 Beans, tomatoes, soup... Most families have tin cans in their home. I have collated some fun ways to work on gross motor skills using tin cans and some markers. These activities encourage the development of core strength, arm and shoulder strength, bilateral coordination, crossing the midline, balance and more! These activities can be easily incorporated in OT sessions as well as carried out at home. You don't need a lot of space and you don't need special equipment. If you don't have tin cans then use what you DO have (eg. plastic cups, bowls, jars or sticks and spoons). Watch the You-tube video for the gross motor activities in action. You can use this link if you can't see the video below ---> https://youtu.be/epFzBX0pdBY Jumping Lay out markers to encourage jumping forward/backward, side to side and straight up/down. You could also try turning a half or full circle (180 or 360 degrees). Try adding a metronome to assist with focus and attention. (Read more ways you can use a metronome HERE). Marker movement Position in either the quadrupod position (like a dog on all fours), a bear (with hands on the ground and bottom in the air) or a plank position (resting on hands or forearms). Place the markers in front of the child and ask them to use their right hand to move markers to the left side of their body and their left hand to move markers to the right side of their body. Tin can touch Try this in a variety of positions. Encourage your child to stay in one position whilst reaching across their body to tap the tin cans (with their hand or foot). This involves "crossing the midline". Once your child tries these touches with one foot then try the other foot too. If they have difficulty balancing, your child could touch one tin can and then rest their foot on the ground. You could increase the difficulty by increasing the number of tin cans they touch before resting their foot on the ground. You can also increase the difficulty by having your child match markers with the corresponding coloured tin can. * Balance on one foot. * Quadrupod position (ie. like a dog on all fours) * Plank Position. * Crab/Table position. Visual Sequencing Encourage visual sequencing by adding coloured paper to the tins and drawing a simple grid of coloured dots to follow. Ask your child to tap the tins in the order of the coloured dots that they see. You could work on memory by covering the visual prompt. You could change the order of the dots or change the position of the tins to vary the activity. Do you have an older child? You could incorporate colour matching or academic skills such as learning the letters of the alphabet or sight words with any of the activities mentioned here. Squat to stand/stand to squat Place the tin cans on a table and ask your child to stand near the table. Place the markers on the floor. Ask your child to squat to pick up a marker and stand to place the marker in the matching coloured tin can. Encourage your child not to hold onto the table as they move up and down. Make sure that they are bending at the knees and not the waist. If you have a cushion or a wobble air cushion, you could ask your child to stand on the cushion to do this activity whilst moving from squat to stand (and versa). You could swap out the markers for balls or pegs. You could also incorporate tall kneeling. Have a look at the photo that I shared on Instagram of this activity. Tin Can Target
Tin Can Roll
 For more gross motor activity ideas: These activities all provide sensory feedback for children to the skin receptors, muscles and joints. Deep pressure input can have a calming affect for some children and can help a child to develop body awareness. Read more about sensory based activities HERE. How do you incorporate tin cans to develop gross motor skills? I would love to hear from you if try out some of these activity suggestions.   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 workingcreatively 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 products I love and recommend. I receive a 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 also like:
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 Some children struggle with drawing. They may continue to scribble and have difficulty copying simple drawing patterns. This becomes a concern when the child is 3 or 4 years of age and should be imitating and copying simple lines and shapes (such as a horizontal line, vertical line, circle, square). There are usually some underlying reasons for a delay in pencil control and drawing skills. 1. Difficulty with visual spatial skills. This may include poor body awareness, poor awareness of how they relate to objects and poor visual attention to 2D images/pictures. A "red flag" may be a lack of interest in books and pointing to pictures within books or difficulty copying block simple block patterns.
2. Difficulty with pencil grasp and pencil control. This may be due to weak hand strength, poor fine motor skills or poor postural control. Your child may switch hands constantly, drop the pencil, break pencils or press too lightly. They might draw wiggles instead of straight lines.
