Month: February 2013
DIY Snowflake Stampers
This is a super easy and fun activity to do with the kids.
We have done this so many times recently…with all kinds of different foam stickers and the kids keep asking to do this craft again, and again, and again!
Body Parts Activities for Toddlers
This body parts activities for toddlers is a fun activity to teach young kids about body part names using a baby doll. We love this body parts activities for babies, too because babies AND toddlers can relate to using a baby doll and adding band aides to different body parts!
body parts activities for toddlers
This body awareness activity is perfect for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Kids LOVE to peel bandages and stick them onto a baby doll. They can stick the bandages (or paper or felt bandages for a pretend version) to use a baby doll to teach body parts.
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
Share It Saturday #6 and our week in review
We have been spending a little time on Pinterest to gear up for making pre school treat bags for the Valentine’s Day parties coming up next week. Is it just me, or is Valentine’s Day getting a lil’ crazy with the school parties??? I remember signing my She-Ra (Princess of Power) Valentine’s Day cards and being done with….
These are only a few of our Favorites from this week. Check out these lovely blogs. These ladies have some fabulous ideas.
School Time Snippets created a slew of Penguin themed activities including cute penguins from toilet paper rolls.
Housing a Forest made and painted gorgeous icicles. My kids would LOVE doing this!
Reading Confetti came up with a way to encourage literacy and fine motor skills using a Valentine box. How fun!
Shredded Paper Sensory Bin
We made a quick Valentine’s Day sensory bin using shredded paper one year and it was a big hit. This shredded paper sensory bin used paper from our paper shredded and some other materials found around the home as we worked on fine motor skills and tactile exploration. Here is another Valentine’s Day sensory bin to try as well. Both of these are great additions to your occupational therapy Valentine activities.
Shredded paper sensory bin
This sensory bin was a Valentine’s day activity for us, but the shredded paper sensory bin can be used with any theme. You could use any sensory bin base material but for this one, we’re using shredded paper.
You’ll need just shredded paper, some cardboard tubes, and pipe cleaners. Then add other scoops, stirrers, and other materials if you like: recycled bottle caps, cookie cutters, craft pom poms, etc.
To make this sensory bin, you’ll start by making colored paper.
You can also add Valentine’s Day sensory bin materials like the ones found in our new Valentine’s Day Fine Motor Kit. The Kit contains 25 pages of hands-on materials designed to develop and refine fine motor skills in kids, but some of those items are perfect for adding to sensory bins like this one. Simply cut (or have the child cut out) the images of hearts and other Valentine items. Then, you can scatter the sensory bin items into the sensory material. Hide them and have the child find them.
How to dye paper
To dye the paper, all you need are these items:
- shredded paper from the paper shredder
- a plastic bag
- food coloring
- water
First, place the shredded paper into the plastic bag. We used just regular junk mail, printer paper, and recycled newspapers and placed it into a plastic store bag.
Add a few drops of food coloring
I added about 10 drops of food coloring, and some water and tied the top up. Just a few drops of water is needed. If you add too much, it will be a goopy mess, so start by adding a few drops at a time.
You could also use a gallon sized plastic zip top baggie and seal the top up tightly.
Next, ask the kids to shake the bag. This is a good way to incorporate movement and vestibular sensory input.
We shook the bag until all of the paper in the bag was coated in red color, and then poured the damp paper into a cardboard box to let it dry for a few days.
Shredded paper sensory bin
Once the shredded paper is dry, it is time to play.
The folded toilet paper tube hearts are a fun addition for wrapping with pipe cleaners for a fine motor workout.
Use a toilet paper tube or cardboard tube from a paper towel roll and fold it in half to create a heart shape. Kids can pinch along the length of the paper tube to crease the cardboard roll into a heart. Then, use scissors to cut the toilet paper tube into small heart strips.
What a fine motor workout!
Dyeing Paper with Food Coloring!
Little Guy and Baby Girl had a little spatula battle. Oh, this girl LOOOOVES to play with her big brother and sister. She loves the action and chaos the big kids bring to Every. Thing!
VALENTINES FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES
If you need more hand eye coordination activities for Valentine’s Day fine motor fun, try the Valentine’s Day Fine Motor Kit.
The Valentine’s Day Fine Motor Kit is here! This printable kit is 25 pages of hands-on activity sheets designed to build skills in pinch and grasp strength, endurance, eye-hand coordination, precision, dexterity, pencil control, handwriting, scissor skills, coloring, and more.
When you grab the Valentine’s Day Fine Motor Kit now, you’ll get a free BONUS activity: 1-10 clip cards so you can challenge hand strength and endurance with a counting eye-hand coordination activity.
Click here to access the Valentine’s Day Fine Motor Kit and add these resources to your therapy toolbox.
FREE THERAPY RESOURCES FOR VALENTINES
If eye-hand coordination, visual motor skills, and handwriting are tasks that you are working on with children, you’ll love both of these free therapy slide decks. Use them to outline occupational therapy interventions or to use in teletherapy sessions this time of year.
Free Spot It Handwriting Slide Deck
Free Gross Motor Valentine’s Day Activity Slide Deck
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
Using Stickers to Help with Scissor Skills
There are so many fun ways to use stickers for fine motor skill development.
(and also because we have millions of them)
What else can you do with stickers when practicing cutting…
Colleen
Easy Valentine’s Day Craft
Ground Hog Day Theme Puppet Play
Note: This post contains affiliate links.
Groundhog’s Day Puppet Pretend Play
of pickling spice out (oops)! It was cleaned up easily and provided a
great smell.