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Tips for Making Home Exercise Programs Successful!
What is a home exercise program (HEP)?
Why are they so important?
What are some things you can do to make them easier for families to carry over?
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Tips For Making Home Exercise Programs Successful!
If you're a parent or a therapist, you've likely heard about the importance of home exercise programs (HEPs) for children. These programs are essential tools for extending the benefits of therapy into everyday life, helping children develop critical skills.
Yet, the biggest challenge is often ensuring these programs are implemented consistently. We’ll explore what HEPs are, why they matter, and actionable strategies to improve their success—whether you’re designing them as a therapist or supporting them as a parent.
What Is A Home Exercise Program?
A Home Exercise Program (HEP) is like homework designed by a therapist to help a child make progress outside of their therapy sessions. It can include a variety of activities, such as:
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Sensory diets help regulate a child's sensory system.
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Primitive reflex integration exercises for developmental milestones.
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Fine motor activities like handwriting or hand strengthening.
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Gross motor exercises such as pushups or crawling patterns.
The goal is to reinforce the progress made during therapy sessions and help children succeed in different environments, such as home, school, and the playground.
Why Are Home Exercise Programs Crucial?
HEPs allow children to practice and generalize skills they’re learning in therapy. While one or two weekly therapy sessions can spark progress, additional practice at home can make those skills stick.
Think of it like working out: exercising once a week might maintain your fitness, but consistent effort is what brings real results. Similarly, children see more significant improvements when their exercises are integrated into their daily routines.
Challenges In Implementing HEPs
Both parents and therapists face obstacles when it comes to HEPs.
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For parents, it’s often about time. Busy schedules filled with work, school, extracurriculars, and therapy leave little room for additional tasks.
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For therapists, it’s about creating effective and manageable programs for families.
But with the right strategies, we can make HEPs less like a burden and more like achievable steps toward success.
Strategies for Therapists: Designing Effective HEPs
1. Start with the Family’s Priorities
Ask parents:
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“What is your biggest challenge at home?”
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“Which goals are most important to you right now?”
For example, if tying shoes is a top priority, focus the HEP on fine motor activities that directly support that skill. Keep it simple and manageable.
2. Provide Clear Instructions
Use visual aids like handouts or videos that parents and children can follow. Tools like checklists, sticker charts, or reward systems can make the program engaging for kids.
3. Empower the Child
Let children take ownership by involving them in planning their exercises. Offering them an incentive—like leading an OT session once they complete their program—can be highly motivating.
4. Explain the ‘Why’
Help parents and children understand the purpose behind each activity. For example: “Practicing this crawling exercise will help Johnny with core strength, which he needs to sit upright during class.”
Tips For Parents: Making HEPs Work At Home
1. Incorporate HEPs into Existing Routines
Add activities to natural parts of the day, like brushing your teeth or getting dressed. For example, to boost sensory regulation, include five minutes of “animal walks” before dinner.
2. Communicate with Your Therapist
Talk to your therapist if something isn’t working—whether it’s a lack of time or your child’s resistance. They can adapt the program to better fit your family’s schedule.
3. Make it Fun
Turn exercises into games or use a timer to create a sense of challenge. If your child loves superheroes, pretend they’re crawling like Spiderman or jumping like the Hulk.
4. Celebrate Progress
Even small wins deserve recognition. If your child completes their exercises three days in a row, reward them with a favorite activity or a special treat
Building A Collaborative Relationship
Therapists play a crucial role in maintaining open lines of communication, regularly checking in to evaluate progress, address challenges, and make necessary adjustments. Meanwhile, parents should feel confident and supported in sharing honest feedback and collaborating to refine the program to fit seamlessly into their family’s routine.
HEPs are a transformative tool for helping children reach their developmental milestones. By fostering clear communication, simplifying strategies, and keeping motivation high, HEPs can evolve from a chore into a meaningful and rewarding part of everyday life, creating lasting progress for the child and their family.
BORING, BUT NECESSARY LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
While we make every effort to share correct information, we are still learning. We will double check all of our facts but realize that medicine is a constantly changing science and art. One doctor / therapist may have a different way of doing things from another. We are simply presenting our views and opinions on how to address common sensory challenges, health related difficulties and what we have found to be beneficial that will be as evidenced based as possible. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or your children. Consult your child’s pediatrician/ therapist for any medical issues that he or she may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Rachel Harrington, Harkla, Jessica Hill, or any guests or contributors to the podcast, as well as any employees, associates, or affiliates of Harkla, be responsible for damages arising from use of the podcast.
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This podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on the podcast.
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