3. Difficulty with directional language - 3D and 2D. Some children with language delays will have difficulty with "directional language". This means they have difficulty understanding concepts such as "on", "next to", "under", "between", "behind" etc. When it comes to drawing and writing, an understanding of position or direction on paper is really important for spatial relationships and how lines come together to form pictures and letters. Incorporate "directional language" in play of objects as well as when you look at books or puzzles. 4. OTHER There are many other reasons that can affect a child's ability to draw. If you are concerned about these aspects, seek medical advice for your child. Some of these might include:
 From scribble to meaningful lines and shapes. Watch these ideas via the You-tube video below or via this link ---> https://youtu.be/y1ffJYoHkic 1. Use objects! (eg. playdough, fruit, toys) Place objects to mark out where lines starts and ends. Place objects to trace around. Place objects to mark out what the lines look like and where they go on the page. 2. Use multi-sensory experiences. This not only motivating but can provide feedback to the muscles and joints as a child draws lines and shapes.
3. Use guided drawing. This may initially be imitating your drawing with each step needed to complete a larger picture. I usually start with a face and simple pictures like a sun and a rainbow. You can also use additional prompts like playdough or felt to provide extra help for your child to grasp visual spatial relationships with drawing. Once your child can imitate your drawing or draw from a physical prompt; you can move to drawing from a pictorial prompt. Have a look at these directed drawing prompts from Margaret at Your Therapy Source . 4. Fluency patterns. Copy lines to work on pencil control. Once the basic patterns can be copied, work on even spacing and even heights. Read and purchase ---> Fluency Patterns 5. Printable worksheets. Don't start here. Always start with the options listed above! When your child has developed some of the skills to draw; then printable worksheets become a great way to fine tune pencil control. You can work on colouring between lines. Encourage your child to notice the visual cues such as the edge of the picture so that they aim to stay within the lines. Your child could draw through mazes, join dot to dot pages or trace over lined pictures. Encourage your child to add their own patterns to copy pictures that they see. This will help them to develop visual spatial awareness and pencil control. Read and purchase ---> Pre-writing Lines and Shapes Printable Sheets. Drawing lines and shapes are vital to child development. Don't jump straight into teaching children to write letters and numbers. Help them to build the foundational skills with lots of drawing in the preschool years. Are you looking for more ideas to help your preschooler? Have a look at the 10 week preschool program that I have created that provides a full range of activities to support child development for 3-5 year olds. Each week of the program includes activities for the whole body, hands/fingers and using tools such as scissors and pencils. The program is designed to engage children in their learning. It is suitable for groups of children in a day care or preschool setting. It could be used by OTs or parents with individual children. Find out more --> Animal Theme Preschool Program Well I hope that you have found some ideas that you can use straight away with your children to help them move from scribble to drawing and writing. Let me know if you try them out!   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 products I love and recommend. I receive a 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 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/ You may also like:
 A marble, a small ball, a ball of playdough, a pom pom .... using every day items is important right now for occupational therapists as we work in our telehealth sessions using objects families may already have at home. These activities using a marble are simple, fun ways to develop a child's fine motor skills. As occupational therapists we often address fine motor skills when children have difficulty manipulating tools such as pencils, scissors and glue sticks. Fine motor skills can affect a child's ability to carry out their self care in using a toothbrush, using cutlery, tying shoes laces or manipulating fastenings such as buttons and zippers. The main fine motor areas that an occupational therapist may address include:
Using a marble:
The best way to see these suggestions is via the You-tube video ---> https://youtu.be/be5jLMvXzYk These suggestions can easily be incorporated in OT sessions face to face and via Telehealth. They are an easy way to incorporate finger warm ups prior to writing. You could even try using an eraser (perfect for the classroom - when you return). I also love marble runs and marble mazes! Let me know other fun ways you use marbles to help with the development of fine motor skills.   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 website and blog Your Kids OT and Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook (ebook). 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 products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Your Kids OT blog - https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog Your Kids OT shop- https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Your Kids OT Teachers Pay Teachers - www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot Your Kids OT Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot/ Your Kids OT Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot Your Kids OT Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/yourkidsot Your Kids OT Amazon store - https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot  Teachers Pay Teachers Site Wide Sale! May 5-7th 2020 PROMOCODE: THANKYOU20
