Category Archives: Motor & Movement

Find practical strategies, research-backed techniques, and resources designed to support the development of gross motor skills in children. This category is ideal for physical therapists, occupational therapists, early interventionists, and parents seeking effective movement-based solutions to enhance coordination, strength, balance, and mobility in young children.

Movement and Strength for Mental Health

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Each year on October 10, the world recognizes World Mental Health Day, an important reminder of the need to support emotional well-being across all ages and abilities. Research consistently shows that movement and mental health are deeply connected—physical activity not only strengthens the body but also boosts mood, reduces stress, and fosters resilience. For therapists, educators, and parents, incorporating purposeful movement and strength-building activities into daily routines can be a powerful way to promote both physical and emotional wellness.

Why Movement Matters for Mental Health

Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, improves focus, and helps regulate emotions. For children and adults alike, structured movement activities can provide healthy coping strategies, reduce anxiety, and build confidence. In therapeutic and educational settings, using the right tools can transform simple exercises into opportunities for engagement, regulation, and growth.

Tools to Support Strength and Emotional Well-Being

Therapro offers a wide range of resources in its Strength & Fitness category designed to integrate movement into therapy and learning environments. Here are three effective tools that promote both strength and mental health:

Cozy Caterpillar™ Compression Tube

Compression Tube – This stretchy, enclosed fabric provides calming deep pressure and encourages creative movement, making it an excellent choice for self-regulation and sensory integration.

TheraBand Resistance Bands – Lightweight and versatile, these bands help build strength, endurance, and flexibility while giving clients an accessible tool for stress relief through movement.

Weighted Balls – Perfect for tossing, lifting, and core exercises, these tools add resistance that can improve both physical strength and emotional regulation.

Putting It Into Practice

Whether used in occupational or physical therapy sessions, classrooms, or at home, strength and movement-based activities can help clients of all ages build confidence, reduce stress, and foster a sense of accomplishment. By pairing intentional movement with supportive tools, therapists and caregivers can empower individuals to take meaningful steps toward better mental health.

This World Mental Health Day, let’s recognize the role of movement in emotional wellness and use therapeutic tools that support both mind and body.

Kickstart PT Month with Essential Mobility Solutions

Motor & Movement, Uncategorized

October marks National Physical Therapy Month, a time to highlight the power of movement in improving strength, independence, and quality of life. Whether you’re working with children building coordination or adults recovering strength, the right physical therapy mobility tools can make every session more effective and engaging.

Why Movement Matters

Movement is essential for all ages—it promotes cardiovascular health, builds core stability, sharpens motor planning, and fosters independence in daily activities. Having access to adaptable mobility tools allows for targeted, purposeful practice that keeps clients motivated while achieving therapeutic goals.

Essential Physical Therapy Mobility Tools

Therapro offers a wide range of movement and mobility solutions that support therapists in creating dynamic treatment sessions. Here are a few standouts:

Scooter Board

Scooter Boards – Perfect for strengthening the upper body, improving postural control, and engaging children in fun movement-based activities. Use them for prone propulsion, obstacle courses, or partner games to target endurance and coordination. Pro Tip: The Scooter Board Activities Fun Deck® provides great scooter board activity ideas!

Balance Beams and Pods – These versatile tools enhance balance, stability, and motor planning. They’re excellent for building confidence in navigating uneven surfaces and can be adapted for clients of all ages.

Two Yellow Balance Pods
Therapy Ball Activities Fun Deck

Therapy Ball Activities Fun Deck – Turn standard therapy ball exercises into an engaging game with this card deck. Activities target core strength, coordination, and flexibility while making therapy fun and interactive.

Other effective options include the Rocking Boat for vestibular input, the Hand Bike for upper body strengthening, and the Move Your Body Thumball to combine movement with language-building tasks.

Bringing It All Together

This month, join us in celebrating the life-changing benefits of physical therapy. By incorporating high-quality physical therapy mobility tools, you can help clients improve strength, balance, and coordination while making therapy sessions fun and motivating.

Explore Therapro’s full collection of Movement & Mobility Solutions to find tools that support your therapeutic practice and inspire movement for every age and ability.

Therapeutic Recreation Activity Ideas for All Ages

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Each year, National Therapeutic Recreation Week—celebrated during the second week of July—shines a spotlight on the vital role recreation plays in rehabilitation and wellness. This week is a time to celebrate and explore therapeutic recreation activity ideas that improve physical, cognitive, emotional, and social well-being across all ages and abilities. Whether you’re a therapist, educator, or parent, incorporating purposeful play into therapy sessions can make a lasting difference.

Why Therapeutic Recreation Matters

Therapeutic recreation combines leisure activities with therapeutic goals to enhance function and quality of life. For children and individuals with disabilities or developmental delays, recreation becomes a vehicle for skill-building, engagement, and self-expression. Using the right tools can transform everyday activities into therapeutic opportunities.

Top Therapro Products for Recreational Therapy

At Therapro, we offer a wide range of tools and materials that support meaningful recreational therapy. Here are three standout products to integrate into your practice this week and beyond:

Fine Motor Olympics

Fine Motor Olympics

Developed by Marcia Bridgeman, MHA, OTR/L, this inclusive program equips OTs to train staff, parents, and volunteers in delivering structured fine motor support. Includes a manual, screening tools, record forms, and 64 full-color activity cards featuring hand function tasks.

➡️ Explore Fine Motor Olympics

Sensational Fun

Packed with over 100 activities that incorporate movement, touch, and sound, this resource offers endless therapeutic recreation activity ideas to support children with sensory processing challenges.

➡️ View Sensational Fun

Sensational Fun
Drive Thru Menus

Drive-Thru Menus

The Drive Thru Menus: Calming & Stress Busting Kit and Attention & Strength Kit offer therapist-designed, movement-based activities that promote self-regulation, focus, and physical readiness for learning. Each set features fun, structured exercises that support emotional regulation, motor control, and attention, making them ideal for classrooms, therapy sessions, or home use.

➡️ Check Out Drive-Thru Menus: Attention & Strength Kit

➡️ Check Out Drive Thru Menus: Calming & Stress Busting Kit


Integrating Recreation into Everyday Therapy

Recreational therapy doesn’t require elaborate equipment or large spaces. Many activities can be done in clinics, classrooms, or at home. The key is to pair intentional movement and play with therapeutic goals—such as improving executive function, fine motor precision, or sensory regulation. The above tools provide structure and flexibility to adapt activities based on individual needs.

Celebrate the Week, All Year Long

National Therapeutic Recreation Week is more than a celebration—it’s a reminder to embed joy and function into our daily therapeutic routines. By using resources that support creative, purposeful activity, therapists and caregivers can make therapy more meaningful and effective.