Activities for Children With Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy refers to a medical condition that affects the central nervous system, often characterized by paralysis or weak muscle control. Most children with cerebral palsy cannot engage in physical activity for long periods of time. However, children with cerebral palsy still need to stimulate their muscles to strengthen their bodies. Appropriate exercises for children with cerebral palsy can help minimize bone loss and improve motor skills.

Basics

• Parents must not be afraid to incorporate exercise into their child's daily schedule. Children with cerebral palsy prefer either fast or slow movements. If your child likes a slower pace, then find activities that require slower movement. For example, you can place an object (e.g., snack, toy, clothing, ball) at a short distance and encourage your child to reach for it. Be patient and avoid grabbing the object if your child does not appear interested. You also can enroll in exercise classes for younger children, such as yoga or gymnastics. If the class is not designed especially for special-needs children, consider selecting a lower-level course. For instance, if your child is 4 years old, then instead of enrolling in a class with 4- to 5-year-olds, consider a class for 2- to 3-year-olds.

Outdoor

• Children with cerebral palsy also should engage in fun outdoor activities. You can start by taking your child to a local park, zoo or playground, regardless of whether the child uses a walker or wheelchair. One reason to increase outdoor activities is so that children become exposed to different senses. For example, consider how the smell at a zoo usually is different than at a garden. Other activities include horseback riding and even hippotherapy, which can involve a therapist riding a horse along with your child. Horseback riding helps to strengthen your child's posture, muscle strength and ability to move. For example, the Pine Tree Camp in Rome, Maine, is a subsidized summer camp about three hours from Boston and tailored for special-needs kids. Camp counselors assist children with their daily activities (e.g., eating). Campers will get to fish, kayak, boat, and enjoy arts and crafts.

Tips

• A cheap, year-round activity that can be truly fun and helpful is swimming. Children with cerebral palsy can relax emotionally and physically as they swim or float, while working on exercises and movement that will have long-term health benefits. Consider adding daily weight-resistance exercises to increase tone and muscular endurance. You should be able to purchase weight-resistance arm, leg, or wrist bands. You can incorporate oral or written activities to add variety, but always strive to maximize your child's movements, no matter how brief in duration.