 This one is for the OTs reading. Parents and teachers, I'll chat to you soon! I would like to think I'm an organised person. I like to write things down. I like lists. But I still find myself getting caught out...
How do you manage your professional life? Do you have systems in place? Are you a paper planner or is everything online? Do you use software management or apps? Do you use a combination? I love my paper planners. I have been a long-term fan of Erin Condren's Life Planner (ECLP) and an Australian version (Whistle and Birch Planner). I like to use a paper planner for my weekly schedule and include my personal schedule (ie. family activities) in that planner. I record everything from daily "to-dos", the books and recipes that I've tried for the year. I have used a combination of online programs, a notebook and random pieces of paper for everything else! Until 2022! Introducing an undated OT planner for your professional and caseload management needs. Designed with the Australian OT in mind with a 4 term layout. It includes professional development record pages which align with registration requirements. It includes some terminology that those you from other parts of the world may not need, however generic enough for you to adapt this to your needs. You can start using this planner at anytime. Designed in an A4 size, you can shrink it to half A4 size if you print two pages on the one piece of paper. Print on thick quality paper for durability. Bind the pages into a book or place into a folder. Print pages as needed or multiple copies of pages to suit your individual requirements. Place them in an order that suits you. Available in two designs with the same content, the planners include 37 pages each:
The planner does not include a place for in-depth client records or clinical notes. It does not include financial management. However, you could tailor the NOTES pages for you.
I designed this planner for me! You know that I only share products that are practical resources and the overwhelming feedback from you is that my resources can be used straight away, often filling a need where nothing else is available. I've started to use my planner (the benefit of having an advanced copy) and it is motivating me to get everything in order over the Summer holidays before the chaos of every day work ensues. I'm planning my Term 1 schedule with the clients I know who are continuing from last year. I can use post-it notes for those who I haven't been able to confirm time slots yet. I've started to use my NOTES pages to record things that I read from book chapters to blog posts that relevant for my OT practice. I'm also using the NOTES pages to help me to keep track of goals and projects. I'm breaking down these goals and projects into small steps to focus myself to achieve them (which I am determined to do this year). Personally, I plan to print the goal tracking and session planning pages to keep with client files rather than inside my planner. Would you like a closer look? I have showcased the pages in a video ---> OT Planners Ready to get organised?! Buy your OT planner to kick start 2022! Do you prefer Swish or Natural? The planner whilst undated comes with a one-page 2022 calendar in the corresponding design that you have chosen. I'm ready to start planning 2022! Are you?   Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia. She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete). Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog
Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team. They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK. The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot YKOT shop: https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/
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 As 2021 draws to a close and we welcome in a new year, I'm taking a few minutes to look back at some of the highlights of YKOT! For those of you who may be new here at Your Kids OT, my week is usually busy with working directly with children as a mobile occupational therapist. This means that I visit children and their families at home, in their child care, preschool or school setting. Part of 2021 (and 2020), this was moved to online Telehealth services. I work part time so that I can also manage life as a mum of two children of my own. I also write articles for this blog, run this website, create new resources and offer them to you via the YKOT shop or Teachers Pay Teachers Store. I have found that the easiest way to bring you content a little each day is over on Instagram. This year saw me post 300 Instagram posts! A mixture of videos, reels, quotations and photos. Each year I hope to be more organised with regular blog posts and product releases but I know realistically this is hard for me to maintain. So, thanks for sticking with me and for your ongoing support even when you journey with me when I am able! Here are some of the highlights of 2021. Make sure you click through to read more or watch the videos! Did you miss any of these?  Top Ten Instagram Videos and Reels Videos and reels were a big hit this year, especially the top video where we used "Spot it" on the back of a chair to work on reach "behind and under" for toiletting! 1. Behind and Under with SPOT it (corresponding blog LINK) 2. Weighted bag Infinity Motor Pattern 3. Core Strength and Letters on Rocker Board 4. Visual Motor Planning with Earth Paper 5. Behind and under with scarves pull (corresponding blog LINK) 6. Pre-writing roads on TP rolls (corresponding blog LINK) 7. Dice Stamping in Playdough 8. Finger Soccer 9. Putty hand exercises 10. Pom Pom and Cookie cutter Fine Motor  Top Ten Instagram Photos and Posts 1. Worry Wall with wooden chalk blocks (Sorry, I promised in the comments that I would publish a lesson plan and haven't dont it yet! On the 2022 "things to do" list"). 