 Playdough is inexpensive to purchase and easy to make. It is something that most families have at home and can be incorporated easily into telehealth occupational therapy sessions. Playdough can be used to encourage a range of fine motor skills, play skills as well as shape, letter and number formation. Whilst I'm focusing on letter formation in this article, you can apply the same principles to learning shapes and numbers too. Playdough provides a child with an opportunity to learn these in a hands-on multisensory way. It will help to engage your child in learning too. This is particularly important when providing Telehealth OT services so that they child is not just a "viewer" of the OT on the screen, but an active participant during sessions. Here is an easy-to-make playdough recipe ---> PLAYDOUGH RECIPE Watch how to make playdough ---> Playdough Recipe You-Tube This article is also accompanied by a You-tube video seen below (if you are reading this online) or if you are reading this via my newsletter use this link ---> Playdough and the Alphabet You-Tube Video. When working on letter formation with my OT children, we are usually working in "letter families". Letters are grouped to allow children to learn the motor patterns needed when writing. It is also important to remember that letter formation requires a good foundation of skills including postural control, fine motor skills , pencil grasp and visual spatial skills to name a few. For more information: Read ---> Letter formation families Read ---> Fluency patterns and Drawing Pre-writing Lines/Shapes Read ---> A dynamic pencil grasp: why do we teach it? Read ---> Visual Perceptual Skills required for Handwriting Find all the Handwriting Articles ---> Handwriting Landing Page  Using Playdough for Teaching Letters: Familiarization, Formation, Legibility 1. Playdough and Alphabet Familiarization. If your child is learning the alphabet, unsure of letter names and what they look like... they may benefit from using playdough together with a visual prompt. You can use any alphabet cards or books that you may have to provide assist with alphabet familiarization . These cards/pages can be placed in a plastic display folder or even a ziplock bag to provide a surface for placing playdough on top. Young children can simply tear off pieces of playdough to cover up the letters. You may also incorporate:
2. Playdough and Letter Formation (Starting Points and Direction). Once your child is familiar with the alphabet, you may want to reinforce starting positions and direction of letters to assist them with writing. Playdough "sausage shapes" of various sizes are ideal for letter formation and can be placed down on the table (or printable) in the direction of formation. Children can make the letters on top of a visual prompt, alongside a visual prompt or by copying a model. They can trace the letters they have made with their finger, pinch or poke the letters. You can also add manipulatives such as buttons, beads, push pins, toothpicks to help mark out the starting points and direction of letter formation (with a extra benefit of working on fine motor skills simultaneously). "Letter roads" provide a great visual prompt to be used with playdough, cars or other items to help with starting points and direction. A "clockface" from the "Spalding Method" is a wonder multi-sensory way to provide visual and verbal prompts with letter formation. I have incorporated the use of playdough and a plastic lid to help mark out the starting points and direction of letters. I also find the use of a clockface especially useful when teaching magic c letters, z and e. This may involve initially working on where numbers are positioned on a clock before working on letter formation. Here's what I do with playdough...
Watch letter formation using playdough ----> Playdough and the Alphabet You-Tube Video Watch how to use letter roads ----> Letter Roads You-Tube Video Read ---> Letter Roads Shop ---> "I can learn the Alphabet" Bundle Shop ---> Letter roads  3. Playdough and Handwriting Legibility As children develop skills for letter formation, they may be working on letter size or alignment to the writing line. I use "Earth paper" writing lines to assist with letter size and alignment. I use the single Earth Paper Lined page with a clear visual prompt of three coloured lines - blue (sky), green (grass) and brown (earth/dirt/mud). I use this to encourage children to place their playdough on particular lines (eg. small letters stay on the grass). I also use this together with the letter outlines flashcards on my screen so we can write the letters during OT sessions also. Watch ---> Playdough and the Alphabet You-Tube Video Read ---> Earth Paper Writing Lines Shop ---> Earth Paper Writing lines and Earth paper letter outlines Additional Tips:
Do you use playdough to engage your child with the alphabet? Have you found some new ways to incorporate these ideas in your Telehealth sessions? Let me know!   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 website and blog Your Kids OT and Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook (ebook). 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 products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Your Kids OT blog - https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog Your Kids OT shop- https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Your Kids OT Teachers Pay Teachers - www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot Your Kids OT Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot/ Your Kids OT Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot Your Kids OT Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/yourkidsot Your Kids OT Amazon store - https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot Watch Playdough and the Alphabet You-Tube Video You may also like:
Finger rhymes, hand actions, hand clapping, body percussion, mime ....
Occupational therapists love to encourage children of all ages to get their bodies and in particular their hands and fingers moving. Without realizing it, children can work on a range of skills in a fun natural way. Some of the benefits include:
How far are other people? How far can my fingers move? What direction can they move? Can my left side move independently to my right? Can they move simultaneously? Can may left arm and leg move together? Can my left arm and right leg move together? Can I move my arm across my body? Can I fix my eyes on the body parts moving? Can I work out all these movements with my eyes closed?
