Paint Monsters

OT Activity of the Day:

Paint Monsters

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This was a fun craft and also a great calming activity at the end of our sessions today.  All you need is some paint, paper, a straw, googly eyes, glue and markers.  Though if you don't have any googly eyes, you can easily make the eyes with markers after the paint is dry.

First you put a bit of paint on the paper.  Next take the straw and start blowing the paint around!  This is a great way to promote taking a deep breath, a useful strategy for calming down.  Once you have the desired size, you can start adding arms and legs to your monster using markers.  Then you can either add googly eyes or draw eyes on, it's up to you!

This would be a great strategy for after school hours or after outside play to help with the transition to more quiet play.  Just make sure your child doesn't suck the paint in!

Enjoy!

Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt!

OT Activity of the Day:

Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt!

Target Age Range: 13 and up

Today we took one of our older clients to the store to work on their grocery store knowledge.  This was a fun activity and really honed in on the child's problem solving, sequencing, and writing skills.  If you can make a table in a Word document, then you can make a grocery store scavenger hunt!  

On this list are items that the child tends towards, or we've used in the past to make meals in the kitchen.  The idea is that they get a better understanding of the cost of some of these preferred items so we can start planning ahead (together) with our meal prep and bringing the appropriate amount of money with us when we go to the store.

Enjoy!

Building a Campfire

OT Activity of the Day:

Building a Campfire!

Target Age Range: 3 and up

Today we built a campfire and we even painted with marshmallows!  This is the perfect activity to practice the fine motor manipulation of paper tearing or the bilateral coordination and visual motor skills of cutting with scissors.  It's also great because it promotes an age appropriate grasping pattern when painting with small, or large, marshmallows. You can even use a toothpick in the marshmallow for a better grip, or if you're looking to avoid paint on the fingers!

First you have to rip, or cut, the "sticks" for the fire (if you're using scissors, add a guideline to better hone in on your child's visual motor skills).  Then you glue on the "sticks" at the bottom of the page in whatever formation your child chooses.  Next take the marshmallows and start adding the fire!  This was a fun activity and perfect for your Preschooler!

Enjoy!  

FUN in the Kitchen!

OT Activity of the Day:

FUN in the Kitchen

Target Age Range: 7 and up

So often I gear this page towards the younger crowd that it's easy to overlook all the other wonderful places occupational therapy can happen.  Today, for example, we were in the kitchen!  The kitchen is a great place but can be daunting, or foreign, to a child who may have difficulty with executive functioning skills.  However, with supervision, recipe and safety breakdowns my client and I were able to make delicious egg muffins!

In case you were wondering, here's the recipe!

Egg Muffins:

Ingredients:

6 eggs

2-3 tablespoons yellow onion (diced)

1/2 cup red pepper (diced)

dash of salt and pepper

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350

Crack open the eggs and whisk them together in a bowl.  Add the diced onion and pepper, dashes of salt and pepper, and cheese.  Mix everything together.  Then separate into a greased muffin tin (this recipe makes 6 muffins).  Cook for 20-25 minutes.

 This was a great recipe and my client was so thrilled she not only ate 2, but she took some pictures as well!

Enjoy!

Fine Motor Basketball

OT Activity of the Day:

Fine Motor Basketball

Target Age Range: 5 and up

Today we have another craft from our OT student, Chanele.  Today we're playing Fine Motor Basketball!

To make this activity we used orange poms, a basket, paper, markers, tape, yarn, and a variety of tongs.  This activity promoted all sorts of fine motor skills; fine motor manipulation, fine motor strength, fine motor control, and hand-eye coordination.  We also used dice to help indicate how many "basketballs" we got to shoot on each turn.  All in all this activity was a slam dunk (haha, get it?) with all the kiddos;)

Enjoy!

Food Fun

OT Activity of the Day:

Food Fun!

Target Age Range: 3 and up

This summer FUNdamentals has been hosting an OT student intern from James Madison University.  As the internship progresses, the level of responsibility that the student takes on increases.  At this point, our student, Chanele, is in charge of planning most activities for each kiddo on my caseload.  This was an activity that she planned that has been a hit for even the most fickle of fine motor kiddos!

