OT on hand
OT on hand provides Occupational Therapy services to optimistic caregivers and teachers in a positive and supportive environment with an approachable voice.
Helping you to feel empowered and equipped with skills to get through the day with your child.
Playdough 🌈
My kids wanted to make their own playdough so we did 🥰 everyone got to go home with a tub of playdough for the holidays!
If you are concerned about your child, please contact an occupational therapist for support 🌸
Imagination poppers 🌈
A addition to my collection and been loving it 🥰
Pop-it’s have been a craze for a while now and always finding new ways to incorporate it into my sessions. This is a fun way for the kids to make their own while working on the fine motor skills and visual perceptual skills too!
🛒: Playing and Learning
If you are concerned about your child, please contact an occupational therapist for support 🌸
Catch you on the flip side 🫶🏽
Can you believe it⁉️
Yep! It’s almost time for Easter 🐣
So here is me, prepping for all my Easter activities that I have planned using my plastic eggs. Are you joining me??
Comment below to tell me your favourite Easter themed activities👇🏼
Check it out❗️
Vestibular input in the park 🤸🏻♂️
Our vestibular system orientates our bodies to movement. It is very important for maintaining our balance when navigating through our environment alongside our other senses.
So many opportunities for different types of vestibular input when in the park. The ones included in this video include;
🤸🏽♀️ Linear = forward and to the back which can be very calming for the nervous system
🤸🏻 Linear = up and down which wakes up the system
🤸🏽♀️ Rotary = body spinning round-and-round also wakes up the body
Disclaimer; this can be very disorientating for some children. Please monitor response to very fast and spinning actions with your child. For example, if your child says that they are starting to feel dizzy, it may be because their vestibular system has been overloaded.
Try these different pieces of equipment for yourselves and see how your body reacts!
If you are concerned about your child, please contact an occupational therapist for support 🌸
Who doesn’t love the park 🛝
Parks allow the opportunity for our children to grow and develop just through play 💖
🤸🏻♂️ children can develop gross motor skills through climbing, crawling, jumping, hanging and so much more
🤸🏽♀️ children can develop their social skills by waiting for their turn, sharing the equipment and playing with other children
🤸🏻♂️ there are so many sensory experiences in the park. Think about what you see, smell, hear, what your body experiences. Great way to develop those senses!
🤸🏽♀️ allows children to develop language and communication skills
🤸🏻 allows for development of self-regulation
🤸🏻♂️ it teaches children skills of confidence, learning to take risks (what is safe, what of not safe), problem solving and self-esteem
What is your favourite part of the park??
❗️SCHOOL-BASER OT MYTHS❗️
❌ School-based OTs focus on child writing neatly
✅ Yes we may work on letter formation and writing in between the lines. But the goal is to support the child in completing written tasks within a given timeframe to allow them to keep up with the workload. This starts with the development of the fine motor skills such as shoulder stability, grip, hand strength and overall endurance to sit at a table.
❌ School-based OTs only see children who struggle academically.
✅ Initially, children may be referred due to observed academic difficulties in the class. But many children who attend OT are of average intelligence and have difficulties with their bodies that impacts the academics such as attention difficulties, poor core stability and poor hand strength.
❌ OTs just play
✅ Okay, maybe we do. But our play is scientific and based on research. Let’s not forget, a child’s main occupation is to play!
Why school readiness?
Development of school readiness allows teachers to expand and further develop skills in the classroom. When a child is school ready, it ensures a smooth transition into the classroom environment.
So what skills are we referring to?
✔️ social interaction (playing with other children, sharing, taking turns)
✔️perceptual skills (basic concepts)
✔️organisational skills (following a routine)
✔️independence in self care (eating, dressing)
✔️coordination skills
✔️attention and concentration
✔️physical skills for endurance for the whole day)
✔️ fine motor skills (manipulation of objects)
Welcome back 💫
I love being an OT but like my kids, I love the holidays 🥳
Are you doing your happy dance too?
End of year report writing 👩🏻💻 someone send help!
Ending off the month of November with another bosu ball activity.
This is a great one for the core, facilitating trunk rotation and putting a ‘flip’ on the bosu ball 🤩 it also encourages midline crossing; moving from one side of our body to the other side while using both hands (bilateral integration).
This activity builds on all the underlying skills needed for sitting at a table to write when at school. Here are a few examples;
✏️ keeping an upright posture while sitting at the table
✏️ spontaneously being able to moving the body to accommodate demands of the task
✏️ stabilising the page with non-dominant hand, while writing or with dominant hand
Have you gotten your own bosu ball yet?
Maintaining balance is often something we come across in our OT spaces.
When we look at balance, we look at static and dynamic balance.
🧘🏻♀️ Static balance is maintaining an upright position while remaining still. An example of this is balancing on one leg or doing a headstand.
🤸🏻♂️ Dynamic balance is maintaining an upright position with movement. An example of this is climbing up stairs or hopping on one foot.
Tried out another balance activity which turned out to be pretty challenging 😅
Balance on bosu ball to pick off squiggies, done in 3 different levels.
1️⃣ Both feet on bosu ball, lean forward to pick up squiggy and throw squiggy into bucket.
2️⃣ Both feet on bosu ball, lean forward to pick up squiggy, balance on one leg while throwing squiggy into bucket.
3️⃣ Balance on one leg, lean forward to pick up squiggy and throw squiggy into bucket.
There are probably so many more variations of this activity!!
Also, wanted to be authentic so what me struggle too 😅
Balloon bouncing (from hand to hand) while balancing on the bosu ball 👐🏼
Disclaimer: this activity does require a fair amount of balance where a child is able to maintain static balance on the bosu ball.
An added element of tapping the balloon from right to left hand 🙌🏼 does encourage use of both hands, control and visual skills such as tracking the balloon.
Try this out and let me know how it goes 🤞🏼
Did you know that the foundation of our postural stability includes our vestibular, visual and proprioceptive systems, and muscle tone?
Our postural control enables us to move from sitting to standing. It helps us avoid obstacles and climb up stairs. It also assists us when trying to maintain our balance.
Our children with low muscle tone may struggle with postural stability in certain key areas.
The famous balance on one leg while on bosu ball activity🦵🏼
Added in the element of knocking over the teddy bears using the foot. This activity takes a lot of control from the core and encourages midline crossing of the lower body 🦕
What is your favourite activity for balancing on one leg?
2-point kneeling is always a fun position to work on during therapy. It is great for those core muscles ✅
Also so many different surfaces to use this position in..
👉🏼 At a table
👉🏼 While drawing on a blackboard
👉🏼 For writing on wall
👉🏼 Working against the mirror
👉🏼 Free standing with no surface
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Cape Town
7 Stellendal Road
Cape Town, 7135
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