by Katherine Maloney, PT, DPT

It’s the time of year when everyone starts talking about their big New Year’s resolutions. But did you know that less than 25% of people keep their goals past the month of January? Keeping goals and following through is a hard task for anyone, so what can you do to make this process easier? Writing SMART goals is a great first step!

I was first introduced to the idea of SMART goals through sports, but it was really hammered down in PT school when we were learning how to write goals for patients. So what are SMART goals? SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based goals. But what does all this mean?

Being specific with your goals is really important. Saying “I want to be healthier this year” is vague and makes it hard for you to know what your next step is. Try instead, “I want to work out three times a week this year” to be more specific. 

Making your goal measurable means that you are going to be able to track this goal. Just like being specific saying “I want to work out more” is a lot different than saying “I will work out for X minutes X times a week” or “I will be able to run for 30 minutes without stopping by the end of the year.” You have to be able to see how you are progressing at your goal, this helps to keep you motivated by seeing the progress you’ve already made! 

Your goals have to be attainable. This one can be tricky, sometimes we get caught up in the excitement of the new year and make big, lofty goals for ourselves. But remind yourself that you want to be able to reach your goals. Sometimes you really have to start small. If you reach your goal before the year is over you can always set a new one! 

You want your goals to be relevant to you. So making a goal about running might be great for me because I love to run, but you might hate running and so it doesn’t make sense for you. Or on the other hand, maybe you already run consistently. In that case it wouldn’t make sense to make a goal about running consistently because you’re already doing it; instead your goal could be about speed, distance, races, or not related to running at all! If the goal is relevant to you, you aren’t going to do it. You want to be excited to work towards your goals!

Finally your goal needs to be time-based. For most New Year’s resolutions, the time frame is the whole year. And that’s a great starting point… but a year is a long time. If you want to make year long goals I highly suggest that you break down that goal into smaller, bite sized portions. This could be breaking it down quarterly, monthly, or even weekly. What matters is that you set a time frame for when you want to accomplish your goal so that it doesn’t just fall to the wayside with the classic “I’ll start that next week” mantra. 

The New Year is a great time to set some new goals for yourself and re-evaluate different areas of your life. Writing SMART goals will make your life easier and help you be part of the 25% that keeps going with their goals past January! 

With the holidays right around the corner we know that finding the best toys to gift your kids is important. We have gathered our favorite PT-approved toys to keep your kids moving all year long! 

For Balance and Coordination:

Scooter: a classic that works single leg balance and strength!

Balance bike: a fun transitional toy, this can be especially good if your kid has an older sibling or cousin who is riding a big bike! 

Balance Beam: a great indoor toy that you can do all kinds of different balance activities on, you can even work on ball skills like throwing and catching up here!

Super soft pogo stick: this toy takes a lot of coordination and balance but it is perfect for indoor use compared to traditional pogo sticks!

Balance Board: with this toy you can work on balance skills and pretend play by having your kid imagine they are on a boat, surfboard, skateboard… the possibilities are endless!

Wheel Walker: pretend to train for the circus with these toy that is used to learn how to ride a unicycle! A great indoor or outdoor toy!

Indoor Stilts: another circus training toy! These stilts a great for balance and coordination and can be used all year long!

T-Stool: a great seating alternative to work balance and core strength!

Hedgehog Balance Pods: great to incorporate into an obstacle course or for pretend play (the floor is lava right?) this toy is great for indoor and outdoor play and can even help with sensitive feet!

Sturdy Birdy: a fun game to work on different balance positions in a little bit more competitive way! This is a great game for everyone in the family!

For Ball Skills

Velcro Ball: a fun way to work on hand-eye coordination and ball skills

Knobby Balls: These are great, soft balls to learn catching, throwing, and kicking with.

Mini Basketball hoop: a great way to start working on various ball skills and hand eye coordination! This version is perfect for indoors so it can be played with year round!

