Handwriting is a more complex process than you think. Some of the processes that are involved include fine motor skills, attention, postural control, visual perception, cognitive (literacy and language) and of course Sensory! Have you ever wondered if the sensory part is not working well then how does it affect your child’s handwriting?
Here are some of the ways how sensory issues can affect handwriting.
Sensory processing issues are difficulties with organising and responding to information that comes in through the senses. Often the child may be over-reactive, under-reactive, seeking or a combination of these three when responding to sensory input.
When this happens the child can have problems with their response to certain sounds, sights, smells, textures and movement. When handwriting the child can be sensitive to some sensory parts of the task. For example, the sound of pencil lead on paper, feel of paper on hand, even environmental sensory elements. For example, light reflections in the classroom, noisy classroom environment, other children walking around the room. This can make it hard for them to feel regulated when engaging in handwriting activities. They might often be distracted and disengaged from handwriting. A child might have delayed or be less reactive to sensory input in their environment. This can also impact their ability to write. For example, slow to initiate the task, unaware they’ve dropped the pencil.
If a child has poor touch discrimination the sensory information from their fingers does not provide enough information about what they are holding (this is a bit like wearing gloves, being blindfolded and manipulating a small nut and bolt). These children tend to rely a lot more on their vision to monitor what their hands are doing. When handwriting they will have difficulty adjusting pencil in hand to achieve appropriate grasp and control. Learning how to form letters correctly can be harder as well because they have trouble with shape and size perception. So providing adequate toucha and visual support is needed to help with their handwriting.
Just as our eyes and ears send information about what we see and hear to the brain, parts of our muscles and joints send messages to the brain so that we get a sense of our body positions. This is proprioceptive processing, we depend on this information to know exactly where our body parts are and to plan our movements. Through proprioception you know where your body is in space, legs crossed, leaning to one side etc. When you have poor proprioceptive processing it can make it difficult to hold and maintain the correct position of fingers, hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder and trunk to handwriting. You will also have problems with using appropriate pressure, so you might see the child pressing too hard or writing too lightly.
Vestibular processing provides us information about where our body is in space and whether the movement is up, down, fast, slow or angular. It helps you to maintain your balance, move well against gravity, maintain appropriate muscle tone, move your eyes efficiently, and feel safe and secure in space (physically and emotionally). It is closely linked with ocular and postural functions. When you have poor vestibular processing it can make it hard to coordinate eyes and head to copy from the board or worksheet. Difficulty with directionality and spatial organisation making handwriting messy because learning letter formations may not make sense.It can also contribute to your level of attention and arousal state. If the child seeks vestibular input then they may have difficulty handwriting due to the need for movement and can’t sit still.
When a child has difficulties with visual processing they may find visual discriminating of different letters and words very hard. Since they do not distinguish the letters well then they will mix up letters and may often have letter reversal when writing. This is not done on purpose and can also impact the child’s confidence and self-esteem for handwriting tasks. Visual motor control can also be weak. This is when the child has difficulty coordinating visual information from their eyes with precise motor output from their hands to copy shapes, letters and numbers. So this child knows how to do it but they can’t guide movement accurately to accomplish a visual motor task successfully.
Motor planning is the ability to figure out how to use our hands and body in skilled tasks. Good sensory processing is essential to motor planning (praxis). If a child has difficulties with motor planning or is dyspraxia they might find it harder to initiate handwriting tasks. They might even have trouble with coming up with ideas of what to write about. You might see that this can result in the child’s written work to be more simple and basic for their age because they do not know how to plan their written work well. They will benefit from more support on brainstorming and sequencing their ideas. Since the child will have difficulties planning and sequencing actions together for handwriting. You might see the child experience difficulty organising their handwriting materials on their desk. They can present to be a bit more clumsy and not stabilise the paper with their non-dominant hand and writing with the other hand. May also have more difficulties writing neatly on lines and within worksheets.
If you are concerned that your child may have sensory issues that affect their handwriting. Please seek Occupational Therapist advice for a handwriting assessment. Information on this blogpost about sensory issues and handwriting is general in nature.
Sensory Bin Ideas:
Sensory Bin Activities:
Our bodies and the environment send our brains information through our senses. We process and organise this information so that we feel comfortable and secure. We are then able to respond appropriately to particular situations and environmental demands. This is Sensory Integration.
It is a neurological process that occurs in all of us. We all take in sensory information from our bodies and the world around us. Our brains a programs to organise or "integrate" this sensory information to make it meaningful to us. The process of sensory integration contributes greatly to development.
