GYM BALL, GRID PAPER AND FROG ACTIVITY IDEAS! (OT BINGO)

OK time for some truth telling.

I started my OT BINGO challenge this year to get myself into a routine and bring some consistency to this blog. Even though I have been blogging for 10 years, this is the first year that I've posted something every month. I am time poor but don't want to enlist others to run or write for me. I value and I think most readers value the authenticity they get from following my blog/website/social media.

REAL experience, REAL ideas and REAL (career) learning!

So here we are in June. Can you believe it? 

May brings colder weather here in Sydney and the days are getting shorter.  This has not dampened our spirits and we have also been full of activity! 

Activities from the May OT Bingo prompts include: 

Gym ball Activities

I use a "peanut shaped" gym ball far more often than a round one. It is easier for a range of children to use either sitting on it or lying over it in prone.  We can provide vestibular sensory input with movement up/down from bouncing (alerting) or forward/backward linear movements (regulatory).  

Prone walk-outs are my favourite way to use a gym ball. In prone, we are also building upper body and core strength.  Weight bearing on the hands and building strong elbows, are a great warm up before table top activities.  I also love combining physical sensory activities with more organising or "thinking" activities. This has our sensory seekers to develop body awareness to get the input that they need while also engaging their brains with learning. Here are a few examples of how we do this - 
* Gym ball and Letter bricks - Watch HERE.  
* Gym ball and Twister - Watch HERE.
* Gym ball and Letters on the writing line - Watch HERE.
* Gym ball and alphabet vertical peg (clothespins) - Watch HERE.

Ball sitting activities can also help to build postural stability and crossing the midline by placing things on either side of the ball. Gym balls are great way to incorporate flexible seating at home, in the classroom or during a therapy session.  Here are a few examples of sitting activities - 
* Ball transfer - Watch HERE. 
* Visual Tracking - Watch HERE.

While I'm rounding out more gym ball activities, here a few more unsual ways to use a gym ball (this time a 30 cm round one).... Iron man challenge - watch here and foot taps - Watch here.  You can also watch our You-tube video of gym ball activities with Master YKOT (from 2020) wearing a "Pig the Pug Mask" for his privacy. 

Grid Paper Activities

Grid paper can be purchased from stationery stores with boxes of different sizes. The visual boundaries provided with squares can be used with school age children to work on visual spatial skills such as copying line drawings, copying block patterns or writing. 

In writing, we can place one letter per box and work on the size of letters.  Fill the box for a tall letter, half for a short letter or go below the box for a "tail" letter. This can also be helpful for children to plan their work when writing sentences. leaving a space between words. 

We can play games with graph/grid paper such as "Capture the flag" (watch here) and word games.  A quick no-prep word game is to write one word going down vertically on the page (see image below). Use the last letter of the first word to begin the next word using the next coloumn. You could pick a theme (eg. something you can eat, all verbs) or use a word association too. 

Grid paper is also used for mathematics! You can order the numbers so that they are in units.  You can also practice using a ruler to add lines to sums or to divide work.  The lines on grid paper are also helpful when drawing 2D or 3D shapes. 

Frog Activities

We love a theme and  animals are always popular! This month we focused in on using my "frog resources".  Frog activities included:
* 5 little speckled frogs (from the Preschool Rhyme Printable bundle)
* Frog cutting, pre-writing and drawing (from the 10 Week Animal Theme OT Preschool Program)
* Frog puppet made from a paper plate (Watch here) - Fold a paper plate backwards to create a puppet. Add finger loops and frog features.  It has been a fun way to work on a tripod grasp and build dynamic finger movements. 
* Frog (tennis ball) muncher (Watch here) - Create a frog using a tennis ball. Cut a mouth using an utility knife. I added frog features by crocheting around the tennis ball (using this You-tube video for inspiration). You can also purchase a frog feeding game (Amazon link).
* Frog jumps - Frog activities wouldn't be complete without practicing some frog jumps too! To increase the sensory input, I use round bath mats as lily pads.  I also use a frog head band for those children who enjoy dressing up to wear while we jump. 

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So if you are playing along, June's OT Bingo board prompts include:
* Chatterbox (fortune teller)
* Supine flexion
* Spoon
* Magnetic Toy
* Wall sit
* Spin
* I Spy
* Toothpicks
* Lycra tunnel 

Having you been enjoying my monthly round up of OT Bingo inspired activities? I would love to hear from you if you have tried out an activity or created your own using the prompts. 

​Remember to share your activity ideas by tagging @yourkidsot or emailling [email protected]! Thanks for joining in with the challenge. 

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. ​​​
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