Building strength and skills: how vertical work benefits kids with disability

Working in vertical spaces engages a child’s body and brain in a way that differs from horizontal tasks. Instead of relying on gravity to stabilise their movements (as they would when writing on a flat surface), children must use core strength, arm control, and visual-motor coordination to complete tasks. This helps build foundational skills for learning and everyday independence.

Strengthens Postural Muscles for Better Posture and Stability

Reaching up to engage with objects on a vertical surface encourages children to activate their back, shoulder, arm, and wrist muscles. These muscle groups are responsible for postural control, which is essential for maintaining an upright position when sitting at a desk, using a computer, or even walking with confidence.

Children who struggle with low muscle tone, cerebral palsy, or other neuromuscular conditions can benefit from vertical activities that naturally encourage better posture and endurance.

Prepares Hands and Wrists for Writing and Fine Motor Tasks

One of the most overlooked benefits of vertical engagement is its impact on wrist extension – the upward bending of the wrist necessary for efficient handwriting and grip strength.

When children draw on an easel or manipulate objects on a wall-mounted board, they must extend their wrists, activating intrinsic hand muscles that support grip, pressure control, and hand stability. This positioning also improves pencil grasp, scissor use, and functional hand movements, which are critical for academic and daily living skills.

Improves Visual Tracking, Depth Perception, and Reading Readiness

Many children with disability experience challenges with visual tracking – the ability to follow a moving object or scan across a page efficiently. Vertical activities naturally encourage eye movement and hand-eye coordination, strengthening the brain’s ability to process spatial relationships.

For example:

• Copying from a board to paper becomes easier when a child is used to adjusting their visual focus between different distances.
• Reading and writing skills improve as children practice left-to-right eye movements, an essential skill for literacy development.
• Depth perception and spatial awareness are enhanced, making activities like reaching for objects, walking, and even playing sports more manageable.

Core Strength Benefits

Vertical activities don’t just work the arms and hands – hey also engage the core muscles that support balance, stability, and overall body control. When a child reaches, stretches, or maintains an upright posture during vertical tasks, they’re activating the muscles in their abdomen, back, and pelvis. This kind of core engagement is essential for tasks like sitting upright in a chair, moving with coordination, and maintaining balance during everyday activities. For children with disability, especially those with low muscle tone or postural challenges, vertical play can be a gentle and natural way to build trunk stability, helping them feel more grounded and in control of their movements.

Practical Vertical Activities for Strength and Learning

Now that we understand the benefits, here are some practical, engaging vertical activities that can be adapted for children with varying abilities.

Easel or Wall Art

• Encourage drawing, painting, or colouring on a vertical surface such as an easel, whiteboard, or butcher paper taped to the wall.
• This strengthens wrist extension, grip control, and fine motor coordination while allowing creative expression.
• For children with limited mobility, use adaptive grips or hand-over-hand support to guide movements.

Sticky Note or Velcro Board Games

• Place numbers, letters, or shapes on sticky notes and ask children to match or organise them on a vertical surface.
• This improves visual tracking, problem-solving, and hand strength while reinforcing literacy and numeracy skills.

Climbing or Reaching Tasks

• For children who can engage in gross motor activities, climbing walls, reaching games, or stretching exercises can improve upper body strength and coordination.
• Even simple tasks like placing objects on a shelf can encourage postural control and balance.

Magnetic or Felt Storyboards

• Creating a magnetic or felt board with characters and objects encourages storytelling, sequencing, and creativity.
• Children develop cognitive planning skills, language development, and fine motor control by arranging objects.

Vertical Sorting and Matching Games

• Using a Velcro board, pocket chart, or hanging organiser, children can match objects by colour, shape, or category.
• These activities build executive function skills, sorting abilities, and hand-eye coordination.

Building Independence and Confidence Through Vertical Work

Beyond the physical and cognitive benefits, vertical activities provide a sense of mastery and independence. Many children with disability experience frustration when tasks feel difficult, but vertical engagement often allows for more natural, successful movement patterns.

• For children with limited fine motor skills, vertical engagement encourages larger arm movements, which can be easier than precise tabletop tasks.
• For children with sensory processing challenges, standing while working can provide proprioceptive input, improving body awareness and regulation.
• For children who struggle with confidence, vertical tasks often feel novel and engaging, helping to build self-esteem through successful participation.

Encouraging a child to interact with vertical spaces fosters resilience, problem-solving, and confidence – all crucial life skills that extend far beyond childhood.

Incorporating vertical activities into a child’s routine is a simple yet powerful way to enhance motor skills, cognitive development, and independence. Whether through creative play, movement challenges, or structured learning tasks, working in vertical spaces helps children build the strength, coordination, and skills they need for everyday life.