If you have good sensory integration it usually happens automatically. You will be able to unconsciously filter out or make adjustment so that you can take in information need, and make adaptive responses to attend or focus on the things we need to be doing.
Children who have inadequate sensory integration, you might see
Professional treatment option for Sensory Integration is Ayres Sensory Integration. Intervention techniques are sensory motor activities usually in a specialised equipped sensory gym. The intervention will help with improving sensory foundations of sensory processing. Promote ability to adaptively respond to the environment and improve ability to engage in daily living activities (occupations). The occupational therapist should be trained and qualified in Sensory Integration.
]]>
This is a diagram to simplify how regulation is important. Every time we enter interactions with the child who's regulation is more vulnerable spend more time supporting regulation and build up. This is why...
Imagine regulation as the roots of the flower. Regulation is through the central nervous system not the child's choice (which we may consider as behaviours). It can change day to day, each hour, with a new demand or emotional change. When a child is trying to obtain regulation it may look like:
We want to support regulation first because it would create opportunities to promote parallel co-regulation play (the stem of the flower). This is when we might see more of joint attention for short period of time. This process is when we honor what the child's needs and acknowledge every intent they bring to us, this may look like:
Once parallel co-regulation starts cooking we can keep building on with more expansions of skills. The child might become the initiator of play. They know you see them and they are finding interactions more meaningful and fun. This may look like:
It is important to spend more time focusing on regulation. It is at regulation the child starts to build trust and meaning to the interactions we have with them. By making regulation a robust foundation it can make it easier to support higher level skills.
To read my other blog post about Development of Drawing Skills Click Here.
ACTIVITIES TO HELP DEVELOP DRAWING SKILLS:
Our babies feel and understand care and affection through touch. Infant massage is simple and natural. It can have a long lasting calming effect throughout your child's day. I will be sharing some tips and tricks on how to do a calming massage with your infant and explain the benefits behind why it can be helpful.
Based on classic patterns of sensory integration a more Fussy Baby can have difficulties modulating their responses. Sensory Modulation is the process in which the central nervous system (CNS - brain and nerves) regulates the sensory information. It is the process of increasing (exciting) or reducing (inhibiting) neural activity to keep that activity in harmony with all other functions of the nervous system. So the child can grade their behaviour in response to the intensity, complexity and novelty of the sensation. In other words, the child should not under or over react.
Fussy babies may experience poor regulation of sleeping, feeding and mood. They may find if more difficult to experience homeostasis. Caregivers may often be worried, overwhelmed, exhausted and confused how to support their child. Infant massages is a good calming and organising sensory activity that can help support attachment and help your fussy baby find homeostasis.
Therapeutic Benefits
1. INTERACTION
Infant massage promotes secure attachment with your child over time. It promotes verbal and nonverbal communication between you and your baby. Your baby also receives undivided attention from you.
2. STIMULATION
Infant massage aids in the development of your body's circulatory respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. It aids in sensory integration helping your body learn how their body feels and what it limits are. It also aids the generation of muscular development, muscle tone and contributes to their mind and body awareness.
3. RELAXATION
Regular infant massage improves sleep, increase flexibility and regulates behavioural states. It reduces levels of stress hormones and hypersensitivity. Massaging your baby creates higher levels of anti-stress hormones and promotes an improved ability to self-calm. It teachers your infant to relax in face of stress.
Tips and Tricks for Massaging your Baby
It's June! We are half way through the year. I hope that the second half of the year would get better for everyone. I'm back again with this month's calendar. The activities I've chosen are simple OT ways to enrich your child's environments and daily routine.
I really enjoy making these calendars. I aim to make them different, for each day of the week I have chosen a specific OT area to target. This month I've included REGULATION! It is EASY TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE just put into your cart and purchase for FREE!
This blog post is the instruction manual to carrying out the activities with your child. Try to bookmark this page to make it easier. Make sure to hashtag #OTwithEmily so I can see and share you using the activities.