2. Therapy tools vs Therapy at home tools (corresponding blog LINK) 3. Pop it - Tool vs Toy? 4. Upside Down 5. Fine Motor Skills and Letter Formation 6. Size of the Problem Hats (I think people like my sense of humour ...lol) 7. Five Fat Sausages Printable (corresponding printable LINK) 8. OT Storage Home Edit Style 9. Play according to age (corresponding blog LINK) 10. OTs are NOT (corresponding blog LINK)  Most Popular Printables 1. Lowercase Letter Formation Program 2. Animal themed 10 week Preschool OT Program Most Popular Freebies 1. Pencil Warm Ups (with corresponding blog and video) 2. Sensory Obstacle Course (with corresponding blog) 3. Christmas 2021 It's been an amazing year here at Your Kids OT. I have loved sharing with you my journey, my thoughts, my ideas, my life as an OT. It is through a lens; so you mostly see the good bits…but I remain as honest and approachable as I can be on this sort of platform. My ideas and resources are for my own practice as an occupational therapist first…I share what I use. I share what I do. Each year my content shifts and adapts to the individual children I see for direct services. I bring back "tried and tested" activities and ideas. I'm always thinking about novel ways to help children to achieve their goals. I love creating resources whether that be via a DIY project, a printable worksheet or writing a book. (Or even an OT planner which is coming next week) I’m honoured that you have joined me in this corner of the internet and I hope to keep bringing you content that is informative, useful and maybe a little fun! HAPPY NEW YEAR and see you in 2022!   Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia. She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete). Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog
Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team. They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK. The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot YKOT shop: https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/  Hello friends, Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you for your ongoing support in 2021. I'll have a wrap up of the year coming soon. To the amazing parents who follow Your Kids OT; I raise my glass to you for managing another challenging year. Parenting can be tough in an "ordinary year" and this year was no ordinary year (or two years actually). Take a break, re-charge and give those whom you love a special cuddle. To my teacher friends; you deserve a pay rise (sorry that I have no power over that) but I sincerely thank you for navigating another year of home-learning, hybrid-learning, in-classroom learning. All the unseen planning and programming didn't go unseen. You did an amazing job! To my OT friends and colleagues; I've written a little jingle which is a bit corny but I hope it makes you smile. Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells (yes, I thought about singing it for you but decided that I would leave that up to your imagination). Looking forward to sharing more, learning more and being inspired by you as well!  Note: If you can't see the images in any email from YKOT, make sure you have selected "show/allow remote content" in your email browser. Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia. She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete). Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog
Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team. They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK. The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot YKOT shop: https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/  It's becoming an annual holiday tradition that I create and gift you a new printable each Christmas! If you have been following me for a while, you know that the printables and resources that I create .... are for my own use first and then I share them with you! Whilst there are some children I see over a number of years for occupational therapy; I also see new children and like to create resources that are suited to what they might need at the time. The "old" children also like to see new resources as their needs change from year to year. This year I have quite a few children who are working on pencil control skills, simple scissor skills and a few others working on visual spatial and visual motor skills. So guess what? These are the categories that I've created this year! You can download the 2021 FREE CHRISTMAS PRINTABLE HERE! If this doesn't sound like it would suit your children, jump into my archives for a variety of free Christmas printables. There are a some that are downloaded from the YKOT shop and others which require you to subscribe to the newsletter. Don't worry, whilst you have to fill in the form more than one time to get the various freebies (so the right one is sent), you will only be on the list once... and you can unsubscribe at anytime! Just a little note that you check your web browser and email account settings as to whether you can open emails with attachments. Allow your email browsers to "open/show remote content". Also always check your spam or junk email inboxes too! So onto the archives. Click on the title or the image for the link to each freebie! How many of these free printables have you got? How long have you been with me here at YKOT? Have you planned your Christmas activities this year?   Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia. She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete). Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog
Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team. They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK. The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot YKOT shop: https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot  You may have heard the expression "learning through play". Occupational therapists love to be playful but is that the same as encouraging learning through play? I've talked about play on the blog before. Have a read of "Why is my OT 'just playing' when they see an occupational therapist" to find out more about how play is a childhood occupation, how OTs use play in therapy and how we analyze activities to find a just-right challenge. You can also read about a "Just-right challenge" here. Occupational therapists use play for engagement of the child, connection and participation. We may have goals in mind but we need to build a relationship and rapport first. For some children, simply turning up is enough to build rapport but for others it can be a little harder. Play is "client-centered" which means that it is led by the child and is intrinsically motivating. They want to do it.The OT will share the play experience and engage with the child to encourage interaction. Through play; the child may develop skills with imaginary play sequences, object substitution ( ie. using a non-real object and pretending it is something else), sharing roles and social interaction. Once rapport and a connection is built, the occupational therapist may guide the interaction to work towards other goals (such as fine motor manipulation, gross motor skills, scissor skills, pencil control). This may happen within a session or it could take weeks or months to occur. Today, I'm sharing two play experiences that I've had recently with some young friends (both age 5 years with ASD). Hooray for a return to some face-to-face in-person OT sessions! 1. Campfire (scroll through the slideshow to see the interaction or find the original blog HERE). This was the second OT session with this child after an initial session which wasn't as smooth. 2. Pacman (scroll through the slideshow to see the interaction or find the original blog HERE). I have known this child for more than a year, however therapy has been disrupted due to lockdown. Being able to engage with a child and connecting with them isn't always easy. When a child perceives that they are going to have difficulty with a task; their instinct may be to run away or withdraw. They may want to do the task but are not happy to accept help. They may become fixated with a particular idea, toy or activity; refusing to move onto something else. What engages one child to participate may not engage another child. Some children that we see for occupational therapy struggle with play. They may be developmentally delayed and unsure of what to do with toys. They may have difficulty with interacting with other children or adults. OTs use play with these children too, however it may look a little different to the examples listed in this blog post. There may be simpler play sequences or just one idea. There may be more imitation and copying. There may be more repetition. Would you like to find out more about play? Try these...
The power and value of play can not be underestimated or undervalued. Learning through play IS important. Whether you are a parent, educator or occupational therapist... we (I) can be reminded about the value of play, a child's occupation.   Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia. She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete). Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team. They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK. The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot YKOT shop: https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/ COMING THIS WEEKEND!! BLACK FRIDAY CYBER MONDAY SALE!   Cardboard is a great OT resource! We know the value for children in using cardboard boxes in play. Using their imaginations and letting loose with the creativity. Towers, kitchens, cars, roads, cubby houses... so many ways to use cardboard. When my children were younger, they would spend hours (days and months) creating and playing with cardboard. Here are three ways that I've used carboard recently....in preparation to a return to face-to-face services in the not too distant future! 1. Posting Boxes I found some colourful images online. Printed and then glued them to some cardboard boxes. I've covered the boxes with contact paper and the inserted small holes. The boxes I created were sized for matchsticks and pom poms. Make these boxes to encourage fine motor skills. Made with some pictures stuck onto caroard boxes, covered with contact paper and small holes inserted. Use match sticks, craft sticks, beads, erasers, etc to post. Just adjust the size of your holes. A small screwdriver was an easy way to make small holes and scissors were used to cut larger holes. The contact paper gives a few more options with writing on top with a whiteboard marker. Practice number and letter recognition, learn to spell your name, incorpoarte simple maths, practice shapes and colour matching. This is a fun activity for toddlers or preschoolers. Watch the video on you-tube: https://youtu.be/TTYivdyNbAs 2. Toilet Paper Roll Pre- Writing Roads. Made from toilet-paper rolls, coloured paper, a sharpie and contact paper. This is a fun resource made for preschoolers to help work on visual motor control and pencil control skills. This activity will also encourage bilateral coordination as your child will need both hands to hold and manipulate with their "helper hand" whilst drawing with their "worker hand". Contact paper means that this resource can be used and then wiped clean and then used again for drawing the roads. You could make this easier by drawing larger roads. This concept (contact paper on toilet paper rolls) could be used with other ideas such as drawing faces, drawing lines, finding letters, I spy pictures to circle, etc. How could you use this concept with your child? Watch the video on You-tube: https://youtu.be/606zRm-_Fsc 3. Raised Edge Colouring Pictures This time I've used some cardboard, a sharpie and hot glue to prepare these coluuring pictures. Draw a simple picture on the cardboard then go over the sharpie lines with hot glue (pva glue will work too). The glue provides a physical tactile prompt (sensory feedback) to guide a child to colour within the lines. The novelty of the activity will be engaging for some children. This activity will be particulary helpful for those children who have difficulty with visual motor control and visual attention to 2D lines and shapes. It gives them something physical (the glue) and matches it with the lines (2D - flat) so that they can begin visual awareness. This activity will also be good for children who may be beginning to colour in the lines but become frustrated with themselves when they can't control their hands and the pencil (or marker).  