School holidays!!! Yay! I don't know about you and your kids, but we have been looking forward to having a break from the school routine!

We are also looking forward to a short farm stay.  My kids, especially Miss 8 loves animals and the thought of continuous access to farm animals has been anticipated for months now.  Whilst the drive is relatively short, both Miss 8 and Mr 5 are prone to car sickness so this rules out books and screen use in the car.  We love listening to audio books, although we probably could recite most of the ones we currently have!

I've collated some great road trip games and turned them into "Paper Plate Road Trip Games"!  Just get a handful of paper plates, a large marker and a pair of scissors.  You will be ready to hit the road in just a few minutes!

Paper Plate Road Trip Games!
1. ABC name them - Write the alphabet around the plate. Pick a category (our categories include boys names, girls names, fruit & veg, countries, sport, animals, picnic game).  You could also include other categories such as things you find in the kitchen, school, bathroom, musical instruments, etc.  

Take turns (you could even pass the plate to everyone except the driver) to work through the alphabet to name something in the category.  For example: boys names are Adrian, Bob, Cameron, etc.  

The "picnic game" has a slight variation where you need to remember what the previous person said... "I went on a picnic and brought apples." Then the next person says "I went on a picnic and brought apples and bananas".

2. Road Trip I spy - Write the alphabet around the plate. This could be played individually with one person finding things they see which begin with each letter of the alphabet or with everyone in the car taking turns.  A variation of this game could be to find words in road signs which begin with each letter of the alphabet.

3. Shape and Colour I spy - Draw shapes and colour them in around the plate.  For younger kids, they may find it easier to spy things of a certain colour or shape or both.  May be played individually or with everyone in the car.

4. Counting Cows (and other items) - Write numbers 1-20 around the plate. Name something that needs to be spotted (eg. cows, red cars, planes, construction sites, etc). This could be played individually or with everyone in the car. To add some competition, make multiple plates for each player and race to see who can count them fastest.

5. 20 Questions - Write numbers 1-20 around the plate. One person picks a person, place or thing (ie. a noun). The others in the car have 20 questions that may be asked (with the answer being yes or no) to guess the correct noun.

6. Story Telling - This game requires three plates which include a range of "characters", "settings" and "feelings". This may be played individually or with everyone in the car. Choose a one thing from each plate to tell a story. The story could end with one selection from each plate or may continue to involve each option being built into the story progressively.  Variations for older kids could include a theme (eg. tragedy, love story, suspense, epic, comedy, lost, etc).

With each paper plate, place a cut between each option available (eg. between each letter of the alphabet).  This enables you to "fold down" an option once it has been played. 

These paper plate games will appeal to a wide range of ages whilst working on numeracy and literacy skills in a fun way! What a great way to involve adults and kids working together.  When kids get stuck, they may learn from the adults modelling answers. Special memories of family times may be built on road trips! 

These paper plate games are perfect for a road trip and yet there is no reason these games could not be played at home or when out at a park. The paper plates act as prompts for play which are "open-ended".  Each time you play, you will probably have different responses.  How interesting to see how your kids responses change as they grow older!

These paper plate games are transportable and you could even leave them in the car for the next road trip. 

For children with special needs, these paper plates will be great visual prompts for providing some structure to car games.  There is a beginning and end point when each option is selected. They may also keep track of what is next in the game. 

Have you got a road trip planned these school holidays? What are your favourite road trip games?

I would love to hear from you if you try these paper plate games with your family!

Safe travels,

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Deep pressure can help to calm, organised and soothe.  This is true for children and adults.  Last year, I wrote about the benefits of a weighted blanket or vest when used as a part of a sensory diet.  Have a read of these articles to give you some background information.

Weighted products can provided proprioceptive input (input to the muscles and joints which help us with our awareness of our position in space) and deep pressure.  Weighted products can help a child to regulate their bodies for concentration, to feel secure, organised and calm.   Whilst there is some evidence and anecdotal results for the effectiveness of weighted products, research based evidence is limiteds **.  Use of weighted products should be used under the guidance and supervision of an occupational therapist as a part of a sensory diet. Please seek advice from a qualified paediatric occupational therapist.

We are all looking for economical ways to provide therapy and help families.  This homemade weighted lap bag could not be easier or cheaper! It is also a fantastic NO-SEW option!

What do you need?
A large pencil case
A bag of rice - unopened or sealed in a zip lock bag.

I purchased both from a major supermarket for under $10 in total.

That's it!

You are welcome! 

The weight of the rice should be never more than 10% of a child's body weight.  5% of a child's body weight should be considered if the child is overweight or you are using weighted products for the first time.  You may need to dispense your rice into smaller zip lock bags depending on the weight you are using.

What do you do with it?
This "weighted lap bag" may be used to help children experience "deep pressure".  This heavy proprioceptive input is often needed when children need to be seated (at home or in the classroom) or when they need to be "still" or when they need their hands to concentrate.  .

The "weighted lap bag" should only be used for up to 10 minutes at a time with at least a 2 hour interval between uses.  If it is used for longer or too soon, a child's brain and body adapt to this weight and it does not have the same effectiveness.  Some research report that weighted vests may be worn for about 30 minutes at a time, two times a day.  

Alternatively, the weighted bag may be used to incorporate "heavy work" into the day.  I often get kids to carry my special pencil case from their classroom to where I see them for OT.

