Looking for a festive and engaging way to build fine motor and visual skills with your little learners? My St. Patrickās Day Freebie is packed with fun and skill-building activities that will have kids reaching, grasping, and moving while enjoying a little holiday magic!
Author Archives: Linda Craig Dennis
What Is Visual Closure and Why Does It Matter for Handwriting & Fine Motor Skills?
As a pediatric occupational therapist, handwriting concerns are one of the most common reasons for referrals. When assessing these challenges, I often start by evaluating a childās visual perceptual skills. Time and time again, Iāve noticed that difficulties with visual closure play a significant role in their struggles.Ā
How Do You Know When Tracing Is The Right Option?
As a pediatric OT,Ā Iām not a huge fan of tracing, sometimes, itās a necessary step to help kids learn how to write. But how do you know when tracing is the right option? Tracing is most effective when…
Why You Should Use Caution When Having Kids Trace
Teaching children how to write is an exciting milestone, but not without challenges. Many parents and educators turn to tracing as a go-to method for teaching kids how to form letters and shapes. However, while tracing may seem straightforward and effective, it can sometimes do more harm than goodāespecially for children with poor visual motor skills.
The Frugal OT: Top Picks For Halloween Fun!
Therapists, educators, and parents! Are you looking for spooky, fun ways to build fine motor skills with a Halloween twist? But wait, you donāt want to break the bank to do so, right? Iām here for you! In my Frugal OT series, I share all sorts of fine motor skill-building activities using supplies from my favorite go-to, Dollar Tree! You can do these activities with kids during therapy sessions, classroom centers, or at home. So, letās get to it! Here are my top picks for some Halloween-themed fun!
Frugal OT Dollar Tree Top Pick: Foam Dice
Handwriting can be difficult for children with fine motor and sensory processing difficulties. For this reason, it may soon become a non-preferred activity. This makes it really tough to get kids to engage in handwriting tasks without seeing undesirable behaviors like whining, defiance, or avoidance altogether. One of the best ways to remedy this problem is to make it fun! A great way to make handwriting fun is by turning it into a game. Kids love to play games. Make handwriting a game by using foam dice from the Dollar Tree. I love these dice because they are so versatile. The sides have a laminated surface that allows you to customize them as you’d like. Use a dry-erase marker to write commands on each side of the die. Each command corresponds to the skill the child or children need to work on. For example, letter placement skills or where to place letters on the line. “4 tall letters, 5 short letters, 3 “diver” or go under letters, etc. The kids are asked to roll the die and write whatever it lands on. You can make it simple or more challenging based on the level the child or children are at. Perfect for doing during therapy sessions, as a class, or at home. All the supplies can be gathered for pennies on the dollar at your local Dollar Tree.
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique: Using Our Sensory System to Calm Anxiety
The 54321 grounding technique is a tool children can use when feeling anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed.Ā This technique can help to prevent multiple anxious thoughts from piling up by focusing on your surroundings in the present moment. Ā It calls for you to tap into a heightened awareness of your environment, fully taking in your five senses and grounding your thoughts to the present moment. The 54321 groundingĀ technique can be used to regulate emotions and calm down. It is a great strategy to teach when helping kids self-regulate.Ā
I Can Use Scissors! The Ultimate Guide To Scissor Skill Development
Hey OTs! This one is just for you!
Have kids on your caseload who need to work on scissor skills? Chances are you do. Have a heavy caseload with very little prep time? Chances are you do. Do you find it challenging to set goals that are measurable and easy to take data on? You are not alone! Save loads of time using this resource! Whether you are completing a formal assessment, an IEP annual review, or working with a child to improve their scissor skills, this guide is equipped with all the tools you need to make the process seamless and easy! Ā I Can Use Scissors! boasts clear and concise graphics, making it easy to find information at a glance.Ā The guide includes everything you need from assessment to goal writing, to intervention and data collection. All materials correspond to the developmental progression of scissor skills making the process straightforward and efficient. Make your job easier by grabbing this digital resource today!
12 Ways To Improve Scissor Skills
Scissor skills are essential in both school and life. Solid scissor skills will help children as they learn and play. The maturation of scissor skills requires lots of practice over time. As with all fine motor skills, there is a developmental progression to acquiring scissor skills. Check out my postĀ Scissor Skill DevelopmentĀ to read more about this. Some children have trouble with learning how to use scissors, and there can be many reasons why. Using scissors efficiently is a very complex skill that requires many prerequisites. To read more about this check out my postĀ What Skills Are Needed For Scissor Use?Ā Ā In this post, I will focus on how to help kids who struggle with learning how to use scissors. Here are 12 strategies that can help!
Good Scissor Skills…What Does It Take?
In this post I will cover the prerequisite skills needed to be able to use scissors efficiently.Ā Scissor use, like most fine motor tasks, is a complex skill requiring many underlying components. It may not seem like it, but children are tapping into many skills when they are using scissors.