Soar Children’s Therapy

Happy Spring! It's Spring Week here on The OT Toolbox. I've run a seasonal week in the past and it's always a blast. Here's what you can expect each day this week:

A daily Spring-themed free resource
Hands-on activity ideas based on that therapy area (think: fine motor, gross motor, handwriting, sensory, etc.)
Exclusive discount and BONUS on the new Spring Fine Motor Kit
A list of do-able activities to support skill development.
Let's do this. Today is all about Spring-themed fine motor activities.

1. Today's Free Download: Click to get a Spring Writing Prompt Cootie Catcher (3 versions) to color, cut, write, and work on handwriting. https://www.theottoolbox.com/spring-writing-prompt-cootie-catcher/

2. Spring Fine Motor Activities: Head here for tons of Spring fine motor activities, crafts, and hands-on activities. https://www.theottoolbox.com/spring-fine-motor-activities/

3. Exclusive Deal & Bonus: The Spring Fine Motor Kit is here and it is a doozy! https://www.theottoolbox.com/product/spring-fine-motor-kit-deal/

You need no-brainer, easy, low-prep activities...and kids need to move and build those fine motor skills. Cue the Spring Fine Motor Kit! It's got 100 pages of fine motor worksheets, print-and-play activities, crafts, scissor skills activities, pencil control activities, clip and hole punch cards, and so much more.

PLUS, you'll get access to a Spring Break mini-Kit: Fine motor/Gross motor handouts, Handwriting prompts, Brain Breaks, and Spring Break Homework sheet.

>>These items are in the Member's Club for Level 2 members. Just log in, go to the Level 2 materials page and click to download.

4. Spring Ideas to Get You Started with Fine Motor Skill Development:

🌸Make a color rainbow- Draw a rainbow on a piece of white paper or cardstock. Cut pieces of yarn and tissue paper in each color. Glue each piece into the correct space.
🌸Fill a gallon-sized plastic storage bag with clear hair gel or shampoo. Add various colored beads. Seal and tape the bag shut. On the outside of the bag, draw a flower shape with permanent marker. Use fingers to move the colored beads into sections of the flower. Ensure finger isolation and separation of the sides of the hand.
🌸Make pipe cleaner flowers: Thread beads and cut straw pieces onto pipe cleaners. Bend them into flower shapes or a Spring bracelet.
🌸Cut fresh or fake flowers into small pieces. Fill a large bin with water and add the flower pieces. Use tongs to pick of the flowers and transfer them to another container.
🌸Cut butterfly shapes from cardstock. Use craft pom poms, sequins, buttons, and crumbled tissue paper to create a colorful butterfly by gluing each item on. Use squeeze glue to work on hand strength.
🌸Make flowers using colorful cupcake liners. Cut into the middle, but not the whole way through the liner. Add a center by gluing a circle or craft pom pom. Cut a stem and leaves from green construction paper. Glue all of the pieces to a piece of paper.
🌸Make a play dough table- Mix homemade or store bought playdough. Add Spring cookie cutters, cut up straw pieces, pipe cleaners, craft sticks, foam shapes, beads, and sequins. Build and construct flowers.
🌸Open plastic Easter eggs into a foam or Styrofoam egg container. Use tongs to place small items such as craft pom poms into the open eggs. Match by color or number.

I hope this helps to get you started with fine motor skill development!

See you tomorrow for another Spring Freebie, tips, and activity ideas. We'll be covering gross motor activities.

Colleen

P.S. Here is the link to the Spring Fine Motor Kit​ and Bonus Materials! https://www.theottoolbox.com/product/spring-fine-motor-kit-deal/

Need some ideas to keep your little busy this spring break ?

Yesterday we talked gross motor skills and I touched on the sensory aspect of motor activities. Today, we're talking more about sensory processing and the impact integration of sensory input has on attention, focus, learning, and function.

