Heavy Work Information & Activities

Basic information
Heavy work is activity that requires effort from our muscles and these tasks usually
involve pushing or pulling or lifting. The movement activities create resistance input to
the muscles and this feedback is ultimately what calms and regulates the sensory
system.

The sensory system that is activated during heavy work activities is called the
proprioceptive system. The proprioceptive system receives messages when the muscles
move to do work. These messages flow back and forth to the brain. The brain decides
how much force a muscle should use based on the task at hand.

This allows children to use the correct amount of force when they need to hold something
gently or when they need to lift something heavy. It’s a complex system that is constantly
adjusting to make sure the brain is getting the right information from all the joints and
muscles in the body and as well as making sure the muscle output is appropriate to the
task. This concept is also known as body awareness and allows us to know where our
body is in space and how to move our body.

The take away message about the proprioceptive system is that it is a universal and
powerful regulator. By working with the proprioceptive system you can even out
disturbances in other sensory systems. You can increase energy levels if you need to and
you can reduce high energy levels to help children reach a calm, comfortable space to
interact with the world.

When to do heavy work activities

The beauty of heavy work is that they are really easy to incorporate at home, in the
classroom and in therapy settings. Adding heavy work to a child’s daily routine will
contribute to the development of their sensory processing.

Children will also gain valuable tools that they can use when the feel that they need to
regulate themselves. How often you use heavy work input will depend on the individual
child. Be guided by the child’s enjoyment and response to the activity that you introduce.

Consider including a heavy work activity in the morning before going to school and again
in the afternoon when children arrive home from school. Heavy work can also be
incorporated into bedtime routines to help the sensory system feel calm and restful. At
school, heavy sensory input for the whole class can be incorporated at regular intervals
during the day. Incorporating heavy work (and other sensory system input) into daily
functional tasks, or setting up a sensory lifestyle, are all concepts covered in the book The
Sensory Lifestyle Handbook.
 Types of Heavy Work Activities
PUSHING HEAVY WORK ACTIVITIES
Wall push ups – stand an arm’s length away from a wall and place both hands on
the wall at shoulder height. Bend your elbows and lean into the wall until your nose is
touching the wall. Return to the original position. Repeat ten times.
Chair push ups – sit in a chair with you palms on the seat of the chair at either side
of you. Push on your arms and lift your bottom and legs off the seat of the chair for a
few seconds.
Pushing a box across the room – fill a box with books or toys and kneel in front of it.
Push the box across the room.
Fill a laundry basket with laundry and ask your child to push it through the house.
Push a large therapy ball or medicine ball along the floor and up the wall as high as
you can go
Push a wheelbarrow or trolley

PULLING HEAVY WORK ACTIVITIES

Pulling on a rope – tie a rope to a tree, pole or secure door handle. Hold the rope and
see how far you can lean back while pulling on the rope. You only need one person
for this tug-of-war game!
Tug of war – if two or more children are available have a game of tug of war
Pull up bar – it may be tricky for children to perform pull ups but just hanging from a
bar is great work for muscles.
Pulling and stretching a piece of theraband or stretchy material.

JUMPING HEAVY WORK ACTIVITIES

Trampoline – this provides endless hours of heavy work activity. Wonderful
proprioceptive input while children enjoy the pleasure of jumping.
Jumping on a mattress on the floor or couch cushions placed on the floor.
Rocket jumps – crouch down and place your hands on the floor next to you. Count
down from ten and leap into the air raising both hands up to the sky. Repeat the
rocket launch a few times.
Star jumps / jumping jacks are great for co-ordination and heavy work.
Sitting on a small therapy ball and bouncing up and down.
Hopper balls with handles are also a fun way to bounce around.
Hopscotch
 Types of Heavy Work Activities
LIFTING HEAVY WORK ACTIVITIES
Carrying bags – allow children opportunities to carry bags of groceries or laundry at
home
Weighted backpack – place a few magazines in a backpack and encourage your
child to walk around with the backpack for a few minutes.
A message could be placed in the backpack and your child could deliver this
message to a family member at home or to another teacher at school.
Carry a stack of books
Carry a full laundry basket
Carry a full tote bag
Weighted stuffed animal

CHEWING AND SUCKING HEAVY WORK ACTIVITIES

Chew dried mango, or other dry fruit
Chew gum
Drink think liquids through a straw e.g. yogurt, thick milkshake
Specially designed necklaces, bracelets and toys are available for chewing.
Chew on a straw
Blow through a straw
Eat crunchy snacks
Drink a smoothie through a sippy cup with a straw-type top
Use a “crazy straw” in a cup. The smaller opening is great for oral motor input.
Play “Simon Says” with mouth exercises: Suck cheeks in/puff cheeks out/Make a big
“O” shape/Stretch out the tongue
Use a straw to suck and pick up pieces of paper. Transfer them carefully to a cup
using only the straw.
Use a sports bottle
Use a cup with a coffee stirrer straw

MORE RESOURCES
Visit Heavy Work Activities for more links and activity ideas:
https://www.theottoolbox.com/heavy-work-activities/
Want to use themed heavy work activities in therapy, home, the
community, games, and the classroom? Grab the Heavy Work
Activity card set: https://www.theottoolbox.com/product/heavy-
work-activity-cards/
 COPYRIGHT AND TERMS OF USE
Text and Images Copyright 2021
The OT Toolbox ® and Colleen Beck OTR/L
www.theottoolbox.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or

transmitted in any form or by any means, without written permission of the author.

You FiMay:
ne Motor Make copies for each student on your caseload or in your classroom. You
ace
Ten Fram
e

Outer Sp
may upload to teletherapy platforms, Google classrooms, and email to parents.

You May NOT: Upload to a school-wide classroom or server. Direct

parents/therapists/teachers to www.theottoolbox.com for their personal use. Do not
alter this file or document pages in any way. You may not post them in online
platforms such as Facebook groups, forums, websites, shared files, etc. Please direct
others to The OT Toolbox for access. You may not sell or profit in any way from these
files. Copyright The OT Toolbox ® 2021.

DISCLAIMER
This product, along with all products created by or hosted on The OT Toolbox ® sites
and social media channels, has been created for educational purposes only. The
information found in this publication should not substitute for medical advice from
a physician. If necessary, all children should be individually evaluated by an
occupational therapist. This publication does not substitute direct intervention from
a physician or occupational therapist. All activities should be completed with
common sense and with direct observation by a responsible adult. Use of the
activities in this publication indicate consent. The author of this publication and The
OT Toolbox ®, its contributors and affiliates are not liable for any injury caused to a
child by completing these activities. Your use of these materials indicates
agreement.

The OT Toolbox
www.theOTtoolbox.com