Little Links OT

Love this! There are so many more beneficials options instead of tracing.

As OTs, we know a lot about fine motor skills and handwriting development. So you may not be surprised to learn that tracing is not a natural developmental skill that must take place before writing letters independently. In fact, it can even be harmful to learning efficient letter formation. Tracing just isn’t the same action as making a fluid stroke to write a letter, and doing it without modeling can lead to some interesting formation patterns, to say the least.

Still, you’ll find tons of worksheets and other activities at the PreK and K level that encourage this task. While you can’t control a student’s whole school day, you can remove these activities from your sessions and encourage the teachers you work with to focus on other activities. Need ideas to practice literacy for early writers? Try modeling, highlighted letters, a structured handwriting curriculum, and consistent opportunities to practice. And for your older students with high support needs, it’s worth taking a look at what fine motor/written expression tasks actually match the student’s cognitive level, as well as digital tools, name stamps, and other accommodations.

By the way, not all tracing activities need to be thrown out. Tracing things like abstract shapes or lines and dot-to-dot pictures can be great ways to build pencil control without learning harmful handwriting habits that are hard to change.

Want to learn more about the effective interventions that will actually make a difference for your students? The Dynamic School OT Course opens for enrollment this Thursday 1/18. When you sign up, you'll learn a whole host of treatment strategies + the evidence behind them!

Do you know a leftie that’s learning to cut? It’s so important that you make sure they have access to leftie scissors to help develop their visual motor skills for cutting!

✂️If the blade is on the wrong side, it blocks the user’s field of vision to the line decreasing cutting accuracy.
✂️Gripping scissors with the opposite hand as they are intended for might also feel in comfortable, creating tension and unnecessary pressure.
✂️Scissors for the opposite hand can also put the wrist in an unnatural position decreasing function and adding more tension.

Check out some great scissor skill resources here!✂️✂️✂️ https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=1435223&cl=149475&c=ib&aff=398908

A great resource to create social stories specific to a child’s needs!

Looking to create a personalized social story for a student?

If so, you need to check out this article written by the Creator of Ella for the OT Schoolhouse.

In this article, Jaivin Anzalota shares a tool he created to help therapists create AI-generated Social Stories.

You can learn about this new technology to support you, your students, and the teachers you serve at https://www.otschoolhouse.com/single-post/ai-in-occupational-therapy-a-guide-to-creating-personalized-social-stories

Here are some of my favorite movement break ideas:
🎵yoga
🎵Simon says
🎵animal walks (frog jumps, crab walks, etc.)
🎵chair push-ups/wall push-ups
🎵deep breathing
🎵going for a walk
🎵helping handout paper
🎵school errands
🎵hand clapping games
🎵arm circles
🎵cross marches

Do you have any favorites to add to the list!

Proprioception is a calming sensory input!

ARE CHORES HELPING YOUR KIDS WITH PROPRIOCEPTION?

Here's a great chart that shows what chores your kids can do by age. Some are really great for building their proprioception for building their muscles, joints and body awareness.

https://www.sunshineandhurricanes.com/the-importance-of-chores-for-children-printable-chore-chart-included/

Do you know a child who has a meltdown every time it’s bedtime or they have to clean up their favorite toy?😫Or maybe, you know a child that cries and avoids walking whenever it is time go walk down the hall after a therapy session.😭 Here are some quick tips to help make transitions a little easier!

Do you have any tips to add? Comment below!⬇️

The key to a sensory friendly Halloween is doing what works for you and your child!✨🎃If standard Halloween traditions and activities are too much for your family it’s okay to switch it up. Create sensory friendly traditions like a Halloween game night instead of trick or treating. 👻Wear simple costumes like a familiar hoodie with animal ears. There is no “right” way to do Halloween. A child will end up with more favorable memories if they feel regulated and safe rather than overstimulated.🎃

Share your favorite Halloween traditions below!⬇️

Happy World OT Day!✂️🪥🛁🍴👩🏻‍🦽✏️🚽👞Celebrate by participating in one of your favorite occupations!

There are many things to consider when thinking about getting an oral chewy for a child. Get my full resource with oral motor strategies and other suggestions to help oral sensory seekers in my teachers pay teachers page: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ot-Links 👏👏👏

Different strategies work for different kids! Here’s a few of my favorites to try out to see which one works for your child.

✏️Strengthen little hands: One of the top reasons kids use an immature grasp is that their hands are not ready to write! Spend time doing more fine motor play including hand strengthening activities.
✏️Use small utensils: Broken crayons, golf pencils, and mini markers are best! As an adult, imagine using a giant pencil twice the size of your hand. It would feel heavy and difficulty to control, and you might even use your whole hand to hold it. Small utensils are best for small hands!
✏️Put a sticker on the pencil: Give kids a visual cue to remind them where to pinch them pencil by placing a sticker near the tip of the pencil.
✏️Hold a pom pom: Have kids
hold a pom pom or other small item using their pinky and ring fingers. This creates stability with their ulnar (pinky) side of the hand, allowing them to use their radial (thumb) side of the hand for mobility – aka to hold the pencil and control it with precision!

