Fall Writing Prompts

OT Activity of the Day:

Writing Prompts

Target Age Range: 7 and up

So I’m always looking for writing prompts and I finally put together some fun ones. Here are some fun writing ideas!

1. Imagine if you could fly

2. Imagine if you could be invisible

3. Imagine if you had a magic wand

4. Imagine if you had a million buttons

5. Imagine if you met an alien

6. Imagine if you lived under the sea

7. Imagine if you had to hop everywhere

8. Imagine if you were the president

9. Imagine if you had a pet dinosaur

10. Imagine if you had super long arms

11. Imagine if your neighbor was batman

12. Write a silly story about a day where everything happens backwards

13. Write rules to a new game you can play with your friends

14. Imagine what life would be like on a pirate ship

Happy writing and enjoy!

Pop the Pig-Apple Style!

OT Activity of the Day:

Pop the Pig-Apple Style!

Target Age Range: 3 and up

I stole some of my apple pieces from a few other games I have so that way we could feed the pig apples! Pop the Pig continues to be a highly coveted game and children are always pumped to play.

Again, this is great for fine motor development whether it’s building hand strength (jumbo tweezers) or working on precutting skills (handy scoopers) or working on sharing/turn taking. I took away the color dice and instead used a number dice. The number dice told us how many times to help the pig “munch”, we just took turns picking the apple we wanted to feed the pig.

I used this game with movement and I also used this game as more of a sedentary game, this continues to be up to you and your child’s needs.

Enjoy!

Apple Gathering

OT Activity of the Day:

Apple Gathering

Target Age Range: 3 and up

This activity is a play off our last post. The emphasis of this game is fine motor development through tong play. During therapy I’ve been taking turns using the different tongs to focus on different skills. The jumbo tweezers are great for building hand strength, while the handy scoopers are perfect for precutting skills.

You can add movement to this activity by splitting up the apple buckets and the apples or this can be a more sedentary game, it’s entirely up to you and your child’s needs!

Enjoy!

Apples Everywhere!

OT Activity of the Day:

Apple Tree!

Target Age Range: 3 and up

This activity is perfect for your Preschoolers. You can use the dice or no dice, the dice may add a more difficult element for your younger Preschoolers, so be careful! This craft will focus on fine motor development through the use of tongs. We have our Hand Scoopers, Jumbo Tweezers and Globe Tongs and all work on different fine motor skills.

This task is pretty simple to set up. All you need to do is make a tree, grab some pom poms and tongs! You can have your child sitting and just moving the apples on and off the tree or you can set the apples up on one side of the room and the tree on the other and add an element of movement as the apples move on and off the tree. It’s up to you and what your child needs/wants!

Enjoy!

Apple of My Eye

OT activity of the Day:

Yarn Apple

Target Age Range: 5 and up

It’s Fall and that means it’s time for apples and pumpkins everything! This week we’re bringing back an oldie but a goodie. It’s our yarn apple! This is a great activity for your Kindergartners, First Graders and Second Graders. This craft promotes fine motor strength, visual motor skills, fine motor manipulation and cutting.

First you take your hole puncher and punch holes all around your paper plate (hand strength). Then take your yarn (highly suggest taping the threading end so that the yarn doesn’t fray) and start lacing (visual motor and fine motor manipulation skills)! Lacing is a skill that is developed by the age of 4 so this should be good practice for your younger and older kiddos. For your older kiddos you can always add in some writing afterwards!

Happy Fall and enjoy!

Pencil Grips!

Pencil Grips!  Pencil grips are a great strategy for children who have a "non-functional" grip on their pencil.  Pencil grips will often help a child feel more comfortable writing, which is an important topic during this back-to-school time!  A "non-functional" grip tends to happen due to a lack of strength or stability in the hand to properly support the pencil.  If you're concerned about your child's pencil grip, you should definitely contact an occupational therapist!  If you're just interested in a pencil grip, we have some options for you!

