Education in Motion / Resources / Paediatric Resources / Early Intervention: Activities at Home to Support Development

Early Intervention: Activities at Home to Support Development

Take it offline!

This Education in Motion resource is also available as a printable PDF.

Download PDF

This quick guide will provide early developmental activity ideas to help promote physical, social, perceptual, and cognitive development in a variety of positions.

These activities are ideal to be completed with the Leckey Early Activity System. However, if you do not have this equipment, you can improvise with rolled up towels and firm pillows to provide the support required.

Back lying (Supine)

Use foam roll or a towel roll under the knees and a supportive cushion or firm pillow for the head.

Back lying 1

Move object side-to-side to encourage visual tracking.

Back lying 2

Encourage the arms and legs to come to midline for trunk strength and body symmetry.

Back lying 3

Hold onto your child's feet and bicycle their legs to strengthen trunk and leg muscles. Great for communication with you!

Side lying

Manipulate the long foam roll or a towel roll to the desired shape to support the back.

Side lying 1

Move objects side-to-side to encourage visual tracking and head movements. Make sure to alternate sides.

Side lying 2

Place items within reach to encourage upper limb and purposeful movements.

Side lying 3

Encourage the arms and legs to come to midline for trunk strength and body symmetry.

Tummy time (Prone)

Use a foam roll or towel roll under the chest and one at the base of the feet.

Prone 1

Move objects around the child's field of vision to develop head control. Try to prop the child on their forearms. Smells & sounds work, too!

Prone 2

Work towards removing the chest support and extending the arms to bear weight.

Prone 3

Introduce purposeful reaching on both sides to encourage weight shifting. This is an important foundation for crawling.

Long-legged sitting

Build up the "horseshoe" roll to support the child in sitting. As the child becomes more stable, you can move the small roll to just in front of his/her bum to act as a shelf or prevent forward sliding. A smaller roll can also be used to keep the legs apart.

Long-legged sitting 1

Simply sitting gives the legs a good stretch and allows the arms and hands to become free and able to work on fine motor skills.

Long-legged sitting 2

Encourage purposeful reaching to each side, as this encourages weight shifting which is an important precursor for transitioning from sitting to lying/kneeling.

Long-legged sitting 3

As sitting tolerance increases, work towards removing supports over time so the child is continually developing their core strength.

4-point kneeling

Horseshoes or foam rolls can be placed under the child's trunk when support is needed, and rolls should be used at feet to maintain the child in a fixed kneeling position.

4-point kneeling 1

Supporting a 4-point kneeling position will help strengthen the necessary muscles in the shoulders and hips.

4-point kneeling 2

Introduce weight shifts on either side to help the child develop spatial awareness and balance.

4-point kneeling 3

As tolerance progresses, work towards removing supports where you can. Always encourage the child to keep their head upright. Brothers & sisters may want to join in!


Published: 2021-06-10


DISCLAIMER: FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY. THIS WEBSITE (AND THE DOCUMENTS REFERENCED HEREIN) DO NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Sunrise Medical (CA) LLC ("Sunrise") does not provide clinician services. The information contained on this website (and the documents referenced herein), including, but not limited to, the text, graphics, images, and descriptions, are for informational purposes only and should be utilized as a general resource for clinicians and suppliers to then use clinical reasoning skills to determine optimal seating and mobility solutions for individual patients. No material on this website (or any document referenced herein) is intended to be used as (or a substitute for) professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard your professional medical training when providing medical advice or treatment because of something you have read on this website (or any document referenced herein). Clinicians should review this (and any other materials) carefully and confirm information contained herein with other sources. Reliance on this website (and the information contained herein) is solely at your own risk.