At Catching Waves Therapy, we begin every pediatric aquatic therapy program with a thorough evaluation to understand each child’s unique abilities, needs, and goals. This process helps determine how aquatic therapy can best support their physical, sensory, and functional development.
Assessment & Evaluation: Our therapists observe and evaluate the child’s movement, strength, coordination, balance, sensory processing, and functional skills. We consider medical history, developmental milestones, and any prior therapy experiences to identify areas where aquatic therapy can provide the greatest benefit. This step ensures that every recommendation is tailored to the individual child.
Individualized Plan of Care: Based on the evaluation, we create a personalized plan of care that outlines specific goals and therapy strategies for each child. Aquatic therapy sessions are designed to address the child’s unique needs, whether it’s improving gross motor skills, enhancing balance and coordination, supporting fine motor development, or promoting sensory regulation and emotional well-being.
Ongoing Monitoring & Adjustment: Progress is closely monitored throughout therapy, and the plan of care is updated as the child grows and develops. This individualized approach ensures that each session is meaningful, effective, and aligned with the child’s evolving abilities and goals.
Goal of Aquatic Therapy: Our ultimate goal is to use the properties of water to provide a safe, supportive, and engaging environment where children can explore movement, build skills, and gain confidence, helping them thrive both in the pool and in their daily lives.
Aquatic therapy allows children to safely build strength, endurance, and motor control through the natural resistance of water, which works all major muscle groups—including the core, arms, and legs—without putting stress on the joints. It also supports walking, jumping, running, and other gross motor activities, enhancing coordination, balance, motor planning, and overall body awareness.
For children with walking difficulties, aquatic-based gait activities promote proper mechanics, improve efficiency, and reduce the risk of falls. Water reduces the effects of gravity, allowing children to move with less effort and less fear of falling, which makes it easier for those with motor delays, low muscle tone, or coordination challenges to practice movements they may avoid on land. Additionally, the warmth and buoyancy of the water help relax muscles, making stretching and mobility exercises more comfortable and effective.
The flowing, ever-changing environment of water provides a natural and gentle challenge to a child’s balance and coordination. As children move through the water, they must continuously adjust their posture and muscle activity to stay upright and stable. This process strengthens core stability, improves body awareness, and enhances motor planning skills.
Because water supports and cushions movements, children can safely explore a wider range of motions and practice challenging balance tasks without the fear of falling. Over time, these experiences help children develop better control, confidence, and overall coordination, which can translate to improved balance and stability in their daily activities on land.
Aquatic therapy provides a structured yet engaging environment that helps children improve focus, attention, and the ability to follow directions. The unique properties of water, such as its sensory input, resistance, and buoyancy, capture children’s attention while supporting motor control and self-regulation.
During therapy, children participate in guided activities that require listening, responding to cues, and completing sequential tasks. This helps strengthen their ability to follow instructions, sustain attention, and practice task completion in a motivating and playful setting. Over time, these skills can carry over into classroom, home, and daily routines, supporting learning, participation, and independence.
Water provides a rich and unique sensory environment that helps children process and respond to sensory input more effectively. The gentle pressure, warmth, and movement of water create calming and organizing sensations that support self-regulation.
For children who are sensory-seeking, aquatic therapy offers stimulating input in a safe, controlled way, while children who are sensory-sensitive can experience the water as soothing and comforting. These experiences help children build sensory tolerance, improve focus, and develop strategies to manage sensory challenges in their daily lives.
Aquatic therapy provides a fun and supportive environment for children to develop fine motor skills. The resistance and buoyancy of water encourage grasping, reaching, and manipulating objects, helping to strengthen hand muscles and improve coordination. Play-based activities with water toys, pouring, squeezing, and floating objects also enhance hand–eye coordination, bilateral coordination, and dexterity.
By practicing these skills in the water, children gain confidence and control, which can carry over to daily tasks such as writing, drawing, buttoning, and other fine motor activities on land. The engaging, playful nature of the pool makes these exercises motivating and enjoyable while supporting meaningful skill development.
Aquatic therapy can support the development of essential self-care skills. The buoyancy of water makes movements like reaching, bending, and lifting easier, allowing children to safely practice dressing, bathing, grooming, and other functional tasks in a playful environment. By incorporating ADL-focused activities into therapy, children build independence, coordination, and confidence, which can translate directly to their daily routines on land.
The soothing properties of water—its warmth, gentle pressure, and movement—create a calming environment that helps children manage stress, anxiety, and emotional challenges. In the pool, children can engage in playful, motivating activities while learning to recognize and respond to their emotions, practice coping strategies, and develop self-regulation skills.
Aquatic therapy provides a safe and supportive space where children can explore movement and sensory experiences, helping them build confidence, focus, and emotional control. Over time, these skills can carry over into daily life, supporting overall emotional well-being and resilience.
Safety is a fundamental part of pediatric aquatic therapy. In the pool, children learn to navigate their environment with awareness and confidence under the guidance of trained therapists. Aquatic therapy emphasizes safe movement in and around water, teaching children important skills such as maintaining balance, recognizing hazards, and responding appropriately to changing situations.
Through structured, supervised activities, children develop a strong understanding of personal safety, body awareness, and spatial orientation. These lessons not only keep children safe during therapy sessions but also build lifelong habits that translate to greater confidence and independence in everyday environments.
Aquatic therapy provides a safe and supportive environment where children can try new movements, practice skills, and take on challenges without fear of injury. The buoyancy and resistance of water allow children to succeed at tasks that may feel difficult or intimidating on land, helping them experience a sense of accomplishment.
Through repeated practice, playful activities, and guided support from therapists, children gain confidence in their abilities, learn to trust their bodies, and develop a positive attitude toward learning new skills. This growing self-assurance often carries over into daily life, encouraging independence, resilience, and a willingness to participate in new experiences both in and out of the water.
Play is an essential part of pediatric aquatic therapy, making sessions both enjoyable and highly effective. The pool provides a safe, motivating environment where children can explore, experiment, and practice new skills through fun, structured activities.
Therapists use games, toys, and creative challenges to encourage movement, coordination, problem-solving, and social interaction. This playful approach helps children stay engaged, practice therapeutic goals naturally, and build confidence while developing important physical, cognitive, and social skills. By learning through play, children are more likely to actively participate, retain new skills, and enjoy the therapy process.
At Catching Waves Therapy, we believe that caregiver involvement is key to a child’s success in aquatic therapy. Our therapists provide guidance, education, and practical strategies to help caregivers understand their child’s needs, progress, and how to support skill development at home.
Caregivers learn about the therapeutic goals of each session, ways to reinforce motor, sensory, and functional skills outside of therapy, and strategies for promoting safety, confidence, and emotional regulation. By empowering caregivers with knowledge and hands-on guidance, we ensure that therapy gains are reinforced and carried over into daily routines, helping children achieve their full potential both in and out of the pool.
Pediatric aquatic therapy uses water-based exercises and activities to support children’s physical, sensory, and functional development. At Catching Waves Therapy, we offer both occupational therapy and physical therapy in the pool, ensuring each child’s individualized needs are fully addressed.
By harnessing the unique properties of water, such as buoyancy, resistance, and calming sensory input, our therapists create a safe, engaging environment where children can develop skills with confidence and ease. Water reduces the effects of gravity, making movement easier and safer for children who may struggle on land. The warmth and gentle pressure of water provide powerful sensory regulation, while its natural resistance helps build strength, coordination, and endurance.
Most importantly, the playful nature of the pool boosts motivation. This combination of fun, support, and therapeutic benefit makes aquatic therapy an effective and enjoyable way for children to grow, thrive, and reach their full potential.
