At Prior's Court, we are aware that exercise is a key factor is helping the young people we support regulate their emotions and teach them essential skills. We are also aware that every young person is different, so what works for one young person might not work for their peers. In order to ensure that every young person is able to access the form of exercise that best suits them, we offer a number of different types. 

One of these is regular scooterboarding sessions in the gym. Scooterboards are such an important aspect of exercise as they provide a means of strengthening core muscles and developing upper body strength, which in turn helps to develop stability and confidence with movement. 

During these sessions, the young people may use resistance bands for strength training and sensory input, or may sit on boards and be pulled around by staff members or peers, or may use a small ramp to knock down foam blocks. These activities may seem pointless, but they provide fun and motivating ways of developing a young person's proprioception (the awareness of one's body in space). 

When a young person sits on a board and goes down a ramp into some blocks, it teaches them that movement actions have predictable consequences, just like how throwing and catching a ball does. It also strengthens core muscles as they have to sit up on the board and not tough the ground in order to roll, and develops their balance which leads to more confidence in their general movement. 

Balance and core strength are also key beneficiaries when a young person is pulled around on the long snake-board. This has the added benefit of sensory input through the vibrations of it being dragged along the floor, and the choice of either sitting and being pulled, or pulling their peers along. 

Scooterboarding is also a lot of fun, and it can be a huge motivator for the young people! It also provides an opportunity for the young people to play with their peers, teaching them social skills at the same time.