The frequency and duration of use of weighted products should be used as a part of a sensory diet of activities in collaboration with an Occupational Therapist.

Adult supervision should always be provided when using a weighted lap bag or other weighted products. Always monitor how the child is feeling and reduce time if necessary.  Always empower your child to remove the product if they are uncomfortable. Never use this weighted lap bag whilst a child is sleeping or for younger children (do not use with children 3 years and younger).

When used correctly and appropriately, a weighted lap bag can have fantastic benefits.  I received this great feedback from a mother when she tried this with her daughter for the first time at home "This morning I placed a 1KG bag of rice I had on her lap and for the first time EVER she read the whole of her home reader without prompting or needing to be brought back to the book all I can say is WOW what an improvement!!"  This was a young girl who I have been working with at school whilst working on a sensory diet for home and school. We had already trialled the weighted lap bag in a therapy session.

As this weighted bag is made from a "pencil case" it is not out of the ordinary to have this in the classroom.  This is really helpful with children in mainstream classrooms who do not like to be seen as "different". The zipper could be tucked into the pencil case to reduce the chances of it being opened by other kids.  Where weighted snakes, turtles, etc are great lap bags, the pencil case naturally fits into the school environment. 

I can not emphasize enough that you should seek guidance and collaboration with an occupational therapist when using weighted products.  For OTs, this is a quick, economical handy way to provide a weighted product in the home, school or therapy environments. 

Have you found benefits in using weighted products?
Have you ever made a weighted lap bag? 

Let me know if you try my no-sew version!

** References
Case-Smith, J., & Arbesman, M. (2008). Evidence-based review of interventions for autism used in or of relevance to occupational therapy. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62(4), 416-429.
Olson, L. J., & Moulton, H. J. (2004). Occupational therapists' reported experiences using weighted vests with children with specific developmental disorders. Occupational Therapy International, 11(1), 52-66. doi: 10.1002/oti.197

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Have you been enjoying my series on "Fingers"?  We started with "Heavy Work for Fingers" and then there were some home made games "finger soccer and a finger obstacle course".  This week is one for your toddlers and preschoolers, although some older children might like these too!

"Finger play" in rhymes and songs teach little ones so many skills.  I think it is an essential part of development for a baby and young child to participate in finger play!  

However, I would like to point out that some children will love songs and rhymes and others won't.  My two children are perfect examples.  With my first born, I was accused by a friend to be a "walking musical" as I would be constantly breaking out into sing and doing the actions.  She loved it as a baby and as she grew older requested songs and rhymes.  Preschool teachers would comment that she would happily sing to herself whilst drawing or painting and now she participates in a choir.  My son on the other hand {pun intended} would stop me as a toddler and say "no" or cover his ears.  LOL!  I don't think my singing voice deteriorated that much! 

Anyway, whilst some children are more inclined musically and others not, participation in finger rhymes and songs can be really beneficial!!!  

Here are a few benefits:-

* Language Development - I'm sure my Speechie friends will agree that songs and rhymes are great for language development.  Children hear words repeated and learn their meaning. 

* Fine Motor Development - Finger play encourages coordination of fingers, hands and arms.  Fingers may move individually or together, hands may wave or fist, arms may stretch or bend (to name a few).  Finger play also encourages bilateral coordination (use of both sides of the body) and in some songs hands may cross the mid-line as well! 

* Spatial Awareness - Finger play encourages body awareness as fingers, hands and arms move to perform different things (such as clapping, hammering, raining, touching other body parts).  Through language, children may learn about concepts such as up, down, left, right, together, open, close.

To get you and your children excited about finger play, I have collated 42 of my favourite rhymes and songs together into a FREE printable!!! This includes lyrics and actions. You can download the printable here.  Please share this with your friends and family!

Children are visual learners.  This includes children with special needs.  Many of the rhymes and songs in the printable, may be use in conjunction with felt and flannel boards.  You may also use finger puppets too!

Here is an example of a felt board that I put together for a music playgroup that I help to run.  The pieces in the photograph below are for "five little crayons".  You will find the words in theFREE printable! I drew a "crayon" onto paper as a pattern, then cut out the correct coloured felt to correspond with the rhyme.  A blue SHARPIE marker was used to embellish the crayons (Miss 8 yrs helped with this).  They make a nice visual as the "colour" aspect of this rhyme can only be appreciated visually. Each felt crayon is then used with the rhyme.  

Another really cute way to make visuals is to bake cookies! I couldn't resist when I found this elephant cutter amongst my supplies.  I think the elephants turned out pretty cute {if I do say so myself}.  I used this gingerbread recipe.  The elephants were used to sing-a-long to "one grey elephant". although my kids were more interested in eating them! You will find the words in theFREE printable!

Mr almost-5 year old actually enjoys some finger play rhymes and songs now. He learnt the "weather" one at preschool and was very proud to show me the actions.  He also likes "here's the church", "5 little rockets" and "two tall telegraph poles".

Don't forget to download your FREE printable today! It may jog your memory of some forgotten rhymes and songs or you may even learn some new ones.  Tell your friends and mother's groups! 

You may also like the Preschool Rhyme Printable Bundle  ---> Take me to the bundle!
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Does your child have a favourite finger play rhyme or songs? 

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