Happy National Physical Therapy Month! Every year when the month of October rolls around, physical therapists around the country celebrate the ever-growing profession that we have become a part of. This year, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is hosting a "50 Days 50 Ways" challenge, providing individuals with a new tip each day on how to help maintain an active lifestyle and prevent injury. While many of these tips are geared towards an older population, there are definitely some tips that can be adapted for the pediatric population. While the APTA has not released all 50 tips, we wanted to share a few that have been released and how they may be able to be implemented in a child's lifestyle as they continue to grow and explore their environments!

Tip # 1: Use the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.

-Stairs are a great way for children to build the strength in their legs. Often times, children begin walking up the stairs using a step-to pattern, placing both feet on each step before climbing to the next one. As their coordination and strength improve, they begin to use a step-over-step pattern, placing one foot on each step. As their stability and confidence improve, they will begin to attempt without a hand railing or without asking to hold an adults hand. When at the park, encourage your children to use the stairs on the play-structure. Or when out in the community, encourage your children to step up/down the curb rather than walking up the ramp!

Tip #2: Exercise during a favorite TV show (or at least the commercials!)

-The TV or other forms of technology such as iPhones, iPads or the Wii, serve as great motivators for children in this ever-advancing technological society. If you're having trouble getting your child to complete activities at home that have been recommended as part of a home exercise program, technology can be a wonderful tool. One strategy is to make a list of activities that you'd like the child to complete. While watching a favorite TV show, encourage your child to complete one activity at each commercial break. Once completed, they can either place a sticker next to the activity or check it off. The same can be used with an iPad application or video game that they enjoy; each time they complete an activity then can play with the application as a reward!

Tip #3: Walk as much as you can. Remember an object in motion stays in motion.

-This tip serves as a reminder that the more a child practices a skill, the easier it becomes. This is especially important when a child is learning to walk. When an infant first begins to stand, they demonstrate a high guard posturing, where their shoulders are rotated outwards with their elbows bent. Children often use this strategy as an attempt to decrease the degrees of freedom that are involved in the complex skill of walking so there are fewer components to think about. With practice, the children learn to release these degrees of freedom, allowing them to demonstrate improvements in the skill. As the saying goes, "practice makes perfect" and this couldn't be truer when a child is learning to walk.

We hope you will join us in celebrating National Physical Therapy Month during the remainder of October! If you are interested in the remaining tips of APTA's "50 Days 50 Ways" campaign, please click here.