Sensory and Movement Activity Ideas for the Classroom

Sensory and Movement Activity Ideas for the Classroom!             

(Activities that promote focus and attention!)

Some Tips!

• Keep physical activity breaks short and manageable. Shoot for 3 - 5 minute breaks at least 2-3 times per day. More if you can!
• Participate with your students in the activity. Students will be more likely to join in and have fun if they see their teachers moving with them.

Heavy Work Ideas                                                                 

1.     Erase or wash dry erase board

2.     Wash/clean desks or tabletops

3.     Carry a box of books or other heavy items

4.     Push or stack chairs

5.     Rearrange bookshelves or tables/desks

6.     Be the door holder

7.     Staple paper onto a bulletin board

8.     Move trash can to another location

9.     Carry basket of items

10.  Make deliveries to the office

11.  Squeeze stress balls or fidget toys

12.  Cut heavy paper or cardboard with scissors

Movement Ideas

1.     Sit in a rocking chair when reading or during floor time

2.     Sit on an inflated air cushion places on a chair or floor

3.     Hand out papers and materials for the teacher

4.     Push your feet into theraband placed around chair legs

5.     Do head, neck, and shoulder rolls while sitting

6.     Take a stretch break after sitting for a long time

7.     Walking to the water fountain for a drink

8.     Brain Gym movements

9.    Yoga

10.  Arm circles

11.  Movement games like “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”

12.  Breath deeply (in through your nose/our through your mouth)

13.  Follow the leader

14.  Freeze dance

15.  Standing at their desks instead of sitting

16.  Playing a GoNoodle video

Weight Bearing Ideas

1.     Chair push ups

2.     Push on desktop or table top

3.     Wall push ups

4.     Regular push ups

5.     Wheelbarrow walks

6.     Crab walk

7.     Bear walks

8.     Frog jumps

9.     Bunny hops

10.  Stomp their feet

11.  Sit and bounce on therapy ball

12.  Push hands together

13.  Wrap arms around self and squeeze for a big hug

Oral Motor Ideas

1.     Chew on straws

2.     Blow up balloons

3.     Chew on gum

4.     Using Chewelry or other oral motor items

5.     Drink water through a sports bottle

6.     Suck applesauce or a smoothie through a straw

7.     Eating crunchy or chewy foods like pretzels, bagels, carrots, popcorn

8.     Mints or mint flavored gum help us to stay alert and focused

9.     Blowing cotton balls with a straw

Snowflake

OT Activity of the Day:

Snowflake

Target Age Range: 5 and up

Every time I pull the hole puncher out it's a hit.  This time is no exception.  What I love about the hole puncher is that it's such a great hand strengthening tool!  If you go to any craft store or Amazon, I'm sure you can find hole punchers, even ones that punch more than just holes! 

To make our snowflake, first we punched 10 holes into the plate.  You can do more or less, it's up to you and the motivation level of your child. Next you can take some string and start lacing your snowflake.  I did wrap tape around the start of the yarn to keep the yarn from fraying, while I would recommend this trick, it's not necessary!  I also taped down the end of the string to the plate so that the snowflake wouldn't come unlaced as we went along.  

This craft promotes hand strength and visual motor skills.  All skills necessary for a successful Elementary school career!

Enjoy! 

Winter Mitten

OT Activity of the Day:

Winter Mitten

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This is a great activity for our Preschoolers.  It promotes fine motor manipulation, scissor skills and bilateral coordination.  All skills that are necessary for our future Kindergartners!

Yes, I'm having the child pictured use a container full of Mr. Potato Head pieces as a table.  Sometimes you have to be creative;).  All that aside, this craft works best with tissue paper, it's easier to manipulate into a small ball than regular paper.  Once you have some tissue paper, you most likely have everything else you need! 

First, I had the child trace their non-dominant hand with their dominant hand (bilateral coordination).  I then traced over their pencil line with a marker so that it was easier for them to cut on.  Once they cut the mitten out we picked out what color tissue paper we wanted and then ripped, squished, dipped into glue, and placed on the mitten:).

Enjoy!

Coffee Filter Snowman

OT Activity of the Day:

Coffee Filter Snowman

Target Age Range: 5 and up

This is a great fine motor activity that places emphasis on visual motor skills, fine motor manipulation and scissor skills.