Most kids love playing with food.  Add a fine motor/letter formation component to that and you have a fine motor dream!  First the kiddos are asked to write their name, or another word/letter, on a piece of paper.  Next they have to squeeze the glue over the letters (emphasis on hand strength and control).  Last, they get to make letters out of food!  We've been using fruit loops and dried pasta though you can use anything that may motivate your child to sit and write.  (I know this goes without saying, but still, please watch out for any food allergies!)  

Enjoy! 

Homemade Puzzles

OT Activity of the Day:

Homemade puzzles

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This activity has been a hit with so many kiddos.  Because these are pictures we've printed off line or even copied from coloring books, each child is getting a personalized puzzle!  So go to Google Image, or a favorite coloring book, and let your child's interests lead the way!

For some kiddos, this activity was simply targeting their visual perceptual and problem solving skills by putting the puzzle together only.  For other kiddos, this activity also targeted their fine motor control and endurance by coloring the puzzle after it was put together.  You can even have your child cut their own puzzle for friends or siblings to put together!  Either way, this activity is fun for kiddos of all abilities!

Enjoy!

Monkeying Around

OT Activity of the Day:

Monkey

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This was a great camp activity and easily scaled up and down for any skill level.  This craft targeted skills like scissor skills, coloring, and gluing.

For the older kiddos, it was fun to work as a team to put our monkeys' faces together (cutting and gluing) and then color.  Not only were we focusing on fine motor skills, but this also worked on thought organization.  For the younger kiddos this was the perfect craft to work on gluing down the face (that was pre-made) and then color.

Enjoy!

Binoculars!

OT Activity of the Day:

Binoculars

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This week's Camp Splish Splosh theme is all about the Rainforest.  To help check out the sights we made binoculars!  This was a fun activity for everyone involved!

We pre-made the binoculars by hot gluing two toilet paper rolls together.  The kiddos were then in charge of using their hand strength to punch holes in the side for the neck strap, using their fine motor skills to paint the binoculars and string the neck strap through the holes.  For the older kiddos we even had some rainforest animals hidden around the room and they had to use their visual scanning skills to locate them!  All in all, this was a fun filled day in the Rainforest!

Enjoy!

Helpful Hands!

OT Activity of the Day:

Spray Bottles

Target Age Range: 4 and up

Spray bottles are so versatile and are a great tool to use to help strengthen your child's hand.  Fill a spray bottle with water and your child can help water the plants, clean off the kitchen counter, clean the outside of the windows, spray down a car, etc...

Enjoy!

Paper Snowflakes

OT Activity of the Day:

Paper Snowflakes

Target Age Range: 4 and up

Today's Camp Splish Splosh craft was an oldie but a goodie.  We made paper snowflakes to celebrate our last day of our Arctic theme.

This craft has everything.  First you have to fold paper.  Paper folding is a great way to promote fine motor manipulation and visual motor skills.  After your child folds their paper in half and then half again you're ready to cut!  Your child can simply cut lines or even simple shapes to create their own unique flake.  After your child's snowflake is cut out, your child can decorate!  We used markers and stickers, though you can use whatever you have laying around the house.

Enjoy!

Painting with Snow Balls (Marshmallows)

OT Activity of the Day:

Painting with Snow Balls (Marshmallows)

Target Age Range: 4 and up

Today at Camp Splish Splosh we continued with our Arctic theme and painted with snow balls (marshmallows)!  This was another great activity for children of all ages and ability levels. 

To make your "paintbrush", you'll need to take a marshmallow and a stick and use both your hands to push the two together (nice bilateral coordination practice).  Now you're ready to paint!  We used a color by number to work on following directions and painting inside the given space (fine motor control).  By painting with the sticks we're using a smaller tool and promoting a more functional grasp pattern.  You could even break the sticks in half for even more of a fine motor challenge!

Enjoy!

Snow Painting

OT Activity of the Day:

Snow Painting!

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This week we're talking all things Arctic and today we painted "snow".  This was a fun activity for kiddos of all abilities.  All you need are some cotton balls, paper plates, paint, glue and paint brushes!

For the younger kiddos this was a good sequencing activity.  First you have to squeeze the glue onto the plate and then cover the glue with cotton balls.  Then you get to paint!  For the older kiddos we worked on fine motor control to gently stretch out the cotton balls before gluing them down.  If you'd like you could even make a letter with the glue (try colored glue, or glitter glue, or a different colored plate to help make the glue visible) and then have the kiddos cover the letter with the cotton balls to work on letter formation!

