If your child suffers an injury or comes down with an illness that affects their physical fitness or range of motion, you will want to do everything in your power to get your child well again. You've likely already looked into options for local physical therapists and are eager to get your child started with professional help.

But physical therapy can be a long and daunting process even for adults, so you will want to do whatever you can to make therapy easier for your child. Here are some tips that might help your child get through his or her physical therapy program successfully.

Turn It Into a Game

Physical therapy can be repetitive. Your child might be asked to repeat the same motion multiple times. This may end up seeming like work or at the very least boring to a young child. Successful physical therapy usually requires that the patient continues practicing certain movements at home in between appointments. if you want your child to stay engaged with their program, try turning the therapy into a game.

For example, let's say your child has balance issues and their therapist wants them to work on their hand-eye coordination. One possible game you could play would be to blow bubbles into the air and have your child chase them down and "pop" them in between both hands. You don't even have to tell your child this is part of their "homework" for their physical therapist, you can just make it seem like a fun game.

Invite Friends Over for an Active Play Date

Another way to get your child to be more active and practice certain physical motions would be to get them outside running around with friends. Think of a sport or activity that will help your child practice the motions that the physical therapist wants them to focus on. If your child is playing with their friends or other family members, they won't even think about the fact that they are actually doing physical activity.

Practice in Short Bursts

Younger children especially probably won't be the best at maintaining focus for a long time period when it comes to repeating certain movements. What you can try instead is to get your child to repeat a certain movement multiple times within a short time period, and then do it again and again throughout the day. For example, if you are watching TV with your little one, make every commercial break a "stretching break."

For more tips on incorporating simple movements into your child's therapy, talk to a physical therapist today.