Day 1 - Bake Cookies
Try bake something yummy together. It is a good functional opportunity to desensitise your child from different textures when exploring flour, water and mixing it together. The focus doesn't have to be the tastiest cookies but just having fun together and exploring the sensory experience. Let your child pour, scoop, measure, mix. Use cookie cutters. They could als have a go at cracking an egg.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 2 - Pencil Mazes
Fun activity to support pre-writing skills. You can tape mazes to a wall or vertical surface to even challenge their shoulder stability and wrist extension. Help your child to control his/ her pencil through the maze without touching the black lines. You can also say "stay on the train tracks or inside the tunnel". These skills will help your child with letter formation handwriting in the future. I have created some simple mazes for all ages Click Here to get for Free. If you don't want to print a good tip is to use a highlighter and create your own maze. Have your child draw inside the highlighter maze.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 3 - Tunnel Crawl
Tunnel play is appropriate for most children of all ages. If you don't have a tunnel you can make your own DIY one at home by putting up sofa cushions or chairs and a blanket or towel over the top. Making a roof with paper tapping it to both sides of the hall way.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 4 - Yoga Poses
Yoga can be practice by most children. You can use it as a movement break during your day or schedule it at specific times in the day (sensory lifestyle) to help your child maintain optimal arousal for engagement and learning. Click Here for my Yoga Rolling Game.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 5 - Visual Track Game
Visual tracking is important for daily activities like following your teachers writing not the board, tracking when a ball rolls away or transition during different activities (for more information visit my Visual Tracking Blog post). Click Here to download the visual tracking game for free (they go up in challenging levels). Ask your child to visually identify where each shape goes to. Use your eyes first as the challenge and then check using your finger.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 6 - Musical Instruments
Make a musical band together. If you don't have toy musical instruments like drums, pianos or rattles you can make DIY ones using kitchen equipment. They could drum pots and pants with a wooden spoon. You can make shakers by putting rice into a water bottle. Sing songs together and get creative!
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 7 - Put stickers on body parts
Play Simon says but try to give more sensory tactile feedback by using stickers. You can use any stickers and put on different body parts. You can put it on your child's body and then they can take it off. Or they can put it on your body.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 8 - Finger painting
Time for some messy play! If you want to keep it clean you can play with paint in the bathtub, on the walls in the bathtub or lay out a shower curtain not he floor before playing. If your child doesn't like touching the wet paint you can grade the activity by using paint brushes or sponges. If your child is young and may mouth paint. Try making finger paint with flour or cornstarch + food colouring.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 9 - Scissor Cutting
Scissor cutting is a functional skill that you can start helping your toddlers start to learn to snip. It is also a prewriting skill that can help children develop pencil control as well. Visit my Scissor Grasp post to learn how to hold the scissors correctly. You can cut snips or get really creative. I've also made a scissor skills bundle that you can download for FREE here.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 10 - Rolling
If your child prefers to be upright your child can stand up against the wall and rolls themselves across the wall. You can make it fun by putting a target on the wall Go sign and Stop sign. If your child can lie on the floor try to roll them or ask your child to roll themselves with momentum.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 11 - Blanket burrito
Weight and pressure to the body can be calming. Roll your child in a blanket or beach towel like a burrito, remember your child's head has to be outside of the blanket. Try to let your take lead and if they tell you to stop or add more pressure you can grade the activity to suit your child.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 12 - Jigsaw puzzle
We use puzzles very often in OT to support development.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 13 - Body play
Safe and appropriate physical fun strengthens muscles and teach your child what they can do with their body, how to protect themselves and how to anticipate movements. It's a good way to connect and get shared attention. See my sensory motor body play video for demonstrations and further explanation of benefits.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 14 - Put heavy groceries away
You can add this activity during your daily routine. They can help load groceries into the shopping cart during shopping. They can help carry them into the house and load the groceries at home. These actions are called "heavy work" which is a type of action that pushes or pulls against the body. This can have an organising affect on the nervous system.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 15 - Ice painting
Summer is here! Try ice painting with your little ones. Start with an ice tray filled with water and drop of food colouring in each space. You an also put a paddle pop, toothpick or cotton bud in each ice cube if you want each cube to have a small handle. I would encourage to get your child to use their fingers and touch it directly feeling that temperature difference.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 16 - Paper plate craft
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 17 - Stepping Stones
Make a stepping stone obstacle course at home. To make it motivating and goal oriented you can put puzzle pieces on one end and the puzzles on the other end. If you don't have stepping stones you can use boxes, books or pillows.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 18 - Bubble Volcano
Fun way to teach deep breathing. It can be calming and improve overall mood. All you need is to have a small cup. Pour in mixture of water, dish soap and a bit of colour paint (optional if you want to change the colour). Then put a straw in and blow to see all the bubbles flooding out.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 19 - Lacing
