 It is a new school year here in Australia and our children have headed back into the classrooms. Everyone is hoping for a smoother year with less disruptions than the last few years! There are many new adjustments with twice weekly rapid antigen tests and mask wearing (mandatory for high schoolers). How have your children adjusted to "new school routines"? or Have you had children starting school for the first time? As we look ahead at 2022, as adults we like to plan and have goals. I REALLY like doing this now and hence the OT Planners that I published recently (Natural and Swish Designs). I'm using my planner every day! As a child, I was never very good at the idea of goal setting. What did I want to achieve? Shrug. I don't know. I was happy where I was and what I was doing. When someone asked me what I wanted to learn... I don't know. I think one of my own children are a bit like me. I've created some new planning tools have been designed to assist your sc hool age child (middle school and high school) with their executive functioning skills. The framework can be introduced as a traffic light system with the red associated with stop (or goal), the yellow light associated with think (or plan) and the green light associated with go (perform the activity). A "u-turn" feature has been included to assist your child to return to the beginning to check their progress. Students will need to be taught the components which correspond to each light. The resource has been designed with alternate wording (ie. stop/goal, think/plan) to provide versatility for use. It may be important for your child to grasp "stop" for attention or focus with an emphasis on whole body listening. In this case the STOP THINK DO CHECK framework may be more suitable. For some children, the concept of goal setting is more familiar to them and therefore the GOAL PLAN DO CHECK framework may be more appropriate. A small version of the STOP THINK DO CHECK and GOAL PLAN DO CHECK has been created. These smaller versions of the visual aids may be cut out and stuck on a desk or inside a workbook. The idea with this framework is that it can be used with individual children according to their needs. These could be goals from writing neatly on the page, finish work in the classroom within the allocated time, playing safely on equipment, raising a hand to ask a question rather than calling out, unpacking a bag in the morning independently, sitting with the other children on the floor, etc.  The worksheet pages provides a student the opportunity to focus on tasks and goals that they may be having difficulty achieving. A separate print out of the worksheet page should be used for each goal/task. The worksheet guides a student through the framework to plan (with the assistance of a parent, teacher or therapist) how these goals or tasks may be achieved. Your child may have difficulty with different aspects of the goal, plan, do, check procedure. That's ok. This is not a worksheet for independent work! The child, depending on their cognitive ability may be encouraged to come up with as much of the plan as they can. Mistakes can help children to learn. As the helping adult, you may want to jump in and change the plan. You can guide your child, however it it is safe to do so, you may allow the plan that you don't think will work to be actioned. This is where the importance of the "check" part occurs where a child evaulates what happened and whether a goal was achieved.  A page of "school goals" is included in this resource to prompt discussion with parents and teachers. These can be used to identify broad areas of need before measurable goals are written. The goal pages can be used in discussion with the student to determine priorities and to plan how they may be achieved. The Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach is an evidence based approach used by some occupational therapists. Read more about a Co-op approach HERE from the American OT association or jump in to do the FREE online course by the University of Toroto (where the approach originated) HERE. This resource may be used to support a Co-op approach though the GOAL PLAN DO CHECK pages. If handwriting is difficult for a student, the worksheets may be discussed with them and completed by the adult. The last two pages of the resource that I've created are a repeat of the Goal Plan Do Check (CPDC) worksheets with the context of an OT session or a classroom environment These pages have the inclusion of what the teacher or parent may see as a goal for the student as this may guide how the student themselves sets their goals. The plan is also divided into three sections: developing skills, using resources and equipment, modifying the environment. This will help a student (and adult) to think of a wide range of options for achieving the goals. Watch a walk through of this resource on you-tube: Goal Planning Tools Do you have a student (or class) who may benefit from these executive functioning tools? Executive functioning skills are important for classroom and school participation. It is hoped that this NEW resource will provide some support towards your child's participation. Let me know if you try out these tools and how your children find using them.   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. 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/
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Bubbles!
