Llama Llama Red Pajama Proprioception Sensory Activity

Use these proprioception heavy work activities for calming sensory integration Try these Proprioception activities for sensory integration and calming heavy work input based on the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama with your little llamas!





Did you ever read Llama Llama Red Pajama and think, “That Mama Llama. Oh, I FEEL for that mama!” 


She just wants to put the baby down to sleep so she can finally wash those crusty breakfast dishes.  Then she has to take a call from a friend (which was probably scheduled with the intention to cross another three items from her to-do list, and totally not a call of the friendship-soul-building type).  Then all she wants to do is finally… finally…put up her llama feet and sigh a deep, exhausted, mama breath. 


You know that end-of-the-day mama sigh, right? A Mama can finally breathe at the end of the day, knowing that her babies are safe in their beds and quiet, at peace, and not dumping toys all over the floor.  It’s the biggest sigh and is so satisfying.  Maybe it was a ROUGH day. A day filled with yelling and not happy giggles.  A day loaded with siblings pulling hair and not playing like nice little brothers and sisters.  A day of sensory overload. 


That Mama Llama.  She starts in on her nightly to-dos and hears the “Maaaaammmaaaa!” from upstairs.  


Ugh.  


A long day just got longer. 


But that “Mama!” yelling llama is scared. Nervous.  Alone.  Questioning. Upset.  


And a mama, be it a mama llama or a tired, frizzy, overworked mama of the people variety just help.


Baby Llama’s routines have changed. The normal nightly get-a-drink-one-last-kiss-tuck-me-in norm has been a little diverted.  And then, you can’t help but feel for that little llama baby who NEEDS his mama. Her KNOWS he needs her.  
He needs deep pressure, sensory, proprioceptive input, calming relaxation before he can snuggle up and go to sleep.  Routines have changed, a sensation triggered a thought process of what-ifs, and there is no turning back from the sensory integration that only mama can give.  

Try these proprioception activities for heavy work input based on the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama
 

And Mama Llama does just that.  She drops everything, does the tuck-snuggle-one-last-kiss thing and baby llama is finally able to settle.  


And that Mama Llama.  She can finally take that last big sigh of the day and know that she helped her little one in every way that she could.

Proprioception Needs and Llama Llama Red Pajama book

{This post contains affiliate links.  See our full disclosure here.}


SO, When we read Llama Llama, Red Pajama, I couldn’t help but notice the proprioceptive needs that are being yelled for.  Screamed for, even.  Baby Llama needs to feel calmed after his routine is thrown.  And it doesn’t take much.  That one last drink that mama brings every night, or even some nights, is a known to Baby Llama.  He knows his mama is going to help him and keep him safe.  When that normal thing is gone because Mama is on the phone, his little llama world is thrown.


I had to put together these Llama Llama Red Pajama
Proprioception cards.  They are a fun way to get a little proprioceptive input in when sensory needs are thrown and a child needs to calm, relax, and center themselves.



This sensory activity is very simple.  Read Llama Llama Red Pajama.  Notice how Baby Llama jumps, twists, stomps, and cries.  He’s gotten so upset that there is NO way he can settle down on his own.  Sometimes all it takes is a snuggle and a reassuring hug from mama, but for other kids, they need proprioception to re-group and organize themselves.

Try these proprioception activities for heavy work input based on the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama



We cut out red pajama shirt shapes from red paper.  After printing the free printable with the Llama proprioception activities, we cut them out and attached them to the pajama shirts.


Try these proprioception activities for heavy work input based on the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama


Cut a small strip of paper to create a sleeve on the back of the pajama shapes.  Slip the paper strips into the sleeve to hold the proprioception activity ideas.

Use these cards along with the book or as needed.  Keep them together in a pile on a window sill or in an envelope and pull them out when calming proprioception needs are high.

Llama Llama Red Pajama Proprioception Activity

These activities provide heavy work input and can be calming for some kids.  Other kids might get overly excited by the same activities.  It is SO important to speak to an Occupational Therapist to find the perfect fit for your child’s individual needs.  Know that no tow kids are alike and a general list will not work for every child.  This list is meant to be a resource.
 