You can start simple with large beads and a more firmer string or pipe cleaner. You can make your own lacing activities punching holes in paper and using shoe lace strings.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 20 - Construction Play
Open-ended play with blocks, legos or duplos. Take tuns building towers, crashing it down. Try building a block structure and getting your child to copy and see if it's the same. Make bridges for cars to drive under.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 21 - Crashing Jumps
If you don't have a crash mat, try making one with lots of cushions combined together, bean bags or you can jump on the bed. You can count down and crash together from a higher surface jump down into your crash mat.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 22 - Sensory Zip Lock Bags
Sensory exploration without the mess. Sensory Zip Lock Bags are easy to create together, portable and inexpensive to make. You can fill the bags with water, hair gel, sprinkles, glue, baby oil, shaving cream and flour. You can write on the bags or search for little toys inside.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 23 - Draw a person
Draw a picture of a person along side your child. Talk through the drawing. You can support with hand over hand initially and grade until your child can imitate. Add all the body part and maybe have a laugh if any body parts of missing or out of proportion.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 24 - Fitball exercises
Fitball exercises is an activity that we do very often in OT. Depending on how old your child you can play lots of different games and exercises using the fitball. See my video for some activity ideas:
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 25 - Listen to nature sounds
Try to relax together listen to nature sounds before bed time or after a bath to calm down.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 26 - Dot shapes
Download my dot shapes printout here. Start getting creative you can draw inside the circles, make play dough balls, put sticker on it or colour the dots.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 27 - Food play
Food play can be really good for children. Have a large tray or bowl. Finger paint, scoop, pour and explore for a fun tactile experience. You can have a mirror in front so they can get more visual feedback for the motor coordination to bring it to their hands. Some food ideas: yogurt, baby food, smashed bananas, pureed fruits for paint.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 28 - Walk backwards
This one might be a tricky and fun one. Hold your child's hand and help them walk backwards. You can put tape on the floor so there is more visual feedback. You can challenge and grade it by making them go fast or slow.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 29 - Freeze dancing
This can be used as a brain break or movement break during the day to help refocus your child. Play some music and when you pause the music FREEZE! Try using fast or slow songs.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 30 - Torn paper art
If you have some scrap paper or coloured paper start by tearing them into small pieces. Glue the small pieces onto another piece of paper to make an art work. If you want to make it more try have your child tear and then scrunch them into a ball between the thumb and pointer finger.
Therapeutic Benefits:
]]>
I've always wanted to start OT blogging and finally this is it! Come along with me on this new journey. My blog is inspired by my love of being a children's occupational therapist. I write for parents, teachers and professionals. I aim to provide a good mixture of practical and simple content that you can read, learn from and implement immediately to help your children. I will provide education on various OT topics, resources, printables and activity/ treatment ideas.
I genuinely hope that my blog can be like an extension of me, a helping hand to more people that I am not able to physically or directly work with. Even if some of the ideas and content make the *tiniest* little improvement to your lives, it brings a smile to my face.
My blog also has a shop! Which I'm really excited to share with you. Toys are obviously a big part of children's therapy. Throughout many years of using endless amount of toys and experimenting with new ones. I've realised that I have a few favourites that are my go-to reliable toys. My store is a collection of these toys and resources that I know works! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
If you have any topics or questions you would like for me to write about let me know by shooting me a quick email otwithemily@gmail.com.
]]>Occupational Therapy is often abbreviated as "OT". The confusing part about OT is the word "occupation". Children don't work or have a job? Actually, a child has a job just like we do. Their job is to learn, play, make friends and go to school. If a child has a disability or delay this can significantly impact their ability to engage in these "jobs". This is when an OT will be involved and provide intervention to help the child and their families.
OT's use a holistic approach to their practice. They focus on wellness, managing chronic neurological or developmental conditions, improving function and supporting independence. So the child can participate in their everyday life with their families and lead happy and meaningful lives.
Paediatric OTs work with children themselves and their team which will include parents/ caregivers. It may also include Doctors, Speech Pathologists, Teachers and Psychologist. OTs can work in a variety of settings to support your child. They can work in clinics, hospitals, schools, in the community etc. OT will provide tailored intervention for each child's specific needs, their strength and challenges.They will develop the best possible way to improve your child's functional skills, help your child find other ways of doing task that are difficult and/or use tools to make performing activities easier.
Developmentally children learn through play. So often Paediatric OTs are specialist in using Play in their intervention to facilitate change and skill acquisition. Children are highly motivated when they are playing and having fun - so skills improve much more quickly when a combination of fun and therapeutic intervention is combined. Research evidence has indicated that through play the child's brain makes more connective pathways so it's natural for you to watch a Paediatric OT session and see lots of playing. But don't worry everything a children's OT does in a session is with purpose and is part of helping your child achieve those goals.
