I love when I walk around the clinic and see some of the creative ideas the therapists come up with. This was one I just saw. They were using a puzzle and would crab walk the pieces from one side of the mat (or room) to the other. The puzzle piece rested on their stomach […]
Favorite Toys: Connect Four
Connect Four is a great game for anyone to play. It’s a great way to start working on strategy with kids. Being a PT, while we may play the game with our kids, it’s usually part of another task that we are working on. Here are a few of the ways that we have used […]
We Love Squigz!
Yes it’s true, we do. Not only do we love Squigz but the kids love them, which is probably part of the reason that they are at the top of the list for our therapists’ favorites. (and no, this is not a sponsored post) Squigz are basically varied shape toys with suction cups on their […]
Free Wheelin: What Does Your Child Need to Learn to Ride a Bike?
Learning to ride a bike is a major childhood milestone for most kids providing a sense of freedom and increased independence. While the ultimate goal of self-propelled locomotion is no doubt thrilling, developing the skill can be tedious and frustrating. Fear not! Here are some tips for you to help your kiddo coast right through […]
Rope Climb – With a Lycra Swing Twist
A great way to work on core and upper body strength, as well as bilateral hand use is to put your climbing rope in a lycra swing. Its really hard to get any traction/stability from your feet and you get to rely on upper body and core strength to get yourself up high enough to […]
Magnetic Toy Imaginary Play
I have always wanted to play with Magna-Tiles especially when I have read about them in blog posts or heard parents talking about them. I decided to buy a set and had my nephew help me check them out. He of course was excited (and he’s almost 9) because he had played with them before. […]
Wrapping Presents
I’m loving the holiday season and I definitely have presents on the brain (it could be because its my birthday too)! With that said, what a great way to get kids involved and work on some fine motor skills than to have them help with wrapping the presents. Not only will they work on the […]
Cutting Straws
This post was written by Sarah Girard OTR/L Cutting can be a frustrating task for some of our kids. It requires motor planning, fine motor strength, bilateral hand use, and visual motor skills. I’ve found it more attention grabbing with kids if I’m switching up materials that we are using to cut with. Cutting straws […]
Gingerbread for Fine Motor Development
Since its the holiday season, and my nephew was over visiting again, we decided to make gingerbread men. Luckily the dough was already made (downside is we didn’t get to work on the skills/benefits listed in the cookie dough post) but we got to do everything else! We worked on bilateral coordination and upper […]