There are several grips and each child may prefer a different grip so we've listed a few of our favorites!

1. The Pencil Grip:  This is my favorite and perfect for just about anyone!

https://www.amazon.com/Pencil-Grip-Universal-Ergonomic-TPG-11106/dp/B001SN8HOY/ref=sr_1_4?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1534888413&sr=1-4&keywords=pencil+grip

2. The Crossover Grip:  Perfect for any child with a thumb wrap!

https://www.amazon.com/Pencil-Grip-Crossover-Ergonomic-TPG-17706/dp/B001SN8HPI/ref=sr_1_10?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1534888413&sr=1-10&keywords=pencil+grip

3. The Finger Trainer: A grip perfect to teach proper finger placement!

https://www.amazon.com/Grip-Handwriting-Correction-Preschoolers-Write/dp/B07BP41G2M/ref=sr_1_19?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1534888413&sr=1-19&keywords=pencil+grip

4. The Triangle Grip: Not my favorite, but does provide a wider base for your child to hold on to.

https://www.amazon.com/Classics-Triangle-Pencil-1-75-Inch-TPG-16212/dp/B00FQQRRIQ/ref=sr_1_9?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1534888413&sr=1-9&keywords=pencil+grip

5. Soft Foam Pencil Grips: Again, not my favorite, but does provide more comfort during writing.

https://www.amazon.com/Classics-Pencil-Assorted-1-5-Inch-TPG-16412/dp/B00GN1YN8U/ref=sr_1_6?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1534888413&sr=1-6&keywords=pencil+grip

6. Warmtaste Grip: Not going to lie, I've never tried these.  But they're a best seller on Amazon and I just purchased them:)  

https://www.amazon.com/Warmtaste-Ergonomic-Training-Children-Correction/dp/B075XHLZ12/ref=sr_1_5?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1534888413&sr=1-5&keywords=pencil+grip

Backpack Awareness!

1. Pack It

1. PACK IT

***Be sure to use the different compartments and pockets to help distribute weight***

1. Heavier items closer to the back center of the backpack

2. Lighter items in the front of the backpack

3. Sharp items away from the back

4. Try to lighten the load so it is no more than 10% of your child’s weight; heavy backpacks can cause falls and spinal damage.

2. Put It On

2. PUT IT ON

Teach your child to pick up the backpack by bending and lifting in the knees instead of the waist to prevent back injury.

3. Adjust & Carry

3. ADJUST AND CARRY

*Always use both shoulder straps to prevent injury.

*Adjust the sternum strap.

*Secure the hip belt.

*The backpack should rest snugly against the back.

4. WATCH FOR WARNING SIGNS THAT THE BACKPACK MAY BE TOO HEAVY, including:

1. Difficulty when putting on or taking off the backpack

2. Pain when wearing the backpack

3. Tingling or numbness in the arms or legs

4. Red strap marks over the anterior part of the shoulders

5. Any change in side-to-side posture while wearing the backpack

Pro-Tip- Adjust the shoulder and waist straps so that the pack fits comfortably.  To ensure a proper fit, make sure the backpack does not extend past your child’s shoulders, or below the top of the hip bones.

*****Backpack Awareness Day is Wednesday, September 26, 2018!****

Fizzy Sensory Bin!

OT Activity of the Day:

Fizzy Sensory Bin

Target Age Range: 3 and up

Today at Camp Splish Splosh we enjoyed a fizzy sensory bin!  All we did was dump baking soda in the bin and then we used vinegar in spray bottles and eye droppers to make it all fizz!  This was a great fine motor task without the kids knowing they were working on fine motor skills!  The spray bottles are a great hand strengthening activity and the eye droppers were great for fine motor manipulation.

This is a great outdoor activity so get outside and don't forget to bring your baking soda and vinegar!

Enjoy!

Sensory Relay Race!

OT Activity of the Day:

Sensory Relay Race!

