 Ho Ho ho! This 2020 Christmas message almost didn't make it. I have to admit that I needed to take some time away from my laptop. Anyone else feel like they need a break between 2020 and 2021? It took me a while before I could start writing in my 2021 planner and I'm looking forward to shutting down my screens for a short time. But there was a bomb that I wasn't expecting... a final curveball. A small thing compared with what many of you have been through in 2020. I do feel for all of you who have been dealt a final curve ball which has meant not spending time with loved ones over Christmas. I'm so sorry that this year has been full of curveballs and uncertainty. I wanted to share a little sweet treat (especially those who are still reading your emails so close to Christmas).  Hot Chocolate Bombs Ingredients: Dark and white cooking chocolate blocks. Hot cocoa powder (hot chocolate) Christmas sweet decorations (mini marshmallows, M & Ms). Method:
 To use these "Hot Chocolate Bombs"... heat up some milk and drop them into the cup. Watch them melt and give them a final stir. Drink! Some tips: * Don't add Bailey's Irish Cream to the chocolate once it has been heated into the microwave. Hot and cold liquids together are not a good idea. Add a small splash of Baileys prior to placing the chocolate in the microwave for a "boozy" Hot Chocolate! * Don't try to film your process whilst balancing a tripod and having sticky chocolate fingers. Your camera may fall and break... (ouch - this was my "bomb"). Even though I have the footage, I couldn't face my camera and take it out to edit ..... so, go to DO IT ON A DIME who inspired me to make these. * If making this with your family - allow for all the refrigerator "setting time". It is a bit fiddly and it is a lot quicker to put hot cocoa/chocolate straight into the cup ... but it is a little festive frivolity that some of you will enjoy.  Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! Keep healthy and safe! Thank you for your ongoing support!   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/
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Christmas is a time for giving and in that spirit, I am sharing a second holiday FREEBIE with you! If you missed it, the FREE 2020 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PACK was a hit with my readers. Make sure you get your copy of Christmas writing prompts, mazes, I spy pages and more ---->2020 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PACK. The printables I create are typically made for ME first... so that I can use them in my own practice. It means that I aim to share only what works for me and what the children I work with have responded well to. I am constantly creating therapy ideas and printable material (I don't always use worksheets - even though this paragraph may make it sound like I do... ). There are many products which end up on the cutting room floor or need further development before I share them with you. Each year I find my caseload - the children I work with in private practice - is changing. In the last few years, I have started to see more children who need help with social emotional regulation and social thinking skills. There are many great programs to help children with these skills according to their age and level of understanding. I can't actually name them here as I share this product with you as there are strict copyright laws around this. Today's FREEBIE is designed for children who need some assistance with social emotional regulation and social thinking skills. Christmas can be a time which brings heightened emotions and triggers for lack of self control... a difficult time for some with regulation. Social Emotional Competencies: Christmas edition .... includes:
Use the form below to enter your email address to receive this FREE printable. If you are reading this in your email and can't see the form, you can either select "show remote content" in your email browser or use this link ----> TAKE ME TO THE ONLINE PAGE to see the form online. Would you like MORE social emotional resources? Check this out ---> SOCIAL EMOTIONAL COMPETENCY BUNDLE.
Answering your questions....