Portable Soccer Net: this is another great indoor option! You can use the knobby balls listed above or any other soft ball to work on kicking skills! This can also help with balance!

Target Game: this is a great way to work on tossing and hand eye coordination in a fun way! This toy is great for indoor and outdoor.

Throw and Catch Cup: another classic game that works on general ball skills and really works hand-eye coordination!

Bulzibucket: a great way to work on tossing and hand-eye coordination in a fun and different way! Bonus: this toy can even be used in the pool next Summer!

Spider Ring Toss: a fun twist on the classic ring toss! You can even incorporate some of the balance toys from above for an added challenge.

For Endurance

Bike/Tricycle: another classic, a bike for the holidays is a great way to build healthy habits for life!

Jump Rope: a good alternative to use in a bigger room during the winter when it’s too cold to go outside 

HyperDash: another great indoor game! This game you can set up targets all over and even make an obstacle course. Plus it’s timed so your kid will be motivated to get their heart rate up!

Roller Skates: roller skates are great to work on single leg balance and endurance

Indoor Obstacle Course: take inspiration from American Ninja Warrior and get your kid moving indoors this winter! This toy can work on endurance, balance, and overall gross motor skills!

Super Stretchy ABC game: this game is great for flexibility and core strengthening! And it’s a fun indoor game for anyone to play!

Bouncy Ball with Handle: this is a great way to get out some energy inside while working leg muscles, core strength, and coordination!

Exercise Dice: a fun interactive way to do a variety of exercises that kids of all ages will enjoy!

Zoom Ball: a great way to work those back and posture muscles. With kids sitting in school all day and using computers so much this is a great way to help with posture.

Mini Trampoline:

a great way to burn off some of that extra energy when you can’t go outside! This will also work on leg and core strength!

For Fine Motor Skills

Squigz: these are so much fun and really work on grasp and fine motor skills. You can incorporate these into balance or obstacle course too!

Wooden Puzzles: a final classic that never goes out of style. They even make cool puzzles that make noises too!

Spike the Hedgehog: This toy can be incorporated into a gross motor activity by making an obstacle course or can be used on its own to work on fine motor grasp and hand eye coordination skills! We use this all the time at our office!

Lite-Brite: another classic that you can’t go wrong with! Work fine motor skills and creativity with this toy!

Catching and Feeding Game: another clinic favorite of ours! Use fine motor skills, incorporate into an obstacle course or balance activity, and learn about how magnets work all in one toy!

Bee to Hive Matching game: work on fine grasp tasks and color matching in this fun bumble bee toy!

Matching Eggs: another fine motor and matching game! This is a great and fun toy for younger kids and can easily be incorporated into a balance skill or obstacle course!

Mr. Potato Head: another classic, this toy works fine motor and imaginative play all in one!

Kinetic Sand: an alternative to playdough that works fine motor, creativity, and exposes your kid to a different sensory experience for their hands.

Did you find any great toys for your kids this year? Share them with us and well pass it on!!!

by Katherine Maloney, DPT

Yoga has gained a lot of attention in the last few years and it’s easy to see why. There are so many benefits to doing yoga, for your body and your mind. Yoga can be good for you, your kids, and the whole family together! Plus it’s never too young to start, with Parent and Me Yoga classes for even the youngest of babies. But how does yoga actually help you? And how can you incorporate it at home?

Yoga is great for adults and kids physical wellbeing. Yoga moves your body in ways that can challenge your core and muscles, stretch your muscles, and even work your cardiovascular system. For adults, yoga is a good adjunct to other forms of exercise including running and weight lifting. Yoga can help improve your balance and keep those key core muscles engaged. For kids, yoga can help promote normal gross motor development, improve and regulate the GI system, improve breathing, and improve many sensory systems. Yoga helps kids learn where they are in space and their limits of stability (aka work that balance!). 