Try these proprioception activities based on the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama
 
 
Proprioception activities based on the book Llama Llama Red Pajama:
  • Wrap up tight in a blanket.
  • Squish between pillows.
  • Jump in a pile of pillows.
  • Play tug-of-war with a blanket.
  • Squeeze a pillow with one hands.  Then use two hands.
  • Hug a body pillow. Use all of your muscles!
  • Fold a heavy blanket (or two or three blankets laid on top of one another. Lift and carry the folded, heavy blanket square.
  • Use a sheet like a parachute.
  • Do the Llama Walk (aka crab walks). Kick your hooves up high like a llama.

You’ll be directed to a link with all of our free printables in one place.  It’s a jackpot of freebies. And the bonus is that you’ll receive occasional emails from me with more fun and creative ideas.


 

Try these proprioception activities for heavy work input based on the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama

 

Stop by and see what the other bloggers in our Book Club Play Dates series have come up with based on the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama:

  • Create a snack based on the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama! Find snack ideas for the book on Fun-a-Day.
  • Create and play with a Llama Llama busy bag!  Still Playing School has a fun idea.
  • Craftulate has a great idea for a Llama Llama Red Pajama game.
  • Make a Llama print craft like House of Burke.
Try these proprioception activities for heavy work input based on the book, Llama Llama Red Pajama

 

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The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook
 
Are you looking for more information on Sensory Processing and Proprioception (or any of the sensory systems and how they affect functional skills, behavior, and the body’s sensory systems?  This book, Sensory Lifestyle Handbook, will explain it all.  Activities and Resources are included.  Get it today and never struggle to understand or explain Sensory Integration again.  Shop HERE.
                       
Looking for more proprioception activities?  Try these: 
 
 
hands-on activities to explore social emotional development through children's books.

Love exploring books with hands-on play?  

Grab our NEW book that explores friendship, acceptance, and empathy through popular (and amazing) children’s books!  It’s 50 hands-on activities that use math, fine motor skills, movement, art, crafts, and creativity to support social emotional development.
 
 

 

Develop Fine Motor Skills with a Homemade Christmas Card!

Fine motor Christmas card craft

This fine motor Christmas card is a great activity for therapy sessions during the holidays. Use this holiday fine motor task to build hand strength, coordination, and dexterity skills. Here’s the thing: Kids love to create gifts they can give to family and friends. One easy way to get the kids involved in holiday gifting (with minimal mess) is to have them make holiday cards.  These Christmas cards were kid made and have a fine motor component, too.

Making Christmas Cards to Strengthen Fine Motor Skills

Making Christmas cards with kids is a GREAT way to develop fine motor skills, and kids take ownership of their craft. They love to see the response on the recipient’s face when they make a card on their own. When there are fine motor skills being addressed, too…it’s a win-win situation!

So many kids struggle with fine motor skills, hand strength, coordination, and precision of grasp. However, when they are making a card for a loved one, there is motivation involved.

When kids are motivated by a task (like seeing their loved one smile!) there is intrinsic meaningfulness happening. Kids will LOVE to create cards that actually work on the skills they need to develop (fine motor skills).

So, let’s add Christmas card making to your therapy line-up this holiday season!


Homemade Christmas Card Fine Motor Skills




You might have seen our Christmas Tree hole punch activity.  It’s a fine motor and proprioception powerhouse and very fun to make these hole punch Christmas trees.  We can’t get enough of these easy Christmas decorations and used them to make Christmas cards.


This is a fun craft that addresses a variety of fine motor skills, including open thumb web space.

Kids can make this 3D Christmas Tree card while working on so many fine motor skills like hand strength, open thumb web space, intrinsic muscle strength, arch development, with proprioceptive input, too.  The Occupational Therapist in me loves this!

Kid Made Christmas Card with Christmas Trees

You’ll need just a few materials for this craft. (Affiliate links are included in this post.)




Make the scissor skills Christmas trees.  The only difference is that you’ll want your child to punch holes through two Christmas Trees at a time, so the holes line up.  Mark one side of each tree so your kiddo knows which side to apply glue.  The pencil sides will be the inside of a Christmas Tree “sandwich” where the trees are the bread.

Kids can make this 3D Christmas Tree card while working on so many fine motor skills like hand strength, open thumb web space, intrinsic muscle strength, arch development, with proprioceptive input, too.  The Occupational Therapist in me loves this!