Most (ok almost all) children love bubbles! Even my dog loves bubbles! And like my dog, your child has the capacity to have some self-control. They can control their impulses (with help and training). This is an important skill in life for children to learn. Often it is a safety issue. Children need to resist the impulse to run across the road. They need to resist the impulse to reach to something bright red and hot. Maybe they need to resist climbing the ladder just because it is there. As children get older, they may need to learn self control and impulse control so that they are not running down the aisle at a grocery story or touching everything on the shelves. Maybe they have to work out what is appropriate to say or not to say. Whilst this activity will not address these particular issues of impulse and self control, activities such as these (for toddlers, preschoolers and early infants school age children) can teach them attention skills and begin to teach them that they have control over their own actions (ie. control over their own bodies). 
Bubble Game!
What you need: Bubbles and a bubble wand. (Alternatively use some dishwashing detergent or make it harder for your child by using an automatic bubble machine). How to play: 1. Blow bubbles so that your child can pop as many as they can. 2. Ask your child to freeze their feet and legs. They can pop the bubbles now with their upper body. 3. Ask your child to freeze all over. They can't pop the bubbles at all. 4. Unfreeze and allow your child to pop as many bubbles as they can. Repeat. Notes: 1. Allow your child to unfreeze and freeze at whatever length of time suits them. You may allow them to pop bubbles for longer and freeze for a very short length of time when you are first introducing the game. 2. Blow the bubbles further away from your child if they are having difficulty resisting the "pop". Praise them for trying when they do resist it. 3. Ask your child to freeze in a certain position to add interest (eg. like a dinosaur, like a tree, like a teapot). 4. Play this with a group of friends. 5. You could start by standing a distance away from your child and as they demonstrate that they can resist popping, you could step forward towards them. 6. Swap roles with your child so that they blow the bubbles and you freeze. 7. Change the activity to pop the bubbles with a certain part of the body (eg. elbow, knee). This is a fun game that will appeal to lots of children! You could even play this at a birthday party! Do you have a favourite game to help your child with "impulse control and self-control"? 
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/ ​ Have a look at my 16 month old labrador Monte as he demonstrates the Bubble game! 
Tools for regulation.
​There is NOT one simple answer to help a person (adult or child) with regulation. A combination of sensory supports, breathing techniques, thinking strategies, mindfulness and interoception will enable your child to have a "toolbox" of different ways to calm down, manage problems and navigate anxieties. It is essential that any "tools" are NOT "thrown" at a child, NOT produced as a list to "fix" them or NOT used to help us as parents/caregivers to stop a meltdown. Over the years, occupational therapists have been known for using sensory supports to help with regulation. Sensory integration (SI) is the process by which people register, modulate, and discriminate sensations received through the sensory systems to produce purposeful, adaptive behaviors in response to the environment (Ayres, 1976/2005). Refer HERE to more information from the American OT association bout sensory integration. There has been some controversy about SI as there is not a lot of scientific evidence to back up strategies taught and used. However, there have been some recent studies and this is growing - refer HERE for an overview and HERE for more. Sensory "diets" are a program of activities that can be incorporated throughout a child's day to provide a "sensory lifestyle". Some activities that are sensory based may assist with regulation by providing the body with a calming affect or helping to decrease arousal. Some activities may be alerting and increase arousal. Some activities may assist children to discriminate sensory information. Working out what works for your child can be helpful with an occupational therapist. Here are some resources that may also guide your journey: * Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook * Sensory activities for me: Sensory Activity Checklist 
Breathing is an important regulation tool. It is well documented that breathing helps the brain to calm down and relax. The brain can then signal the rest of the body to respond with a lower heart rate, less stress and reducing muscle tension.
Conscious breathing, linking the brain with deep breaths can help children to be mindful and deliberate with their breathing. You can try infinity breathing (see image above) where a child traces out an infinity image taking deep breaths in and out until they feel calm. Some children will like drawing a rainbow whilst working on breathing (see video below) or find this on Instagram HERE.
Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress. Read more HERE.
