Therapy ball or peanut ball?

In general, peanut balls e.g. this one are better for smaller children as they offer more stability but if you have space then you could get one of each. I prefer therapy balls for children over approx 5-6 unless they need the stability. Basically, the answer is either or both!

What size?
As a rough guide, for preschool children try a peanut ball or a 45cm therapy ball, for children approx aged 6-12 try a 55cm ball and for teens and adults try a 65cm ball. It very much depends on the size of your child though.

Activity ideas: 

Note: I am going to use the word regulation/regulated alot so I best check that you know what I mean! Regulated is when a child feels just right. It's when they are alert enough that they can concentrate or engage but also calm enough that they are not anxious or angry etc. So a regulation activity is one that helps them feel just right again. 

• Sit and Bounce - don't under estimate how beneficial it is for your child to simply sit on the ball and bounce! They can bounce rapidly with force or very slowly and gently; whatever they need in the moment. 
• Rocking - for regulation then your child may enjoy lying on their tummy or back and gently rocking back and forth (they may need you to support them at their hips so that they don't roll off). As a motor skills activity then they can lie on their tummy over the ball and rock side to side, touching the floor with one hand and then rocking to the other side and touching the floor with the other hand. They can also rock back and forth touching the floor at the front with outstretched arms and then rocking back and pushing off with their feet to go forwards again. 
• Therapy Ball Rough Play - this is a great regulation activity for children who benefit from lots of rough and tumble - click here to see a video demonstration.
• Ball Wall Walk - this is a simple activity that can help a child feel regulated but it can also help with core strength and motor planning - click here for a demonstration video.
• Therapy Ball Massage - this is a lovely calming activity that can be part of the bedtime routine - click here for my video. 
• Head bump - if your child tends to push their head into you or even bang it into walls and furniture then encouraging them to do this instead is a great way to meet their need for intense sensory input to the head but in a safer way. Encourage them to go on all fours in a crawling position with the ball in front of them touching a wall. They simply push their head into the ball that is against the wall. They can choose to do a long firm push that they hold into the ball or they might prefer to gently bounce their head into the ball and off again. This needs to be carefully supervised. 
• Superman - You might need to support your child at the hips for this one. They lie over the therapy ball on their tummy and then if they can, encourage them to have their arms forward like they are flying and lift their legs off the ground. This is great for strengthening the core and improving posture and balance. It can be very tricky for some children but it's a great one to practice and work on improving the amount of seconds your child can do it for. 
• Tunnel Push - if you have a lycra tunnel and this is the one I recommend, then you can encourage your child to push the ball through the tunnel. You might need to get it started but once it's in then they can push, punch and kick it through. They might even crawl inside after the ball and push it with their head and arms. This is a great activity for giving regulating proprioceptive (muscle resistance) sensory input. 

If you would like more ideas, especially ideas to support motor skills, then this card deck is great. This would be ideal if you work in a school and would like activity ideas for motor skills groups. 

Hope that is helpful. If you come up with other therapy ball ideas and games then please do share in my Regulate and Communicate Facebook group. 
 
Hanna