Family friendly activities will help you incorporate therapy activities into exciting outings. After a quarantine, what could be better than visiting Denver Parks or Denver Metro Parks? Most of them provide family friendly activities, and if they are open, they are participating in social distancing and providing a safe environment. Many of their programs are outdoors, and all have handicap accessible parking and facilities if you need them.
Using What You Know
We know that each child has unique requirements in meeting their needs and matching their activities to their interests. When you look over what each park has to offer, you will know which activities or programs your child will get excited about and which ones will provide the skill-building techniques that will give them the most benefit. These parks will allow for entertainment for your entire family. Every child will enjoy playing, social interacting, and exploring different environments, and all of the Denver Parks and Denver Metro Parks will provide these activities in varying degrees.
The Kinds Of Activities Available In Denver And Surrounding Areas Parks
Many of the parks have had to change their usual activities due to the virus. You should expect children over eleven and adults to need a mask, often even for outdoor activities. Also, there are limitations on how many people are allowed into specific areas, like swimming. You can read about the restrictions when you visit this web site that covers statewide parks. You will find great parks near you here. Colorado Parks and Wildlife
The available activities include:
- Picnic tables are available in almost any park. A field and a blanket would work just as well.
- Depending on your children’s ages and abilities, bicycling as a family might be a fun activity, and many parks offer bikes and trails.
- Fishing turns into a lifetime love for many people. Some parks have canoes or fishing piers.
- Horse-back riding is exciting for most people, and it is also often used for different kinds of therapy.
- Play-grounds can provide active exploration and positive social activity.
- Hiking trails give the entire family time to enjoy nature, have conversations, and see beautiful views.
- Boating goes along with other activities like fishing, skiing, swimming, and being pulled through the water on a large inner-tube.
- Swimming will always be a summertime favorite.
- A Family Shooting Range is available at the Cherry Park Pavilion near Denver.
- Some parks offer a balcony or overlook where wildlife viewing is possible.
Talk to your SLP (Speech-Language Pathologist) or Whoever provides your Occupational Therapy about your trip ahead of time to get suggestions about other things you can do or ways you can help include Therapy in any of these activities. If you were getting speech therapy through school and stopped, you might be able to get advice through a private therapist near you. Keep working on the things that your child has mastered to be sure that they stay habitual, and keep them as physically and socially active as possible.
Parks And Recreational Activity Recommended By Doctors
Since 2009 many healthcare providers have coordinated with their State’s Parks and Recreation Departments and their State’s Department of Health and started giving out “Park Prescriptions.” These prescriptions are notes written on notepads with the Rx symbol printed on them. They tell their patients to visit a State Park or recreational area. Working together in this way supports the use of their State Parks, and it also encourages their patients to get outside and enjoy nature. Physical exercise is good for their health in general, and being out in nature is believed to help mental and emotional health. You may be surprised by how beneficial a day out with your family turns out to be, and using nature to meet the therapeutic needs of children is one of the least expensive and best ideas you will find.
- Barr Lake
- Bear Creek Park
- Castlewood Canyon
- Chatfield State Park
- Cherry Park Pavilion
- Cherry Creek State Park
- Eastlake #3 Park & Nature Preserve
- Garden of the Gods
- Hentzell (Paul A) Park
- Hunters Glen Lake Park
- Ken Mitchell Park
- North Standley Lake Open Space Park
- Red Rocks and Amphitheatre
- Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
- Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail
- Roxborough State Park
- Ruby Hill Park
- Westerly Creek Park