As much as it can be hard for parents to let their kids get messy (believe me, I watch mine through gritted teeth!), it is a really important step in terms of helping them develop well functioning sensory systems and good eating habits not to mention good fine motor skills. So cover the floors, invest in a few good bibs, change out of your best clothes and get involved!
Read MoreYou may remember my previous post (click here) showing the progress made over 6 weeks. Here is the latest update…
Read MoreSo, having just dealt with a huge meltdown from my 3 year old after a soft play session where she spent the majority of the time spinning on a sit-on wheel, I feel the need to warn parents about the power of spinning on the brain. Although a useful tip for all parents, it is particularly poignant for those with children who have sensory processing difficulties, as these kids respond more unusually to sensory input and often have difficulty self-regulating as a result.
Read MoreWipe clean dot to dot books are a great way to practise pre-writing patterns and develop pencil control without wasting paper! Buy one here http://amzn.eu/hMYF6bu
Read MoreThis is a great article and rings so true with me as both an OT as well as a parent. The advice is simple, not overbearing and something I wholeheartedly agree with - give kids clear boundaries and get them moving!
https://yourot.com/parenting-club/2017/5/24/what-are-we-doing-to-our-children
Read MoreFound a fantastic article the other day, hope you find it interesting! It's all about different exercises you can do with children with ADHD.
Read MoreA few simple exercises using a gym/yoga ball that you can do at home or school with your kids.
Find one on Amazon here - http://amzn.eu/7LtnzN4
I have been working with a little boy at school to help improve his pencil control, reduce the size of his writing and increase pencil pressure. We've been having lots of fun making play dough hedgehogs, drawing rainbows, playing finger football plus lots more. He has made such good progress in just 6 sessions.
Sensory exercises you can easily do at home, in the car or out and about.
Sensory toys used
We try really hard at TherapySPOT to make sure that activities and programmes used in therapy are tailored to the individual child. By incorporating the child's interests into therapy, we are likely to see better results as the child is more likely to engage and keep practising.
I recently provided a sensory diet for a little boy who loves the Ninja Turtles - below are a few of the visuals that I created for some yoga exercises that he can do at school and home to help him stay calm and focused throughout the day. Cowabunga!
For those of you who have not heard of Kinetic sand it's brilliant! Perfect for messy play without all the messy bits.
Today's fine motor fun - I made this picture and laminated it. Pinch off small bits of play dough (good for encouraging a tripod grip), roll into small balls between the thumb and fingers (great for dexterity and manipulative skills) and then squash onto the frog's spots with the index finger (good for finger isolation and strengthening). So simple but a great fine motor activity!
I'm working with a little boy at the moment who doesn't hold his pencil tightly enough and so puts very little pressure onto the paper when writing. Today we made a hedgehog and built a nest for it! (Pinching clothes pegs is a great way to strengthen the muscles in the fingers and hands for a tighter pencil grip, while pushing straws into play dough promotes a tripod grip while encouraging the child to place pressure through the straw) 😀✍🏻
Super simple to make and great for strengthening those hand and finger muscles. The little boy I worked with today had great fun seeing how many marbles Hungry Man could eat!
Kids need to have mastered these shapes before they can successfully form their letters. Something to consider when we're expecting our children to write (particularly if your child's name has an X or Y!)
A quick and super easy fine motor activity - scrunch up a large piece of paper with both hands then dab on glue and stick on cotton wool balls. Cut out a triangle shape for the head and stick on some goggly eyes then use a cut up straw for the legs.
Promotes 2-handed coordination, manual dexterity, visual spatial relations and shape recognition.
*Make it more difficult by using large tweezers to pick up the cotton wool balls to stick on! 🐑
Super fun nursery visit today! Made play dough birds and shaving foam cakes. The little girl I help and I had a lot of fun while she worked hard on her attention, early communication and fine motor skills!
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions: Parent or School