Can I coordinate them with a verbal instruction or song? Can I do this by copying someone else? Can I keep up with a group?
Can I remember the sequence on my own? Can I remember after the modelling has stopped, the next day or the next week? Do I need verbal and visual prompts to help me remember? Do I need someone to physically help me to organize my body?
Can some fingers be hidden away? Can I develop the arches of my hand? Can my thumb demonstrate opposition? Can I move move fingers without looking at them?
These ideas can be carried out at home, in the classroom, direct OT sessions and via Telehealth Occupational Therapy. (You can find more about Telehealth OT HERE)
1. Finger Rhymes and Songs. I loved singing to my kids when they were babies, toddlers and preschoolers. I was accused of being a "walking musical" as I would randomly break into song. I know that this doesn't come naturally to a lot of new parents and you don't have to be a great singer but I do think it is extremely important. Finger rhymes and songs especially in the early years... in addition to all the things I've mentioned above... can help with attachment and connection between parent and child, language development, cognitive concepts (such as learning numbers, shapes and letters). For Telehealth OT, you can sing and model the actions for your child. You could also play a song via a platform like Spotify for you both to sing and do the actions. I have collated some of my favourites for you to play on your own devices or to share with your families. Let me know if you want me to demonstrate some of these rhymes and songs! Watch --->Finger Play Rhymes and Songs You-Tube Video Read and Print---> 42 favourite Finger Play Rhymes and Songs. Spotify Playlist ---> YKOT Spotify Action Songs Preschool Rhyme Bundle --->YKOT shop Preschool Rhyme Printable Bundle. Hand and body movements to song are not restricted to little kids. Older kids may want to make up their own dance or movements to music or use their bodies to make music. There are lots of great You-tube videos that encourage movement. Read more ---> Brain Breaks for Kids. 2. Heavy Work for Little Fingers. This was a series of finger movements that I collated a few years ago to help prepare fingers for fine motor activities or handwriting. These movements include:
For Telehealth OT, you could model these actions for your child to copy. You could also share the pdf on a screenshare or email it to your families to print out. Watch ---> Heavy Work for Little Finger You-tube Video. Read more --->Heavy Work for Little Fingers. Printable Version ---> YKOT Shop Heavy Work for Little Fingers Printable. 3. Spin the Wheel: This wheel was created at Wheel Decide and I have entered a series of body movements. My focus is on crossing the midline and I can share this via my "screen share" function on my Telehealth Platform (Coviu). I spin the wheel for the child on my screen, I read the action and the child can perform the action. Sometimes I need to model the action or the parent/caregiver may also assist the child. For older children, I incorporate two or three movements in a sequence to remember and perform. Note: if you are reading this in my newsletter, you will need to go to my website to access the wheel (click on the little wheel decide logo on the bottom right and this will take you to seeing the wheel on it's own page) . You may prefer not to use the wheel but perform a series of "Simon Says" movements or your own motor patterns to copy. Children will love to also create motor patterns for you to copy. Watch --->Spin The Wheel You-Tube Video.
4. Hand Clapping Challenge. This hand clapping challenge that has been seen on Tik Tok and other social media channels. It is a series of hand actions which will appeal to older children and has been done in groups. I have found a You-tube video (not mine) which goes through the steps slowly---> Hand Clapping Challenge Instructions.
During Telehealth OT, I share the you-tube video on my screen and we watch the steps together. I often need pause the video and give my own even slower version of the steps for my OT child to copy. It is a really great way to work on motor planning, bilateral coordination and memory in particular! 5. Finger Aerobics. I created this simple page of coloured dots that I'm using for "finger aerobics". You can make one yourself or download my version for free ---->FREE Finger Aerobics Printable. I have used this to encourage wrist positioning (laying flat on the table), pointing with the index finger whilst tucking away the other fingers, crossing the midline, visual memory and various finger movements. It requires good visual attention and you can adapt this to be as hard or as easy as you would like. This printable page could also be used with small manipulatives like coins, pom poms, playdough, buttons! You can ask your child to place them on certain colours, move them in groups. keep a few in their hand whilst they place one down at a time. Watch ---> Finger Aerobics You Tube Video 
I hope you try some of these ideas! Let me know if you do and don't forget to watch the you-tube videos to watch me put these in action!
