  Animals *These techniques & others can be found at:

Sports  Help regain mobility  Hand-eye coordination  Promotes physical well-being

Activity: Throwing a ball  Teach left- handed people with left-side paralysis how to use unaffected right side to throw a ball

Arts and Crafts WWay to relax, feel sense of accomplishment – self esteem booster MMaintain an alert mind – hand eye coordination, following directions

Activity: Wheelchair Painting  Spread large sheet of paper on floor  Pour paint on the sheet  Let wheelchair patients run their wheelchairs all over the paint  Sign and date!

Dance and Movement  Increase socialization skills & physical movement  Provide opportunity for independence during the activity  Express feelings

Activity: Expressional Movement  Leader says topic – descriptive words, animals, sport, etc.  Leader can say to move to the floor, shake, move slow or fast  Child has to imagine and move to what they think goes with it

Music/Body Awareness  Can incorporate playing music while learning to be aware of body  Helps because sometimes disabled children cannot distinguish different body parts

Activity: Musical Play  Have child play an instrument – in front of their bodies, down by their feet, over shoulders, etc.

Games  Learn to play games with others – if isolated or have limited social skills  Initiate and enhance communication  Have to make decisions

Activity: Bingo  Have printed Bingo cards and distribute  Call out letters/numbers  Let children mark their card until someone wins!

Relaxation RReduce stress and tension SStretching exercises PProper body mechanics PPacing and energy conservation techniques

Activity: Stimulating Relaxation  Lower lights in room/close eyes  Can turn on a lava lamp  Play calm music  With lights on, can read a book

Animals  Act as companion/able to connect  Can teach responsibility  Generates good feelings

Activity: Interaction  Setting up allotted time to play and pet animals such as cats, horses, dogs, etc.  Could go to a park to play with a dog

 Therapeutic Recreation is very important for incorporating leisure activities into a disabled child’s life  Wide variety of different techniques to be used – always new ones  Fun and memorable way to interact with disabled children