When your hands start getting cold, tingly, sore and stiff... 

I've been wondering why my hands have been so uncomfortable lately and have had some medical tests.  Fortunately, it looks like it has been an ergnomic issue with extra time on the laptop during our lockdown period and the occasional pulling of my 40 kg puppy! (yikes)

So a few changes including reverting to my old keyboard and mouse.  More dog training too!

As an OT, I couldn't help but to also dig out my putty. 

Manipulating putty is such a great way to build fine motor skills ... finger and thumb strength, individual finger movements, palmar arches, separation of the two sides of the hand and wrist extension!  There are so many things that you can do with putty (or playdough if you don't have putty). You can also try different densities of putty. 

Putty can help relax and strengthen the small muscles of the hand. It can be a good way to relieve stress and provide sensory input too. Try these putty hand exercise ideas! 

You can also add small items like coins, marbles, buttons or beads.  This is especially great for kids as they love finding "treasure".

You-tube link ---> https://youtu.be/sQQglZkgf7I
​

Find a playlist of Fine Motor Activities on the YKOT you-tube channel -->
www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/playlists?view=1

​You may also like: 

• 25 Best toys for Fine Motor Skills
• Make your own catapult and tongs
• Fine Motor Skills with a Marble
• Push Pin Poke Drawing

I have lots of exciting things to share with newsletter subscribers in the coming weeks, so until then...

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 member 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. ​​​
Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot
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/
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​

Stay Grounded with your senses!

Week 13 of lockdown in Sydney with a long journey still ahead. Parents and children shout hooray for the school holidays. An easing of some restrictions has been a "yay" but we aren't back to "normal" yet...  There is a sigh of relief and yet the stress is still high.

We know the value of parents/adults being regulated so that our children can also feel secure amidst the chaos.  That river of calm can be hard to navigate.

Being grounded in your senses is a well-known grounding technique to help you to be in the moment. 

To be grounded is ...To be mindful of where you are right now.  To be in control of your emotions and thoughts.  To accept where you are.  To find something "solid" to connect with during difficult times. 

That connection helps relax the body and in turn relaxes the mind. It helps to de-escalate anxiety and stress. 

Being mindful or taking in the physical signs of the present can be done with a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. 

Name 5 things you can see.
Name 4 things you can touch. 
Name 3 things you can hear.
Name 2 things you can smell.
Name 1 thing that you can taste.

You can do this for yourself.  You can do this with your children. 

Try it when you are all calm.

​Practice in difference situations.  Practice in different places. 

Occupational therapists, you could do this via Telehealth sessions and then incorporate breathing techniques, sensory solutions, movement, play or writing. 

You could also try to use this as a way to create a ​sensory diet of activities  too.  Have a look at some resources - Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book and Activities for Me! 

Here is an example of how you could turn this into a sensory diet list.  Work on choosing activities together.

I wouldn't consider this a complete sensory diet but you could use this as a way to help children to become aware of their senses.  You could refer back to the list if your child has trouble communicating about their senses. This could be used as a quick list to refer to when your child needs help to calm down.

What would you put on this list for your own calm down strategies? What other ways help you to feel connected and grounded? Share these with your children.  Help them to hear how you manage stress and difficult times.  (You don't need to go into detail about what is causing your stress or anxiety...but rather how you are dealing with it or addressing it). This is one of the best ways to help your children understand regulation. 

The Black Dog Institute has a vast array of resources and articles about mental health for your and your children, especially in light of COVID-19.   Reach out if you need help. 

I hope you and your children try out "stay grounded with your senses" this week! 

Take care of yourself. 

Until next time,

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 member 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. ​​​
Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot
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/
​

It’s been 5 years since sharing this printable "Quick Ways to Calm Down" and it has been the most popular "pinned" image from the Your Kids OT website with over 66 000 "pins". Amazing!  It has always been a FREE printable available to subscribers and now updated to include this instructional video. 

Quick ways to calm down offers four sea themed sensory solutions as tools that can be used for regulation. 

Watch me demonstrate these ideas on the NEW video below or using the link here ---> ​https://youtu.be/fkJvyQw0Gs0

Read more about the principles behind "Puffer Fish Puff, Clam Cuddle, Turtle Tongue and Starfish Stretch" and get your copy of the FREE PRINTABLE  --> HERE. 

Share this video and link to the FREE PRINTABLE so that your friends, family and/or colleagues can try them out too! 
​

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 member 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. ​​​
Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot
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/

We are in the 10th week of Sydney lockdown and virtual therapy continues for the foreseeable future too. 

I am the type of person who likes to make lemonade from lemons... and thought about the opportunity to bring together two of my lovely OT children in a social skills "group" online.  I've been working with these two young boys on friendship skills, social thinking and regulation.  We have been doing this in a 1:1 context but have not had the opportunity to put these skills into practice in a functional real context. Both of these children were the same age and their parents were happy to try it out. What a wonderful virtual opportunity!

The resources that I create at Your Kids OT are designed primarily for my own use first so when you see lots of new releases, I'm responding to my own need! (or I'm fine tuning ones that I have started a long time ago)

This new "OT buddies" social skills resource was created to facilitate the social skills group with my two buddies. The resource is provided in a Powerpoint presentation format, PDF version and a printable games pack PDF. These resoures may be used online via a "Screen share". This resource may also be purchased at the YKOT Teachers Pay Teachers Store ($US).

About me...about you.
OT buddies begins by encouraging children to introduce themselves, socially wonder about others by asking questions and sharing their own answers. There are questions to prompt children as well as a game of "would you choose?" to get to know each other. Children are also encouraged to learn about active listening and to ask further questions. These skills may be divided up into different therapy sessions.

Games
There are fifteen games included with information about preparation and rules to play. These games include Snakes and Ladders, Truth or Lie, Battleship, I spy, Tic Tac Toe, Follow the Leader, Roll a Snake, Musical Statues, Guess the Sound, Emotions Bingo, Move it!, Guess Who?, Lego Challenge, Scavenger Hunt and Show and Tell.

Some games are non-competitive and also require no-preparation. Some games require minimal preparation by both the facilitator and the children. Printable game pages are provided for eight of the games. These games have been chosen to have simple rules and may appeal to a range of children.

Further social skills can be explored with questions asking children to consider:

• how they know others are having fun,
• how can we work out how someone else is feeling,
• are we expected to follow rules,
• what are some hidden rules when playing games,
• what could we do if are feeling upset and
• what could we say at the end of the game.

These skills may complement other social thinking and regulation programs.

Good-bye!
The OT buddies resource finishes with "choose a way to say goodbye" including a wave, a fist pump, a smile, a high five or thumbs up.

The group has been going really well for both participants.  They are learning about themselves and about the other child.  It has been an opportunity for them to apply some of the skills that they have been learning individually... such as understanding someone else's perspective, working out how others are thinking and feeling, empathy, applying hidden rules for playing games and using some of their calming techniques. 

It has also been fun with some laughs along the way! 
​

Have you discovered some hidden benefits to virtual telehealth sessions? 

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 member 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. ​​​
Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot
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/