Here are some helpful mindfulness you-tube videos that you can work through with your children. Sometimes mindfulness activities are linked to interoception, connecting the mind to the body. This helps children to be more aware of their body's signals so that they can be linked with emotions and in turn can lead to action. Here are some helpful body scan mindfulness you-tube videos that you can work through with your children. 
For some children, "thinking strategies" can help them with regulation. There are many programs which used a cognitive based approach to regulation. I have discussed this in a recent article "What is Self-Regulation? Regulation resources and programs" HERE.
Theory of Mind is described in psychology as the capacity that someone has to understand other people (their beliefs, desires, intentions, emotions) and that they may be different from their own. Many of the children we see for occupational therapy have difficulty with this and some will benefit from a cognitive approach to social thinking. Regulation and self-regulation is complex! As I add to the information on this area on this website, refer back to these previous articles for more information, tools and insights:
What have you included in your child's regulation tools? Have you got a combination of sensory supports, breathing techniques, mindfulness, interoception and thinking strategies? 
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/ ​  "Self- regulation" is a buzz phrase at the moment. Emotional regulation? Sensory regulation? Co-regulation? What does it mean and does it relate to executive functioning skills? Does it relate to interoception? What is age-appropriate? It can be confusing navigating these terms and sifting through all of the information available on this topic. Different people seem to use the term "self- regulation" in different ways. These authors found occupational therapy and self-regulation in 58 publications with many of them not defining the term! Here is a look at self-regulation according to several sources and common programs used by occupational theapists. Bookmark this one to read or grab a cup of coffee, as we are covering a bit today! 1. ALERT program and "arousal theory". Williams and Shellenberger (2012) describe in the ALERT program: "arousal" as the state of the nervous system that describes how alert one feels to attend, concentrate and perform tasks. "Self-regulation" is the ability to attain, maintain and change arousal appropriately for a task or situation (requiring neurological brain connections to do so). A developmental progression is described separting self-regulation by age into "first order self-regulation" (infants regulation of automatic body functions such as breathing, temperature and sleep-wake cycles), "second order self-regulation" (visual monitoring, selective attention, use of adaptive movement, coordination of suck/swallow/breath and vocaliszation), and "third order self-regulation"(higher-level cognitive skills for problem solving, self-monitoring, recognition of varying needs, language, planning, attention, working memory, organization of space, time, tasks, environments, goals). The Alert program focuses on using the third order self-regulation (ie. high level thinking) to help children to recognize their need for arousal state change (first order self-regulation) using second- order strategies. As children develop, they become more able to subconciously choose, use and refine sensorimotor strategies for self-regulation. Find out more about the ALERT program HERE. 2. Zones of Regulation and the integration of neuorological components to self-regulation. According to the Kuypers (2011) in the Zones of Regulation Curriculum; "self regulation" requires three critical neurological components to be integrated. The components are sensory processing, executive functioning and emotional regulation. Self-regulation is therefore defined as "regulating one's sensory needs, emotions and impulses to meet the demands of the environment, reach one's goals, and behave in a socially appropriate way". Kuypers describes sensory processing as how a person makes sense of the information perceived by sensory receptors, organize and integrate the information so that purposeful action can take place. Executive functioning is described as the cognitive processes involved in conscious control of thoughts and actions. Emotional regulation is described as the ability to control one's emotions to meet social requirements using cognitive thinking elements such as objectivity, motivation and understanding the perspective of others. These three components are interdependent and function together to achieve self-regulation. The Zones of Regulation Program uses a cognitive behaviour approach to assist children to consciously regulate their emotions, which in turns lead to increased control and problem solving abilities. Read more abou the Zones of Regulation Program HERE.