How to Make this Fine Motor Christmas Card

Tear the tissue paper into small pieces.  Tearing tissue paper is a great way to practice fine motor skills and intrinsic muscle strength, as well as building arch development and an open thumb web space.  You’ll only need very small pieces of tissue paper, and tearing such small pieces of tissue paper really works the muscles of little hands.


Spread glue on the marked side of a Christmas tree.  Stick the small tissue paper pieces on the holes.  Be sure tissue paper does not overlap other holes.


Fold the white cardstock in half, lengthwise.  Place the tree on the paper and draw a rectangle-ish shape around the tree.  Cut out the rectangle to make a large window on the front of the card.

Kids can make this 3D Christmas Tree card while working on so many fine motor skills like hand strength, open thumb web space, intrinsic muscle strength, arch development, with proprioceptive input, too.  The Occupational Therapist in me loves this!

Cut two pieces of embroidery thread and twist them together.  Tape one end of the twisted thread to the top of the card on the inside of the window.  Place the thread along the length of the Christmas Tree and place another Christmas Tree on top, lining up the holes.  Tape the other end of the embroidery thread at the bottom of the card window, inside the card.


The twisted thread will allow the Christmas Tree to spin when the card is opened, giving it a 3D look.  

Kids can make this 3D Christmas Tree card while working on so many fine motor skills like hand strength, open thumb web space, intrinsic muscle strength, arch development, with proprioceptive input, too.  The Occupational Therapist in me loves this!



Write on the inside of the card for a peekaboo effect.  I love the cute kid writing you can see through from the front of the card! 


Who can you make these cards for this Christmas?
 

Kids can make this 3D Christmas Tree card while working on so many fine motor skills like hand strength, open thumb web space, intrinsic muscle strength, arch development, with proprioceptive input, too.  The Occupational Therapist in me loves this!

  MORE Christmas Crafts you will love:

 

What if you had themed, NO-PREP activities designed to collect data and can help kids build essential fine motor skills?

Take back your time and start the year off with a bang with these done-for-you fine motor plans to help kids form stronger hands with our Winter Fine Motor Kit. This print-and-go winter fine motor kit includes no-prep fine motor activities to help kids develop functional grasp, dexterity, strength, and endurance. Use fun, winter-themed, fine motor activities so you can help children develop strong fine motor skills in a digital world. 

The Winter Fine Motor Kit includes reproducible activity pages include: pencil control strips, scissor skills strips, simple and complex cutting shapes, lacing cards, toothpick precision art, crumble hand strengthening crafts, memory cards, coloring activities, and so much more.

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.

Christmas Tree Scissor Skills Craft

Paper Christmas trees for scissor skills

If you need a preschool scissor skills activity, then this Christmas cutting craft is for you. Based on the beginning scissor skills of cutting through a page, the Christmas tree cutting activity helps young learners to hold scissors perpendicularly on the page while cutting through the paper (and not tearing the paper!) It’s a fun way to work on skills this time of year!

Christmas Tree Cutting Activity

 
This time of year, working on Occupational Therapy goals like scissor skills can be difficult for kids who are more excited than Santa’s elves. Sometimes, you have areas you need to work on even though the kids are more excited about all of the exciting sights that the Christmas season brings.  
 
That’s where this Christmas Tree Scissors activity comes into play!
 
Christmas Tree Scissor Skills craft can help kids work on cutting on lines and scissor control with a fun, holiday craft that will bring smiles from your little elves!
 
Check out these Christmas Fine Motor Activities for more creative ways to work on fine motor skills and address development of skills this Christmas season. 
 


Christmas Tree Scissor skills craft for kids this holiday season, perfect for preschool parties or play dates while working on Occupational Therapy goals like cutting on lines.
 
 


Christmas Tree Scissor Skills Craft for kids

This post contains affiliate links. 
 
You might have seen this scissor skill craft on our OT Christmas calendar where we shared a month of Christmas-y Occupational Therapy activities.  In it, we shared occupational therapy activities that can be done this time of year to develop skills and help kids thrive. 
 
The idea actually was one we shared a few years ago with our icicle scissor skills craft. The basic premise is helping young scissor users to cut through the page to create a craft or an actual result.
 