The key to this craft is to make sure that the edges line up (visual motor skills) each time you fold the coffee filter in half.  I had each kiddo fold the filter in half 3 separate times so that it looked like a pizza slice as we started cutting.  The trick is to make sure that the folded edges are really creased, this will make cutting much easier.  Still a great activity that promotes fine motor development in our Elementary school kiddos.

After the coffee filter is cut to your child's liking then you can glue it on paper and start to add the details! Enjoy!

Melted Snowman

OT Activity of the Day: 

Melted Snowman

Target Age Range: 5 and up

Today's activity is perfect for promoting scissor skills, visual motor skills, and hand strength.  I did this activity with kiddos who were 5 year old and up and this was a great age range.  For the older kiddos we even wrote a short sentence or two with the following writing prompt: "My snowman melted because.."

First we cut out all the pieces each child wanted to include on their snowman.  I drew a guide line for kiddos to cut along and some kiddos even drew the items on the paper and didn't bother with the scissors at all.  Then we took a bottle of glue and squeezed glue all over the paper.  Next we folded the paper in half to smear the glue (prompt your child to make sure that the edges match for an extra visual motor challenge).  Lastly, we glued all their pieces down in a random "melted" way.

Enjoy!

Inside Snowman

OT Activity of the Day:

Inside Snowman

Target Age Range: 5 and up

This is such a fun activity and can be done with items you already have around the house!  I even had a small obstacle course in between each item added to help provide movement and sensory support!

This activity is great for your kiddos who are 5 and up.  It places emphasis on your child's executive functioning skills (thought organization, motor planning, thought flexibility, and thought creation) and their ability to build a snowman out of ordinary household items. For some kiddos we used a dry erase board or piece of paper to draw out what a snowman would look like first so we could begin to brainstorm what items we wanted to use.  For some kiddos they needed the body already put together to start with thought creation.  Some kiddos were independent in all aspects.  An activity that can be catered to meet any child's needs!  

All in all, it was a great sensory/movement activity that helped improve executive functioning skills! Enjoy!

STEM Snowflake

OT Activity of the Day:

STEM Snowflake

Target Age Range: 5 and up

I found this activity on Pinterest when I searched "STEM" activities.  This challenge places emphasis on motor planning, problem solving, and fine motor skills.

First, I gathered several items from around my clinic. I used pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, Q-tips, straws, glue and tape.  Feel free to use similar or different items, it all depends on what you have! Next I challenged my clients to build a snowflake.  The catch is the snowflake has to stick together and has to have at least 3 different items.  Depending on the age of your child you can change the guidelines to make it more challenging or easier.  You can also have your older kiddos write the directions on how to make their snowflake to work on writing skills.

This is the perfect activity for your kiddos who are in Kindergarten or older. Enjoy!

Snow Box

OT Activity of the Day:

Snow Box

Target Age Range: 2 and up

This is a great sensory box for inside use. Just throw a blanket or large sheet down on the floor underneath the box prior to play and clean up is a cinch when it's all over! 

To make this sensory box I used shredded paper from my shredder.  I placed small stones, magnetic letters and tongs inside.  I also made mine quite small so I can take it with me to home and school visits, you can make yours as large as you want!

This is great for fine motor manipulation, tactile discrimination (the ability to use touch only to identify items), and letter identification.  A great snowy day activity for your preschooler!

Enjoy!

Holiday STEM

OT Activity of the Day:

Holiday STEM

Target Age Range: 6 and up

I mean, who doesn't want to play with marshmallows?! Today we build igloos out of marshmallows and toothpicks.  The real trick was that each child had 5 minutes to build a 5 inch tall igloo.  This challenged their problem solving and thought organizing skills in addition to their fine motor skills.  It was also a challenge not to eat the marshmallows;). 

Enjoy!

Sink or Float

OT Activity of the Day:

Christmas Sink or Float

Target Age Range: 5 and up

If you're looking for a simple writing activity that's fun this holiday break, look no further!  We created a simple table on Word in under 5 minutes, gathered some holiday items, put some water in a bowl and called it "Christmas Sink or Float"!

