When it comes to pediatric occupational therapy, having the right tools and toys can make all the difference in creating engaging and effective therapy sessions. In this blog post, we’ll take a peek inside my occupational therapy rolling bag which I have had for 3+ years and explore my favorite developmental and therapeutic toys that … Inside My Occupational Therapy Rolling Bag: Must-Have Toys for Pediatric Therapists Read More »
A quick way to jot down how your session went and ways for parents to continue promoting carryover at home! Perfect for those kiddos who see multiple disciplines at once when you may not always have time to speak to parents. Please let me know what other resources you'd like to see!
Check out this massive list of 109 occupational therapy activities for kids stuck at home.
Our team of therapists created Tracing Book Activity Worksheets that target individual occupational therapy goals and incorporate unique learning style.
This Blog and Infographic will review tonic reflexes, their significance if the reflex persists beyond the typical age range, and the possible impact on a child’s functioning and role performance. Last but not least, this blog will suggest therapeutic interventions that are known to help inhibit the activation of tonic reflexes and advance postural control as a foundation for optimal functioning.
Our team of therapists created Occupational Therapy Infographic Sheets that target individual OT goals and incorporate unique learning style.
Embarking on a career in pediatric occupational therapy, especially for those transitioning from an adult setting, often brings with it the challenge of crafting effective and occupation-based goal…
Looking for occupational therapy activities using free or household materials? This list of OT activities supports development of OT goals.
Our team of therapists created Shape Book Activity Worksheets that target individual occupational therapy goals and incorporate unique learning style.
Our team of therapists created Occupational Therapy Infographic Sheets that target individual OT goals and incorporate unique learning style.
These super fun scooter board activities for kids help promote greater focus and self-regulation while also improving gross motor function and skills!
Because many of our sensory systems contribute to the process of writing legibly, when a child struggles with handwriting, it may be helpful to incorporate sensory strategies in with handwriting instruction. I call this “Sensory Writing!” Here are some fun, sensory-based ways to work on handwriting skills. Shaving Cream Writing: Put a small amount of shaving cream on a surface. Remember, a little goes a long way! Then have the child smooth it out across the surface and practice forming basic shapes, letters, or numbers. Mistakes are not a problem! Simply erase them with a swipe of the hand! Rice Writing: Have the child use a marker to color the surface of a paper plate. Once it dries, sprinkle a layer of rice on the plate. Now it’s time to practice writing shapes, letters, and numbers in the rice! Putty Writing: Roll play dough or therapy putty to form various letters. Squeezing, pulling, and pinching are all great for fine motor skills, and making the letters helps with letter formation. Remember, it's important for children to have plenty of opportunities to move throughout the day. This will help them pay attention, and it warms up their muscles and joints for writing and other fine motor activities!
Our team of therapists created Occupational Therapy Infographic Sheets that target individual OT goals and incorporate unique learning style.
It's Occupational Therapy Month! Celebrate by downloading this super cute free printable of 10 things occupational therapists do.
Welcome to the OT Toolbox Hi, I’m Colleen! From an OT making $3/hour to an online OT serving millions around the world… After working in the occupational therapy field for many years, I had started a family. By the time my third baby was born (I now have four kids!), I was looking for childcare ... Read more
Kids use visual perceptual skills to understand what they see in the environment. Visual perception is needed for writing, reading, and copying from the board. There are many different ways to work on visual perceptual skills. Visual perceptual worksheets can be fun way for kids to improve visual perception. As a special thank you to my readers, I am providing these free visual perceptual worksheets! For free visual perceptual worksheets, click on the following links: http://drannezachry.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Visual-Perception-Sheets_Shape.pdf http://drannezachry.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/VP_DC.pdf http://drannezachry.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Visual-Closure.pdf http://drannezachry.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Arrow-Worksheet.pdf Click HERE for more free worksheets!!!
Writing an occupational therapy SOAP note is simpler than you think! We dive into how to write an OT SOAP note and provide an example as well
Occupational therapy enables individuals of any age or ability, to engage in the activities (occupations) that are important to them to live a meaningful life.Let’s Break That DownWho Do Occupational Therapists Work With?What Does an Occupational Therapist Do?Why is it Called Occupational Therapy?Where do Occupational Therapists Work?Occupational Therapist vs Physical TherapistIn Conclusion:Who Do Occupational Therapists Work With? An OT can help ANYONE – of any age and with any disability, inju
These occupational therapy interventions are OT activities for kids to help with child development of functional skills.