When learners are first starting out with scissor use, they tend to push through the paper, resulting in torn paper and frustrated kids. This craft is a simple way to work on cutting through the page with engaged scissors, maintaining vertical positioning of the blades of the scissors in a perpendicular position compared to the paper. 
 
You can learn more about the progression of scissor skills and how to grade activities to support learners as they move to the next level of scissor use in our crash course on scissor skills. We used gift wrap to work on scissor skill progression, so it’s a great activity for the holiday season! 
 
An easy printable template of our icicle craft is available as well.
 
The same concept of cutting through the page (without tearing the paper) can be carried over and used in this Christmas cutting craft.
 
 
 
Christmas Tree Scissor skills craft for kids this holiday season, perfect for preschool parties or play dates while working on Occupational Therapy goals like cutting on lines.
 

How to make paper Christmas Trees

 
You’ll need just a couple of items to create these paper Christmas trees and work on scissor skills:
  • Green Paper
  • Brown Paper
  • Scissors
  • A Marker
 
To practice scissor skills with a festive, Christmas tree spin, use Green Cardstockto cut triangles.  
 
Cutting card stock provides a greater resistance than regular printer paper and is a great way for beginner scissor users to learn to cut on lines accurately, with precision.   
 
1. Draw long lines from one edge of the paper to the other so children can cut along one line without turning the page.  This craft can be modified for older children by drawing triangles on the page to allow the child to turn the page to cut around a sharp angle. 


2. Draw short lines on a strip of Brown Cardstock to practice snipping in one solid cut.  Holding a strip of paper with short cuts is perfect for beginner scissor users.

3. Next, have the child to glue the trunks onto the green triangles.



Christmas Tree Scissor skills craft for kids this holiday season, perfect for preschool parties or play dates while working on Occupational Therapy goals like cutting on lines.

 
Christmas Tree Scissor skills craft for kids this holiday season, perfect for preschool parties or play dates while working on Occupational Therapy goals like cutting on lines.
 
Love this idea? Share it on Facebook! 
 

Christmas Handwriting Activities

Writing out that Christmas wish list is a difficult task that brings out tears instead of holiday excitement.  I’ve got a solution for your kiddo with handwriting difficulties: a packet of modified paper for all of the Christmas handwriting tasks that come up each year.  Use this handwriting pack to help kids who struggle with handwriting to participate in holiday traditions while even working on and developing their handwriting skills!

Working on handwriting with kids this Christmas season? Grab your copy of the Christmas Modified Handwriting Packet. It’s got three types of adapted paper that kids can use to write letters to Santa, Thank You notes, holiday bucket lists and much more…all while working on handwriting skills in a motivating and fun way! Read more about the adapted Christmas Paper here

How to Use these Christmas Trees To Work on Scissor Skills

So, after you’ve shown a learner how to cut simple Christmas trees using the cut-through method that we’ve covered above, how can you use this activity to build on motivation as a meaningful task?

Having “buy-in” or a reason for completing an activity is part of the way to develop skills through meaningful and motivating activities. When we show the learner that we can use the Christmas trees that they’ve cut to create a card or craft that can be given to a loved one, we immediately get that buy-in so they want to put forth their best effort.

  1. Use the paper Christmas trees to create a homemade Christmas card that builds fine motor skills.

2. You can also use these Christmas Trees in a math activity. This activity strengthens the hands as well by using a hole punch to count. It’s a great activity to build on the scissor skills task.

3. Use the paper Christmas trees in decorations by clipping them with clothes pins or paper clips to string them across the room in a Christmas garland.  

Then, to further develop the hand strength needed to hold and cut across a page with scissors, work on the fine motor strength to strengthen hands that cut with scissors, try making this clothes pin Christmas tree.

There are many ways to develop fine motor skills through play and this scissor skills Christmas tree is just one of those activities for this time of year. Grab more creative activities in our post on Christmas fine motor activities.

Looking for done-for you therapy activities this holiday season?

This print-and-go Christmas Therapy Kit includes no-prep, fine motor, gross motor, self-regulation, visual perceptual activities…and much more… to help kids develop functional grasp, dexterity, strength, and endurance. Use fun, Christmas-themed, motor activities so you can help children develop the skills they need.

