Why would your OT Recommend "Tummy Time" Positioning for Your Students?

If you are a parent, a teacher, or a paraprofessional who works with school-age children, I bet you've received a recommendation at some point from your occupational therapist (OT) to get your children down on the floor onto their tummies. Why do we recommend this position for children? For so many reasons!

Much of this has to do with getting children into natural positions with their bodies that provide essential sensory input, positioning for muscle strength development, and alternative positioning to what many are used to these days - sitting, sitting, sitting. The sedentary ways of our culture and daily occupations are negatively influencing our children's physical development in a variety of ways. Everything from decreased physical endurance to spine and neck orthopedic issues to weak core muscle strength and poor hand strength is observed in many of our typically developing children these days. For a child who has a diagnosis or disorder that causes low muscle tone, decreased coordination, or poor sensory processing, they are at even higher risk of suffering from the functional impact of the aforementioned problems.

What are some examples of how is this seen in the every day activities (ie., occupations) of our children?

Difficulty with:

• fastening clothing items

• opening containers & packages

• running & playing with other children

• holding a pencil

• using scissors

• manipulating toys

• carrying personal materials such as backpacks for school

• poor eye-hand coordination

So...why the tummy time recommendation?

Because this position is easy to implement for most kids, parents, and teachers while integrating it with common childhood activities. Over time, children build core muscle strength and upper body strength that serves them well in their world of necessary activities such as completing school work, playing with others, and taking care of themselves. The key is to build it into the everyday routines of home and school.

Here are 5 easy ways to build your child's strength and endurance through tummy time positioning:

• drawing/coloring activities

• watching TV

• reading a book

• playing a board game

• doing a puzzle

Be patient and take it easy! Every little bit counts towards the next step. Start small (1-2 minutes) then work up to longer times (5-10 minutes during any given activity). Encourage children to start in the position, but allow them to sit up and take a break if needed. Never force a child to stay on their tummy if they are uncomfortable.

Over time, you will be impressed with how quickly your children become comfortable with this position and even better, how quickly they get stronger in their core, arms, and hands. You will know when you see them completing activities with more ease and independence - just what we want for our children whether in our homes, at school, or out in the community!