OT Archives - Page 2 of 26 - Therapy Fun Zone

Activities, bimanual, OT, Sensory, teenage

The Making of a Good Fidget

What is a fidget anyway? Fidgeting in itself is synonymous with moving and the inability to stay still. Moving the body keeps the brain awake. Have you ever been driving and you start getting a little sleepy, so you start moving in your seat,…

Activities, bimanual, child, christmas, Craft, elementary school age, felt, fine-motor, holiday, in-hand manipulation, Materials, Motor Planning, OT, season, visual perceptual, winter

Felt Christmas Tree

Here is a fun little Christmas activity of decorating a Christmas tree with felt ornaments. I got a styrofoam cone from the craft store and wrapped green felt around it. I then cut out some ornament shapes from different colored felt. You could…

Activities, ADL, buttoning, child, dressing, elementary school age, felt, OT, winter

Make a Button Snow Man

Kids like buttoning different things like a pizza, sandwich, and ice cream. I am constantly working on new buttoning activities, and have just finished making a snow man. It is adorable, and perfect for buttoning since there are lots of parts…

Activities, ADL, adult, bimanual, child, dressing, fine-motor, Motor Planning, OT, preschool, Therapy techniques, visual perceptual

The Visual Motor Aspect of Buttons and Zippers

Buttoning Progression When you are good at fastening buttons, you can do it with your eyes close, and probably don't look at all when fastening your pants. It takes some time and practice to get to the point of being able to button completely…

Activities, bimanual, child, Craft, Craft, Crossing Midline, elementary school age, fall, fine-motor, Free Printable, Handwriting, holiday, in-hand manipulation, Motor Planning, OT, Paper, pencil template, Printable, scissor cutting, Scissor Cutting, season, Shapes, Thanksgiving, visual perceptual

Scissor Cutting Turkey Template

Making Turkeys for Thanksgiving is a great time to incorporate a lot of skills into your therapy session. I love that the feathers are perfect for writing on and being able to create a thankful craft. Cutting with scissors is a skill that works…

Activities, child, elementary school age, fine-motor, Handwriting, OT, Paper, teenage, tween - middle school

Writing Made Funny

I love it when the kids get creative when they are writing, but it is sometimes so hard for them to come up with good ideas. Some kids can come up with some creative writing, and it is really fun to come up with funny stories one sentence at…

Activities, ADL, baby, child, elementary school age, feeding, fine-motor, OT, toddler

Fine Motor Skills For Mealtimes

From the beginning stages of a baby learning to pick up a piece of puffed cereal and feed itself, to an older child cutting vegetables to help prepare food, there are a variety of fine motor skills that are used and needed during meal times.…

Activities, ADL, hygiene, OT, teenage, tween - middle school

Adolescent Hygiene Challenges

Adolescence is a time when kids are starting to reach a level of maturity where they begin to be more self sufficient in hygiene, and they have a bunch of brand new hygiene issues starting due to changing hormones. When you have kids that have…

Activities, activity printable, child, Crossing Midline, elementary school age, fine-motor, Handwriting, OT, Paper, Printable, teenage, tween - middle school, visual perceptual

Crack the Code Visual and Writing

When you have kids that need a higher level of challenge for visual scanning, visual perception, and writing, it can be hard to find activities that are difficult enough for them to do and that give enough of a challenge. I want to work on visual…

Activities, child, Chopstick activities, Clothespin Activities, elementary school age, fine-motor, hand strengthening, Handwriting, Motor Planning, OT, Pom Poms or cotton balls, visual perceptual

I Love Using Color Pop

I love using the color pop game in therapy. Ever since I created it, it has become my go to for many therapy sessions because it is so basic, and can be so easily modified to work on so many different areas that I want to address. Since I…

Activities, ADL, child, dressing, felt, Materials, OT, preschool, toddler

A Button Snake With Lots of Buttons

Button snakes are a very simple way to practice buttoning. They have a ribbon and a button on the end and you string pieces of fabric onto the string. I made one with different types of fabric, and now have a new one that has multiple buttons…

Activities, child, elementary school age, equipment, equipment, gross motor, lower extremity strengthening, Motor Planning, motor planning, OT, preschool, PT, sensory motor, teenage, toddler, tween - middle school

Making a Crash Pad

A crash pad is a big foam filled squishy mat that you can fall onto and you land on the squishy foam. Crash pads are great fun for kids who like a lot of movement and body input since they can roll around in the big foam nest. Kids need to always…

ADL, baby, child, elementary school age, OT, preschool, Resources

Things You can do at Home to Help Your Child In School

Being able to function and participate in school will mean different things for different kids. So, it is best to look at your child and see what it is that they will need to work on in school, and then you can support the teacher to help your…

Activities, activity printable, child, Clothespin Activities, elementary school age, fine-motor, Free Printable, games, hand strengthening, Motor Planning, OT, Printable, Reach and grasp, visual perceptual

Flower Garden Fine Motor and Visual Motor Challenge

I was looking for an activity that would give a good challenge to the visual motor system as well as challenge fine motor control. I wanted quite a bit of visual motor reaching and grasping while in prone. In one school that I work in, I have…

accessibility, child, OT

Working on Following Directions When Out

Going out to the store or out to eat can be a very stressful experience for some parents who have a child with special needs. A lot of the stress comes from fear of the unknown, the potential for melt-downs, and not knowing whether you can…

Activities, ADL, child, elementary school age, OT

Working on More Button Activities

I have been working on more button activities and I think that my button S'mores are perfect for summer pretend play. I was able to get the marshmallow a little squishy and puffy by layering felt circles. I is a perfect addition to anyone's…

Activities, Animals, bimanual, child, Craft, elementary school age, fine-motor, Free Printable, Motor Planning, OT, Paper, Printable, scissor cutting, Scissor Cutting, visual perceptual

Visual Motor Skills and Cutting With Scissors

Being able to cut with scissors requires many skills, starting with the physical motor ability to sit at a table, the fine motor ability to hold the scissors, and the strength to open and close the scissors. In order to follow lines and shapes…

Activities, ADL, bimanual, buttoning, child, Craft, dressing, elementary school age, felt, fine-motor, Motor Planning, OT

A Fun Summer Buttoning Ice Cream Cone

I have been working on a bunch of different buttoning activities and thought I would share the ones that I made this week. I made some bananas that you can unbutton from the bunch, an ice cream cone to button the scoops on, some pancakes with…

Activities, activity printable, ADL, bimanual, buttoning, child, dressing, elementary school age, favorite toys, fine-motor, Free Printable, games, Motor Planning, OT, Printable

New Button Pizzas and Patterns to Make Your Own

The button pizza, sandwich and oreo are so great for working on fine motor and motor planning skills in a fun way. I ran out of the button food available in the shop quite a while ago, and have found it difficult to find a sewing manufacturer…