This 100 page no-prep packet includes everything you need to guide fine motor skills in face-to-face AND virtual learning. You’ll find Christmas-themed activities for hand strength, pinch and grip, dexterity, eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination, endurance, finger isolation, and more. 

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.

After School Brain Breaks Activities and Snacks

After School Brain Breaks

After a long day of school, kids come home and are exhausted! They’ve just plowed through 8 hours of schedules, sitting, chatter, and brain overload. Then, we pull them from the bus and pile a stack of homework in front of them! Brain Breaks make a great movement activity that can help kids transition between the school-day to after-school at home. Kids need a transition. How do you separate the school day from the safety of home and carefree playtime?


Brain Breaks offer a child the chance to re-group and re-center themselves after a period of quiet time work. After focusing on the school day’s requirements, a movement-focused activity can offer a child a brain break.

After School Brain Breaks

after school brain breaks

After school brain breaks and healthy snack ideas can help kids with attention, learning, and focus to homework!

What are Brain Breaks?

Incorporating movement into learning provides children with a chance to re-energize and improves learning and the ability to focus. Brain Breaks are quick movement activities that involve mid-line crossing. There are many articles and research done touting the benefits of active play and cognition. Brain Breaks are a way to allow the brain to shift gears to physical activity.


After School Brain Breaks



Typically, brain breaks are incorporated into periods of learning. In this post, I’m sharing ideas to jump start learning and homework tasks. After school, kids usually walk or ride home from school. They get a chance to move around, and get thier wiggles out. These ideas are perfect for incorporating into learning tasks, but can also be used to start off a table-top learning or homework task. Maybe your child does one math worksheet and still has spelling words to practice. Ease the transition between subjects with a mini-brain break.


Use these Brain Break ideas during a homeschool day, in between homework tasks, or to change things up a bit and take a mini break while practicing math facts!





Looking for brain break videos for the classroom or home? Here are the best brain break videos on YouTube.


Homework Brain Breaks & Healthy Snack



My kids hop off the school bus and are famished. So, snack time was my main motivator in this brain break activity. Now. A fun movement activity would be sure to bring on the smiles at the end of a long school day, but many times, we need to get homework started before playtime begins.


Easy Brain Break ideas:



(These are movement based activities with a bit of proprioception added in)

    • Play hopscotch

 

    • Simon Says

 

    • Dance party

 

    • Touch elbows to opposite knees

 

    • Jumping Jacks

 

    • Wall push-ups

 

    • Skipping

 

    • Hopping

 

    • Running

 

    • Big hugs

 

    • Crab Walks

 

    • Bear crawls

 

  • Wheelbarrow walking
After school brain breaks and healthy snack ideas can help kids with attention, learning, and focus to homework!
To start our homework, I usually give my starving kids a snack and get started on the homework. What I’ve found though, is getting a bit of active movement into our day before we settle down to work helps so much with my kids’ concentration.
So, how do you add a brain break to your after-school routine?

When kids come home famished, a sensory-based snack can be a big help. Some ideas to increase alertness include crunchy nut mixes and granola. Other ideas are crunchy pretzels, crisp apple slices, or popcorn. Other kids might need to regulate with heavy work through the mouth and jaw. A chewy fruit leather, licorice, or smoothie can meet that need.  The chewiness of raisins and cranberries and the crunch of nuts are perfect for proprioceptive input in snacks. Read more about proprioception here. Adding a proprioceptive snack to our brain break activity was a great way to start homework time.



After school brain breaks and healthy snack ideas can help kids with attention, learning, and focus to homework!

I cut a few circles to fit small plastic bowls. On the circles, I wrote out a few brain break activities, like “Dance Party” and “Skip around the house”.


After school brain breaks and healthy snack ideas can help kids with attention, learning, and focus to homework!


Place the paper circles in the bottom of the snack cups and fill with a healthy snack. Your kids can eat the snack and when they get to the bottom of the bowl, they can read the message an complete the brain break. The message alone brought smiles to my kids’ faces, but when we started on the dance party, there were giggles, too!



After school brain breaks and healthy snack ideas can help kids with attention, learning, and focus to homework!
After school brain breaks and healthy snack ideas can help kids with attention, learning, and focus to homework!
After school brain breaks and healthy snack ideas can help kids with attention, learning, and focus to homework!



