Many of my ideas for simple push, pull or squeeze activities for older children or adults with developmental disabilities come from observing how babies play. For example, the first INSTAGRAM post shows a baby pulling on ribbon while sitting inside a box. The box creates an enclosed and stable sitting space that enables the baby to concentrate on the pulling task on hand rather than worrying about falling over. She is working on developing her grasping skills, arm and shoulder strength, bilateral coordination, motor control, visual attention and problem solving. Not only that, she receives proprioceptive sensory stimulation from the resistance provided when pulling and tactile exploration.
The second post shows how I made a pulling task using a plastic bottle. It is easy to individualize or grade difficulty by providing
1. thinner or thicker cord,
2. bigger or smaller holes,
3. a greater or lesser number of ribbon or cords to pull or
4. Bottles with larger or smaller handles to grasp
Consider placing a vibrating object inside the activity container because the additional sensory stimulation frequently increases engagement and focus.