So your child is starting OT. 
How do you explain why they are going and what to expect? 

It will depend on your child's age, level of understanding and why they are seeing an occupational therapist. 

Preparing your child (or helping a family to prepare) with information about why they are going can help with anxiety and expectations. A positive and realistic explanation can help to frame occupational therapy, setting up the relationship with trust and respect. 

Some of the ways we might explain OT to kids - 

• Use the "Fun Helper" Approach: Tell them they are going to meet a special teacher or friend who plays games to help them get better at things they want to do.
• Focus on PLAY: Explain that in OT, they will play with toys, use swings, do crafts, and move around, and it will feel like fun, not schoolwork.
• Relate to Daily Goals: Use examples like, "This will help us make writing easier," or "It will help us get dressed by ourselves".
• Analogies: Explain that just as someone needs glasses to see better, they might need an "expert helper" to make tricky tasks feel easier.
• Validate Emotions: Let them know it is okay to feel nervous, but emphasize that the OT  is a safe space to practice new skills and explore feelings.

Regardless of the reasons that your child might see an OT, there are some common expectations that are so important, that I'm calling a child's rights! 
* Automomy - They have control over their own bodies and choices.
* Agency - They can help to make decisions.
* Consent - They can say yes or no and be heard. 
* To be understood - Their communication is respected. 
* Active Participation - They can be engaged and involved in the therapy process.
* Safety- They will be emotionally and physically safe.
* Colloboration - Their goals will be heard. 
* Joy and connection - Therapy can be fun and enjoyable.
* Meaningful occupation - They will play, rest and learn activities of daily living. 
* Individualised support - Their needs will be addressed.
* Regulation - They can take breaks as needed.
* Authenticity - They can be themselves without pretending.
* Strengths - Their interests and strengths matter. 
* Dignity - They will be treated with kindness and empathy.

​A video can also help to explain to your child what they should expect. Some of the following videos are designed to show kids and some are designed for parents to understand how to explain OT.  Watch them all and choose what is appropriate for your child.

• Ready Kids: What is occupational therapy? Explained to kids in 90 seconds.
• Ready Kids: What is occupational therapy? Explanation for adults
• Cstars: What is pediatric occupational therapy?
• Twinkl Teaching Resources: Occupational Therapy for Kids
• Humber Teaching NHS Foundation: Children's Occupational Therapy Animation
• Autism Australia: OT for autistic children
• Ontaria society of occupational therapists: See how we help kids learn and be successful in schools 
• Harkla: OT Kids Explained (Executive Function, Sensory Routines, Reflexes)
• Parents Helping Parents: What is OT?
• InfOT: Pediatric OT​
• Westside Children's Therapy: Growing Skills OT for older kids

​We (occupational therapists) are here to help kids to participate fully in their daily life, to develop skills, be motivated, with the right tools within the environments they need to function in! We are holistic and help to address physical and motor skills, internal systems (nervous system, sensory system, cognition), social awareness and participation.  We look at accomodations, advocacy,  equipment needs and environmental changes. 

Children can expect a dynamic therapeutic relationship! 

How do you explain occupational therapy to a child?

Until next time,
Cindy
​

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a contributing author of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​​​
YKOT shop:  https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot
You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/
​

This student has poor fine motor skills for handwriting. Let's move them to typing! 

But what happens with this same student's fine motor difficulties affect their ability to type? 

There is sometimes an assumption that typing is a quick and easy fix for a child with handwriting difficulties. While handwriting and typing have different fine motor skill requirements, typing itself is a complex skill. Typing requires an integration of fine motor skills, visual motor integration, bilateral coordination and executive functioning skills. 

Of course typing is not the only way that we can access technology.  There are speech-to-text options, touch screen options and even more complex technology like eye-tracking. It wonderful that there are so many options available. Adaptive technology is the key for some children and adults to access the online world and record information too. 

Occupational therapists have a role working with school-aged children in teaching correct keyboarding technique, supporting assistive technology use and helping students with handwriting difficulties to transition to typing.  For our children who we want to teach to type, we want to build their fine motor skills to access the keyboard.  Not all of these students will end up as touch-typers but we can lay good foundations that can also be transferred to other activities such as using a computer mouse, playing a piano (or other musical instrument) and managing self care tasks such as buttoning or shoe laces.  

* Wrist extension
Similarly to handwriting, if we can encourage the wrist and forearm to be placed on the table, this provides stability needed to use our fingers.  If the wrist and forearm are too high (ie. hovering) or below the table, this may lead to fatigue and poor endurance.  Ergonomically, there are wrist supports that may be used for extended typing, however for our children learning to type, it is more important to develop the wrist strength and forearm stability. 

Wrist strengthening activities may include weight bearing on the forearm and arms (eg. over a therapy gym ball and walking on hands), donkey kicks, carrying loads (eg. bucket of sand), pulling or climbing up rope ladders, monkey bars, or working on vertical surfaces (Eg. drawing on easels). 