3. Executive Function in the Classroom by Christopher Kaufman According toe Kaufman (2010), executive functioning skills is a term that is an umbrella term for two strands (the Metacognitive strand and the Social/emotional Regulation strand). The Metacognitive strand includes one's ability for goal setting, planning, sequencing, organization of materials, time management, task initiation, executivite/goal-direction attention, task persistence, working memory and set shifting. The Social/emotional Regulation strand includes one's response inhibition (impulse control), emotional control and adaptability. This book outlines the neurology of self-regulation and asks adults (teachers, parents, etc) to consider how to provide children with a "surrogate prefrontal cortical capacity". This means how a child may be provided with more support to ensure a child's daily survival, the "stop-and-think" and problem solving skills a child might need until their regulatory capacity can take over. Executive Function in the Classroom may be purchased from a book supplier such as this one. 4. The Preschool Situational Assessment ToolKit (PRSiST) by Wollongong University This assessment and regulation handbook uses the Australian Early Learning Framework to support a child's self regulation. They describe both adult and child practices to facilitate regulation for preschool age children (approx 3-5 yrs). Self-regulation is defined as the capacity to control urges, impulses and natural reactions, as needed, both by stopping something (even if one does not want to stop) or by starting something (even if one does not want to start). By the end of the pre-school years, well-regulated children can wait their turn, resist the temptation to grab a desired object from another child, tidy up after play with little prompting, and persist with a challenging activity. In later life, well-regulated adults (who were often well-regulated children) tend to have finished school, be employed, and have fewer problems with their health, substance abuse, financial difficulties and the law.
5. Sensory Processing: The Star Institute The STAR Institute are known for their treatment, education and research of sensory processing disorder. The STAR institute use the following definitions: Regulation: How we shift and maintain states according to the demands of the environment. In a balanced sympathetic/para-sympathetic nervous system ‘regulation’ toggles between unconscious and conscious as we shift between states of arousal according to internal and external context-dependent demands. Co-regulation: When two people are connected / engaged there is a process of coregulation (or other-regulation) that takes place where they contribute to one another’s sense of calm and availability for the world. This impacts our ability to tolerate stressors and recover from stress. You can co-regulate OR co-escalate, in Daniel Siegel’s work this connection is often called the interbrain. Self Regulation: The independent ability to remain calm and alert and available to the world around us. Self Regulation is sometimes called self-care, it is a process that is running in the background all the time everyday. We cannot entirely self-regulate at any stage of life. However in early infancy we rely a lot more on coregulation than we do later in life. The STAR institute's model of practice includes their "Regulation Cup" with an interconnectedness between sensory registration, modulation and arousal within a context of a child's relationship with others. Find out more about the STAR Institute and access their FREE definition page HERE. 6. DIR Floortime Model The Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning (ICDL) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting each person's development to its fullest potential. ICDL provide training for parents and professionals on the DIRFloortime® model. DIRFloortime® is used to help children, young adults, and adults with a wide range of emotional, sensory, regulatory, motor, learning, and developmental challenges. DIR is the Developmental, Individual-differences, and Relationship-based model used to provide an understanding for human development and outlines the critical role social-emotional development has on overall human development. ICDL define regulation as... Regulaton: The ability to stay in the ‘just right’ state rather than being over- or under- aroused. When well-regulated, you are calm, alert and available. Your regulatory state for taking a written examination is different from when you are participating in a soccer match. Regulation is best when the following areas come together: sensory integration, cognitive understanding, problem solving, adaptive and coping abilities, and the ability to sustain interactions. Find out more about ICDL and access their glossary of terms.
