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Heavy work exercises

  • 1-5 Years
  • 5-11 Years
  • 11-19 Years
  • SEND
  • Moving and being active
Girl standing on a balance board in a physio room.

Heavy muscle work or heavy work activities are physical exercises that require effort from muscles and joints like pushing, pulling and lifting. These exercises are often used during movement breaks to help children and young people focus on their task or activity. 

How heavy work activities can help

When doing these kinds of exercises, the body sends strong signals to the brain. These strong signals can help even out the signals being sent by the senses to the brain. 

These exercises can help children and young people to:

  • regulate their body and senses
  • reduce their defensiveness
  • feel calm (if they're overly excited)
  • feel alert (if they're low energy)
  • focus and organise their thoughts

Types of heavy work activities:

Balancing

Blowing

Chewing

Jumping

Pushing and pulling

Balancing

boy on hands with arms straight and feet on gym ball

This can include:

  • Balancing on a beam
  • Sitting on a t-stool, wobble stool or one legged stool
  • Using a wobble board
  • Playing on obstacle courses
  • Playing at a local park

Blowing

girl blowing bubbles out of door

This can include:

  • blowing bubbles
  • using a straw to blow cotton balls or paper balls
  • playing with whistles
  • blowing toys like pinwheels

Chewing

girl eating a raisin

This can include:

  • Chewing gum or dried fruits
  • Eating crunchy snacks
  • Chewing on chewable jewellery or chewlery
Information

Buying chewable toys

We do not recommend buying toys through international marketplaces like Temu, Wish or AliExpress. There is no guarantee that these toys will be safe for your child. 

Jumping

girl bouncing on trampoline outside

Jumping is a very simple but effective heavy work activity.  

This can include:

  • jumping on the spot
  • bunny hops
  • frog jumping
  • star jumps
  • bouncing on a mini-trampoline or trampette
  • bouncing on a ball
  • skipping using a skipping rope

Pushing and pulling

children laughing and playing tug of war

These types of exercises involve pushing or pulling an object. This can include:

  • chair push-ups
  • wall press-ups
  • plank
  • seat walk
  • pressing hands and feet together
  • pushing against a wall with their arms straight
  • wheelbarrow walking
  • tug of war
  • pulling and stretching a resistance band or stretchy material
  • tunnel position or downward dog yoga position

Toys and equipment that can be used in heavy work exercises


Last reviewed: 1 November, 2024

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