Let me know what your favourite hand and finger games! 
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 website and blog Your Kids OT and Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook (ebook).
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 products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Your Kids OT blog - https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog Your Kids OT shop- https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Your Kids OT Teachers Pay Teachers - www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot Your Kids OT Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot/ Your Kids OT Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot Your Kids OT Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/yourkidsot Your Kids OT Amazon store - https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot You may also like:
 Sensory play is so engaging and encourages hands-on learning! Occupational Therapists love to use sensory play as this is how children learn about their bodies and the world around them. Sensory trays or sensory bins have been a popular way to bring different textures and experiences together for children. Sensory trays are examples of "open-ended" play. This means that there is no set beginning, middle or end... it encourages children to explore, experiment, feel, touch, move their fingers and hands.... even their feet or other parts of their body. Think about traditional sand boxes and water trays... these are examples of sensory trays (or bins). Kids can spend hours exploring different actions like digging, pouring, squishing and poking using these sensory trays. Today I want to share more sensory tray ideas. You can use food items such as flour, rice and salt; however in this current climate where we are conscious about food going to people who need to eat... let's look at non-food sensory trays! I will also give you some tips for helping a child who doesn't like sensory play and how you can encourage them. Before I share my suggestions, if you are a parent and are ready to stop reading/stop watching because you are worried about the mess... just wait! There are lots of ideas for you to "contain the mess". You can:
Tips for setting up your Sensory Trays - Three things to consider
 6 Non-Food Sensory Trays 1) Dirt with leaves and gumnuts. This is definitely one for the outdoors. Add some pebbles, a small spade, a small digging fork or even a small watering can. 2) Shredded paper, Easter eggs and tongs. Depending on how much paper you have, kids could forage through the paper with their hands. They could use the tongs to move the paper away or to hunt for Easter eggs. Tongs and large tweezers are a great way to build hand strength. Encourage your child to hold these in the webspace of their hand (ie. space between their thumb and index finger), using two or three fingers on top and tucking away their fourth and fifth fingers into the palm of their hand. 3) Packaging peanuts and small buttons. This is tray is full of high contrasts because of the brightly coloured buttons and perfect for toddlers or preschools. You can sneak in some fine motor skill development with a pincer or tripod grasp. 4) Pom Poms and Plastic eggs. Encourage your child to use the eggs to scoop and pour pom poms. They can match the eggs together and shake. You could work on colour matching. The shape of eggs make them a perfect way to work on fine motor skills such as palmar arches of the hand, finger flexion and thumb opposition. 5) Shaving cream with plastic toys. This will be a joy for some and bring anguish to others because of the texture of shaving cream. It is definitely one that you could do in the bath or shower for those who love to explore with shaving cream. For those who may be hesitant, you could try placing items on top of the shaving cream and have them poke it with one finger or use something to pick it up (like tongs). You could give your child a stick or paintbrush to swirl the shaving cream. Try moving to smaller sticks and maybe even a toothpick. Add some food colouring for more fun. When your child can tolerate incidentally touching the shaving cream, you can begin to submerge the toy partly in to the shaving cream and then fully. Children will progress with their tactile tolerance and sensitivity at difference paces. For some it can happen within a day and for others it will take months. You can also do a few things before you expose your child to a texture that they don't want to touch. Try deep pressure activities such as throwing and catching a ball, animal walks where the child is putting weight through their hands, try rubbing their hands in a towel or asking them to rub their hands together before playing. Have a towel handy to rub their hands or hold their hands within the towel when they have had enough of touching the texture. You can also encourage them to use different body parts. Maybe they can tolerate the texture on their foot or their elbow. 6) Kinetic Sand with stones and shells. Some children will also have a tactile defensive reaction to sand. You can follow a similar tactic to what I have just mentioned with shaving cream, although there are some adults I know who are still tactile defensive to sand and refuse to go to the beach. Kinetic sand continues to draw my children (who say they are too old for these trays) into play. They have set up for a few weeks now in my office and it is this one that draws them in each time. They love to explore the movement of kinetic sand. Early on when I first started the Your Kids OT blog, I did a comparison between Kinetic Sand and homemade Cloud Dough. Find this article HERE as well as 7 invitations to play with Kinetic Sand. You could easily switch out some of the contents of these trays. Try puzzle pieces with the packaging peanuts, add sight words to the shredded paper, etc. You could have one type of tray set up for the week (eg. shredded paper) and each day set up a different "invitation to play". Monday - shredded paper, magnetic letters and place this in front of the refrigerator. Tuesday - shredded paper, felt pieces and a felt board to place the pieces onto. Wednesday - shredded paper, tongs and puzzle pieces. Thursday - shredded paper, cardboard rolls, small cars. Friday - shredded paper, easter eggs, tweezers.  