More Brain Break Ideas

Squirrel Brain Breaks

Apple themed brain breaks

Bear brain breaks

Snacks like this one would be a great addition to a middle school brain break.



 

Vegan Smashed Potatoes with Avocado Pesto

We’re continuing to cook our way through the alphabet and we are up to letter V.  Vegan recipes are the topic for today with the Cooking With Kids bloggers.  We decided to create a Smashed Potato with Avocado Pesto.  


This might just be my favorite recipe that we’ve made so far in our Cooking With kids series.  My kids on the other hand?  They tried the avocado pesto.  And did not like it.  But a taste was all that I asked, so I’m happy that they tried a new food.  


It really was a tasty recipe, though (once you get past that green pesto lump on the smashed potato).  The almond/avocado/lemon/basil blended nicely with the salt and oil of the potatoes and made a great side dish for dinner.


We used almonds in our pesto recipe instead of pine nuts like is typically used in pesto recipes. 

Vegan smashed potatoes with avocado pesto.  Pesto is made with almonds instead of pine nuts.  Cooking with Kids recipe that kids can cook and try new foods!

Vegan Smashed Potatoes with Avocado Pesto Recipe



This post contains affiliate links.


To make the Vegan Smashed Potatoes and Avocado Pesto, you’ll need these ingredients:
6-7 Baby red potatoes
olive oil for brushing
salt to taste
1 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil
2 additional Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp water
1 small chopped tomato
pepper to taste

Vegan smashed potatoes with avocado pesto.  Pesto is made with almonds instead of pine nuts.  Cooking with Kids recipe that kids can cook and try new foods!

Have your child wash and dry the potatoes to remove any dirt specks.

Vegan smashed potatoes with avocado pesto.  Pesto is made with almonds instead of pine nuts.  Cooking with Kids recipe that kids can cook and try new foods!

Boil the potatoes until soft.  Allow to cool.  Rub olive oil on the outside of the potatoes and sprinkle with salt.


Layer a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet.  Place the potatoes on the foil.  Smash with a Kitchen Mallet. My four year old loved this part!

Vegan smashed potatoes with avocado pesto.  Pesto is made with almonds instead of pine nuts.  Cooking with Kids recipe that kids can cook and try new foods!

 

Vegan smashed potatoes with avocado pesto.  Pesto is made with almonds instead of pine nuts.  Cooking with Kids recipe that kids can cook and try new foods!
 

Chop the almonds and pull the basil apart into small pieces.  An adult should chop the almonds, but kids can pull apart the basil leaves.  It’s a great fine motor exercise for little hands.


In a blender or food processor, blend the almonds, basil, lemon juice, water, and olive oil.  Blend until well mixed into a puree.  You may need more water.  


Scoop spoonfuls of pesto onto the potatoes.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.  

Vegan smashed potatoes with avocado pesto.  Pesto is made with almonds instead of pine nuts.  Cooking with Kids recipe that kids can cook and try new foods!



Pull the potatoes out and add chopped tomatoes.  Sprinkle with black pepper to taste.

Vegan smashed potatoes with avocado pesto.  Pesto is made with almonds instead of pine nuts.  Cooking with Kids recipe that kids can cook and try new foods!
Vegan smashed potatoes with avocado pesto.  Pesto is made with almonds instead of pine nuts.  Cooking with Kids recipe that kids can cook and try new foods!

 



Looking for more Vegan recipes?  See what the other Cooking with Kids bloggers have made:

Stop and see more of our Cooking with Kids recipes:

Quinoa Lettuce Wraps  

Q is for Quinoa: Quinoa Lettuce Wraps 
R is for Rice: Vegetable Rice 
S is for Spaghetti: Leftover Spaghetti Cups

Calm the Holiday Overwhelm with a Christmas Discovery Bottle

This time of year, Moms need a backup plan.


A little tool that mom can pull out of a cupboard and hand over to a kiddo who needs a little bit of quiet time.


We all get overwhelmed by our environment.  The constant input of stimulation from people, schedules, work requirements, holiday activities, holiday clutter, school and activities that keep going (but then add the additional celebration activities to the already full schedule…)


It can take a lot to keep it together for an adult who is managing the day’s requirements, let alone a child who doesn’t quite know what is happening next.  Or why.