I did this activity with 3 kiddos yesterday and not one complained about the writing, in fact, they were so pumped for this science experiment that they didn't care we were working on letter orientation and formation.  Each kiddo enjoyed making predictions about which items would sink and which items would float and then checking out the results!  

A fun writing activity sure to please this holiday season! Enjoy!

Painting with a Fork!

OT Activity of the Day:

Painting with a fork!

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This is a fun activity for your older Preschoolers.  It was not only a festive craft, but it targeted skills like fine motor manipulation and scissor use!

All you need is some paint, construction paper, a fork, scissors, and glue.  First we painted using the fork.  We started at the top of page and used our fork as our paint brush and "brushed" down.  This was great as it challenged the way the child used the fork in their hands (fine motor manipulation).  After that my client and I used strips of construction paper and scissors and cut them into "ornaments".  The strip of paper is the perfect size for a child learning to cut across a piece of paper.  Not only does this focus on fine motor development of your Preschooler, but this also challenges them to complete a multiple step task using a specific sequence that they need to remember.

Enjoy!

Holiday Roll a Story

OT Activity of the Day:

Holiday Roll a Story

Target Age Range: 6 and up

This is a fun holiday writing activity perfect for your Elementary aged children.  It provides an outline for a story and your child can fill in the details.  A wonderful way to work on thought organization!  

I found this activity on Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/238831586473424607/) and have used it several times this holiday season.  All you need are some dice, a pencil, and some paper.  This was the perfect activity to work on letter casing, letter placement, and spacing between words.  

Enjoy!

Christmas Tree

OT Activity of the Day:

Christmas Tree

Target Age Range: 3 and up

This year we're making a holiday tree in the clinic.  This is a group activity and, as you can see, still a work in progress.  This craft is perfect for those kiddos needing to work on their scissor skills;).

All you need is some construction paper, a pair of scissors, and tape/stapler.  The first thing you need to do is cut some strips of paper.  You can create guidelines for your child or, if your child is able, they can free cut the paper.  Then you roll the strips of paper and staple/tape them together in a chain (shockingly, I realized today that I don't have a stapler, so yes, tape does work!).  This craft can then be built on and once the tree is as full as you'd like you can make some ornaments to decorate!

Enjoy!

Holiday Wreath

OT Activity of the Day:

Holiday Wreath

Target Age Range: 5 and up

This is a fun holiday activity for your Kindergartners and up.  It promotes bilateral coordination, scissor skills, and fine motor manipulation.  All skills necessary for a successful school day!  This craft was completed using bubble wrap, though I'm thinking a sponge would also create the textured look.

First have your child cut out the center of a paper plate (I poked a hole in the middle of the plate to start the process for safety's sake).  Then wrap the bubble wrap around the paint brush and dip and dab all around the plate for the textured look, again a sponge may work well here.  After your child is happy with the paint, the decorating begins!  I used tissue paper and focused on ripping and squishing the paper, both placing emphasis on fine motor manipulation.  We then dipped the tissue paper in glue and placed it on the wreath.  Some kiddos enjoyed making a pattern, others enjoyed a more spontaneous look!

Either way, a great fine motor craft, enjoy!  And while these colors are for Christmas, it can be easily changed for different holidays! 

Holiday Lights

OT Activity of the Day: 

Holiday Lights

Target Age Range: 2 and up

I'm pretty sure I posted this activity last year, but it's such a great activity for the young toddlers that I felt like a repost is necessary:).

This activity promotes your child's early visual motor and fine motor control skills by being able to dot on the line.  This also promotes your child's early grasp patterns on the marker and wrist/forearm rotation when taking the lids off the dot markers.  You can make the line as thick as you would like depending on your child's ability.

I used dot markers for this activity, however you can use finger prints, paint, stickers, or anything else that you can think of.

Enjoy!

Jingle Bell Find!

OT Activity of the Day:

Jingle Bell Find!

Target Age Range: 2 and up

This is a fun activity for kiddos of all ages.  This activity includes a sensory component, a fine motor component and a movement component. An occupational therapy trifecta!

