Tag Archives: developmental milestones

25 Tips to Help Your Child Get Kindergarten Ready + Free Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

As a pediatric occupational therapist, I’ve worked with countless families to help children build the fine motor, emotional, and pre-academic foundations they need to thrive in school. Kindergarten readiness isn’t just about knowing letters and numbers—it’s also about having the motor coordination, independence, and confidence to participate, learn, and grow.

In this post, I’m sharing 25 practical, developmentally appropriate tips to help your preschooler prepare for kindergarten success—starting now! From pencil grasp to scissor skills, social development to routines, you’ll find easy ways to support your child at home and make the transition smoother for everyone.

When Should My Child Be Able to Write Their Name? What You Should Know About Readiness First

s your child getting ready for kindergarten? You may be wondering: Should they already know how to write their name? While it’s a common milestone parents look for, name-writing success is less about age and more about readiness—and that starts with strong pre-writing and fine motor foundations.

Hand Dominance: How to Help Kids Who Switch Hands

Most people are inclined to use one hand over the other.  Repeated use of the preferred hand leads to hand dominance.  Your dominant hand is your skilled hand, the hand that is better at performing intricate tasks like drawing, handwriting, and using a fork or a spoon.  Try writing a note or spreading peanut butter on a piece of bread using your non-dominant hand. You will quickly see how one hand is more skilled than the other. This post explains how to help children who have difficulty establishing hand dominance.

Pencil Grasp Development: What to Expect

Pencil Grasp Development…What to Expect

Benefits of Working on a Vertical Surface

There are many reasons to use a vertical surface like an easel or whiteboard when working with children. Your child will attain so much more by simply changing tabletop activities to vertical surface activities. In this post I share the many benefits your child will gain.

What Are Fine Motor Skills?

What Are Fine Motor Skills?

Book Launch…Fun Strokes!

Book Launch…Fun Strokes! An innovative pre-writing program created for preschool-aged children of ALL abilities.