Target Age Range: 2 and up

This was a super fun group activity we did today at Camp Splish Splosh:).  We split the camp into two groups and had two trays of moon sand with items hidden in each tray.  Each child took a turn taking a bucket down to the tray and locating their designated item.  Once the item was found the bucket was brought to the next friend.

This could easily be done with you and your child at home.  You could hide some items in your sensory bin (bin options: pasta, rice/beans, moon sand/regular sand/cotton balls/poms/ice) and have your child find them as you call them out.  You can add some movement in the game by you being on one side of the room and the sensory bin on the other.  A great way to work on movement for regulation, tactile input for regulation, and listening to directions.

Enjoy!

Rocket Ships!

OT Activity of the Day:

Rocket Ships

Target Age Range: 4 and up

Today at Camp Splish Splosh we made rocket ships!  I didn't get a picture of the finished product but these shapes will give you a general idea of what we did:).  

This craft focuses on scissor skills (bilateral coordination, fine motor control), name writing (everyone had to write their name on the back), coloring, and glueing.  We used the shape in the middle as the body of the rocket, the circles we used as a window and basic decoration, and the triangles were the rocket wings! 

If you're looking for a fun craft to make during some of these rainy days, here it is!  Enjoy!

Robots!

OT Activity of the Day:

Robots!

Target Age Range: 3 and up

Depending on the age of your child, your child can decorate an already put together robot or help assemble the robot!  At Camp Splish Splosh we built two robots collaboratively as a group!  Our rule was that nothing could be moved once put together and that everyone's opinion was important.  With a preview of expectations for all, the children were able to build and decorate peacefully!

To make our robots we used old Amazon boxes (because who doesn't have several laying around), tin foil, dowel rods, Styrofoam balls, markers, tape, and glue. Not only did this craft focus on collaborative problem solving, but the kids were able to work on their fine motor development as well!

Enjoy!

Pasta Sensory Bin

OT Activity of the Day:

Pasta sensory bin

Target Age Range: 2 and up

This is a great way to beat a rainy day!  We dumped different dry pastas into a large container and the kids at Camp Splish Splosh all had a blast.  The best part about this sensory bin is one sweep of the broom and it was all clean! Though if you're at home over the carpet, a large sheet underneath works well too.

To foster fine motor development we put pipe cleaners in for the kids to use to string the pasta.  We also put regular tongs and scissor tongs to help with fine motor manipulation and scissor skill development.  We also had aliens hidden around to practice identifying items in a busy background!

Try a pasta sensory bin at your home this week and enjoy!

Play Doh Aliens

OT Activity of the Day:

Play Doh Aliens

Target Age Range: 3 and up

Play doh is a great hand strengthening activity as well as a calming sensory activity.  At Camp Splish Splosh today we made play doh aliens!  We focused on rolling the play doh into a ball, smashing it with our hands, and putting all sorts of googly eyes and pipe cleaners (antennas) all over our "aliens"!

This placed emphasis on bilateral coordination, finger isolation, fine motor manipulation, and building hand strength.  The activity was a hit for all and the kiddos didn't even know they were getting such benefits!

Enjoy!

Magnatiles

OT Activity of the Day:

Magnatiles

Target Age Range: 3 and up

This is an activity that I'm sure many of you already have at home.  Today at Camp Splish-SPLOSH we brought out our magnatiles!  There are so many ways that you can work on different goals with this activity.  Today we were focusing on collaborative play (sharing) and being flexible if a tile we wanted was not available or being used.    

At home you can focus on our previously mentioned goals or work on motor planning and problem solving by coming up with a structure/plan to build first, then build the structure making sure you stick to the plan!  You can also work on flexibility and collaborative play by making a rule that no one can move anyone else's tiles, this can be tricky and a great way to work on taking a deep breath and playing cooperatively!

This activity also naturally places emphasis on fine motor and visual motor skills.  So have fun and enjoy!