7. The Interoception Curriculum: A step by step framework for developing mindful self-regulation. Interoception is described as the ability to feel internal sensations (aka body signals). The Interoception curriculum defines "self-regulation" is the ability to identify and manage how you feel, making connections with the body, emotions and regulation. To be able to self-regulate, Mahler (2019) identifies that it requires someone to be aware of how one's body feels which in turn provides valuable information about one's emotions. Recognizing when one needs to regulate and knowing what action will help with independent self-regulation. This independence may not mean "people free"regulation as there is an acknowledgment aht other people help us to regulate and to feel good. This curriculum believes that interoception is the foundation to self-regulation. Find out more about Interoception and the curriculum HERE.  So what can draw on with these definitions of self-regulation? Here is my version. Self-regulation is the ability to recognize and manage our emotions, behaviour and thinking within the context of our relationships with others and activities of daily living. Whilst this is not an exhaustive list of programs and resources, I hope that this article provides an overview of different approaches to regulation from the "bottom up" and the "top down". You can also read about the Pyramid of Learning HERE. Professionally, each of these programs and resources have a place in my "toolkit" to look at regulation with the different children I see clinically. Some children will have difficulty identifying and answering a simple question of "How do you feel?" Other children have the cognitive capacity to consider the social expectations of a situation and manage their behaviour and emotions accordingly. As parents, teachers and therapists; it is important for us to know that children are continuing to develop physically, emotionally, cognitively well into their teenage years. Co-regulation, where an adult guides a child with principles for regulation and provides appropriate tools ... is important throughout every stage of child development. This is a valuable article on co-regulation that is a must for all of you to read "Co-regulation from birth to young adulthood: A Practice Brief (The University of North Carolina)". At the time of writing, I've misplaced (or maybe loaned out) my copy of "The Whole Brain Child" by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Ryson (another valuable reference for parents and therapists on co-regulation and emotional intelligence), however refer to this excellent summary HERE. There will be more to come this year as I share on regulation tools, strategies for regulation as well as more on interoception that many of you have been asking about! You may also want to look at the following printable resources. * Social emotional compentencies bundle * Stories to teach emotional regulation * We can share! Social Story for children. * How do I react? How do you define self-regulation? What are the programs and resources are you using?   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/  This one is for the OTs reading. Parents and teachers, I'll chat to you soon! I would like to think I'm an organised person. I like to write things down. I like lists. But I still find myself getting caught out...
How do you manage your professional life? Do you have systems in place? Are you a paper planner or is everything online? Do you use software management or apps? Do you use a combination? I love my paper planners. I have been a long-term fan of Erin Condren's Life Planner (ECLP) and an Australian version (Whistle and Birch Planner). I like to use a paper planner for my weekly schedule and include my personal schedule (ie. family activities) in that planner. I record everything from daily "to-dos", the books and recipes that I've tried for the year. I have used a combination of online programs, a notebook and random pieces of paper for everything else! Until 2022! Introducing an undated OT planner for your professional and caseload management needs. Designed with the Australian OT in mind with a 4 term layout. It includes professional development record pages which align with registration requirements. It includes some terminology that those you from other parts of the world may not need, however generic enough for you to adapt this to your needs. You can start using this planner at anytime. Designed in an A4 size, you can shrink it to half A4 size if you print two pages on the one piece of paper. Print on thick quality paper for durability. Bind the pages into a book or place into a folder. Print pages as needed or multiple copies of pages to suit your individual requirements. Place them in an order that suits you. Available in two designs with the same content, the planners include 37 pages each:
The planner does not include a place for in-depth client records or clinical notes. It does not include financial management. However, you could tailor the NOTES pages for you.