Sometimes a bit of a calm, slow, deep breath is in order.  And it can come in the form of sensory integration, including a discovery bottle!





We made this Christmas themed discovery bottle very quickly and have been pulling it out every day since.  A sensory bottle like this is calming, relaxing, and may be just the thing to settle the feeling of holiday overwhelm.


Kids can calm their feeling of holiday overwhelm by relaxing with a Christmas themed sensory discovery bottle, while looking for shapes in their environment. Great learning tool for preschoolers!



Christmas Shapes Discovery Bottle

This post contains affiliate links.  See our full disclose here.

Make a sensory discovery bottle to keep in your purse for overwhelmed shopper helpers or excited cookie baker assistants and have a backup plan on hand!


Kids can calm their feeling of holiday overwhelm by relaxing with a Christmas themed sensory discovery bottle, while looking for shapes in their environment. Great learning tool for preschoolers!




To make this Christmas Themed Discovery Bottle

You’ll need just a few materials to make a discovery bottle with a Christmas theme:


Kids can calm their feeling of holiday overwhelm by relaxing with a Christmas themed sensory discovery bottle, while looking for shapes in their environment. Great learning tool for preschoolers!





This sensory bottle was fun for my preschooler and toddler to prepare together.  We scooped the split peas and grass seed into the bottle while they worked on fine motor skills with their scooping (I love giving them developmental training skills when they don’t even realize they are building skills!)


Cut up the Foam Craft Sheets
into basic shapes (More skill areas! This time, my daughter worked on her cutting skills, and is foam sheeting ever a great way to practice precision in learning to cut!)



Kids can calm their feeling of holiday overwhelm by relaxing with a Christmas themed sensory discovery bottle, while looking for shapes in their environment. Great learning tool for preschoolers!



We made a circle that looked slightly like an ornament, a square that we turned into a present, a triangle (tree-ish looking thing?).  Pop the foam shapes into the discovery bottle.


Screw the lid onto the bottle with a bit of glue.  (The glue part is important for busy little hands!  Use super glue to keep the lid in place.)


Proprioception with a Sensory Bottle

Now is the fun part!  Hand over the discovery bottle and encourage your kiddo to shake, shake, shake!  The proprioceptive input from a discovery bottle is calming heavy work and will provide a time of relaxing as they watch the falling peas or colored shapes.


READ MORE about Sensory Bottles HERE.



Shape Identification and I Spy Activity

Now, use your discovery bottle to work on a few learning skills.  Show your child how to shake up the bottle and look for shapes hidden in the green peas.  There are a few ways they can use this discovery bottle in learning:
  • Ask them to name the shape.
  • Name a shape and ask them to shake the bottle until they find that shape.
  • Ask them to shake the bottle and name an object in the room that matches the shape they’ve found in the bottle.  (This is a great activity to do while being carted around a grocery store or other busy shopping area!)
  • Name an item in the environment or room and ask them to find the matching shape in the bottle.
  • Work on colors and counting by asking them to find three red items in the bottle.
  • Ask them to find an item in their environment that matches the color of the shape they’ve found in the bottle.

I Spy is such a great way for kids to work on visual scanning and visual memory needed for handwriting, copying words and math problems, and reading.  Kids need to scan their visual field while pulling important information and finding needed items in a busy background.  When copying math problems from a vertical chalkboard at a distance, they are shifting their head and eyes from a horizontal to vertical (and sometimes rotating their head and neck) to copy written material.  Visual tracking allows a child to copy and place written work in the correct spots on their paper, while scanning back to the overhead position without losing their place.


Hopefully this Christmas Discovery bottle is helpful this overwhelming and busy Christmas season. May it be a backup plan that works for you and your little helpers!

Stop by and see more Christmas Discovery Bottle ideas from the discovery bottle blogger team:


Sunny Day Family | Christmas Tree in a Bottle
Preschool Inspirations | Jingle Bells Discovery Bottle

Christmas Handwriting Activities

Writing out that Christmas wish list is a difficult task that brings out tears instead of holiday excitement.  I’ve got a solution for your kiddo with handwriting difficulties: a packet of modified paper for all of the Christmas handwriting tasks that come up each year.  Use this handwriting pack to help kids who struggle with handwriting to participate in holiday traditions while even working on and developing their handwriting skills!

