Ghost Pull Toy

 

 

 

 

I made a little ghost pull toy this morning before heading over to the hippotherapy farm. It was very easy to cut a ghost shape out of a detergent bottle. I punched holes for the eyes and nose and a larger hole for the mouth. Then I inserted a long red strip of fabric through the mouth and another hole in the back of the bottle and tied knots on the ends.

The children loved the ghost with the extra long red tongue and I used it in many different ways to motivate children in holding various positions and reaching out of their base of support including-

 

• while kneeling
• facing sideways
• facing backwards with legs together in long let sitting
• supine over the barrel (facing sideways) to perform sit ups
• standing on top of the horse
• prone over the horse's barrel with arm and neck extension

I also used the ghost to promote language (after each step completion, the client said "boo") and motor planning skills as I asked the children to wiggle their tongues in and out, up and down as I wiggled the ghost's and my own tongue.   

Adding the extra step of touching the withers and making raspberries after each sit-up makes it fun to work on postural control during hippotherapy.

Buckling Rings before placing on pole

I have been using a ring stack activity with a tall pole and soft fabric rings made out of socks for years. Placing the rings develops bilateral coordination, postural control and balance when young children work in kneeling, standing positions and reach out of their base of support. I can add challenge (a lot of challenge) by asking children to buckle the rings before placing them on the ring stack. I cut this ring out of a large plastic bottle and  cut notches so that the ends can be buckled together.