I designed this planner for me! You know that I only share products that are practical resources and the overwhelming feedback from you is that my resources can be used straight away, often filling a need where nothing else is available. I've started to use my planner (the benefit of having an advanced copy) and it is motivating me to get everything in order over the Summer holidays before the chaos of every day work ensues. I'm planning my Term 1 schedule with the clients I know who are continuing from last year. I can use post-it notes for those who I haven't been able to confirm time slots yet. I've started to use my NOTES pages to record things that I read from book chapters to blog posts that relevant for my OT practice. I'm also using the NOTES pages to help me to keep track of goals and projects. I'm breaking down these goals and projects into small steps to focus myself to achieve them (which I am determined to do this year). Personally, I plan to print the goal tracking and session planning pages to keep with client files rather than inside my planner. Would you like a closer look? I have showcased the pages in a video ---> OT Planners Ready to get organised?! Buy your OT planner to kick start 2022! Do you prefer Swish or Natural? The planner whilst undated comes with a one-page 2022 calendar in the corresponding design that you have chosen. I'm ready to start planning 2022! Are you?   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/  As 2021 draws to a close and we welcome in a new year, I'm taking a few minutes to look back at some of the highlights of YKOT! For those of you who may be new here at Your Kids OT, my week is usually busy with working directly with children as a mobile occupational therapist. This means that I visit children and their families at home, in their child care, preschool or school setting. Part of 2021 (and 2020), this was moved to online Telehealth services. I work part time so that I can also manage life as a mum of two children of my own. I also write articles for this blog, run this website, create new resources and offer them to you via the YKOT shop or Teachers Pay Teachers Store. I have found that the easiest way to bring you content a little each day is over on Instagram. This year saw me post 300 Instagram posts! A mixture of videos, reels, quotations and photos. Each year I hope to be more organised with regular blog posts and product releases but I know realistically this is hard for me to maintain. So, thanks for sticking with me and for your ongoing support even when you journey with me when I am able! Here are some of the highlights of 2021. Make sure you click through to read more or watch the videos! Did you miss any of these?  Top Ten Instagram Videos and Reels Videos and reels were a big hit this year, especially the top video where we used "Spot it" on the back of a chair to work on reach "behind and under" for toiletting! 1. Behind and Under with SPOT it (corresponding blog LINK) 2. Weighted bag Infinity Motor Pattern 3. Core Strength and Letters on Rocker Board 4. Visual Motor Planning with Earth Paper 5. Behind and under with scarves pull (corresponding blog LINK) 6. Pre-writing roads on TP rolls (corresponding blog LINK) 7. Dice Stamping in Playdough 8. Finger Soccer 9. Putty hand exercises 10. Pom Pom and Cookie cutter Fine Motor  Top Ten Instagram Photos and Posts 1. Worry Wall with wooden chalk blocks (Sorry, I promised in the comments that I would publish a lesson plan and haven't dont it yet! On the 2022 "things to do" list"). 2. Therapy tools vs Therapy at home tools (corresponding blog LINK) 3. Pop it - Tool vs Toy? 4. Upside Down 5. Fine Motor Skills and Letter Formation 6. Size of the Problem Hats (I think people like my sense of humour ...lol) 7. Five Fat Sausages Printable (corresponding printable LINK) 8. OT Storage Home Edit Style 9. Play according to age (corresponding blog LINK) 10. OTs are NOT (corresponding blog LINK)  Most Popular Printables 1. Lowercase Letter Formation Program 2. Animal themed 10 week Preschool OT Program Most Popular Freebies 1. Pencil Warm Ups (with corresponding blog and video) 2. Sensory Obstacle Course (with corresponding blog) 3. Christmas 2021 It's been an amazing year here at Your Kids OT. I have loved sharing with you my journey, my thoughts, my ideas, my life as an OT. It is through a lens; so you mostly see the good bits…but I remain as honest and approachable as I can be on this sort of platform. My ideas and resources are for my own practice as an occupational therapist first…I share what I use. I share what I do. Each year my content shifts and adapts to the individual children I see for direct services. I bring back "tried and tested" activities and ideas. I'm always thinking about novel ways to help children to achieve their goals. I love creating resources whether that be via a DIY project, a printable worksheet or writing a book. (Or even an OT planner which is coming next week) I’m honoured that you have joined me in this corner of the internet and I hope to keep bringing you content that is informative, useful and maybe a little fun! HAPPY NEW YEAR and see you in 2022!   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/  Hello friends, Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you for your ongoing support in 2021. I'll have a wrap up of the year coming soon. To the amazing parents who follow Your Kids OT; I raise my glass to you for managing another challenging year. Parenting can be tough in an "ordinary year" and this year was no ordinary year (or two years actually). Take a break, re-charge and give those whom you love a special cuddle. To my teacher friends; you deserve a pay rise (sorry that I have no power over that) but I sincerely thank you for navigating another year of home-learning, hybrid-learning, in-classroom learning. All the unseen planning and programming didn't go unseen. You did an amazing job! To my OT friends and colleagues; I've written a little jingle which is a bit corny but I hope it makes you smile. Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells (yes, I thought about singing it for you but decided that I would leave that up to your imagination). Looking forward to sharing more, learning more and being inspired by you as well!  Note: If you can't see the images in any email from YKOT, make sure you have selected "show/allow remote content" in your email browser. 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 becoming an annual holiday tradition that I create and gift you a new printable each Christmas! If you have been following me for a while, you know that the printables and resources that I create .... are for my own use first and then I share them with you! Whilst there are some children I see over a number of years for occupational therapy; I also see new children and like to create resources that are suited to what they might need at the time. The "old" children also like to see new resources as their needs change from year to year. This year I have quite a few children who are working on pencil control skills, simple scissor skills and a few others working on visual spatial and visual motor skills. So guess what? These are the categories that I've created this year! You can download the 2021 FREE CHRISTMAS PRINTABLE HERE! If this doesn't sound like it would suit your children, jump into my archives for a variety of free Christmas printables. There are a some that are downloaded from the YKOT shop and others which require you to subscribe to the newsletter. Don't worry, whilst you have to fill in the form more than one time to get the various freebies (so the right one is sent), you will only be on the list once... and you can unsubscribe at anytime! Just a little note that you check your web browser and email account settings as to whether you can open emails with attachments. Allow your email browsers to "open/show remote content". Also always check your spam or junk email inboxes too! So onto the archives. Click on the title or the image for the link to each freebie! How many of these free printables have you got? How long have you been with me here at YKOT? Have you planned your Christmas activities this year?   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  You may have heard the expression "learning through play". Occupational therapists love to be playful but is that the same as encouraging learning through play? I've talked about play on the blog before. Have a read of "Why is my OT 'just playing' when they see an occupational therapist" to find out more about how play is a childhood occupation, how OTs use play in therapy and how we analyze activities to find a just-right challenge. You can also read about a "Just-right challenge" here. Occupational therapists use play for engagement of the child, connection and participation. We may have goals in mind but we need to build a relationship and rapport first. For some children, simply turning up is enough to build rapport but for others it can be a little harder. Play is "client-centered" which means that it is led by the child and is intrinsically motivating. They want to do it.The OT will share the play experience and engage with the child to encourage interaction. Through play; the child may develop skills with imaginary play sequences, object substitution ( ie. using a non-real object and pretending it is something else), sharing roles and social interaction. Once rapport and a connection is built, the occupational therapist may guide the interaction to work towards other goals (such as fine motor manipulation, gross motor skills, scissor skills, pencil control). This may happen within a session or it could take weeks or months to occur. Today, I'm sharing two play experiences that I've had recently with some young friends (both age 5 years with ASD). Hooray for a return to some face-to-face in-person OT sessions! 1. Campfire (scroll through the slideshow to see the interaction or find the original blog HERE). This was the second OT session with this child after an initial session which wasn't as smooth. 2. Pacman (scroll through the slideshow to see the interaction or find the original blog HERE). I have known this child for more than a year, however therapy has been disrupted due to lockdown. Being able to engage with a child and connecting with them isn't always easy. When a child perceives that they are going to have difficulty with a task; their instinct may be to run away or withdraw. They may want to do the task but are not happy to accept help. They may become fixated with a particular idea, toy or activity; refusing to move onto something else. What engages one child to participate may not engage another child. Some children that we see for occupational therapy struggle with play. They may be developmentally delayed and unsure of what to do with toys. They may have difficulty with interacting with other children or adults. OTs use play with these children too, however it may look a little different to the examples listed in this blog post. There may be simpler play sequences or just one idea. There may be more imitation and copying. There may be more repetition. Would you like to find out more about play? Try these...
