Simple Massage for Children

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Some children need that little bit of help to calm them down and keep them regulated so that they can engage, focus, learn and play. Massage can be a quick and easy way to bring children down if they are running too high. Deep pressure is calming for the brain and can help children more easily make sense of their surroundings and respond appropriately to stimuli. Try incorporating it into your child’s normal routine e.g. as part of getting them dressed, while playing with them on the floor or before bed.

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In a Spin about Spinning?

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In a Spin about Spinning?

So, 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.

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Gym/Yoga Ball Fun!

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A 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

Sensory exercises

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Sensory exercises you can easily do at home, in the car or out and about.

Cowabunga!

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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! 

Kinetic (Magic) Sand!

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For those of you who have not heard of Kinetic sand it's brilliant! Perfect for messy play without all the messy bits.

Hedgehogs and writing

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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) 😀✍🏻

Hedgehogs and clothes pegs

Hungry Man

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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!

Sheep

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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! 🐑

Fluffy Cotton Wool Sheep