When you walk into our pediatric occupational therapy clinic, one of the first things you might notice is our variety of swings suspended from the ceiling. These aren’t just fun playground equipment—they’re carefully selected therapeutic tools that play a crucial role in helping children develop essential skills. Let’s explore the different types of swings we use and how each one supports your child’s development.
Platform Swing: Building Foundation Skills
What it is: A flat, rectangular surface that children can sit, lie, or kneel on while swinging.
When we use it: Platform swings are excellent for children who are just beginning swing therapy or those who need extra stability and security.
Benefits:
- Provides vestibular input to improve balance and spatial awareness
- Offers a stable surface for children who may feel anxious about movement
- Allows for various positions (sitting, lying prone, supine, or kneeling)
- Helps develop core strength and postural control
- Great for calming and organizing the nervous system
Mushroom Swings: Building Balance and Coordination
What it is: A round, disc-shaped swing with a slightly domed surface that children sit on.
When we use it: Perfect for children who need to work on dynamic balance, postural reactions, and core stability while in an upright sitting position.
Benefits:
- Challenges dynamic sitting balance and postural control
- Strengthens core muscles through constant micro-adjustments
- Improves proprioceptive awareness and body positioning
- Builds confidence with unstable surfaces
- Enhances focus and attention through the need for postural control
Frog Swings: Promoting Active Participation
What it is: A disc-shaped swing with handles that children can hold while lying on their stomach or seated.
When we use it: Perfect for children who need to work on upper body strength, motor planning, and gravitational security.
Benefits:
- Strengthens shoulder, arm, and hand muscles
- Improves motor planning and sequencing skills
- Builds confidence with movement and gravitational challenges
- Enhances proprioceptive feedback through active gripping
- Develops bilateral coordination
Airwalker/Astronaut swing: Versatile Movement Tool
What it is: A rope or fabric net that creates a hammock-like surface for swinging.
When we use it: Excellent for children of various ages and abilities, offering multiple positioning options.
Benefits:
- Provides gentle, organizing vestibular input
- Encourages sensory support
- Allows for creative positioning and movement patterns
- Builds trust and comfort with suspended movement
- Motion of swing allows for self body regulation and spatial awareness
Choosing the Right Swing: It’s All About Individual Needs
We can tailor the sensory experience to each child’s unique needs. Some children may start with a platform swing for security and gradually progress to more challenging options like the mushroom swing. Others might benefit from the calming effects of a astronaut swing before engaging in more demanding therapeutic activities.
Swings are used as a powerful tool to support your child’s overall development, from improving attention and focus to building the foundation skills needed for daily activities like handwriting, sports, and social interaction.
