My family had fun putting together the sensory components of this beloved children's book. Sensory items can be anything you have in the house or outside. If you can't go outside for the entire activity, bring in some outdoor items for your child to experience. Pull some grass or leaves for grass, sticks and leaves for the forest, ect. The idea is to expose your child do different sensory elements. Even if they seem uninterested, just touching and experiencing different tactile items is progress. Creating an obstacle course inside to act out the "over and "under" parts of the story also provide sensory input and work on gross motor skills that are a foundation for movement and learning. For example, try putting a blanket over the backs of chairs and have them crawl under and then step up over a chair to act out that part and/or the children can tip toe to "sneak" past a stuffed animal bear. Have fun and let me know if you have any questions!
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All of the 4 year old preschoolers, kindergarteners, and many students in first and second grade are familiar with animal walks from their OT sessions with me. We typically do these at the beginning of our session for the following reasons; 1) it's movement and the students were likely just sitting (blood pools in the hips when sitting and movement helps the blood get back to the brain for learning) 2) it gives the students sensory input to the joints for a calming sensation 3) it's strengthens the core, shoulders, and hands which is necessary for functional tasks especially handwriting 4) the movements work on eye/hand coordination and motor planning which is essential for smaller motor tasks such as handwriting. Please watch the You Tube videos for instructions on how to help your children do these animal walks. You will see the seal walk is typically the most difficult. Also, many preschoolers will not yet be able to do the crab walk, so don't worry if your child is greatly struggling with that one. I have been doing these at home with my kids before they are sitting at the table or sitting to listen to me read. It gives them some of that input so that they last for a 10 minute academic activity.
Making brownies could be a complete OT session while at home. The steps below describe what the child is working on while helping to bake. 1) Reading the directions. This is likely done by the adult, but then the child can get together all of the ingredients which requires sequencing of the steps and working memory. 2) Completing the first step. In our case it was to cut open the bag and pour it into the bowl. This was a difficult task for my five year old. Many five year olds are still understanding how to open the scissors all the way and putting what is being cut at the back of the blade. They also have to hold the bag with their other hand and grip the bag correctly to hold it tight while they cut. This involves bilateral integration skills (using both hands together in a coordinated manner). It also involves grip and developing the arches of the hand (the inner part of your hand between the thumb and first finger) when holding the bag at the top. 3) Cracking the eggs....OMG. Good luck. Just kidding, I do have more to say. The child has to use the correct force to crack the egg just enough to get it in the bowl without the shell or at least without the egg exploding everywhere. This takes practice again, and again, and again. Adults that have been cracking eggs for many years have the motor planning to do it without thinking. Our children need alot of practice to become good at it. Which means more clean up for us parents. 4) Pouring the oil. Again, using both hands in a coordinated manner come in as we have to hold the measuring cup and use shoulder and hand muscles to hold the container and then sensory processing to pour at the correct rate as to not overflow the measuring cup. 5) Stirring. I usually have to direct students and my two younger kids so they hold the bowl with one hand and stir with the other. This takes more shoulder and core strength then you might think for a young child. If your child just can't seem to do it, provide a little hand over hand assistance. With the hand over hand guidance, they can feel successful, and their body learns the motor planning of what it should feel like. 6) With pouring into the baking dish, I typically do that to avoid a potential mess when my child or a student put so much work into the activity. 7) An adult putting the brownies into and out of the oven is for safety purposes. Please don't let your child practice this part until they are older and you know that they are able to practice safety precautions. 8) Dishes! Don't forget to have your child help with the dishes. It involves bilateral coordination, general fine motor skills, and water as a sensory component. Plus, it's starting good habits for your child to take responsibility for his/her own plate after mealtimes. The reward for the hard work is a great dessert that your child knows they helped to make. They are not even aware of all the skills that were involved while doing it! Brownies and a functional activity for a child - sounds like a win win to me :) LeAnn If I work with your child on handwriting (which is almost a guarantee) then they are familiar with the language from Handwriting Without Tears. Today I received an email from them that they are providing free online resources for families for 30 days! I checked it out to see what is available and all the workbooks are there in addition to online interactive teaching of letter formation, grip, and more! I'm using so many exclamation points because it's such a great way to continue working on handwriting at home.
The Kick Start Kindergarten is for pre K- K Letters and Numbers for me is for Kindergarten My Printing Book is for 1st grade Printing Power is 2nd grade Cursive Handwriting is for 3rd grade Cursive Success is for 4th grade Go to https://www.lwtears.com/ Click on the blue button that says "explore resources". Hope you find this helpful and if you have any questions let me know! LeAnn |
AuthorLeAnn Wald Archives
May 2020
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