Therapy may consist of direct exercises and activities to build specific skills that are weak - OTs may play games, use toys, crafts and other sensory motor exercises. Intervention can be provided in a specialised therapy room with sensory equipment. Using therapy techinques they will create opportunities in structured or adaptive manners to engage your child, their minds and body to promote development in different areas. They will collaborate with parents and caregivers. Parents can participate in sessions, sometimes this may not be possible and OTs can support with follow up activities for reinforcement and carryover of skills at home.
The earlier a child starts OT, the more effective it tends to be. There are lots of research evidence supporting early intervention and how it can improve a child's overall development. In simple terms, when the child is younger their interactions with therapy will more likely make lasting neural changes and connections, so treatments have a better chance of being effective in the longer term. OTs will also be able to support parents early on how to help their child.
Occupational Therapist are highly trained and have to complete a degree or masters at University level to qualify. Most OTs will also have further certification and specialist skills in different areas. Depending on what your child would benefit from it is important to do some investigating in the therapy approach your child's therapist uses. Whether that may be Motor Learning & Skill Acquisition, Ayres Sensory Integration, Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship Based Model (DIR Floortime), Behavioural Approach or Protocols. They may use one or a combination of these Therapy frameworks.
The World Federation of Occupational Therapists provides the following definition of Occupational Therapy:
“Occupational therapy is as a profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by enabling people to do things that will enhance their ability to participate or by modifying the environment to better support participation.”
]]>
How is it May already? In these difficult times, some structured activities might come in handy to stimulate your child, get them moving and challenge them in new refreshing ways so they keep making those steps towards their therapy goals. These activities are also simple ways to enrich your child's environments and daily routine.
My calendar includes a variety of different OT activities. For each day of the week I have chosen a specific area OT area to target. They are suitable for most children and all activities have options to grade for more difficulty or make it easier to meet your child’s needs.
It is EASY TO DOWNLOAD just put into your cart and purchase for FREE!
Think of this page as an instruction manual - I will describe how to do each activity on the calendar and list "why" they are helpful for your child. So try to bookmark this page to make it easier! I will also upload videos on my Instagram account if you would like to do it along with me follow @OTwithEmily. Make sure to hashtag #OTwithEmily so we can all see and follow along to support each other and have fun!
Day 1 - Flashlight Tag
You can move the flashlight on the floor or on the wall in a dark room and your child tries to catch the spotlight. A good trick is to flash it on their feet or on your body part to catch their attention! You and your child can both have a flashlight. Both lying on your back looking at the ceiling you move your light around the ceiling or walls and your child's flashlight tries to catch you. You can make it more challenging if the child has to hold it with both hands, right hand or left hand only. Try grading how fast or slow the flashlight moves.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 2 - Ball games
Sit down with legs apart pass the ball to each other count how many times. Standing up throw and catch. Kick the ball to each other. Try to play bowling stack up some paper cups and throw to knock them over.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 3 - Animal Walks
Pretend to be an animal you can use it part of your transition to another room or a new activity, for obstacle courses and a warm up activity before task that requires your child to sit down and concentrate. My favourite walks are bear walk, crab walk and froggy jumps!