Which one of these do you plan to try first? Comment below!⬇️

Who loves sensory play??🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

Here are some of my favorite materials to use during sensory play and/or to fill sensory bins.
✋shaving cream
✋finger paint
✋bubbles
✋water beads
✋sand
✋shredded paper
✋rice
✋mud
✋slime
✋soap
✋glue

For kids who still put things in their mouths try a water play bin or edible sensory play such as:
✋Jello
✋Applesauce
✋Yogurt
Pretend to “feed” animal toys for even more fun and learning!

Am I missing any of your favorite sensory play materials? Comment below!👇

A really helpful breakdown to understand accommodations vs. modifications!

Do you find it hard to tell the difference between an accommodation and a modification? And why does it matter anyway?

One easy thing to remember is that modifications tend to be more serious than accommodations because they modify the educational standard that a student is expected to meet. This may not seem important, but it does have long-term implications, especially for older students who may be trying to earn a specific type of high school degree or need to pass certain classes without modifications to be admitted to college.

Accommodations, on the other hand, don't change the things the student has to learn - they just make it more accessible.

Still confused? Here are some examples:

Modifications: Modified assignments or tests, altered grading criteria, simplified reading materials, omittance of certain content standards.

Accommodations: Extended time for assignments, visual aids or cues, assistive technology, flexible seating arrangements.

School-based OTs can be involved in developing and implementing both of these types of supports, though accommodations are more common for us to be involved with.

Do you have any other questions about the difference between these?

Head over to my Teacher's Pay Teacher's pay to check out my resources on topics including pencil grasp, scissor skills, sensory processing and feeding! More to come soon!

Little Links OT Browse educational resources created by Little Links OT in the official Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Don’t overlook how important crossing the midline is!

Here are some great midline crossing activities:
-Removing stickers from one arm with the opposite arm
-Rainbow tracing figure 8
-Trace a large horizontal figure 8 on a large piece of paper or cardboard. Trace it with all the colors of the rainbow!
-Lacing beads while sitting “criss cross applesauce.” Hold the string/lace with one hand and reach for beads with the other hand that are placed on the opposite side of the body.
-Popping bubbles on one side of the body, using only the opposite hand
-Throwing, catching, and kicking a ball
-Play twister
-Help wash a large wall or a car sweeping across the body
-Yoga
-Encourage reciprocal play such as crawling through a tunnel, riding a bike, or marching while touching the knees with the opposite arm

Follow me for more OT tips, info and ideas!👆

Have you ever heard the phrase: Proximal stability before distal mobility? Having strength and stability proximally (or close to the center core of the body) provides support and stability for distal muscles (further from the center core of the body such as the arms and hands) to coordinate movements together. 💪🏻For example, a strong shoulder, upper body, and core, allows for adequate fine motor coordination when holding a pencil or scissors. ✏️✂️

Happy Back to School! Enjoy these 5 tips from an OT!🍎🚌📓

Visual perception is an important skill for basically everything we do! Reading, writing, math, staying organized, playing sports, looking at a map, and creating art are just a few!
👀🧠
Knowing which component of visual perception is insufficient is an important first step in working to improve these skills. Occupational therapists can help to identify this!

Follow me & check out my bio link for more occupational therapy tips, tricks, and ideas!👆

Do you run groups to help students with pencil grasp or fine motor skills? Then this might be for you! This FREE resource includes a 5-page group intervention plan plus a materials list, a 2-page caregiver/teacher handout, and 3 templates.

See the teachers pay teachers link in my bio.

Kindergarten Readiness refers to the developmental skills needed to transition into the Kindergarten classroom environment in order to adapt and participate appropriately.
✏️🎨🚌📓
There is no one list of skills that all Kindergarten teachers agree on that are necessary in order to start Kindergarten. Here is a list of some commonly agreed upon skills needed to transition to Kindergarten for each developmental domain.🚌

development

Get your FREE 2-page handout for therapists, caregivers, and parents on pencil grasp using this link! It has lots of great tips and suggestions to encourage proper pencil grasp 😀✏️
https://otlittlelinks.wixsite.com/pencilgrasp

So many opportunists to work on fine motor skills and pre writing skills here!

No paintbrush? No problem! Here are 25 other things you can use for painting instead.

Source: The Inspired Treehouse

What can you do about sensory over- or under-responsiveness?

For kids who are hyposensitive to sensory stimuli, or under-reactive, you can:
👉Increase the intensity of stimuli such as moving them faster on a swing or talking louder to them
👉Help them notice and distinguish between sensory stimuli, for example “Can you hear those birds chirping in the background?” or “Do you notice how your body feels in that position?”
👉Decrease distracting stimuli such as removing background pictures and information on a worksheet or removing background music when talking

For kids who are hypersensitive to sensory stimuli, or over-reactive, you can:
👉Decrease the intensity of the stimuli such as decreasing the volume of the tv or dimming the lights
👉Teach them how to take breaks when in an over-stimulating environment

Follow me for more OT info, tips and tricks!

What causes a meltdown? They can be so overwhelming! Here are some reasons a child might have a meltdown:

🧠Being tired or hungry
🧠Feeling overwhelmed
🧠Seeking attention, time, or love from an adult
🧠Feeling angry, frustrated, or anxious
🧠A lack of skills including emotional regulation, problem solving, impulse control, delaying gratification, communication, self-regulation

Save this post for later reference and follow me for more info, tips, and activity ideas!