* Strong Palmar Arches 
Our hand muscles help to form the arches of our hand: longitudinal, traverse and oblique. These arches work together to build the natural curvature of our hand (structure) and also allow finger dexterity. They help us with opening up the webspace of our hand and provide a foundation for other fine motor skills (including in-hand manipulation and thumb opposition). In addition to typing, we need strong palmar arches for so many every day activities such as opening and closing bottles, cupping our hands to roll a dice, playing ball games and more!
​
In typing, the palmar arches allow the hands to form the natural curvature so that the pads of the fingers touch the keys. Other parts of the fingers do not need to rest on the keys and it can prevent accidental touching if the fingers are held straight (extended). 

Activities that help develop the palmar arches of the hand include crawling and weight bearing activities onto the hands.  The hand strengthening activities mentioned earlier will also help with the development of the palmar arches. Squeezing a stress ball or playing ball games (eg. handball, tennis) can provide more opportunities to develop the palmar arches. Occupational therapists love to use a "munchy ball" which is a tennis ball with a slit (often decorated as a face).  Thes balls are squeezed open so that they may be "fed" with various items.  

* Open Webspace
An open circular webspace is achieved when the thumb and index finger can form a circular shape when touching. This relies on the thumb being able to fully rotate at the carpal metacarpal (CMC) joint so that it can touch each finger tip. 

In typing, an open webspace provides stability for dynamic thumb movements. The thumbs typically press the space bar. Activities such as "thumb wars" can promote thumb mobility. 

* Individual finger strength with isolated movements
Each finger needs to be able to press a key on the keyboard individually with adequate force.  This can be difficult for children with poor joint stability and hyper-mobile joints.  Some children hyper-extend at the proximal or distal interphalangeal joints. Some children press multiple keys at the same time.  

While the separation of the two sides of the hand is not as important in typing as it is in handwriting, stability of the hand is important so that each finger can demonstrate the dexterity needed to type individual keys. The fingers are required to move up and down as well as from side to side to reach different keys on the keyboard. 

Games such as pop-its or "Tricky Fingers" are fun ways to develop finger isolation.  Finger and hand strengthening activities may also include the use of tongs or clothespins (pegs) to provide additional resistance when picking up items.  Playing the piano also helps to develop individual finger strength although it is a cyclical discussion as some isolated finger strength is needed to play the piano! 

* Finger dexterity and use of the pads of the fingers
It seems obvious that the pads of the fingers should touch the keys during typing, however in my experience, I have seen children use many alternatives! They may use the sides of their fingers, their nails or their finger joints. 

Children can practice finger touching each finger to their thumb individually. More finger warm up activities can be found here. 

Playdough is one of my favourite OT tools.  Create small balls of playdough and use these to work on the fine motor skills needed for typing. 
1. Squash: This action promotes flexion and extension at the metacarpal joints while developing stability of the wrist, palmar arches and interphalangeal joints of the fingers. 
Begin with your hands positioned on the table as if you are going to type.  Place one ball of playdough under each finger pad.  Squash the ball of playdough with an individual finger or your thumb. Try to maintain joint stability while resting your wrist and forearm on the table. Try not to raise your whole hand as you squash the playdough. 
2. Kick: This action promotes flexion and extension of the interphalangeal finger joints while developing stability of the wrist and palmar arches. 
Begin with your hands positioned on the table as if you are going to type.  Place a ball of playdough in front of each finger.  "Kick" the ball with each individual finger. Try to maintain joint stability and rest your fingers back onto the table after kicking. Try not to raise your whole hand or arm as you kick the ball of playdough. 
3. Thumb flicks: This action promotes thumb joint mobility and strengthening of the webspace of the hand.
Begin with both hands fisted, keeping your thumbs separate.  Place one ball of playdough so that you can flick it with one thumb.  Try to flick the playdough between the thumbs. Try not to raise your whole hand or arm as you flick the playdough. 
4. Squeeze: This action promotes sideways movements of the fingers. 
Place a ball of playdough between two fingers (or thumb and index finger). Squeeze the ball of playdough between your fingers and continue to each finger space. 

Watch these playdough activities with any of these links:
* You-tube
* Instagram
* Facebook 
​

Would you like to share this information about "Fine Motor Skills for Typing"?

You can find this resource as a part of the Fine Motor Information Sheets.
This pack contains:

• Fine Motor Skills overview (3 pages) - Definitions, Hand Strength, Games and Activities
• Fine Motor Skills for Handwriting
• Fine Motor Skills for Typing
• Fine Motor Skills for Cutlery and Utensils
• Fine Motor Skills for Managing Fasteners (3 pages) includes visual sequences.

These pages may be emailed or printed to share with families and teachers. I attach them to assessment reports to provide activity suggestions. Get your copy at the YKOT shop or TPT store. 

Keyboarding or typing has become an important component of learning.  

Working on the fine motor skills that support keyboarding can have additional benefits with other activities that require fine motor skills.  Occupational therapists play a key role in providing this support while coaching and educating parents and teachers too. 