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 4 - Sensory Bin
Have your child find objects that have been buried in a large container of dry rice, beans, lentils or small pieces of pasta.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 5 - Q-Tip Painting
Use Q-Tip or cotton buds to do dot paintings stamping. Have fun mixing colours. Write letters or draw shapes and paint dot-to-dot following the lines. If you would like to download my free Mother's Day Q-Tip painting printable click here.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 6 - Jumping Letters
Draw letters on post it notes or pieces of paper - your child can help you with this. Tap it to the floor different positions. Your child can jump from one letter or shape/ number to another. There are many variations you can create with this game:
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 7 - Dress Up
Make a dress up box or suitcase together filled with old clothes e.g. one of your old dresses, dad's old big T-shirt, hats, headbands, googles, beanie, scarf, apron, boots, sandals, chunky jewellery. Have fun dressing up and looking in the mirror. Change into different outfits and play pretend.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 8 - Shopping Visual Memory
Tell your child to go you went shopping, place 4-5 objects you bought on a tray (pen, block, watch, sunglasses). Ask your child to look at the objects for 30 seconds and cover the tray. See if your child remembers. Take turns choosing the small objects to put on the tray. You can be silly and say something that isn't possible like 'watermelon'. Try having less objects or choose objects that your child is familiar with to make it easier.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 9 - Water Play
Try making a water sensory bin or simply play in the bath tub! Scoop toys, pour, splash, put scents in the water using essential oils.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 10 - Wheelbarrow
Ask your child to kneel down and place hands in front of their body. Grasp their legs and lift while your child presses their hand on the floor to walk to support their weight. It is easier for your child if you hold under the thighs near the hips (age 3 or 4). To make it harder hold their legs above the knees and even harder at their ankle. Try putting a target where they have to walk to or collecting puzzle pieces.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 11 - Freely Game
Have a bag that you can use that is not see through and big enough for your child to put both hands in. Place objects in the bag and ask your child to feel on and guess what it is without looking. Then your child can pull it out to see if they were right! Helpful to make sure your child knows how to name each objects. Put less objects in to warm up. To make it harder ask him to find a specific object.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 12 - Straw Jewellery
If you have some spare straws try making straw jewellery. Cut the straws into pieces and lace them. Alternative use pasta or cheeros as the beads.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 13 - Blanket Swing
Activity requires 2 adults. Use a blanket or large beach towel to swing your child like they are inside a hammock. Try slow linear linear swing and sing a song interact with your child to promote connection and shared attention. Stop the swinging after counting to 10 or the song finishes. See if your child wants to go again, if yes with high affect wait for the "more" or "go" to start again.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 14 - Lacing Board
Play with lacing cards if you have them or make one out of cardboard or paper plates. Poke holes along the edges and use shoelaces to lace. I have made a printable lace shape card as a printable you can download here.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 15 - Colour by Number
I have made a downloadable colour by number that you can download and print to use. You can also easily make one yourself by drawing a simple shape and putting numbers for each or your child can make one.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 16 - Paper Play
Simple and easy game! have some scrap paper, butchers paper, or old magazine. Have fun tearing the paper, scrunching them together, having a paper snow ball fight, kicking the paper. Try "ready set go" then tear the paper with anticipation high affect on your face to draw connection.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 17 - Play Wrestling
Stand opposite each other, plant your feet on the floor one foot in front of the other. Have both hands out and push each other's hands with resistance. First person to give up or lose their place 'fall down' loses. Try lying on the floor and pushing each others feet - this one is more tricky
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 18 - Blow Cotton Balls
Use a straw and blow cotton balls or pom poms to the finish line. Blow them off the table. Be silly and make a funny noise when they fall off the edge.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 19 - Playdough & Putty
Playdough or putty are classics and have irreplaceable benefits ! Have fun rolling, mould, squeeze, pinch, use cookie cutters, cut with scissors, make letters or a play dough person with all the body parts. Hide small toys inside and dig them out with your fingers.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 20 - Office Chair/ Laundry Basket Spin
Have your child sit on an office chair or inside a laundry basket push and spin them around. Maybe try singing the Wheels on the Bus and on round your spin them.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 21 - Matching Sock Game
Have a pile of socks in the middle when you say "go!" your child race you to find matching pairs of socks and be the first to put them on. Then try to be the first to take them off.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 22 - Balloon Bean Bag Toss
Fill balloons with rice using a funnel. Your child can help scoop the rice inside. Then standing on a pillow throw the bean bags into a target or container.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 23 - Blow Bubbles
Blow bubbles with different wands, toys or straws. Have your child stand on a cushion and try to pop them without leaving the island. Pop bubbles in the bath tub!
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 24 - Cross Crawl
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 25 - Shaving Cream
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 26 - Red & Green Dot Letters
Use coloured dots to help your child know where to start and finish each letter, such as a green dot at the start, and red dot at the finishing point. This concept can also be used when learning numbers. For my free printable of alphabet green & red dots click here
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 27 - Balloon Volleyball
Try keep the balloon in the air as long as you can. Don't let it touch the floor! You have to keep hitting ballon and work as a team. Try counting how long you can keep it going for.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 28 - Musical Dressing
Have pile of clothes in the middle turn on the music - this is when your child can put on articles of clothing as fast as they can before the music stops! The winner is the child with the most clothing on when the music stops
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 29 - I Spy
Try playing this game using the colour of objects as a clue rather than the first letter. Look out the window and play I Spy
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 30 - Parachute Sheets
Take a bed sheet or blanket and lay it on the floor. You hold one side and your child hold the other side. You can bounce small object on top, lift it up and run underneath, play peekaboo. Sing a song as you bounce the sheets up and down making waves.
Therapeutic Benefits:
Day 31 - Guess Drawings
Therapeutic Benefits: