YKOT First Birthday and Top 10 blog posts in 2014!

Happy Birthday to me (well to Your Kids OT)!!! 2014 saw my idea for a blog come into fruition!  I have been excited with all the articles I have been able to bring you over the year.  Friends have asked with concern what will happen when I run out of article ideas, but that hasn't happened yet! I have lots planned for 2015.

I have been surprised at how many "friends" I have made through blogging and hope to get know you, my readers in the year ahead. I would love hear from you through the comments or FB.  Tell me what you think or if you try out any ideas I have suggested.  Let me know if there are specific topics you would like covered.

I have been overwhelmed with the number of new FB likers to YKOT in the last week.  Thank you for your support.  I hope new and old followers of YKOT find it interesting to look back at the posts that have been most read in 2014. 

Here are the most popular posts for 2014.

1. Dough Wars! Cloud Dough vs Kinetic Sand!
This was by far the most popular post for 2014.  Both cloud dough and kinetic sand are fantastic sensory mediums for your kids to explore, experiment and have fun!  Having a comparison between the two mediums was very popular and reminds me that it may be time for more dough wars!

2. A sensory diet...nothing to do with food!
We don't all have access to great "sensory rooms" and expensive therapy equipment. This was a simple guide to activities you can do with your child at home or at school to help address sensory processing and modulation issues. 

3. Terrific Tummy Time Positions!
This is one of the most memorable posts for me ...I really enjoyed the opportunity to "link up" with some fabulous therapy bloggers about "tummy time". There are a lot of opinions out there about what you should or shouldn't do with "tummy time". I think the concept is misunderstood too when I hear comments such as..."my child hated tummy time but we did do chest on chest time". 

I especially loved collecting photos from my readers of their little ones doing "tummy time".  Can you recall all the gushing over the gorgeous babies?

4. Pencil Grasp Reference Sheet
This was my first and most popular reference sheet that I created.  It has proved very popular onPinterest (pinned almost 1000 times) and purchased in my store (no where near 1000 times). Thanks for making the purchase rather than just taking a screenshot! I appreciate your support with my resources.

5. Sensory Diet Activity Reference Sheet
This was the second reference sheet that I produced and was also very popular on Pinterest and the store.

6. Should I get a pencil grip?
There is still a lot of confusion about the use of pencil grips.  They are often seen as a quick fix but my opinion is that it is definitely not the case of "one size fits all".  Pencil grips should always be prescribed as a part of program to address pencil grasp.

7. App Review: Sensory Treat
This app is so useful for parents assisting  them to incorporate a sensory diet of activities into a child's (and family's) daily routine. 

8. Using a weighted vest or blanket...introducing Sensory Calm
Articles about sensory processing were very popular in 2014!  This article reviewed a weighted vest and blanket and was sponsored by Sensory Calm.

9. Freebie Friday #5 Printable Games
It surprised me to find this post making the top ten list.  There were 9 great {FREE} printable games to be found in this article.  I did a series of "Freebie Fridays" including pre-writing, cutting, drawing and visual-motor printables.  Everyone does love a freebie!

10. Holding a pencil...does it really matter how?
I love that my very first posted article made the top 10! The "bread-and-butter" of my OT referrals are handwriting referrals so it was only appropriate to start there.  Often an inefficient pencil grasp is an indicator for other issues an OT may assess.

What a fantastic year! Thanks for all the comments, likes and shares of my articles and resources. 

Are you an OT? parent? teacher?  Which article did you find helpful or enjoyed in 2014? 

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