Activities Archives - Page 3 of 19

Activities, activity printable, fine-motor, Handwriting, Motor Planning, OT, pencil template, Printable, spring, summer, visual perceptual

A Bunch of Bee Themed Activities

To work on pencil control, it really is great to do activities where you are having to control your pencil. For this I use pencil paths, pencil adventures, circles, and coloring. I really enjoyed using the flower honeycomb activity that I…

Activities, child, Crossing Midline, favorite toys, fine-motor, Handwriting, in-hand manipulation, Motor Planning, OT, preschool, Range Of Motion, toddler, upper extremity strengthening, visual perceptual

Car Mat for Pre-Writing

Young pre-school kids love playing with cars, and they are developing a whole slew of skills while they are playing. It is the perfect activity that is simple, can be self-directed or adult influenced, and every part of the activity works on…

Activities, activity printable, child, elementary school age, fine-motor, Free Printable, Handwriting, OT, Paper, Printable, spring

Flower Pollen Honeycomb Fine Motor

I was working with some kids the other day, and we were coloring flowers, working on holding the pencil in a good grasp, and getting some good strokes of the colored pencils, and one little guy was not able to move his fingers independently…

Activities, child, Resources, sensory motor

Restricting Children's Movement and Play Time Causes More Harm Than Good

Sit Still! Be Careful! Stop Spinning! Get Down From There! Why restricting children’s movement and limiting their ability to play outdoors causes more harm than good This is a guest post by Angela Hanscom, Pediatric Occupational…

Activities, ADL, child, dressing, elementary school age, OT

Work on Dressing Skills Through Play Activities

Dressing skills are the bread and butter of the Occupational Therapy profession, but not every setting or session is an appropriate time or place to have your client get dressed or undressed. I used to joke around with a Physical Therapist…

Activities, child, elementary school age, fine-motor, Handwriting, OT

The Simplest Way to Get a Good Pencil Grasp

You can try every pencil grip available at Amazon, and you may have no success with changing the way a child holds their pencil. Really, the simpler the solution the better, and if it is simple, it makes it more likely that the child, teacher,…

Activities, child, elementary school age, Motor Planning, OT, Therapy techniques, Trunk strengthening, upper extremity strengthening

Ten Games to Play With Wheelbarrow Walking

Wheelbarrow walking is a great upper body and trunk strengthening tool, and it is easy to incorporate it into a game. When wheelbarrow walking, you are strengthening your arms and your trunk since you have to activate a co-contraction through…

Activities, child, elementary school age, featured guest, OT, Sensory

5 Ways to Help Children who Have Tactile Defensiveness

This is a guest post by Kimberly Z Syers OTR/L- BabyOT.com As a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, I work with children with tactile defensiveness on a daily basis. These children are hypersensitive to tactile (touch) stimulation and frequently…

accessibility, Activities, ADL, child, OT, teenage

The Roll of OT in Driving Readiness with Adolescents most At Risk

The important role of Pediatric Occupational Therapy in “Driving Readiness” with Adolescents Most At Risk This is a guest post written by Missy Menzes, occupational therapist and founder of Extra Credit! LLC. For teenagers, driving is…

Activities, bimanual, child, Craft, elementary school age, fine-motor, in-hand manipulation, Munchy Ball, OT

Making it Fun With Munchy Ball

I pick up a little girl from her classroom (we'll call her Emily), so that I can do a fine motor evaluation, and this is the first time that she has met me. I tell her who I am and what we will be doing and we head off to do our work. Emily…

q-tip painting templates for fine motor control

Activities, activity printable, child, Craft, Craft, elementary school age, fine-motor, Free Printable, Handwriting, OT, Paper, Printable, visual perceptual

More Q-Tip Painting Templates

When I first gave a student q-tips to paint with, she did a lot of smearing and squishing of the paint on the paper. She was working those fine muscles of the hand, but there was a little something missing from the picture. It was a very…