The power and value of play can not be underestimated or undervalued. Learning through play IS important. Whether you are a parent, educator or occupational therapist... we (I) can be reminded about the value of play, a child's occupation.   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/ COMING THIS WEEKEND!! BLACK FRIDAY CYBER MONDAY SALE!   Cardboard is a great OT resource! We know the value for children in using cardboard boxes in play. Using their imaginations and letting loose with the creativity. Towers, kitchens, cars, roads, cubby houses... so many ways to use cardboard. When my children were younger, they would spend hours (days and months) creating and playing with cardboard. Here are three ways that I've used carboard recently....in preparation to a return to face-to-face services in the not too distant future! 1. Posting Boxes I found some colourful images online. Printed and then glued them to some cardboard boxes. I've covered the boxes with contact paper and the inserted small holes. The boxes I created were sized for matchsticks and pom poms. Make these boxes to encourage fine motor skills. Made with some pictures stuck onto caroard boxes, covered with contact paper and small holes inserted. Use match sticks, craft sticks, beads, erasers, etc to post. Just adjust the size of your holes. A small screwdriver was an easy way to make small holes and scissors were used to cut larger holes. The contact paper gives a few more options with writing on top with a whiteboard marker. Practice number and letter recognition, learn to spell your name, incorpoarte simple maths, practice shapes and colour matching. This is a fun activity for toddlers or preschoolers. Watch the video on you-tube: https://youtu.be/TTYivdyNbAs 2. Toilet Paper Roll Pre- Writing Roads. Made from toilet-paper rolls, coloured paper, a sharpie and contact paper. This is a fun resource made for preschoolers to help work on visual motor control and pencil control skills. This activity will also encourage bilateral coordination as your child will need both hands to hold and manipulate with their "helper hand" whilst drawing with their "worker hand". Contact paper means that this resource can be used and then wiped clean and then used again for drawing the roads. You could make this easier by drawing larger roads. This concept (contact paper on toilet paper rolls) could be used with other ideas such as drawing faces, drawing lines, finding letters, I spy pictures to circle, etc. How could you use this concept with your child? Watch the video on You-tube: https://youtu.be/606zRm-_Fsc 3. Raised Edge Colouring Pictures This time I've used some cardboard, a sharpie and hot glue to prepare these coluuring pictures. Draw a simple picture on the cardboard then go over the sharpie lines with hot glue (pva glue will work too). The glue provides a physical tactile prompt (sensory feedback) to guide a child to colour within the lines. The novelty of the activity will be engaging for some children. This activity will be particulary helpful for those children who have difficulty with visual motor control and visual attention to 2D lines and shapes. It gives them something physical (the glue) and matches it with the lines (2D - flat) so that they can begin visual awareness. This activity will also be good for children who may be beginning to colour in the lines but become frustrated with themselves when they can't control their hands and the pencil (or marker).  We are so excited for an end to lockdown restrictrictions here in Sydney, although navigating a return to face-to-face therapy is not as simple as our families might assume. It was a welcome break from reading policies and writing updated risk assessments and Covid-19 plans to make these cardboard creations. These are all simple ideas that can make learning engaging and fun! So before your delivery boxes and toilet paper rolls get placed into the recycling box, why don't you give them another use. Which one will you try?  PS. To everyone who bought The Ultimate Therapy Bundle, don't forget to email me (cindy@yourkidsot.com) with your receipt to claim your FREE regulation posters.  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/ |
AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. 
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Disclaimer: The information on this site is general in nature and should be used for educational and entertainment purposes. 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. This blog does not replace formal therapeutic professional advice given by a health professional or medical practitioner. Reviews and endorsements of products will only be made based on my expertise and personal opinion; and deemed worthy of such endorsement. The opinions shared in sponsored content will always be my own and not that of the advertising company or brand. Content, advertising space or posts will be clearly identified if paid, affiliated or sponsored. Affiliate links may be found throughout this website in advertising. This means that if you follow through with a purchase from these links, Your Kids OT will receive a percentage of the sale. Your Kids OT undertakes to meet the requirements of the "Social Media Policy" as published by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Further information about this policy can be found here.
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. 
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