9 Ways to Use a Scooter Board
Scooter boards are widely used by physiotherapists and occupational therapists in our clinic because well, they get kids and teens strong and they’re wheely good fun!
Here are 9 ways to use a scooter board
- Arm pulls on your tummy – like a penguin on ice
- Kneeling pulls – like a Surf Life Saver paddling
- Sitting heel pulls – great for the hamstring muscles in the legs!
- Cross-legged pulls – for those hard-core Yogis out there
- Backward cross-legged pushes – for those backward Yogis out there. They call them igoYs, I think
- Lying heel pulls – great for the bottom muscles!
- Commando crawl – on your forearms (medium level) or on your hands (expert level)
- Superman or Captain Marvel style – hold on tight!
- Rockets – how far can you blast?
Let’s break down the benefits
- Building upper body strength. Strong shoulders provides a stable base down to the fingers, which helps with activities that require kids to use their hands. For example, fine motor control like writing, painting or using cutlery.
- Building lower body strength. Strong hips, knees and ankles helps with tasks like walking up hills, running, jumping and even with sports injury prevention.
- Building core strength. When sitting, lifting the arms or legs off the board works the core muscles (tummy and back). This helps with the ability to sit upright for longer and keep the body straight when swimming.
Bonus — Affordability!
A bonus is Scooter Boards are affordable. If you do a quick search online, you’ll see them in the shops for around $16.00. The best part is… it’s loads of fun! If you bring two scooter boards together – races and relays are a brilliant way of engaging those competitive kids (and big kids) out there. A little bit of sibling or parent-to-kid competition goes a long way.