Until next time,
​Cindy

We've made a connection.
I'm led by the child in play. 
We have shared attention.  
Now what? 
How do I engage my child with playing "with me"? How can I teach them to take turns or share? 

Early sharing and turn-taking skills start well before we ask a child to "give" you something or "wait" for their turn. 

For some children, the idea of  "sharing or taking turns" is met with fear. Someone is going to take my toy from me.  I'm never getting it back. I didn't even get to really play with it.  OR I don't want to play that way. I like being in control of the objects/role/game.  

Here are some practical ways to build a foundation of sharing and turn taking in a neuroaffirming way. Begin by reflecting on what your child may already be doing through PLAY (of course)! 

1) Sharing by colour: Different colours of the same items. 
Name the colours as your child is playing with the items of different colours. 
Examples: Coloured balls, coloured pop tubes, coloured pencils, coloured pom poms, etc.
"John you have red. John you have green.  Yellow's turn.  Blue's turn". 
By labelling the colours, you are indicating that each item is having a turn.  Your child is independent in play.  Don't anticpate the colours initially for your child to take but reflect on what they are already doing. Over time, you may anticipate and your child may respond by picking the colour that you have named. This gradual "demand" request may be instant for some children and for other children it can take a much longer time (ie. weeks, months). 

2) Sharing by objects: Different objects of the same group performing the same action. 
Examples: Farm animals. Cars. Bugs. Figurines. 
"Pig eating. Cow eating. Horse eating. Donkey's turn. Duck's turn." 
You can reflect on a your child's play if they are already doing this.  If they are not, you can model some actions beside your child as they play.  Invite your child to help the objects to take turns. There are no rules here with how many times you perform the action or how many times the child helps the objects to take turns.

​You can start with single step actions and increase this to two-step or multiple-step actions over time. "Bluey is going up the ladder and down the slide. Rusty is waiting for a turn. Rusty is going up the ladder and down the slide. Bluey's turn to wait." 
This introduces your child to taking turns with an element of waiting. Don't rush to participate and allow your child to play with as many objects as they want to. If someone has more than "one turn", then reflect on this. "Bluey is having another turn". 

You can also introduce an additional action for the one who is "waiting". "Bluey is having a turn on the slide. Rusty is waiting on the swing.  Bluey has finished on the slide. Rusty's turn on the slide and Bluey's turn on the swing". 

3) Sharing with your child's body parts or a toy's body parts. 
Examples: Balloon play. Ball play. Simon says. Washing in the bath. Doll/teddy play. 
"Shake your hands. Shake your foot. Shake our head." or 
"Wash teddy's tummy. Wash teddy's back. Teddy's hands can have a turn. Teddy's face can have a turn". 
You can model this with your own body or on the toy.  You may have two identicial toys where you model on your toy.  If your child is not interested in following your request, go back to reflecing on what they are doing. Bath time or dressing time at home can be natural times where you label body parts. 

4) Multiple children/adults jointly sharing one item together. 
Examples: Sharing a table of playdough. Sharing one parachute. 
"We are all sitting at the table. We are sharing the table." (You may be doing the same or different things at the table). or
"We are all holding the parachute together. We are sharing this game.  You are lying down and the parachute can go up/down". 
This requires some shared attention of the place or the activity. It introduces connection and collaboration without demanding participation. Some children find it easier to relate to adults (as they are more predictable) and other children find it easier to connect with other children. It is helpful to introduce this aspect of sharing with toys, adults and children. 

5) Multiple children/adults sharing an item that is split between them. 
Examples: The tub of playdough/sand is split in half and given to two people. A piece of paper is cut into two. The pretend pizza/cake is split into two. A game that has multiple features that can be shared (eg. Hungry Hippos). Multiple balls where everyone gets their own ball. 
"We will both have some.  We are sharing". 
This requires shared attention and connection with the other person. Inner motivation is needed to compromise for the other person to have what the child has. You may consider an "uneven split" if this helps to build this concept. 

Don't forget to register for your free ticket to the PLAY CONFERENCE! It starts soon - March 9th - 12th for the free viewing.  Four days of expert-led sessions with a look at rebuilding child development in a screen dominated childhood.  Topics include Neurodiversity-Affirming Play in the Early Years, Play to Praxis: Building Motor and Speech Planning Through Real Play, Utilizing a Strengths-Based Framework That Is Child-Centered and Play-Focused and MORE!

But if you can't make it to the free viewing, consider upgrading to the VIP ticket.  The VIP Ticket is the best way to make the most of the 2026 Play Conference.Here’s what you get:

•  Accredited CEUs for OTPs, PTs, and SLPs
•  Private podcast feed for flexible listening
•  Conference workbook + exclusive speaker bonuses
•  Extended access to all sessions​ ​

This article was written in response to a question one of my supervisees had recently! 
​How do your teach your child to share and take turns? 

Until next time,
Cindy

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a contributing author of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​​​
YKOT shop:  https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot
You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/