Stair Climbing
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Stair climbing is a challenging milestone that will begin with your child crawling up a few stairs around 1 year and eventually developing into navigating up and down stairs with one foot on each stair (reciprocal pattern) at age 4-5.
Around 2 years, children will walk up stairs without support. They usually begin by placing both feet on each stair (step-to pattern) and advance to reciprocal pattern by 3 years. Walking down the stairs is more challenging and they may begin walking down stairs without support with either step-to or reciprocal pattern around 2.5 years. Children will continue to advance this skill until they are able to complete a reciprocal pattern with no support or help from railing at 4-5 years.
As previously mentioned, stairs are a very difficult milestone to master. Stair climbing requires strength, coordination and motor control, and lots of balance. Let’s discuss some ideas you can try at home to advance your child’s technique.
Strength:
Sit to stands: Place a step stool on floor and have your child repeat sitting on stool and transitioning to standing.
Squats: To make this a little more fun, hide some of their favorite toys around the house on the ground and make them search for them while squatting to floor to pick them up.
Step-ups: If a flight of stairs seems daunting to your child, have them start with just stepping up and down on a step stool.
Scooter boards: Scooter boards are always a fun activity for kids. Have your child sit on the board and push forwards or backwards with both feet. Make it more challenging by having them alternate pushing or pulling one foot at a time.
Balance:
Single leg stance: Have your child play at low table for upper body support while they stand on one leg. You may have to hold their leg in the air to begin.
Compliant surfaces: Place couch cushions, a foam mat, or a balance disc on the floor and have your child stand on and walk across them while maintaining their balance.
Foot taps: Place a low object such as a water bottle or a can on the floor and have your child alternate tapping object with feet while standing.
Tips for stair climbing:
When children are learning to climb the stairs, stand behind them for support while walking up stairs and below them and slightly to the side when walking down.
Footprint markers are great for visual and tactile cues. Place two markers on each step first to develop step-to pattern and then advance to one marker on each step for reciprocal pattern.
An auditory cue may also be helpful. Try clapping, saying “1, 2” as they step on each stair, or even a metronome which you can usually find as a free app on your phone.
Foam stairs can be a great way for your little one to start crawling up stairs, especially if you don’t have stairs at home.
If you don’t have stairs at home, try looking in your community at parks, schools, or family/friends homes or begin with a 2 step step stool.
As your child is first starting to crawl and walk up stairs, use a baby gate to prevent them from trying unsupervised.
Begin with 4-5 stairs before trying the full staircase to make it less challenging on beginner.
As always, if you have concerns about how your child is crawling, please speak with your pediatrician or pediatric physical therapist for further evaluation. If you have any additional questions, you can reach out to Dr. Haley, PT directly at Haley@setinmotionphysicaltherapy.com. We look forward to hearing from you.