We are so excited for an end to lockdown restrictrictions here in Sydney, although navigating a return to face-to-face therapy is not as simple as our families might assume. It was a welcome break from reading policies and writing updated risk assessments and Covid-19 plans to make these cardboard creations. These are all simple ideas that can make learning engaging and fun! So before your delivery boxes and toilet paper rolls get placed into the recycling box, why don't you give them another use. Which one will you try?  PS. To everyone who bought The Ultimate Therapy Bundle, don't forget to email me (cindy@yourkidsot.com) with your receipt to claim your FREE regulation posters.  Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia. She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete). Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog
Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team. They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK. The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot YKOT shop: https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/  When your hands start getting cold, tingly, sore and stiff... I've been wondering why my hands have been so uncomfortable lately and have had some medical tests. Fortunately, it looks like it has been an ergnomic issue with extra time on the laptop during our lockdown period and the occasional pulling of my 40 kg puppy! (yikes) So a few changes including reverting to my old keyboard and mouse. More dog training too! As an OT, I couldn't help but to also dig out my putty. Manipulating putty is such a great way to build fine motor skills ... finger and thumb strength, individual finger movements, palmar arches, separation of the two sides of the hand and wrist extension! There are so many things that you can do with putty (or playdough if you don't have putty). You can also try different densities of putty. Putty can help relax and strengthen the small muscles of the hand. It can be a good way to relieve stress and provide sensory input too. Try these putty hand exercise ideas! You can also add small items like coins, marbles, buttons or beads. This is especially great for kids as they love finding "treasure". You-tube link ---> https://youtu.be/sQQglZkgf7I Find a playlist of Fine Motor Activities on the YKOT you-tube channel --> www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/playlists?view=1 You may also like:
I have lots of exciting things to share with newsletter subscribers in the coming weeks, so until then...   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/  Stay Grounded with your senses! Week 13 of lockdown in Sydney with a long journey still ahead. Parents and children shout hooray for the school holidays. An easing of some restrictions has been a "yay" but we aren't back to "normal" yet... There is a sigh of relief and yet the stress is still high. We know the value of parents/adults being regulated so that our children can also feel secure amidst the chaos. That river of calm can be hard to navigate. Being grounded in your senses is a well-known grounding technique to help you to be in the moment. To be grounded is ...To be mindful of where you are right now. To be in control of your emotions and thoughts. To accept where you are. To find something "solid" to connect with during difficult times. That connection helps relax the body and in turn relaxes the mind. It helps to de-escalate anxiety and stress. Being mindful or taking in the physical signs of the present can be done with a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Name 5 things you can see. Name 4 things you can touch. Name 3 things you can hear. Name 2 things you can smell. Name 1 thing that you can taste. You can do this for yourself. You can do this with your children. Try it when you are all calm. Practice in difference situations. Practice in different places. Occupational therapists, you could do this via Telehealth sessions and then incorporate breathing techniques, sensory solutions, movement, play or writing. You could also try to use this as a way to create a sensory diet of activities too. Have a look at some resources - Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book and Activities for Me! Here is an example of how you could turn this into a sensory diet list. Work on choosing activities together. I wouldn't consider this a complete sensory diet but you could use this as a way to help children to become aware of their senses. You could refer back to the list if your child has trouble communicating about their senses. This could be used as a quick list to refer to when your child needs help to calm down.  What would you put on this list for your own calm down strategies? What other ways help you to feel connected and grounded? Share these with your children. Help them to hear how you manage stress and difficult times. (You don't need to go into detail about what is causing your stress or anxiety...but rather how you are dealing with it or addressing it). This is one of the best ways to help your children understand regulation. The Black Dog Institute has a vast array of resources and articles about mental health for your and your children, especially in light of COVID-19. Reach out if you need help. I hope you and your children try out "stay grounded with your senses" this week! Take care of yourself. Until next time,   Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia. She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete). Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog
Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team. They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK. The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot YKOT shop: https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/  It’s been 5 years since sharing this printable "Quick Ways to Calm Down" and it has been the most popular "pinned" image from the Your Kids OT website with over 66 000 "pins". Amazing! It has always been a FREE printable available to subscribers and now updated to include this instructional video. Quick ways to calm down offers four sea themed sensory solutions as tools that can be used for regulation. Watch me demonstrate these ideas on the NEW video below or using the link here ---> https://youtu.be/fkJvyQw0Gs0 Read more about the principles behind "Puffer Fish Puff, Clam Cuddle, Turtle Tongue and Starfish Stretch" and get your copy of the FREE PRINTABLE --> HERE. Share this video and link to the FREE PRINTABLE so that your friends, family and/or colleagues can try them out too!   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/ OT buddies social skills resource and printable games pack for virtual occupational therapy!2/9/2021  We are in the 10th week of Sydney lockdown and virtual therapy continues for the foreseeable future too. I am the type of person who likes to make lemonade from lemons... and thought about the opportunity to bring together two of my lovely OT children in a social skills "group" online. I've been working with these two young boys on friendship skills, social thinking and regulation. We have been doing this in a 1:1 context but have not had the opportunity to put these skills into practice in a functional real context. Both of these children were the same age and their parents were happy to try it out. What a wonderful virtual opportunity! The resources that I create at Your Kids OT are designed primarily for my own use first so when you see lots of new releases, I'm responding to my own need! (or I'm fine tuning ones that I have started a long time ago) This new "OT buddies" social skills resource was created to facilitate the social skills group with my two buddies. The resource is provided in a Powerpoint presentation format, PDF version and a printable games pack PDF. These resoures may be used online via a "Screen share". This resource may also be purchased at the YKOT Teachers Pay Teachers Store ($US). About me...about you. OT buddies begins by encouraging children to introduce themselves, socially wonder about others by asking questions and sharing their own answers. There are questions to prompt children as well as a game of "would you choose?" to get to know each other. Children are also encouraged to learn about active listening and to ask further questions. These skills may be divided up into different therapy sessions. Games There are fifteen games included with information about preparation and rules to play. These games include Snakes and Ladders, Truth or Lie, Battleship, I spy, Tic Tac Toe, Follow the Leader, Roll a Snake, Musical Statues, Guess the Sound, Emotions Bingo, Move it!, Guess Who?, Lego Challenge, Scavenger Hunt and Show and Tell. Some games are non-competitive and also require no-preparation. Some games require minimal preparation by both the facilitator and the children. Printable game pages are provided for eight of the games. These games have been chosen to have simple rules and may appeal to a range of children. Further social skills can be explored with questions asking children to consider:
Good-bye! The OT buddies resource finishes with "choose a way to say goodbye" including a wave, a fist pump, a smile, a high five or thumbs up.  The group has been going really well for both participants. They are learning about themselves and about the other child. It has been an opportunity for them to apply some of the skills that they have been learning individually... such as understanding someone else's perspective, working out how others are thinking and feeling, empathy, applying hidden rules for playing games and using some of their calming techniques. It has also been fun with some laughs along the way!
OT Buddies resource available now! Have you discovered some hidden benefits to virtual telehealth sessions?   Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia. She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete). Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog
Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team. They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK. The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yourkidsot YKOT shop: https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/ |
AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. 
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Disclaimer: The information on this site is general in nature and should be used for educational and entertainment purposes. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. This blog does not replace formal therapeutic professional advice given by a health professional or medical practitioner. Reviews and endorsements of products will only be made based on my expertise and personal opinion; and deemed worthy of such endorsement. The opinions shared in sponsored content will always be my own and not that of the advertising company or brand. Content, advertising space or posts will be clearly identified if paid, affiliated or sponsored. Affiliate links may be found throughout this website in advertising. This means that if you follow through with a purchase from these links, Your Kids OT will receive a percentage of the sale. Your Kids OT undertakes to meet the requirements of the "Social Media Policy" as published by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Further information about this policy can be found here.
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. 
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