Happy Arctic week and enjoy!  

Cactus!

OT Activity of the Day:

Cactus!

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This was a really fun activity we did at camp today!  We made a "cactus" out of modeling clay and sticks (though you could easily use play doh!).  This was kind of like a STEM challenge and really targeted the children's fine motor and critical thinking skills.  Perfect for kiddos of all ages and abilities!

All you need is modeling clay, sticks, and your imagination, and you're set! Enjoy!

Fire Breathing Dragon!

OT Activity of the Day:

Fire Breathing Dragons!

Target Age Range: 3 and up

Today is the first day FUNdamentals will be Camp Splish Splosh and we couldn't be more excited.  This week's theme is a Desert Theme and we're making some fire breathing dragons!  

This craft will target the children's fine motor skills and overall attention skills.  For the older kiddos, they will be cutting out the construction paper (scissor skills), taping it to the toilet paper rolls (fine motor manipulation), and then gluing on eye balls and adding the fire (fine motor manipulation).  For the younger kiddos, they will be painting pre-made dragons.

Be sure to stay tuned for more Camp Splish Splosh fun!

Water Fireworks

OT Activity of the Day:

Water Fireworks

Target Age Range: 3 and up

The 4th of July is easily my second favorite holiday (Thanksgiving takes first place, you can't compete with pecan pie). So in honor of this wonderful upcoming holiday, we're starting with some fun 4th of July crafts and activities for your kiddos.

Today, we're making water fire works!  (This is best done with several clear cups of water.)  Your child can practice their pincer grasp and fine motor control by squeezing food coloring into the cups.  As the food coloring hits the water, it spreads and branches out like a firework.  You can have several cups with just one color in each, or you can add some colors together and predict what color you'll get as they all mix.  This is not only a great fine motor activity, but a wonderfully calming visual activity as well.

Enjoy!

Growing and Painting

OT Activity of the Day:

Grow and Paint

Target Age Range: 3 and up

I love when I find these grow capsules.  There's so much that can be done with these and they're usually very inexpensive.  Today, we're using them with kiddos of all ages!

First we're going to pop some in some warm water and watch them grow.  This can be a wonderful language activity as you can talk about your predictions, how long will it take to grow, which animal do you think this will be, will it change colors, etc...

Once your animals are grown, you can squeeze out the excess water and use them as paint stamps!  This is a great fine motor activity for your toddler.  These sponges are small and will promote fine motor manipulation and control.

After you've made a collage of animals with your stamps, you can work on writing for your older Preschoolers and Kindergarteners.  You can have them write a few of the animals down, or even create a short sentence.

Happy growing and enjoy!

Letter Decorating

OT Activity of the Day:

Letter Decorating!

Target Age Range: 2 and up

This activity is perfect for your young toddler who is learning the letters of their name.  For this activity we are simply decorating the first letter of our name (you can also do more letters should you wish)!  We're using stickers, crayons, stamps, paint, ripped pieces of paper, and anything else we can think of.

This will not only help with letter recognition, but this will also promote fine motor manipulation in your young toddlers.  

Enjoy!

Father's Day!

OT Activity of the Day:

Father's Day!

Target Age Range: 2 and up

This Sunday, the 18th, is Father's Day.  So in honor of all those fathers out there, we are making a craft just for them!

To make the tie, all you need is construction paper.  You can draw the outline for your children and if they're old enough (4-5 and up), then they can cut the tie out themselves.  For the younger kiddos, you can have the tie already pre cut.  For the younger kiddos, they can simply decorate the tie with crayons, stickers, and anything else you make have lying around the house.  For the older kiddos, you can have them write!  

Either way, this is a wonderful fine motor activity for children of all ages.  

Happy Father's Day and enjoy!

Jellyfish

OT Activity of the Day:

Jellyfish!

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This activity is the perfect activity to work on hand strength during these summer months.  Kids love to hole punch, so why not use the hole punch to make a jellyfish?!

For this craft, all you need is a paper plate, scissors, a hole puncher, yarn, and crayons.  Once you have all the necessities, feel free to put your own spin on the activity.  I used googly eyes but you don't have to.  I used yarn, however, if you have something else you'd like to use, then go for it!  If your child wants to use the whole plate and punch holes all over, then that's great too.  The whole point is to simply make sure your child is using their hands!

Enjoy!