Today's Free Download: Click to download a printable set of sensory stations to make a Spring-themed sensory path in your school, classroom, home, clinic, or hallway of choice. https://www.theottoolbox.com/sensory-stations-free-spring-printables/

Spring Sensory Activities: Head here for Spring-themed sensory activities to impact gravitational insecurity, tactile defensiveness, somatodyspraxia, discrimination issues, and Spring vestibular/proprioceptive activities.​ https://www.theottoolbox.com/spring-sensory-activities/

Exclusive Deal & Bonus: Don't forget, Spring OT Activities in the Spring Fine Motor Kit & Spring OT Activities sets offers tons of sensory strategies and activities, all with a Spring theme. It's included when you purchase the Fine Motor Kit, and you'll have all aspects of motor skills covered. https://www.theottoolbox.com/product/spring-fine-motor-kit-deal/

The printable Spring Fine Motor Kit includes tools to build:
✏️Pencil Control
🖍️Coloring
🤏Functional Pencil Grasp
✂️Scissor Skills
🖇️Manipulating Small Objects
📰Glue Bottle Skills
🪄Tool Use: hole punch, stapler, push pins, toothpicks, stapler, string, etc.

Grab the Spring Fine Motor Kit and OT Activities BONUS here and build skills in precision, dexterity, pencil control, manipulation skills, and so much more.

Spring Sensory Ideas:
🥚Hide plastic eggs and have a scavenger hunt to find them. Bonus: add slips of paper with spring brain breaks inside each egg. Kids can do the sensory motor task when they find the egg. Use the slips in our bonus materials!
🐇Do the bunny hop to add proprioception and vestibular input.
🌼Make a Spring obstacle course with balance beams using jump ropes and sand buckets.
🌸Make flowers from coffee filters. Tape them to the wall. Use them for a place to press for wall push-ups.
🐛Roll up in a blanket like a caterpillar. Roll and inch on the floor for heavy work.
🌧️Spring deep breathing- Take deep breaths and imagine blowing away the clouds.
🌱Create a Spring sensory bin with colored rice, cotton balls, and scoops or a spoon. Add in fake grass and other items like plastic eggs.

I hope this 'springs' your mind with sensory ideas for this time of year!

See you tomorrow for another Spring freebie & activity ideas for all things VISION!

OT and mental health.

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SHOWER CURTAIN PAINTING - awesome idea for summer fun! ☀️ https://happytoddlerplaytime.com/shower-curtain-painting-summer-activity/

Did you know pencil control is a huge part of handwriting legibility?

Pencil control refers to the handwriting skill needed to hold and manipulate a pencil during handwriting tasks. Controlled pencil movements requires the ability to hold a pencil with a functional grasp during handwriting. This includes underlying components such as sensory processing, visual motor and fine motor aspects in order to:

✏️Manipulate the writing utensil within the hand
✏️Efficiently and effectively stopping and starting on lines
✏️Form letters including pencil turns in direction
✏️Managing minute pencil strokes within a given writing space
✏️Writing at functional speeds
✏️Moving the pencil within the hand to adjust or rotate the pencil
✏️Moving the pencil within the hand to erase and then write again
✏️Shifting the pencil up and down within the pencil grasp
✏️Writing at an appropriate pencil pressure

All of these motor skills require control of the writing utensil, with input from the proprioceptive sensory system.

But there's more to it...Each area above requires precision, dexterity, modulation of force, in-hand manipulation skills, and refined motor planning. fine motor skills.

Read about these areas and specific motor exercises to support pencil control:
https://www.theottoolbox.com/pencil-control/

Soar will be closed this Thursday and Friday. Happy Thanksgiving to all our families.

OT help your child develop sensory processing and self regulating skills so they can perform daily tasks.

For sensory tips and for those with PTSD.

Sensory-Safe Holiday: Tips For Celebrating 4th Of July 4th of July can be a difficult holiday for those who have sensory issues or PTSD.

Happy Mother’s Day to all our beautiful moms who share their beautiful children with us 💐

Soar is one years old . We want to thank all of our families who have joined our practice, thank you for trusting your precious child/ren to our care. We look forward to growing and serving those who come to us for OT PT and Speech Therapy.
Happy birthday to us 🎂