Why do I need to fill the form in each time you offer a freebie? Using a form helps me as a content creator to keep track of which printables are most popular. The forms help with distribution as often the files are too big to send via email. Why do I need to subscribe to receive your freebies? Subscribing to the YKOT newsletters means that you will always know when I have new products available or I can remind you of products I have created previously. I also bring content regularly that has no products ... for those who are looking for therapy ideas, information about occupational therapy and an understanding of therapeutic clinical reasoning for activities. I occasionally share products or learning opportunities created by others where I have an affiliation. You can unsubscribe at any time. Too many emails? I get it. I won't be offended if you are only here for the free stuff. Already a subscriber... well thank you!... you will only ever be on the newsletter list ONCE. You do need to re-enter your email address in the form so that the latest FREEBIE can be sent to you. Why isn't everything on your site free? YKOT continues to be created and run by "just me"... Cindy! Your support by subscribing or purchasing items helps me to sustain this blog There are ongoing costs for running a website, running email distribution as well as the time spent in content creation. I do most of it for the "love" of creating content and sharing it with you... but the reality is that there are costs that need to be met as well. Haven't "met" me yet? Read about me or watch my introductory you-tube video ---> MEET ME Phew... do you have more questions? I always welcome your interaction via email (cindy@yourkidsot.com) or via social media. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook! You can also find me on You-Tube (sorry no videos for a little while since Monte my puppy has arrived- but expect more in 2021)! Your comments, likes and shares are also valued as they tell me what content you are interested in and what you find useful! Well if you have continued to the end of that speel... you are so valued! And THANK YOU for your ongoing support! Enjoy this latest printable? Send your friends/colleagues this way to get their own copy! 
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/ 
2020... there are a lot of people looking forward to this year coming to a close.
2020 has actually been a good one for me (not speaking of Covid19). I've enjoyed the time at home and the slow down in pace during lockdown. However, our lockdown time here in Sydney was relatively brief compared to others around the country and around the world. It has been a devastating year for many. Some of you who follow me on social media will know that a new fur-member has joined our family three weeks ago. Monte is a beautiful yellow Labrador who is adorable and also an all-consuming part of my life now. Do drop into my IG account to see photos of Monte in my IG stories now and again (generally on the weekend) as I just can't help #puppyspam... so sorry if you are not a dog person! OK, back to OT stuff. As the year draws to a close, these holiday printables will be a great addition to your therapy sessions or family table. This year I have included 5 "write and draw" pages, 3 simple mazes, 3 "I spy" pages , 2 "draw with me" pages, fine and gross motor activity ideas. If you have missed my past Christmas holiday activities, go to the YKOT website ---> CHRISTMAS LANDING PAGE. To get your copy of the 2020 Holiday Activity Pack, fill in the form below (please not subscribers will only be placed on the mailing list once). You can unsubscribe at any time, however stay on the list and you will always be the first to know when I have new products and freebies.
Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas season. May 2021 be a fresh new year where new memories are made with those you love and care for.
I hope you will continue to join me here at YKOT as I bring you new content in the year to come (hopefully when my puppy is less demanding )! 
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/  Hot Glue = 1 Cindy's fingers = 0 So besides the fact I didn't manage to save my finger from the hot glue, this was an easy DIY project that can be easily done at home. You could use PVA glue instead of hot glue... and save your fingers! What you need:
What to do:
How to play? Encourage your toddler or preschooler to identify the colours. Use a finger to trace along the path. You could also use a small figurine or car to follow the path. Encourage your child not to move the board or move their body. Encourage your child NOT to switch hands as they follow the path. These things will help with midline crossing. Encourage your child to point with their index finger and tuck the other fingers into the palm of their hand. This will encourage separation of the two sides of the hand (fine motor skills). Place your board vertically on an easel and also encourage wrist extension and shoulder stability. Turn the board upside down or perpendicular (90 degrees) ... and you get 4 different paths using the same board! Work from side to side or top to bottom. Try asking your child to close their eyes to trace the yarn so that they can bring more awareness to their hand and fingers. Adjustments: Make it harder by using similar or the same colour yarn. Make it easier by not crossing the yarn over (ie. don't overlap). Why play this? Visual spatial awareness is an important skill to help children to understand their body in space. It helps them to work out how things relate to themselves and between objects. This board will encourage visual spatial awareness and left to right tracking. The benefit of yarn (and dried glue) over just a drawing of a line is that it will create a raised surface. This will give your child tactile sensory feedback and help with eye/hand coordination. Over time your child may easily move to drawn lines rather than a raised surface. This book review is from the archives but continues to be one of my favourites with this age group ----> Follow the Line to School. It contains one continuous line that moves through the book (and various spaces within a school). You can use this to have a look at other aspects of visual perception such as figure ground; whilst talking about aspects of school. It is a wonderful book at this time of the year (in Australia) as preschoolers are beginning their transition to BIG school.  Are you handy with the hot glue gun? What are you Diy-ing this weekend?   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/  b or d? p or q? 2 or 5? 9 or 6? Does your child have difficulty with reversing letters when writing? Do they become confused with certain letters of the alphabet? Letter reversal are quite common for young children. It is common for letters, numbers and even whole words to be reversed when they are first learning to read and write. This does not necessarily mean that your child has a learning difficulty. Lane (2005) reports the following stages of visual motor development related to letter reversals.