Mental health can also be positively affected by yoga practice. Yoga is proven to decrease anxiety and stress, increase mindfulness, and help bring calm and a feeling of being centered. We sometimes forget how stressed our kids can get, even babies! Yoga is a great way to help them figure out ways to calm themselves and to be more mindful. And it goes without saying that parents are often stressed and overwhelmed. The focus on breath and the smooth movements can help bring our nervous systems back into the “rest and digest” zone instead of the “fight or flight” zone that we often live in when stressed out. This in turn helps our physical health (breathing, digestion, sleep, etc). 

When done with others, whether it’s in a class or just at home with family, yoga can also benefit our social well being. Being connected with others again benefits our mental and physical health. Going to a parent and me yoga class or kid’s yoga class can also connect you with people who may have similar stressors and concerns as you, giving you an opportunity to walk through problems or concerns with someone else. 

But how can you incorporate yoga at home if you don’t want to join a studio? Youtube has tons of good yoga videos for all different levels. There are also plenty of apps that are all about yoga. And honestly you can just play around with different poses and flows at home, it doesn’t have to be perfect! Just remember to go at your own pace and to not push into pain!

This week for our developmental playgroup we will be doing a parent and me yoga class. If you are looking for a more kid friendly yoga class for your older ones stay tuned because we are bringing a yoga play group to KidPT soon!

by Anjali Fortna, PT, DPT

What is Tummy Time?

“Tummy time” is the time during the day that an infant spends on his or her tummy. Because it is typically recommended that a baby sleep flat on her back during all naps and overnight sleep, it is important to give baby time in other positions to help develop symmetry and strength in all
directions.

There are many benefits to tummy time that go beyond just changing position. Spending time on their stomachs is crucial to babies developing strong neck muscles to lift their heads against gravity, and begin to develop the ability to lift their heads to look at people or objects in their environment. In the womb, babies grow in a position of flexion, meaning their necks, backs, hips, knees — everything — are bent forward. Developing range of motion in the opposite direction, or extension, is an important part of developing strength and symmetry for everyday activities. Tummy time is a big part of this development. It even helps the spine develop its
shape and change from the completely flexed forward infant spine to the childhood and adulthood spine that has curves at the neck and low back. All of this develops by working against gravity.

Another big benefit of tummy time is the prevention of a flat back of the head. When babies spend too much time on their backs beyond just when they are sleeping, their soft heads can become flattened on the back (brachycephaly), or the sides (plagiocephaly). Changes in head shape can lead to shortened or tight neck muscles, asymmetrical preference for vision and motor development, and may even affect the way a bike helmet fits when a child gets older. Working tummy time into baby’s every day can help prevent irregular skeletal and gross motor development.

So how is tummy time done? Tummy time should always be supervised until the baby can confidently and consistently roll from tummy to back by himself. While some babies enjoy playing on their tummies, others immediately fuss and try to avoid this position. Babies who
have colic or reflux may especially resist tummy time. Ideally, babies should spend 60 minutes per day on their tummy. If the baby enjoys being on his stomach, this can be completed in large chunks of time with the baby flat on his stomach on the floor, with a toy or parent in front of him to encourage him to lift his head and work his muscles against gravity. If baby doesn’t like tummy time or becomes fussy easily, it can be done in shorter bouts of just a couple minutes at a time. Some parents choose to work in small amounts at regular intervals during the day, such as just after a diaper change.

If the baby does not tolerate being flat on her stomach at first, there are some alternative methods of working in tummy time. Some babies will tolerate being in a partially flat position on their stomachs, such as propped with their chest over a boppy pillow or small wedge. Other babies will tolerate lying on their stomachs against their parent’s chest while the parent leans back on the couch. These positions are still considered tummy time because the baby must use her extensor muscles on her back to lift her head and trunk against gravity.

Overall, tummy time should be a positive and playful part of the day to help baby develop strength, symmetry, and new ways to interact with her environment. If you have concerns about your baby’s tolerance of tummy time, movement preferences, or developing body, a pediatric physical therapist can help assess your baby’s motor development and come up with strategies to make tummy time a regular and fun part of the day!