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Writer's pictureKate Hoad

Resource Spotlight: Scooter Board

Scooter Boards are generally a plastic or wooden board with wheels and sometimes a handle. They are probably one of the top pieces of equipment chosen by children in OT, as they are seen as fun (motivating!). Scooter boards are used in OT to meet a number of goals and target specific skills.


Gross Motor Skills Development

  • Strengthening Different Muscle Groups:

    • Children can lie on their stomachs and use their arms to propel themselves, which helps strengthen their upper body and core muscles.

    • Children can kneel on the board and maintain core strength to self-propel with arms - even harder with scooter board paddles (see photo below)

    • Children can hold on with arms, and propel with feet, strengthening lower limb/ankle muscles.

    • Using a scooterboard on different surfaces can support different levels of muscle strengthening (i.e. carpet is far harder to propel on than smooth flooring).

  • Bilateral Coordination:

    • Activities involving scooter boards can enhance coordination as children learn to use their hands and feet in a synchronised manner. this can increase skills required for swimming and bike riding or scooting.

    • Using ropes or therabands, children can push or pull themselves or each other, strengthening different muscle groups and promoting bilateral coordination.


Fine Motor Skills

  • Hand-Eye Coordination: Maneuvering around obstacles and collecting items can improve hand-eye coordination.

  • Grip and Manipulation:

    • Games that involve reaching for objects while moving on the scooter board can improve grasp and manipulation.

    • Activities that require children to hold onto the edges of the scooter board can enhance grip strength and fine motor control.


Sensory Integration

  • Vestibular Input: Rolling on a scooter board provides vestibular input, which is crucial for balance and spatial orientation.

  • Proprioception: Using a scooter board helps children understand the position of their body in space, which is essential for developing proprioceptive sense.

  • Calming Effect: The rhythmic motion and deep pressure input of moving oneself on a scooter board can have a calming effect, which is beneficial for those with sensory processing disorders.


Cognitive Skills

  • Problem-Solving: Navigating an obstacle course with a scooter board encourages problem-solving and planning.

  • Following Directions: Scooter board activities often involve following multi-step instructions, which helps with sequencing and memory.


Social Skills

  • Tag Games: Modify traditional tag games to include scooter boards, encouraging fast reflexes and strategic thinking.

  • Relay Races: Team-based relay races can foster cooperation and teamwork.

  • Turn-Taking and Sharing: Group activities with scooter boards can promote turn-taking, sharing, and cooperative play.

  • Communication: Engaging in scooter board games often requires communication, helping children practice verbal and non-verbal communication skills.


Emotional Regulation

  • Practicing something that is fun, but still difficult can help to increase resilience and self-confidence.

  • During coorperative or competitive games, Children can practice winning and losing, and managing related feelings like excitement, jealousy or disappointment.


Somet important safety pointers for Scooter Board use:

  • Supervision: Always supervise children to prevent accidents.

  • Protective Gear: Use helmets and pads if necessary to protect against falls.

  • Appropriate Environment: Ensure the play area is free of hazards and has a smooth, non-slip surface.


We hope this series helps you understand how the use of certain resources in occupational therapy!


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