🎁 PT-Recommended Christmas Gifts for Kids: What Our Therapists Suggest & Why

Choosing Christmas gifts that are fun and developmental can make a huge impact on your child’s motor skills, sensory processing, and confidence. At Innovative Therapy Center, our physical therapists pulled together their favorite PT-approved holiday gift ideas—each chosen because it supports real therapeutic goals through play.

These aren’t just toys… they’re tools that help your child grow!

🎄 Our Top PT-Approved Gift Ideas

1. Peanut Ball

👉 Core strengthening

👉 Gross motor development: bouncing, rocking, rolling

👉 Improves coordination + postural alignment

👉 Supports children with hypotonia or poor trunk control

👉 Provides vestibular and proprioceptive sensory input

The peanut shape provides extra stability, making it perfect for upright sitting practice, movement play, and controlled strengthening.

2. Training Wheel Stabilizers

👉 Strength and endurance

👉 Motor planning and sequencing

👉 Builds aerobic capacity for kids with low stamina

These stabilizers help children safely practice biking mechanics while building leg strength, balance, and confidence. Perfect for practicing new

3. BOSU Ball

👉 Strength + balance

👉 Motor planning and full-body coordination

👉 Enhances proprioception and sensory integration

Kids can stand, kneel, squat, or step on it—creating countless opportunities for challenging whole-body movement play.

4. Stepping Stones

👉 Improves balance and motor planning

👉 Strengthens core and lower extremities

👉 Enhances proprioception through textures and varying heights

Great for obstacle courses at home, imaginative play, and building stability for kids with low tone or sensory processing differences.

5. Seated Scooter

👉 Builds core and upper-body strength

👉 Supports coordination, motor sequencing, and spatial awareness

👉 Provides rich vestibular + proprioceptive sensory input

👉 Strengthens legs and promotes reciprocal movement for gait skills

A clinic classic! Fun for indoor obstacle courses, hallway races, or sensory-regulating movement breaks.

6. Crash Pad

👉 Develops whole-body strength (jumping, rolling, crawling)

👉 Encourages motor planning in obstacle courses

👉 Provides deep pressure + proprioceptive input

Perfect for kiddos who crave big movement, heavy work, or safe crashing/landing practice.

7. Training Cones

👉 Agility training

👉 Teaches starting, stopping, turning, and changing directions

👉 Builds bilateral coordination, timing, and spatial awareness

Use for color games, relay races, or indoor/outdoor obstacle course setups.

8. Balance Cushion

👉 Improves postural control and balance

👉 Strengthens core, hips, and legs

👉 Enhances sensory integration through subtle movement feedback

Great for standing practice, weight shifting, single-leg tasks, or “active sitting” during homework.

9. Kids Mini Trampoline

👉 Builds lower-body strength and coordination

👉 Supports sensory regulation

👉 Improves endurance and confidence

A fun way for kids to burn energy indoors while developing controlled jumping and landing skills.

10. Balance Bike

👉 Develops dynamic balance and proprioceptive awareness

👉 Strengthens core and trunk control

👉 Builds motor planning with steering, timing, and sequencing

An excellent pre-bike option that teaches children to glide, balance, and coordinate movement more effectively.

11. Balance Beam

👉 Challenges static + dynamic balance

👉 Strengthens core and legs

👉 Supports righting and equilibrium reactions

These essential balance skills carry over into walking, running, jumping, and playground confidence.

12. Sensory Sole Inserts for Toe Walking

👉 Provides sensory feedback for improved body awareness

👉 Supports sensory integration for children who toe-walk

Children who toe-walk often seek proprioceptive input. These inserts provide the sensory grounding their body needs to support healthier walking mechanics.

🎁 Why PT-Recommended Gifts Make a Difference

At Innovative Therapy Center, we intentionally choose toys and equipment that:

✔ Support functional motor goals

✔ Encourage movement, strength, balance, and coordination

✔ Offer meaningful sensory input

✔ Build confidence through successful movement

✔ Integrate therapy into natural, joyful play

These gifts are kid-loved, parent-approved, and therapist-endorsed—making them the perfect mix of fun and skill-building for the holiday season.

🎄 Want Gift Ideas Tailored to Your Child?

Our team can personalize recommendations based on your child’s therapy goals, sensory needs, and developmental level if you are a current client.

✨ Contact Innovative Therapy Center today! 330-595-9059

Let’s help your child grow, play, and thrive this holiday season.

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