Use these free apps for occupational therapy activities to build skills in handwriting, fine motor, visual motor, executive functioning, and regulation.
Our team of therapists created Shape Book Activity Worksheets that target individual occupational therapy goals and incorporate unique learning style.
For the child with sensory challenges, the classroom can be an overwhelming place. All of the sensory systems are touched on in the classroom. When sensory systems are challenged, learning is a struggle. School based OTs are often times consulted when students struggle with physical or sensory issues that result in educational deficits. Previously, The ... Read more
Primitive reflexes are the reactive actions that a newborn baby uses to survive in the beginning stages of life. These reflexes are essential in allowing th ...
These occupational therapy kits are easy ways to work on OT goal areas with simple items found in the therapy supply closet or home!
These board games provide all sorts of occupational therapy benefits! Midline crossing, hand eye coordination, proprioception, vestibular input, visual discrimination and more!
There are five pediatric occupational therapy frame of reference that are often used as part of an intervention plan for children by OTs.
5-15% of schooling children have difficulties in their sensory regulation to their environment. This means that some children may have more difficulties than others in processing the differences between emotional, motion and sensory stimulations that are required for their daily living.
Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills children need to develop before they are able to write appropriately. These skills help the child to hold and use a pencil, and the ability to draw, write, copy, and colour. Pre-writing skills promote the child's ability to move a pencil fluently and effectively making handwriting more legible. A major component of pre-writing skills are the pre-writing shapes. These are the pencil strokes that most letters, numbers and early drawings are comprised of. They are typically mastered in sequential order, and to an age specific level. These strokes include the following strokes: |, —, O, +, /, square, \, X, and Δ. What are the components needed to develop writing readiness (pre-writing)? 1. Hand eye coordination which involves coordinated control of eye movement with hand movement and the processing of visual input to guide reaching and grasping along with the use of proprioception of the hands to guide the eyes. 2. Hand and finger strength: Necessary muscle power for controlled movement of the pencil. 3. Crossing the mid-line: The ability to cross the mid-line is important on the physical level as well as on the brain level. On a physical level, when your child spontaneously crosses the midline with the dominant hand, then the dominant hand is going to get the practice that it needs to develop good fine motor skills. 4. Visual perception: Brains ability to interpret visual information seen by the eyes like letters and numbers. 5. Pencil grasp: The efficiency of how the pencil is held, allowing age appropriate pencil movement generation. 6. Bilateral integration: Ability to coordinate both sides of the body at the same time in a controlled and organized manner; for example, stabilizing paper with one hand while writing/ cutting with the other. 7. Hand dominance: Preference for using one hand over the other to perform fine and gross motor tasks. This includes activities like writing, cutting, and catching and throwing a ball. 8. Shoulder and arm strength: stability provided by the shoulder to support controlled hand and finger movements for good pencil control. 9. In-hand manipulation: ability to move objects around in your hand and hand division using the thumb, index and middle finger for manipulation with the ring finger and little finger tucked into the palm allowing for palm stabilizing while writing. What activities can help pre-writing skills: Threading and lacing (grade activity by starting bigger beads) Theraputty exercises Construction: Building with duplo, lego, mobilo or other construction toys. Pre writing shapes: Practice drawing the pre-writing shapes (l, —, O, +, /, square, \, X, and Δ). Tweezers and pom poms Writing on a vertical surface Art and crafts activities Everyday finger and hand strengthening activities like opening jars
Ideas, guides and resources for school based physical therapy documentation and school based occupational therapy documentation.
A quick way to jot down how your session went and ways for parents to continue promoting carryover at home! Perfect for those kiddos who see multiple disciplines at once when you may not always have time to speak to parents. Please let me know what other resources you'd like to see!
Our team of therapists created Occupational Therapy Infographic Sheets that target individual OT goals and incorporate unique learning style.
Visual Processing Skills are essential for handwriting. Use this Visual Processing Checklist in the classroom, home, or therapy clinic to help kids address visual processing skills for improved legibility in written work. This post is part of our Easy Quick Fixes to Better Handwriting series. You’ll also want to join the Sweet Ideas for Handwriting Practice ... Read more
Primitive reflexes are the reactive actions that a newborn baby uses to survive in the beginning stages of life. These reflexes are essential in allowing th ...
Looking for occupational therapy activities using free or household materials? This list of OT activities supports development of OT goals.
