Vertical play? You might be asking what is vertical play? How do you perform vertical play? Well we are here to share with you how to make this possible with your little ones. Vertical play is exactly what it sounds like. It is play on an upright surface instead of on a flat or horizontal table top or floor. We simply move the activity or motivation tool use for play onto a surface that bring their eye gaze forward and up instead of downward
Part one-we are focusing on babies through 1”ish” year. Move your baby’s motivation to a vertical surface, here are some reasons why:
-For infants
Putting a toy on a vertical surface for tummy time play moves their line of vision up helping facilitate pushing up on forearms and hands and when they reach for the toy it is also a good way to encourage weight shifting, a skill needed for rolling and crawling. Another important use of vertical play is eye alignment. For babies with poor head positioning (torticollis) changes in eye alignment can be associated with the head tilt, therefore vertical work can help orient eyes to proper vertical alignment while in supported posture before advancing to unsupported postures.
-For sitters
It is a good way to help with trunk extension and elongation encouraging independent sitting. It can also be used to facilitate righting and protective reactions(how babies bring themselves back to midline or catch themselves when falling). For more advanced sitters you can use it to encourage trunk rotation and crossing midline
-For babies 6 mo+
it can be used for a tall-kneeling( when the child is bearing weight through knees with bottom in air) activities. Great for building strength in core, hips, and bottom all needed in the progression to walking. Kneeling>Pull to stand>standing>cruising>walking. It can also be an alternative position for tummy time/crawling if your child is really struggling with those positions. They are still putting weight through upper extremities when pushing against the surface and shifting weight to play similar to what they would do on the floor. This can also be a good position for babies showing vestibular sensitivity since their head doesn’t move planes in this position.
-For kiddos pulling up
it is more challenging to pull up on a flat vertical surface then something like a couch or coffee table. Place desired objects just out of reach to encourage a more challenging way to pull up and get them closer to independent standing
Toddlers and up…
The reasons we love vertical surface play for babies are a lot of the same reasons we love it for older kiddos too along with so much more. Now we can also branch out more with the activities we do.
The reasons we love it:
-arm and shoulder strengthening
-core/trunk strengthening and elongation
-can strengthen hips and glutes when in tall kneel
-promotes proper head and neck position and even neck extension- this is important for our school age kiddos who are looking down at their papers and books all day with neck in a flexed position
-improves visual skills/eye hand coordination
-crossing midline connecting both sides of the brain
-encourages bilateral use and coordination
-working on a larger surface area requires more reaching, stretching, and movement of the shoulder and arm. This supports the natural progression of fine motor skills which start with large movement and becomes more refined
-encourages wrist extension promoting proper grasp on writing utensils
Activities or tools we love to use:
-Coloring and painting on easels, chalkboards, windows, sliding doors, paper taped to wall
-magnet play
-felt boards
-Suction cup toys.. we love squigz and suction kupz from fatbrain
-window stickers
-shaving cream play in windows
-letting kids help clean windows
-let kids do homework on a vertical surface
-use a short stool to work on sit to stand or balance having child place one for on stool
-have child sit on an exercise ball or peanut ball to promote even more core strengthening and righting reactions/balance skills
-standing on a balance board or uneven surface
-you can even work in prone(on tummy) with the activity on the vertical surface. Child can lay on floor, therapy ball, scooter board.
The list goes on and on but I hope this gets your brain thinking about ways to encourage vertical play with your littles!
Happy motivational Monday! Hope these help!