Why doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? Let’s talk about research…The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an excellent website for information on the importance of play in kids. Here’s the link to a document specifically discussing recess. This article, The Investigation of Outdoor Play,’ is from 2004, yet emphasizes the benefits […]
I love crafts that help to build fine motor skills. This is an awesome activity that really builds skills such as following directions, strengthening hand muscles, and works on visual perception. Supplies Red, pink and white Perler beads Square plastic Perler bead pegboard Perler bead ironing paper Perler bead tweezers White card stock Pink and […]
Therapists, looking for tips to assess your students’ movement for better functional outcomes? Me too! I have been doing a ton of research for improving functional outcomes. Some of the same activities over and over get boring for me and for my students. While searching for evidence for my newest course, Building Better Brains Through […]
As many of you know, I travel across the US and have courses in the US & UK to help occupational therapists and families learn helpful treatment strategies. One of my most frequently asked questions is ‘What are your favorite books for movement, mindfulness, and reflexes?’ So, each of my presentations contains pages of resources […]
Here’s a fun summer activity that kids will love! The bonus is you can use your alligator to hang drawings up on the refer. If you want to challenge your child, print out the photos and ask kids to place them in order to work on sequencing. Also fun is to see what other animals […]
10 Earth Day crafts for kids work on fine motor and sensory skills. Great for classrooms, home schools, and therapy clinics everywhere.
Life skills training helps our children with independence. This week, I’d like to talk about fire safety. When thinking about functional skills, knowing when to call 911 or what to do if a fire occurs can make the difference between a minor incident and a major catastrophe. As I work with children I realize that […]
Spring Time is finally here! The weather may not be ready for all the outdoor fun that summer brings, but there are plenty of fun springtime activities to do inside. Making Unicorn Play Dough is a great way to spend quality time expressing creativity and developing fine motor skills! I found some fun […]
Handwriting is so important to each of us. Our signature marks our unique impression of agreement or approval on a document. There have been many arguments lately on whether to teach our children the skill of cursive handwriting. While many feel it’s not necessary, others say that the skill is critical to for building brain […]
It’s President’s Day and this year, I’ve found some really fun activities that will fit goals for fine motor, executive function (specifically planning, following directions, and executing), and gross motor goals. Presidents’ Day Mask Here’s an awesome activity from Lakeshore Learning. Paper plates are affordable and readily available. The George Washington mask can be made […]