OT Learning at Home:
Welcome Students and Families!
Sensory
Break Activities
Soccer
Ball
Fitness
Dice
Animal
Walks
Yoga
Pretzels, Unicorn Yoga, Pirate Yoga
(Pictures
with steps provided)
Simon
Says
Fitness
Challenge
Movement
Bingo
(bingo cards and caller card
provided)
MOVEMENT BINGO
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15 Seconds
Running in Place
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10 Star
Jumps
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10 Squats
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10 Seconds Standing on One Foot and Switch
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15 Ski
Jumps
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10 Cross
Crawls
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Free Space
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5 Deep Breaths
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15 Seconds Marching in Place
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10 Second Plank or 10 Push-Ups
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7 Jump
Tucks
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10 Toe
Touches
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OT Based Resources and Activity Ideas for Families
Fine Motor Coordination
Activities:
· String beads
· Pop beads
· Pulling caps off markers and pens and
replacing them
· Stretching rubber bands
· Using squeeze and spray bottles
· Ripping paper
· Use various size tweezers to pick up
small items
· Buttoning
· Twisting twist ties or pipe cleaner
· Playing with small blocks or Lego’s
· Placing coins through a slot
· Open close zip lock bags
· Play with play dough, (find hidden
toys inside)
· The game: Operation
Grasp
Activities:
·
Have
child write on a vertical surface. This enhances wrist extension and proper
positioning.
·
Have
child hold a pom-pom or cotton ball with ring and pinky finger while using a
pincer
grasp (using the pointer and thumb to
pick up small objects) or while performing pre-writing strokes.
·
Use
broken chalk or crayons. This naturally supports the use of a mature tripod
grasp.
Ability to Cross Midline
Activities:
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·
Place supplies
and writing tools in such a way that the child has to reach across the body
to obtain items.
·
Create a
crawling obstacle course that requires students to climb over, under, and
through while on their hands and knees.
·
Scooter board
activities. Making sure that the child uses both arms in an alternating
pattern.
·
Toe touches,
reaching across to touch the opposite foot.
·
Practice tying
shoes and working with other clothing fasteners.
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·
Play flashlight
tag. Have children lay down on the floor and dim lights. Have children follow
your flashlight beam with theirs.
·
Play partner
clapping games (i.e. Miss Mary Mac, See See My Playmate).
·
Play Simon Says
to support crossing midline (i.e. put your right hand on your left hip).
·
Draw a large
path on the white board/paper and have student trace the path with a toy car
or finger. Then have them erase the
board using big movements.
·
Dot-to-dot
worksheets.
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Bilateral Coordination
Activities:
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·
Finger painting
at desks or on an easel.
·
Throwing and
catching a big bouncy ball or beach ball. This requires the use of both hands
for each action.
·
Ripping paper (newspaper,
construction paper,etc.)
·
String beads or
macaroni/pasta.
·
Practicing
buttons, zippers, snaps, lacing cards, and tying.
·
Have one child
Blow bubbles and having peers pop bubbles using two hands.
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·
Staple or punch
holes in paper.
·
Wring out a
sponge and wipe off a table.
·
Sharpen pencils
or staple papers.
·
Open and close
jar lids.
·
Seal and unseal
Ziploc bags.
·
Push together
or pull apart pop beads.
·
Cutting with
scissors.
·
Gluing objects
onto paper for craft activities.
·
Drawing with
both hands at the same time. Can also use a magna doodle.
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Body Stability
Activities:
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·
Completing
activities while on hands and knees (puzzles, blocks).
·
Animal walking
(crab, bear, etc.)
·
Encourage
children to try different positions during play, work, or group time (lying
on stomach while resting on elbows or side lying).
·
Complete
pre-writing shapes while on their tummy.
·
Chair and/or
wall push-ups.
·
Hang up artwork
on wall with clothespins
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·
Completing
activities on a vertical surface (writing on the dry erase board, painting on
an easel).
·
Play games such
as Twister.
·
Yoga positions.
·
Cleaning the
white board, chalkboard or windows.
·
Have children
hit a balloon or beach ball back and forth without letting it drop to the
ground.
·
Pushing or
moving classroom furniture or equipment.
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Arm and Hand Strength
Activities:
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·
Use large
tweezers to pick up small marshmallows, cotton balls or pom poms.
·
Squeeze a
stress ball, play dough or putty.
·
Use eye
droppers to pick up colored water and make designs on coffee filters.
·
Use a spray
bottle to water plants or to “melt monsters” drawn on the white board or
chalk board. Fill the spray bottles with food coloring and make designs in
the snow.
·
Play on the
playground (monkey bars and climbing walls).
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·
Crumple
newspaper in one hand and shoot baskets into the garbage.
·
Use pop-beads or pull tubes for warm up
activities.
·
Squeeze different
sized clothespins and place on edge of a container.
·
Use a single
hole punch to make confetti.
·
Play games that
incorporate tug-of-war, wheelbarrow walking, or animal walking games to
strengthen the arches of the hand.
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In-Hand Manipulation
Activities:
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·
Cut play dough
with child scissors or plastic knife, then role play dough into tiny balls.
(see directions for how to make your own play dough attached)
·
Flatten play
dough/putty and cut.
·
Practice
manipulating buttons or snaps on shirt.
·
Open and close
Ziploc bags.
·
Lacing
activities (use lacing boards, beads or pasta) or lace shoes.
·
Have children open/close
various size jars and lids, particularly lids that can be twisted off.
·
Moving coins
from palm to finger tips and place them in a slot container like a piggy bank.
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·
Lay out coins or
buttons on the table and have a contest to see who can flip the coins over
the fastest (without moving coins to the edge of the table).
·
Use large
tweezers to pick up fruit snacks or small marshmallows.
·
Play “Bed Bugs”
game or “Operation.”
·
String beads,
noodles, buttons, and cheerios.
·
Play Connect
Four-have child pick up three pieces at a time and hold them in his or her
hand.
·
Dice games.
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Scissor Skills
Activities:
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·
Hand
strengthening activities such as squirt guns, playdough, putty, and squeeze toys.
·
Bilateral
activities such as sewing cards, tearing paper or stringing beads.
·
Roll play dough
into a long tube and have child cut tube into small pieces.
·
Have child cut
out paper snips and use paper snips to create an art project.
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·
Graduate
thickness of paper. Start with cardstock, progress to construction paper,
then paper bags and then traditional paper.
·
Cut using
various media once the child can stabilize the paper efficiently: aluminum
foil, wax paper, straws, yarn, sandpaper or fabric.
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Visual Perception and Integration
Activities:
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·
Have child
color, cut out and put back together handmade puzzles.
·
Cut the front
of a cereal box to make a puzzle.
·
Make letters
and numbers out of pipe cleaners, wiki sticks, or play dough.
·
Put plastic
letters and/or numbers in a plastic bag. Have child reach inside bag and
grasp letter. Have child identify the letter before pulling it out to verify
if they are correct.
·
Make flashcards
with letters and numbers that are incorrect (backwards, upside down, missing
parts, etc). Have child identify and rewrite number or letter correctly.
·
Write letters
or draw shapes in the air. You can also turn off lights and use a flashlight
to draw shapes or letters.
·
Trace, imitate or
copy pre-writing strokes from near and far point distances: horizontal line,
vertical line, circle, cross, diagonal lines, square, X and triangle.
·
String various
sized beads.
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·
Mazes or trail
tracing activities.
·
Dot to dot
activities.
·
Play Jacks or
Pick Up Sticks.
·
Hammering with
plastic hammer and nails.
·
Lacing board
activities.
·
Throw bean bags
or tennis balls at a target, hoop or basket.
·
Paint shapes or
letters with a paint brush and paint.
·
Have student
sort objects according to shape and size.
·
Practice
imitating block designs.
·
Board games
such as Candyland and Chutes and Ladders.
·
Play games that
have to do with directionality and positioning. (Simon says “Stand behind
your chair.” “Sit on top of your desk.”
·
Draw
pre-writing shapes and letters on tabletop, using shaving cream, pudding or
in a tub of sand.
·
Catch and throw
different size balls from various distances.
·
Color inside
large, progressing to small shapes, staying inside the lines.
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Handwriting
Activities:
· Draw an individual box for each
letter corresponding to the height and width of the letter.
· Have students evaluate their own
work, circle where they go outside the lines or poor spacing.
· Highlight lines on the paper or use
stripped paper(blue/white) for a visual prompt to stay within
· Use index finger on non-dominant hand
or popsicle stick/straw as a continual visual spacer
· Use M&M’s or skittles as spacers
between words
· Place a dot between each letter
· Use graph paper and allow 1 letter
per box (or notebook paper sideways)
· Have student skip a line in their
writing
· Dots for beginning and end points for
each letter
· Practice small versus tall letters
v Handwriting
without tears in currently offering a service to help support distance
learning. Parents can create a free account and have access to all handwriting
without tears teachers workbooks for letter formation and other handwriting
practice etc. https://www.lwtears.com/programs/distance-learning
v
See attached Letter Cards
Letter Formation and Reversals
Activities:
· Connect the dots in letter formation
· (decrease the number of dots
depending on the students level)
· Provide arrows to show where to start
and the direction of the line (to start from the top rather than the bottom.)
· Play games to teach left/right.
· Have students correct their own work,
have them draw arrows to show the correct direction a letter should go.
· Use slant or vertical boards in
writing
· Highlight in a magazine all b’s in
one color and d’s in another (or m/w’s, p/q’s, etc)
· Form letters with clay
· Have students’ form letters with
their own body
· Trace letters in multiple textures,
pudding, sand, on carpet
Outside Activity Ideas
· Paintbrush and water: Take a paintbrush and a bucket of water and
have your child “paint” the sidewalk or fence.
You can take the paintbrushes to a swimming pool too for more fun.
·
Add baking soda to empty water
table or container. Just for the fun of it, sprinkle glitter over everything.
Fill spray bottles with vinegar and food coloring and spray the baking soda.
When the kiddos use all their vinegar, fill up the containers with water and
give them scoops and spoons.
· Use an empty two-sided water table or two bins or containers would also
work well. Fill one side with cold water and one side with warm water. Then add
a bunch of marshmallows. Takes longer if you add marshmallows one by one. Use
different sizes and colors.
Learning Shoe-Tying:
Though many
kids' shoes now feature Velcro closures, learning to tie one’s own shoes is
still considered to be milestone that children should master by 5 or 6 years of
age. Here are several different methods for teaching this skill:
1. Bunny
Ears Probably the most common method for teaching kids to tie their own
shoes is the "Bunny Ears" method. Tell the child that he needs to
make his shoelaces into "bunny ears." First, he needs to secure a
knot for the bunny's head. Take the laces and cross them over to make an
"X". Then, pull one ear through the bottom of the "X" and
pull tight. Say, "Now we need to give bunny some ears." Loop the
laces into "bunny ears". Tell the child that now we need to
"make the bunny ears tight so they don't fall off". Then make another
"X" using the "bunny ears", slide one "ear" under
the "X" and pull tightly.
2. Bi-colored
laces This is a great tip that can really make learning to tie much easier.
Take two laces in two different colors and cut them down the middle. Then sew
them together to make two bi-colored laces. Lace a pair of old shoes with these
funny shoe-strings. Using bi-colored laces can really help a kid who has
trouble remembering his right from his left. You can use any learning-to-tie
method in combination with your bicolored laces.
3. Cardboard
cut-out shoe Take a cardboard box and cut out an over-sized shoe shape.
Have your kid decorate the shoe in any way he wishes. Using a pen, poke holes
for laces. Use the bi-colored lace tip above, but instead of cutting the
original laces in two, use two entire laces sewn together to create one long,
bi-colored shoestring. Lace the shoe and use any teaching method, using this
cut-out. Some kids find it easier and more interesting to practice on an
over-sized model.
4. The Squirrel and the Tree This is a
fun method that utilizes a kid friendly story and movements that help kids
understand and remember the basic steps to shoe tying. Tell the child to create
"tree roots" by making a starter knot. Make a tree with a long thin
loop; hold the loop in the child's right hand. With his left hand, take hold of
the lace and tell him that a squirrel runs around the tree and jumps into the
hole under the tree and comes out the other side (he'll need to switch hands at
this point which can be difficult for some kids). Many parents prefer this
trick because it teaches the kid to tie shoes with the single loop method.
5. Loop
It and Swoop It This is a less childish, but still memorable way of
teaching a child to tie in the traditional single loop method. Teach your child
to tie his shoes using the standard tying method, but as you go through the
motions say, "loop it, swoop it, pull." Do this over and over while
repeating the same
How to Make Homemade Playdough
Below is a list of play-dough recipes
that you can make at home with your child.
Be sure to include them in the process of making the dough, like
measuring the ingredients and mixing.
Find a rolling pin and cookie cutters to encourage touch input to
muscles of the hand and touching of different textures.
Rubbery
Playdough
2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup cornstarch
Mix with a fork until smooth. Boil over
medium heat until thick. Spoon onto plate or wax paper.
Nature's
Playdough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
beet, spinach, and carrot juice
Mix flour, salt and oil, and slowly add
the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough becomes stiff. Turn out
onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the playdough with your hands until of
proper consistency. Use as is, or divide into balls and add a few drops of the
vegetable juices to make green, pink, and orange.
Playdough
4 cups flour
1/4 cup powdered tempera
1/4 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon oil
Mix together flour, powdered paint and
salt. Mix water and oil, and food coloring if desired. Gradually stir the water
and oil mix into the flour mix. Knead the playdough as you add the liquid. Add
more water if too stiff, more flour if sticky.
Kool-Aid
Playdough
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
2 cups boiling water with 1 package Kool-aid (any flavor)
3 tablespoons corn oil
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon alum
Mix ingredients and knead with flour (may
take up to 1 extra cup). Use more if the dough draws moisture in high humidity.
Keeps well, has a nice fragrance and is very colorful and very flexible.
Oatmeal
Playdough
1 cup flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup water
Gradually add water to flour and oatmeal
in bowl. Knead until mixed (this playdough is sticky, but unique in texture.)
Model as with clay.
Tip: Add cornmeal or coffee grounds in
small quantity for texture.
Alum
Playdough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons alum
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
liquid food coloring
Pour dry ingredients into large pan. Stir
together to mix. Stir oil and food coloring into the water. Pour liquid into
the dry ingredients while mixing, squeezing and kneading the playdough. If too
sticky, add more flour. Keeps best in the fridge.
Just Like
the Real Playdough (so they say)
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon powdered alum
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons vanilla
food coloring
Mix all dry ingredients. Add oil and
water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until reaching the
consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and food
coloring. Divide into balls and work in color by kneading the playdough.
Nutty
Butter Playdough
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup honey
1 cup oatmeal
Mix together and play.
Homework
ideas for Coloring and Writing
Coloring is a
great way to work on so many important skills:
- strengthens a tripod grasp (when
crayon is held correctly).
- child works on important motor
coordination skills when having to color in the lines.
- works on wrist and finger movers
when coloring small items instead of using whole arm movements (an
important skill for handwriting).
- improves hand endurance/tolerance
to paper pencil activities (so your child doesn’t feel tired with writing
assignments).
Tips:
·
Break crayon: by breaking
crayons and making them very small it almost forces your child to pinch it
correctly (make sure the webspace is open).
·
Wiki: wrap a wiki stick at the
base of a crayon and ask your child to hold by pinching on the wiki when
coloring and tuck all other fingers in the palm.
·
Gripper: Grippers
work on pencil crayons because it’s easy to put on and off but not on crayons
as these can easily break (except for Twisties).
Favorite coloring tools:
CRAYOLA
Twisties: They are soft and easy to color with.
CRAYOLA Pip
squeaks: when teaching to color you want to think SHORT and FAT…markers
that are short allow for better control and fat ones provide a larger surface
area for correct finger placement.
Using Plastic Sleeves
Using
plastic sleeves is a way to avoid making so many photocopies (while saving
trees) and kids love to write with dry erase markers. They are more willing to
complete worksheets this way!
Tips:
· With Worksheets: Place worksheets in
the plastic sleeve, have your child complete with a dry erase marker and reuse!
· Motor
Coordination: Draw a fun curvy road with a light maker (make lines thick) and
ask your child to trace by staying in the lines the whole time and not getting
out of the road. This will work on motor coordination.
·
Sizing: Practice making letters smaller and smaller by drawing
different sized boxes on white paper, place in a sleeve and have your child
practice.
·
Copy Words or practice letters: Write a word or letter and make a
box under it for your child to copy.
·
Tracing: Write words or letters with a highlighter on white paper,
place it in a plastic sleeve and have your child trace letters with a dry erase
marker.
·
Tic Tac Toe: Fun reusable way to play Tic Tac Toe word games
·
Mazes: Great for mazes so children can erase easily and try again
if they make a mistake.
All ideas come from www.MissMancy.com