Activities that can be fun & stimulating for kids with dyspraxia

Dyspraxia is a developmental disorder that affects the coordination and movement in a child. It can affect their jumping, writing and even speaking. But by providing the right therapies, a child with dyspraxia can do extremely well in life. In fact, dyspraxia is quite common these days.

Apart from therapy sessions, parents can also look into ensuring that their child does certain activities that can improve them in different ways, mainly their skills.

Parents must also make sure they reach out to the child when called upon. Give them praise and encouragement, and start off with activities that the child can succeed in. Avoid giving too many instructions at a time and make sure they have enough time to do the activities. This will boost their confidence levels.

Kush Devi Sangitaben’s son Rahul was diagnosed with dyspraxia at a young age. But that has not stopped this 22-year-old from chasing his dreams. He is currently a chartered accountant with a leading firm in Mumbai.

If you start giving the right therapies at a young age, children with dyspraxia can do very well in life. My son used to undergo regular physiotherapy sessions which have helped in his motor skills and hand to eye coordination and so on. Indoor games are also very helpful. If your child loves any particular sport like football or basketball, make sure they do it regularly. Group activities are also of great help- Kush Devi Sangitaben

Check out these fun activities for children with dyspraxia

• Dancing – Dancing is an ideal therapy for children with and without disabilities. It does a lot of wonders. There is a lot of muscle movement while dancing that helps improves coordination skills of a child with dyspraxia. You can either opt for a structured dance pattern or just let your child follow their own steps! There is a lot of fun and enjoyment involved in this activity.
• Bat and Ball games – This is just the regular game of throwing a ball and then the child batting at it. But instead of a ball, you can also use a balloon. The main aim is that the child must be able to bat all the balls repeatedly. Make sure that the ball bounces on the floor first before the child bats it. This activity can help a child with dyspraxia.
• Balancing acts – Children love learning to balance. It is indeed fun. For a child with dyspraxia, balancing acts can be of great help. It can be a challenging act due to the coordination that is required. To start off, try drawing lines on a flat surface and ask your child to balance on them. Once they improve, you can start introducing them to more challenging platforms. Safety matters a lot. So make sure that your child does this on safe grounds.
• Group activities – All children must be introduced to group activities at a young age. This is applicable for a child with dyspraxia as well. It helps them to know other children better. For example, do an activity where children are divided into groups and each group asks the other one to enact activities. All these are fun and also help in the development of a child with a learning disability like dyspraxia.

“Most of the children with dyspraxia are quite slow. Even coordination of daily activities can be a tedious task for them. So it is very important to give them a lot of time in whatever activity they are doing. Introduce them to structured activities, games, gardening and so on. It will help in their overall development”, says Griva Shah, Co-founder, Pearl Special Needs Foundation.

ALSO READ: What is dyspraxia and why is it so hard to diagnose?

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