AND you can incorporate cleaning up as part of the activity. "Lets set a timer and see how much shredded paper we can get back into the box/tray/bin!" If you are interested in learning more about sensory based activities and how they can be incorporated into your child's daily life.... get your copy of my e-book "SENSORY DIET ACTIVITY GUIDEBOOK". Watch my new You-tube series where I show you these sensory trays! ---> https://youtu.be/PusnomDcsuA Do your children enjoy playing with sensory trays? What is their favourite combination?   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 website and blog Your Kids OT and Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook (ebook). 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 products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Your Kids OT blog - https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog Your Kids OT shop- https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Your Kids OT Teachers Pay Teachers - www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot Your Kids OT Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot/ Your Kids OT Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot Your Kids OT Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/yourkidsot Your Kids OT Amazon store - https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot You may also like:
A free printable for you to use at home!
You know I've been talking about pegs (clothespins for my American friends) recently. If you missed it, make sure you check out how to promote FINE MOTOR skills using pegs in a recent post ---> FINE MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT USING CLOTHESPINS. This free printable contains three pages of scavenger hunts to do with your children at home. The first scavenger hunt with various requests includes finding items of various colours, textures, sizes and shapes. The second scavenger hunt focuses on counting and the last scavenger hunt looks for items beginning from a-z. You could ask siblings to do this together or as a competition. You could do this on a video phone call with friends or family members to find the items. You could incorporate this as part of a home program for fine motor skill development. Use this form below to get your FREE PEG SCAVENGER HUNT printable. Why do I have to keep filling in these forms if I have been a subscriber for a while? ... Its the easiest way for me to get the printable to you whilst enabling me to keep track of how many of you are interested (or not) in particular printables! Thanks for your understanding! If you can't see this form in your email ----> CLICK HERE to go to the YKOT BLOG PAGE and you should be able to see the form online. Some email providers block these sorts of forms and graphics. Clothespin (Peg) Scavenger Hunt!Subscribe to the YKOT newsletter to receive this FREE printable! This forms collects information we will use to send you our newsletter with our latest posts, products and special offers. Already subscribed? Don't worry you won't be added twice!
This printable is intended for personal, therapy caseload or classroom use. Please do not publish these pages in their entirety. Instead, please share links to this page so others can get their own FREE printable. Thanks for this courtesy!
I would love to see your children in action completing these scavenger hunts! Take a photo and tag @yourkidsot on social media. 
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 website and blog Your Kids OT and Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook (ebook).
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 products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. You may also like:
 It has been a week of stepping out of my comfort zone and trying lots of things for the first time! Did you see my first You-tube video? Have a look at how to encourage fine motor skill development using clothespins ie. pegs in Australia or Mandal in Turkish (thanks @babaterapist on IG).----> Fine Motor Skill Development Using Clothespins You-Tube. (My children are partly-horrified and partly-proud that their mama is now a "You-Tuber" !) I'm also new to Telehealth Occupational Therapy and the sessions that I have had this week have been so much fun! Whilst I'm new to Telehealth (or teletherapy), Telehealth is not new. It has been widely used especially in rural and remote regions. The World Federation of Occupational Therapists released a position statement in 2014 which includes the following: Telehealth is the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to deliver health-related services when the provider and client are in different physical locations. Telehealth may be used for evaluation, intervention, monitoring, supervision, and consultation (between remote therapist, client, and/or local health-care provider) as permitted by jurisdictional, institutional, and professional regulations and policies governing the practice of occupational therapy. Telehealth is an appropriate delivery model for occupational therapy services when in-person services are not possible, practical, or optimal for delivering care and/or when service delivery via telehealth is mutually acceptable to the client and provider. (World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 2014 Telehealth Position Statement). Put simply, Telehealth is a way for occupational therapists to use an online platform to deliver occupational therapy services. Telehealth is a service delivery method. You still get an OT on the end of the video call who provides