Lane (2005) also makes the following observations regarding children who do make reversals.
 There are heaps of "tricks" and "visual prompts" available for teaching commonly reversed letters (just check Google or Pinterest) . Most of the tricks and prompts you will find rely on a child's visual discrimination and visual memory. This is great for the majority of children who are developing typically, however sometimes these are not "enough". Some children canNOT retain the information from visual prompts to prevent reversals in identification and writing. Before jumping into teaching any tricks or these letters specifically ... there are a few things that I work on with my OT students first! This includes:
After learning to discriminate left and right; then it is important that children learn that most reading and writing (in the Western world) occurs FROM left to right. The direction of writing is really important for prevention reversals and is also related to a child's ability to "cross the midline". Read more about crossing the midline and bilateral coordination HERE (you will also find a neat left to right direction page as part of the Bilateral Integration Reference Sheet).
When teaching handwriting, I teach in "letter families" according to formation or size (depending on a child's difficulties). Children who are having letter reversal difficulties benefit from classifying letters into a "family" or group according to the first motor pattern needed to form these lowercase letters (ie. the left component for formation). This means that all the lower case letters that start with a "straight line down" are taught together and all the letters that start with a "c" component are taught together. For children who reverse letters, they can begin to group all the "straight line" down letters together (ie. l, t, b, h, k) and differentiate them from the letters that start with a "c" (ie. c, o, a, d, g, q, s). These "letter families" are taught at different times to help with discrimination between the letter families and grouping a letter family. Read more about letter families HERE.
 A multi sensory approach to teaching and learning commonly reversed letters will help to engage your child in a number of ways. It seeks to work on the components I have just mentioned (left to right direction, letter identification/naming, letter formation and visual perceptual skills) as well as engage your child in their motor learning through kinesthetic and/or proprioceptive feedback. For each of these approaches, you may want to emphasize the starting points and you may want to model the direction of letter formation. Children will need a visual model to see what they are forming. Some children will require a strong emphasis between the components of each letter (eg. left line and right circular form - to form "b"). Here are 10 ways to provide a multi-sensory approach:
Watch the following You-tube video showing you how children can get confused with commonly reversed letters and my favourite multi-sensory approaches (link here if you can't see it on this page ---> PREVENTING LETTER REVERSALS YOU-TUBE) Have you considered these aspects to help prevent letter reversals? What are your favourite multi-sensory approaches to teach letter formation?   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 also like:
 Introducing 8 new resources to support social emotional competencies and regulation! These resources have been created for preschool-age and school age children. Social emotional skills are important for every child and adult to function in society. There are expectations of behavior and regulation in every environment we live in. As children grow and develop they rely on the adults in their life, primarily their parents, to assist with co-regulation. This is an interactive process that supports a child to build the skills they need to develop self-regulation. Read an information and interesting article
The resources in this BUNDLE have been developed to assist parents and therapist to work alongside children with regulation skills. Therapists, psychologists and educators may use specific regulation and social competency programs to guide their practice. I am not mentioning any here specifically as there are strict copyright restrictions on many of the programs that I use which do not promote the creation of resources to be used in conjunction with their programs. I have developed these resources for use in my own practice with children who need additional assistance to develop their social emotional skills. More information to come (in videos and newsletters) on each specific resource, however you can also read about each one via the links below. This resource bundle includes:
There are over 100 pages of resources here with some key pages repeated within resources (such as the Problem solving wheel and How Big is the Problem flow chart). Purchase the bundle now at the YKOT shop --> Social Emotional and Regulation Resource Bundle. Soon to be released on Teachers Pay Teachers also. I can't wait to give you a closer look of these resources! Coming soon...   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/  With so many children learning from home right now, what are your options for setting up your child for activities? How should they position themselves for a zoom session? What if they can't reach the floor when seated at the dining room table? Posture, body position, CHANGE of body position are important for children to enable them to concentrate and develop good habits. Children will not function well (or even comply) to sitting at a table for hours continuously. At school, your child experiences lots of changes to their position depending on the tasks they are doing. They may spend some time sitting on the floor, seated a desk, walking in the hallways, playing outside or they may even have flexible seating options in their classroom. Opportunities for incidental movement and brain breaks are important for the school environment (read more about brain breaks in the classroom HERE) and home learning environment too! Flexible seating at home whether your child is doing online learning, homework or in the preschool age-group is worth considering! General principles for flexible seating at home. 1) Beds are for sleeping. Where possible, don't do school work or activities in bed. Beds are for sleeping and there should be some separation between sleep and work or even sleep and play. There is evidence for this separation in adults; that working in bed decreases productivity and affects sleep patterns. Children often play on their bed, however you can encourage some time between play and the bedtime routine to help with the delineation between play and sleep. 2) Consider the task.
3) What body positions help your child's development?
4) How long will they spend doing the task? Allow for various body positions, various seating options and opportunities for movement. This will make it interesting and engage your child for learning. 5) Flexible seating does not equal "container seating". Children of all ages need movement and can benefit seating that supports there posture. Babies and toddlers should be encouraged to develop their muscles and strength (with a parent). "Container seating", that is leaving a baby or toddler in a contained position (eg. pram, high chair, bouncer, etc) for extended periods of time should be avoided. Other considerations .... this is obvious, but consider your child's age and physical size. Obviously a teenager would struggle to sit in a laundry basket and a toddler would struggle to sit on a ball independently!  Body positions There are so many options for HOW your child can position themselves!
Note: "W"-sitting should be avoided or not prolonged. This position is where you see children place their heels behind them and their legs are rotated so that they form a "W". Children who have difficulty with trunk control and crossing the midline will use this position for stability. There are a number of concerns with prolonged W-sitting as it can result in hip muscle tightness (affecting walking and running), prevents trunk rotation and midline crossing. In some cases, it may predispose children to hip dislocation (especially if there is a history of hip dysplasia).  Flexible Seating Options at Home
Specialized Equipment Options (The following contains affiliate links to the YKOT Amazon store so that you can see what these equipment options look like). Children who are experiencing developmental delays, sensory modulation difficulties, attention deficient or hyperactivity disorders may also consider specialized equipment options. These options may provide extra physical support, sensory input or movement.  Are you doing home learning at the moment? Have you thought about flexible seating options in your home?   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 also like:
 Now what is more fun that shooting pieces of paper across the room?! I haven't seen a child yet who hasn't enjoyed making things fly. This easy craft hits so many therapy goals and is so much fun! All you will need are 5 craft sticks and 5 elastic bands. You can target so many skills in the making of this craft and address even more fine motor skills with using the craft in two ways.... as a catapult and as tongs. To make: 1) Join three craft sticks together by using the elastics to secure both ends. 2) Join two more craft sticks together by using an elastic to secure one end. 3) Open up the two craft sticks and slide the three sticks about half way. 4) Secure the two bundles of sticks together with diagonal elastic joints.  This craft is deceptively difficult for little fingers. I like to do this activity for children who are approximately 8 years old (sometimes younger, sometimes older). In making this craft; you can target motor planning skills, a pincer grasp, finger flexion/extension, finger strength and bilateral coordination skills. If making this activity is too hard, you can make this craft and your child will still benefit from the fine motor skills in using the craft. To play: Catapult - Scrunch up small pieces of paper and rest it on the top of one craft stick whilst using the other hand to secure the cross brace. Use your index finger to shoot off the paper. I like to incorporate handwriting goals with writing various things on the paper including letters, numbers, words. Scrunching up paper (in itself) involves lots of in-hand manipulation skills. Try to encourage your child to do this with one hand (rather than use both hands, the table or their body for support). Tongs - Hold the "bundle of three" craft sticks whilst holding the open end of the "bundle of two" craft sticks. You can slide "bundle of two" sticks up and down as needed to match the size of your hand. By positioning your hand to hold this craft like tongs; your child will have an open web-space and separation of the two sides of the hand. Try to encourage rounded fingers and thumb as they press down on the tongs to pick up small objects. Watch me make this craft and show you how to use it! You- tube link ---> https://youtu.be/XO7_lyhLHF8 Do you know a child who would love making and playing with this craft? Which way will you play... catapult or tongs?   