6 activities for children with Down syndrome

Some activities that stimulate various mental processes of these little ones.

Play is one of the best tools to promote learning in children, as well as to stimulate and enhance all kinds of cognitive abilities and skills. learning, as well as to stimulate and enhance all kinds of cognitive abilities and skills. Through these leisure and fun activities we find a way not only to entertain children but also to stimulate their intellect and strengthen bonds with them.

In addition, games as a means to stimulate cognitive abilities are one of the best resources in the cases of children with some kind of special physical or psychological condition such as Down syndrome. In these children, it is very important to stimulate certain mental functions to encourage their use.

Throughout this article we will present a series of activities for children with Down syndrome.

The importance of play in Down syndrome

As we mentioned earlier, play is essential at all stages of child development. The reason is that it is not only useful to entertain the little ones and to get them to have a good time, but also because it favors the correct development of the child.It is also useful for the proper development of personality and cognitive skills.

Through play, all children learn to know themselves as well as everything around them, including other people. They acquire all kinds of knowledge about their bodies and about how objects, instruments and utensils work.

As a general rule, children without any special health or psychological condition have the ability to learn to play on their own, although doing so with an adult reinforces the ability to interact with others as well as the bonds between them. However, this is not the case with children with Down syndrome.

In these cases, children with Down syndrome do not usually have the initiative to initiate play, so collaboration with an adult is recommended.Therefore, the collaboration and support of another person is recommended. Due to the physical and psychological characteristics of this syndrome, the child may show certain difficulties in learning to play.

As a consequence, the amount of time and effort invested to promote play are essential to favor all kinds of cognitive abilities; from personal autonomy to language, attention and psychomotor skills.

During the first months of life, it is advisable to start play routines without the use of toys.. In this way, through the gestures, expressions and words of the adult we favor the development of the capacity of representation and symbolization.

Children with Down syndrome require special play dynamics that emphasize these gestures and oral language, so that through imitation they can learn to make the appropriate gestures and movements. Finally, when games with objects and materials are introduced, the adult should guide the child to teach him/her how to use these tools correctly.

Recommended activities according to age.

As with other children, each stage in the life of a child with Down syndrome is characterized by the acquisition and development of skills and abilities. is characterized by the acquisition and development of a series of competencesIt is therefore recommended that the games be adapted to these periods of childhood.

1. Children between 1 and 2 years old

For the youngest children with Down syndrome, it is recommended to propose these games.

• When standing, place toys or eye-catching objects that motivate them to move.
• Walking holding hands and placing colored balls for them to hit.
• Construction of towers and manipulative games.
• Creative games with paints or crayons suitable for their age.
• Games to group colors, animals or objects.
• Reading children's stories with illustrations and drawings. and drawings. Asking the child about the drawings.
• Asking the child to use speech and words to ask for things.

2. Children between 2 and 3 years old

In this category of children, the type of activities proposed are the following.

• Games of mobility and coordination with balls. and coordination with balls.
• Manipulative games such as creating figures with plasticine.
• Listening and naming environmental sounds.
• Guessing games.

Activities according to cognitive area

From 3 years of age, the child with Down syndrome usually already possesses the language and motor skills necessary to perform a large number of activities with them. From this age onwards, it is advisable to carry out games that enhance each and every one of the cognitive abilities of the child..

Below we present a series of activities classified according to the cognitive area they are intended to stimulate in children with Down syndrome.

1. Stimulation of psychomotor skills

Games that promote the development of gross and fine motor skills help to strengthen the muscles of the hands and limbs, which forms the basis for the development of their own autonomy.

1.1. Putting the ball through the hoop

The game consists of placing a series of balls and hoops of different sizes for the child to pick up and make each ball into the corresponding hoop. We can also try that the balls and the hoops are of the same colors so that the child also has to guess which ball goes where.

1.2. Guessing the shape

This exercise is very useful to enhance fine motor skills as well as memory and attention. To do this, we provide the child with a sheet of paper with a series of dotted lines that has a series of dotted lines that the child has to join by dotting with an awl..

The child must dot the outline of the drawing, trying not to get out of it. Then, we can ask the child what shape or object it is.

2. Language stimulation

As well as the ability to move autonomously, the enhancement of language skills is essential for children with Down syndrome in order to gain greater independence. in gaining greater independence.

2.1. Theater and performance activities

In order to work on language fluency, memory and interaction with other people, we can stage small performances or theaters in which the child must recite short lines or phrases. We can also ask the child to read fragments of texts aloud while gesticulating.

These stories can show scenes from everyday life, as this will also facilitate the child's ability to improvise.

3. Stimulation of attention and memory

Encouraging attention in children with Down syndrome will favor their interaction with the environment. will favor their interaction with the environment and will enhance other skills such as memory and language.

3.1. Storytelling

These are activities in which an adult reads or tells a story that is interesting or to the child's liking. The objective is then to ask or ask them to tell us their version of the story in order to encourage attention, memory and information retrieval processes.

3.2. Matching the cards face down

In this activity we will have a deck of cards whose pictures can be matched two by two. The cards are placed in front of the child face down and the child is asked to match the cards.

The cards can only be picked up one at a time, so the child must remember where each card is placed. The child must remember where each of the pictures are placed in order to match them up..

4. Stimulation of autonomy

Throughout the child's life, he/she will be presented with a large number of situations in which the fact that he/she will autonomy will allow them to be independent and to be able to carry out all kinds of activities and and to be able to carry out all kinds of activities and interactions by himself.

4.1. We play shopping

Games and representations that involve simulating daily life activities such as shopping will allow the child to learn how to interact in such situations, as well as give him/her autonomy in performing operations with coins and bills, and managing his/her own money.

To do this we can play at shopping or markets, using bills and coins that the child can make himself or by using toys such as cash registers for children.