Water Beads

OT Activity of the Day:

Water Beads

Target Age Range: 3 and up (or whenever you feel like your child won't eat them)

Today at Camp Splish-SPLOSH we brought out our water beads!  This was a fun sensory experience for all the kids and not one child tried to eat them!  During this sensory fun we worked on holding scissor tongs (of course during the picture the child went right back to holding the scissors with two hands), scooping and dumping, and playing cooperatively.

This would be a fun summer activity for anyone at home.  The water beads need one night to set and then you have hours of entertainment!  If the beads will be inside, be careful, they have a bit of a bounce and evade tactic should they escape the bin.

Have fun and enjoy!

Binoculars!

OT Activity of the Day:

Binoculars

Target Age Range: 3 and up

Today at camp we made binoculars for our nature walk that we'll be doing later this week.  This was a great activity that hit on all sorts of different skill sets.  We were able to work on writing (writing names or simple sentence on the binocular cover), hand strength (hole puncher), and visual motor skills with stringing the yarn.  

All you need to make your own binoculars is construction paper, empty toilet paper rolls, yarn, hole puncher, and markers/crayons. I wrapped the toilet paper rolls with the construction paper, however if your child has the skill level, definitely let them do it!  Later this week we'll take the binoculars outside to help us find all sorts of nature's treasures!

Enjoy!

Top Secret!

OT Activity of the Day:

Top Secret!

Target Age Range: 4 and up

This has been a fun activity during my individual therapy sessions this month.  I created a "secret" message for the kids to decipher and as the kids unfold the small pieces of paper they get to discover a letter that's part of the message.  I put all the pieces of paper in a cup, however if you wanted to add more movement you can hide the pieces around the room.

This is great if you're looking to practice writing over the summer.  It's fun and it allows you to focus on one letter at a time.  If you wanted to have your child write more, you can always make a small phrase and instead of letters on the folded paper, you can write words. Whatever your child is ready for!

Enjoy!

Space Slime!

OT Activity of the Day:

Space slime!

Target Age Range: 2 and up

Today at Camp Splish-SPLOSH we rescued aliens from slime!  The slime was actually green jello and a great sensory activity for the kiddos at camp.  They enjoyed digging into the jello and pulling out the aliens and then playing in the "slime".  The aliens were also finger puppets, great for finger isolation!  

Sensory activities are great as they provide calming and regulating input.  While we used slime today, in the past few days we've also used regular sand, "moon" sand (kinetic), and a bean pool at Camp Splish-SPLOSH.  In addition to our other outside activities, we always have a sensory option to allow children who need a break to take one and calm down before returning to all the fun!

I hope you're having a great summer and I hope you enjoy some of these sensory options!

Space Mural

OT Activity of the Day:

Space Mural

Target Age Range: 4 and up

Today we started working on our Space Mural!  Today we made stars and later we'll add planets, rockets, and aliens!

The craft placed emphasis on fine motor manipulation.  We used foam stickers, which have a tricky back to pull off, and sequins that needed only a pinch per use.  Some kiddos were able to cut out their own stars while some were given pre-cut stars.  We continued to use our flip crayons and this continues to be a great fine motor tool for each child.

Make your own summer murals and add to it throughout the weeks! Enjoy!

Name Rockets!

OT Activity of the Day:

Name Rockets

Target Age Range: 4 and up

I'm back!  It been a while since an activity post and as today was the first day of Camp Splish-SPLOSH (a speech therapy/occupational therapy run camp), I thought it would be the perfect time to start this blog back up!

Today we made name rockets.  This was a fun craft that focused on several different developmental aspects.  First, the child can practice writing their name, then they have to fit all their squares on the paper (this was a bit tricky but great motor planning/problem solving practice), they have to glue the squares down and add rocket "wings" and a rocket top.  This was a multistep task and perfect for kiddos who need extra practice with sequencing multistep tasks.

I provided all the squares, however depending on your child's ability, they can cut out their own squares.  P.S. during camp we are using Flip Crayons to help promote a natural tripod grasp:).

Enjoy!