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 Cindy loves and recommends. YKOT 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/
 Do you have a laundry basket? or a box? Do you have some soft toys around the house? Then you are all set to encourage your children today with some easy to implement, engaging "heavy work" activities! No fancy toys or equipment today! But first... Why should my kids do these activities? What benefit can activities like these have on my child? Proprioception tells us about the movement and position of our bodies. It is sometimes called "position sense" or "muscle sense" as information from receptors in our muscles and skin help to inform us of where are body parts are in space, how they relate to each other, how much and how quickly they are stretching, the speed and timing of movement as well as the amount of force exert. Proprioception helps us to be aware of our bodies and directs our motor control and planning. "Heavy Work activities" are described as any activity that engages the muscles and joints of the proprioceptive system (Miller, L.J. 2006). Heavy work is a vital component of a healthy sensory diet. Activities that engage more or bigger muscles can have the biggest effect on a child's behaviour. They can help with arousal, calming and organising a child's sensory system. We live in a more sedentary society where movement and physical activity needs to be intentional. Lets create more opportunities for movement at home! Back to the laundry basket and soft toys! These activities were collated to incorporate lots of push, pulling, throwing, bending and stretching actions. Work on increasing the weight your child can manage. You could add blankets or cushions to your basket. Whenever you can include weight bearing (getting your child to use their own weight) then do it, as this builds core strength and helps with body awareness. Incorporate pretend play as you use soft toys together with a laundry basket. Watch the video below (or use this link... youtu.be/mcVOIfogD0s) for all the activities! Read more about activities you can incorporate into your child's sensory diet ---> Sensory Diet Blog Article ---> Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook (ebook) Coming Soon! I'm working a sensory diet implementation bundle which will include the Sensory Diet Activity Guidebook and some great new resources to help you plan your child's sensory diet. Make sure you stay in touch via the e-newsletter or social media (IG or FB) so you don't miss the launch. I'll be giving some away too! What is your child's favourite pretend play activity at the moment? Can you incorporate a laundry basket and soft toys?   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 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/ Reference:
Miller, L. J. (2006). Sensational kids: Hope and help for children with sensory processing disorder. London;: Penguin Books Limited.  I was close to losing my marbles last week! So on the big scheme of things, my problem was small. I know it has been a big year for the whole world. It's not every day (or year) that we have a global pandemic! My issue was connectivity ~ something we have all become dependent on even more so this year! My issue was also being unable to reach my internet service provider via their customer service channels and hence do my job! But enough of my problems... here I've put my marbles to good use! Have you see these fabric marble mazes before? They are commercially available but also very easy to make your own. Only basic sewing skills required! How to use a fabric marble maze. "Simply" push the marble the maze using your fingers. A great fine motor work out as you can "pinch" with your thumb and index finger, tuck away the material with the other fingers into the palm of your hand. You could also push it with your index finger. Use one hand to do the "work" and stabilize the maze with your "helper" hand. The activity is suitable for 3-7 year olds and is quite tricky for some fingers to manage. Watch how to use the marble maze in the you-tube video... https://youtu.be/5vKXM9LK_bA Instructions Equipment needed
What to do:
The marble maze is ready for play! Tips:
Are you handy with the sewing machine? Do you like making your own therapy resources? Let me know if you try this fabric maze or if you have a great resource idea!   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 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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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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