Activities, ADL, bimanual, hygiene, Motor Planning, OT, Reach and grasp, teenage

Tips on Shaving for Teenagers who have Hemiparesis

This is a guest post by Marie Logan, OTR/L about teenagers and shaving when they have hemiparesis. As children mature into teenagers there are undoubtedly times of transition that can be a bit awkward for them as well as their parents. As…

Activities, activity printable, child, Chopstick activities, elementary school age, fine-motor, Free Printable, Handwriting, OT, Pom Poms or cotton balls, Printable, visual perceptual

Color Pop Game For Fine Motor and Writing

The color pop game is a great game that incorporates quite a few skills within one game. Some of the skills used in the game are fine motor, visual scanning, writing, counting, and finding coordinates on a chart. I use either colored porcupine…

Activities, OT, Resources

New series starting this week

There is a new series starting this week that will be about functional skills for kids. It is a collaborative series with other therapy bloggers. You can read all about it at the page

Activities, child, Craft, Craft, elementary school age, Materials, OT, Paint, Paper

Using Stick Paint in Projects

I love doing projects and activities in Occupational Therapy because the kids can get a chance to fine tune their skills and abilities while they are doing an actual task. Painting is great for projects ,but it is really hard to transport and…

Activities, bimanual, child, Craft, Craft, elementary school age, fine-motor, hand strengthening, Handwriting, in-hand manipulation, Motor Planning, OT, Paper, scissor cutting, Shapes, visual perceptual

Coloring and Cutting Shapes for a Picture

For this activity, we are incorporating very simple coloring and cutting of easy shapes. Then you can put those shapes together to make a pretty picture to take home. Two simple designs to choose from are a flower or a butterfly. With…

Activities, activity printable, bimanual, child, Clothespin Activities, Crossing Midline, elementary school age, fine-motor, games, hand strengthening, Handwriting, OT, Printable, visual perceptual

Wild Animal Clothespin Game

One of our favorite games is the Ocean Animal Clothespin game, so I made a variation of the game named the Wild Animal Clothespin Game, with some different animals so the kids can enjoy working on finger strengthening using clothespins while…

Activities, adult, child, Crossing Midline, elementary school age, fine-motor, games, hand strengthening, in-hand manipulation, Motor Planning, OT, play dough, Reach and grasp, sensory motor, teenage, tween - middle school, upper extremity strengthening, visual perceptual

Play Doh Connect Four

Play Doh Connect Four is a fun activity that was created by Marie Logan, an Occupational Therapist with UAB Pediatric Neuromotor Clinic. This activity is a great way to combine the benefits of using play doh, and the fun of playing connect…

Activities, ADL, adult, bimanual, child, christmas, Craft, Craft, Crossing Midline, elementary school age, fine-motor, holiday, in-hand manipulation, Materials, Motor Planning, OT, ribbon, scissor cutting, season, teenage, tween - middle school, tying, visual perceptual, winter

Ribbon Christmas Tree

This ribbon Christmas tree activity is the most awesome therapy activity ever. It incorporates practicing tying into a nice craft that looks beautiful when it is done. The kids all loved it, and they were all very proud of what they had accomplished.…

Activities, bouncy balls, child, elementary school age, fine-motor, games, hand strengthening, Motor Planning, OT, Reach and grasp

Many Uses of the Matrix Ball

I found a new ball that I love in many different ways. I love it because I can use it form many different things. My new favorite ball is called the Matrix Ball, and it is made by Tangle Creations. The ball is a great texture and has open…

Activities, bimanual, child, Crossing Midline, elementary school age, featured guest, fine-motor, games, hand strengthening, Materials, Motor Planning, OT, Paint, Paper, Range Of Motion, Reach and grasp, Trunk strengthening, upper extremity strengthening, visual perceptual

Sticker Squash Game

This is a game that was submitted by a therapist, Marie Logan, OTR/L. It is a simple game that is played on paper, and it is similar to the game Battleship. During the game, you work on eye hand coordination and hand positioning, challenge…