OT activities: Oral motor, crawling, pencil control and more!

While many of my OT sessions are child-led and based on a child's interests, there are times when I bring activities to prompt goal attainment. Sometimes the toys or equipment I bring to sessions are "invitations to play".  At other times, I have more structured activities.  The more fluid OT sessions that are child-led are more difficult to share in this forum as a blog or on social media as I don't want to stop the sessions to take photos or video. Instead, I often share the more structured activity ideas that I use. 

OT BINGO is a new challenge that I'm introducing in 2025 to encourage sharing of activity ideas from the Your Kids OT community. Each month I share a board of 9 prompts and also recap the any activities that I have done in the previous month. 

March was a busy month. The newness of the school year wears off very quickly with most children becoming familar with their new routines, making connections with their teachers, therapists and friends! 

Here is a look at some of the activities that I incorporated into my sessions during March using the prompts. 
* Silicon straw  - This oral motor activity was a huge hit when I shared this on social media.  It is easy to set up a container with water, a small basket container (as a goal) and some items that float.  We use the silicon straws to blow the items across the water into the goal and to blow bubbles in the water.  This is an effective way to encourage deep breathing and oral motor skills (lip closure, blowing). They were all feeling calm after this activity.

Some of my young children needed to work out the difference between blowing and sucking the water.  A big highlight was when one of my children who selective speaks (ie. non verbal most of the time), stopped in the middle of blowing bubbles to tell me "fish" then blew again and stopped to say "more". This spontaneous speech gave me an insight into his thoughts. 

Silicon straws (rather than plastic, paper or metal) also provide an opportunity for oral motor input by chewing.  They are also easy to clean by placing them in the dishwasher. 

Watch this oral motor activity in action HERE. 
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* Crawl - There are so many benefits to encouraging children to crawl at any age! You can read about the benefits HERE.  One of my favourite ways to encourage crawling is by using a lycra tunnel.  The lycra material provides compression and resistance as the child crawls.  I describe it to children that it is "like receiving a hug" and everyone seems to agree.  There was one of the biggest smiles that I have seen on a school age child who crawled through my lycra tunnel for the first time.  Most children request if they can crawl repeatedly!

Crawling and breathing activities are sensory based.  They provide children with an opportunity to regulate with through proprioception (crawling) and oral motor (breathing).  It is so beneficial incorporating these sorts of activities into daily life regardless of a child's sensory profile. 

* Vertical Surface - I recently discovered that a set of "road pieces" that I had stick to vertical surfaces such as glass and white boards! This set from Kmart Aust (not sponsored) was almost donated away, however since realizing that it sticks on a vertical surface, I've definitely been bringing it along to OT sessions more! We can work on motor planning and problem solving skills to build the roads.  Driving the cars build upper arm stability with shoulders, elbows and wrists all involved in keeping the cars on the road.  For some children, we have also incorporated drawing and writing skills on the whiteboard.  

Watch this vertical surface activity HERE. 

For more on vertical surface tips, watch this series of tips:
* Encourage wrist extension
* Encourage crossing the midline and hand dominance
* Try different body positions
* Use a variety of surfaces and try different activities

* Wheels on the Bus - So ....  I decided to "borrow" the tune of the "Wheels on the bus" to work on pencil grasp and dynamic finger movements. 

The fingers on the pencil bend and stretch.
Bend and stretch. Bend and stretch
The fingers on the pencil bend and stretch.
Bend and stretch. Bend and stretch.
All day long.

The resting fingers hide away.
Hide away. Hide away.
The resting fingers hide away.
Hide away. Hide away.
All day long.

Watch the finger movements and listen to the song HERE.

Looking for visual support for preschoolers to sing the original song? This preschool printable pack contains visuals and pre-writing worksheets to support early childhood development. The Wheels on the bus printable pack can be found HERE. 

* Roll Paper - "Playing hair dressers" .. This was a fun scissor skill activity for those learning to orientate their scissors and snip paper.  We cut and rolled hair (strips of paper on a TP roll) working on fine motor and bilateral coordination skills too. I used this activity for some children who were able to cut, however also had anxiety with making mistakes.  We used the "scraps of hair" to practice turning the corner and being more precise.  Because they were "scraps" it helped the children not to worry about being perfect.   For other children, the scraps were used to make collages (for further fine motor skills). 

Watch the hair dressing paper activity HERE.

April brings great anticipation for me as I will be attending the American OT Association (AOTA) Conference for the first time!  I had to include "conference" on this month's board.  Please reach out via DM or messenger if you are attending! If you are not attending, then use the "conference" prompt to include meetings with other therapists, parents or teachers! The term can be broad!

April's prompts are:
* Conference
* Pom Poms
* Crab Walk
* Pencil Grip
* High Five
* Prone Extension
* Balance Cushion
* Buttons
* Stress Ball

Remember to tag @yourkidsot on Instagram or Facebook to share your ideas. You can also email [email protected].  

Until next time (PS: there is a freebie coming, so hang around!),
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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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