I used my pom pom box and dumped in small jingle bells that I found in Target's dollar section.  Your child can use their visual and tactile discrimination skills to locate the bells.  These skills are the skills that help your child to visually locate an item in a busy background (drawer) or allow your child to use their tactile sense to locate an item without their vision (like when trying to find something in a backpack or desk).  

Once your child finds the bells you can add movement by placing the cup on the other side of the room so they can crawl, jump or walk to collect the bells. Add the tongs to help with fine motor development!

Enjoy!

Reindeer Activity

OT Activity of the Day:

Rudolph!

Target Age Range: 5 and up

Today I did this activity with kiddos ranging from Kindergarten to 2nd grade.  This activity promoted bilateral coordination, scissor skills and fine motor manipulation.  Each kiddo enjoyed this craft and it was a hit with all!

First fold some brown paper (this is a great visual motor task) making sure the edges match.  Then have your child use their dominant hand to trace their non dominant hand on the folded paper.  Your child in Kindergarten and up should be able to do this.  Next cut out the hand making sure that your child is cutting out both pieces at the same time!  Then you can glue the hands together and glue them onto your empty toilet paper roll.  Once the antlers are set all you need to add is the nose and eyes!

Enjoy!

Holiday Toy Ideas

Happy Cyber Monday!  It's now the most wonderful time of year.  And with that comes all the stress of trying to pick out the perfect gifts for those special children in your life.  Well we at FUNdamentals want to help!  As we've been searching the internet, we've kept track of some of the websites that we've used to buy some gifts.  We hope you find this helpful!

1. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_a981b6a8_2a1_w?rh=i%3Atoys-and-games%2Cn%3A165793011%2Cn%3A%21241200011%2Cn%3A14725559011%2Cp_n_age_range%3A165890011&bbn=14725559011&ie=UTF8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=unified-hybrid-4&pf_rd_r=2B3F0GHQ5QF336ZS1BK7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=fa72b2b9-7883-45ea-b5ac-e1a9ca0e1e15&pf_rd_i=14725559011

This website is awesome for 1000 reasons.  I'd be lying if I said that I didn't do most of my shopping through this website.  I have found that they offer great gift ideas for kiddos of all ages and these gifts have been a hit with their recipients!  The link above is to the gift guide for ages 2-4 years of age.

2. Toys r Us: https://www.toysrus.com/category?categoryid=3137242

This website offers a "top rated" section which is helpful if you're not sure what to get.  It gave me great ideas!

3.  Target:  https://www.target.com/c/kids-gift-ideas-guide/-/N-5cgh5

This website offers a similar gift guide as the previous two websites.  The gift guide is broken down by ages and offers great ideas!  

4. Fun and Function:  https://funandfunction.com/therapist-picks.html

This website is the site I go to for all my therapy needs.  I have gotten all my lycra items and seated options through this website.  I feel they are reasonably priced and they offer a section called "therapist pick" to help steer you towards the more popular therapy items.

From an OT perspective I look for games with a learning component and a fine motor component.  I also enjoy games that foster interaction with others.  Some personal favorite games include: Twister, Pop The Pig, Avalanche, Pie Sorting Game, Pop Up Pirate, and Angry Birds Game.  I also love to buy tongs (I get all my tongs through Amazon.  Try https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tongs+for+kids&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atongs+for+kids and purchase your favorite) and add them to just about every game I own.  Just a fun OT trick!

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

Melissa Grant

Thanksgiving Pie

OT Activity of the Day:

Thanksgiving Pie

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This is a variation off the "Pie Sorting" game.  Instead of using the pre-made cards they have, you can create your own cards/pie!  This is a great game that will focus on sequencing, processing auditory directions, fine motor skills, and simple counting. You can take turns with your child and your child can create their own directions allowing them to work on writing numbers and words.

Enjoy!

Festive Dot to Dots

OT Activity of the Day:

Festive Dot to Dots

Target Age Range: 5 and up

I do not have any specific link, however I can tell you to go to google and type in "thanksgiving dot to dots".  Then click on images and copy and paste any dot to dot that catches your fancy onto a word document and print!  

Dot to dots and mazes are great because they work on promoting smooth visual pursuits and fine motor control.  They're also a great way to entertain your child, because after you complete the puzzle you get to color! 

Enjoy!