clinical observations, assessment, advice, support, encouragement and applies their problem solving skills to assist your child to perform their activities of daily living. In fact Telehealth may be a video call with direct interaction with the child, it may be a phone conversation with a parent, it may be a parent sending through photos/videos for discussion with their therapist... there are lots of options. Yes there may be more involvement with a parent or caregiver during Telehealth sessions. I see this as a good thing that families are engaged in applying therapy in the home. This is what OTs always encourage even when a child is being seen face to face. There is little vantage if a child can learn skills when with their OT and then not carry it over into any other situation. "Parent coaching" is something that OTs have always encouraged! Here are a few more detailed explanations and resources of Telehealth services:
Australian OT friends, you may be interested in :
There are number of people who are also promoting webinars explaining Telehealth to therapists as well as as number of FB groups popping up! I'll leave it to your discretion to find one that suits you but always check your local registration requirements, insurance and practice standards. For parents, here are a few you-tube videos (not mine) that show you some session examples:
Sessions will look different for each child and each individual therapist will have their own "spin" on how they present things. I will be blogging my journey into Telehealth services and sharing what works for me and what doesn't! I'm using "Coviu"as my Telehealth Platform and this meets data encryption requirements for Australia. Families join via a link (like a telephone number) and do not need to download an app. Things I'm loving so far with this platform include the interactive whiteboard feature and the ability to share my screen or file (which then lets us jointly edit whatever I have shared). Some OTs have mentioned that they are using Telehealth on a tablet that allows them to write directly on the whiteboard and/or asking their families to do the same. Connectivity has been variable and I can't control that as it depends on the client's internet connection. I have a basic plan with Coviu so I can't speak about other features like waiting room music, multiple therapists, managing appointment bookings and recording sessions. I know that Coviu has the capability to do these things as well as being compatible with practice management software. If you are interested in exploring this Telehealth Platform, I would suggest doing their free online webinar. If you sign up to Coviu, I would appreciate it if you use my referral code: qt9v87. Thanks! This is how I've set up my Telehealth sessions. (Ignore my old desktop monitor and keyboard which I keep because it has some functions that my laptop does not). I have raised my laptop on a monitor stand. I use a selfie light (purchased a long time ago on e-bay) to hold my phone and provide extra lighting if needed. I have my resources ready on my desk but out of view of the camera. I can adjust the laptop screen so that it can see the resources where I have the flashcards (Learning Without Tears cards).  The children whom I'm seeing via Telehealth services are all children whom I have worked with for a long time. I think that this helps straight away as I have rapport and respect from them which has been built up over time. My first tips for starting Teleheath for OTs:
 Whilst many of us are venturing into this new online world with some gusto, Telehealth services will not suit all families and all children. That's ok too. In a world without COVID-19, Telehealth would be offered in conjunction with other service delivery models including face-to-face occupational therapy. It is a time of heightened anxiety, lots of unknown, families trying to juggle multiple concerns such as work, home schooling and health....for some Telehealth will provide a lifeline of support via their occupational therapist and for others it will be too overwhelming. Some of my OT families have elected to have individualized home programs for their children. This is a great way to implement therapy at home also! Have you ventured into Telehealth for the first time as a therapist or parent? Let me know your experience with Telehealth! How have you set up your work station? What are your top tips for those starting out?   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 website and blog Your Kids OT and Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook (ebook). 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 products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details.
 
Your Kids OT has always had a philosophy of incorporating therapy ideas into every day life, to make learning fun and to support child development in the home.
2020 has brought us all home. We are all navigating this new life where home schooling is going to be a new norm for the foreseeable future. It is extra "work" for parents whilst the new norm for teacher's is to plan these sessions so that they are achievable at home. It is only day 2 for my children . I have one child who's lessons are independent and online. For my younger child, we are working through lessons together and incorporating other non-academic time into the day. A new normal for us all. Therapy at home will be so important too. For those of you who can, access telehealth services with your OTs. If you are in Australia, contact me for a telehealth information pack. Today I'm going to show you how to use a household item to help your child's fine motor development whilst working on academic goals simultaneously. Pegs or clothespins (depending on what part of the world you are from) are a fantastic way to work on fine motor skills. We can work on:
When using pegs...
Toddlers/Preschoolers
School age children
Don't have pegs? Try bull-dog clips (ie. binder clips)!
Watch my new You-tube video series which will be posted alongside these blog posts. ---> Your Kids OT You-Tube. Are you "home schooling"? How can you incorporate pegs (clothespins) or bull dog clips (binder clips) into your child's day? Let me know! 
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 website and blog Your Kids OT and Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook (ebook).
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 products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details.
 It is back to school time in Australia. For some children, the commencement of school is exciting and they don't look back. For others it can bring on fear and anxiety. There are a number of reasons for this fear including separation anxiety, the unknown environment, a transition to new expectations, not knowing anyone at school, new routines and more. Help your anxious child with school! 1) Preparation - Help your child to be familiar with what is expected of them. Do they have to wear a uniform? Do they know where the bathroom is? Can you help them open and close their lunch box? For older children, can you go through a schedule together? Can you highlight subjects on the time table or locate classrooms on a map? Can you help with organization for their locker by providing book ends, hooks or magazine files? Do they know how to use their phones to work out travel routes? 2) Organization - Help your child to organize their belongings before and after school. Help them to organization their belongs for school. Can you provide a designated area for school bags, hats, homework? Can they see their belongings within their bag? Would a lighter interior or containers help with organization? Does your child know what to put into their school bag in the morning and where to unload things when they get home? Does your child know what needs to be done before they can leave for school? Try a visual aid such as LIFT THE FLAP SCHEDULE , ROUTINE BOY or ROUTINE GIRL For older children, can you provide an area for filing information (soft or hard copies) they receive from school? Do they have a designated place to do homework? Can you help with a system to review work and prepare for exams? Do they know how to use their diary or calendar to indicate deadlines? Do they know how to juggle the demands of extra curricular activities, homework, relaxation time and helping out around the house? 3) Let them worry! - Help your child to express their concerns. Empathize with their worries. School can be a stressful place! Don't be too quick to dismiss worries that your child raises with you. Listen. Brainstorm solutions together. Brainstorm with someone from the school (ie. a teacher, school counsellor or the principal). Help your child to name things they can do when struggling with things that they can't. 4) Build a Sensory Coping Tool Kit - together! Make sure your child is getting adequate nutrition, hydration and sleep. Is your child getting enough exercise and movement during the day and at home? Would your child benefit from a sensory diet of activities? Read more about sensory diets HERE. Help your child to work out activities to calm them when they are over-excited or anxious. These tend to be activities that apply deep pressure to the body such as jumping on the trampoline or swinging on monkey bars. They may also be comforted with a big hug of a soft toy or a warm blanket. Does your child need food to stave off the HANGRY part of the afternoon when school has finished? Does your child need some ice cubes to crunch on or suck to help ease some tension. Does your child need a "circuit breaker" with a quiet place, some television time, something to squeeze or some deep breathing? Here are some tools that can help with "circuit breaking" -
5) BREATHE ! The benefits of breathing - taking deep breaths in and deep breaths out - can not be overlooked. Deep breathing can help with stress and anxiety, lower heart rates and reduce tension. Try different breathing techniques. Here are 10 breathing techniques from Mindful Mazing and Deep Breathing Exercises for Kids from Coping Skills for Kids.  Every child is unique. What works for one child may not necessarily work for another. You don't have to do this alone. It is not a reflection of your parenting. Anxiety is a real problem and whilst some children will become less anxious with age, others need help. Does your child need more help? Seek help from your general practitioner, paediatrician, community nurse, psychologist, school principal or counsellor. Contact your local occupational therapist. They may assist with skills such as executive functioning, organization and planning. Your child may benefit from a sensory based assessment to determine what activities can help your child with modulation. Your child may benefit from assistance with regulation working through a program such as the Zones of Regulation or the ALERT program.  You may also like to read "Teaching Kids How to Manage Anxiety: Superstar Practical Strategies" by Deb Hopper, Life Skills 4 Kids. Deb is an Australian occupational Therapist with over 21 years of experience. She brings you a thorough look at different forms of anxiety and seeks to supercharge your parenting toolbox through empowering you... and make you both SMILERS. S - Speak positively M - Move dynamically I - Immerse in a physically uplifting environment L - Look to the positive E - Eat nutritiously R - Rest to Destress S - Serve Do you have an anxious child? What helps them to regulate? What new tools can you help them to put into their coping toolbox? 
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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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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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