Working on handwriting with kids this Christmas season? Grab your copy of the Christmas Modified Handwriting Packet. It’s got three types of adapted paper that kids can use to write letters to Santa, Thank You notes, holiday bucket lists and much more…all while working on handwriting skills in a motivating and fun way! Read more about the adapted Christmas Paper here


Kids can calm their feeling of holiday overwhelm by relaxing with a Christmas themed sensory discovery bottle, while looking for shapes in their environment. Great learning tool for preschoolers!


Love this idea? Share it on Facebook!

Some of our favorite Discovery Bottles for Sensory learning and calming input: 

Outer Space Math Maze with ReGrouping

Space Maze

Today we have a Wikki stick maze that supports skills like bilateral coordination, motor planning, and visual motor skills. This is one of our favorite wikki stick activities!


Wikki Stix maze

Want to make learning math fun and creative when the kids just want to “be done?”


Sometimes we need to practice and build math concepts just a bit more.  It can be hard to find ways to get the extra practice in when the kids really just are over practicing math (again and again!)


The baby wants held, the green beans are boiling over on the stove, and the other kids are dumping bins of puzzles all over the living room.  But, the second grader needs to practice regrouping triple digits just a bit more.


 
Practice regrouping three digit numbers with this 3D Outer Space math maze that kids can use for extra practice and with bilateral hand coordination.
 
 
 
 

Outer Space Maze

For kids that love all things outer space, this outer space maze is perfect for building math skills but also visual motor work.

 

My four year old and I made up this 3D Outer Space maze to practice re-grouping tens and hundreds columns in three digit numbers one day while my second grader was at school.  When she came home from school, she was all over it!


Mazes are a great way to practice skills needed in handwriting and math.  They are a puzzle for hand-eye coordination and a visual motor workout.  

Often times, kids have trouble aligning numbers in columns of ones, tens, and hundreds. A maze using hand-eye coordination like this one can help to work on that copying skill.


Materials you’ll need to make the Outer Space Maze:
(Affiliate links are included in this list and in this post.)

3D Outer Space Maze

This activity is actually a 3d Space project as well. You’ve probably seen 3D outer space projects in the past that focus on planet size, distance between planets, and rotation around the sun. Our 3D Space project is on paper, but you can also target rotation around the sun, planet size, etc.

Directions to make this 3D space project:

  1. Draw rings for planet’s orbits around the sun.  NOTE: We did this quickly and our outer space model is in NO way accurate in terms of size of planets or orbits.  Older kids could do this as a Science project.  

Practice regrouping three digit numbers with this 3D Outer Space math maze that kids can use for extra practice and with bilateral hand coordination.

 

2. Cut circles from Colored cardstock (Amazon affiliate link)
to represent planets.  
 
3. Glue them onto the orbits.

Practice regrouping three digit numbers with this 3D Outer Space math maze that kids can use for extra practice and with bilateral hand coordination.

 

4. Press Wikki Stix (Amazon affiliate link) onto the orbits and over the planets.  Try to get them to stick right through the center of each planet.  
5. Then, use the Black marker to write three digit numbers on both sides of the planets.  
 
6. Place the paper into a bin with edges and move a marble along the 3D track.  

Practice regrouping three digit numbers with this 3D Outer Space math maze that kids can use for extra practice and with bilateral hand coordination.

 

Wikki Stix Maze

 
It takes coordinated and slow movements to get the marble to stay on the track and move along the path.  
 
You can read more about Bilateral Coordination and how it’s needed in so many functional tasks through play using lacing card activities.

Practice regrouping three digit numbers with this 3D Outer Space math maze that kids can use for extra practice and with bilateral hand coordination.

 

Math Maze

 
As your child moves the marble along the path, write down the numbers.  They can add the digits and work on adding with regrouping.  
Start the marble at different spots and tilt the tray in different directions to get different numbers.
 
Adding the bilateral coordination movement to this learning task made it a fun and hands-on activity that a worksheet simply isn’t.
 

So, hopefully this idea will help your hands-on learner.  Have fun playing and learning math…until the beans boil over!


The second grade blogger team have created hands-on learning activities with an Outer Space theme.  

See what they’ve been up to:



Practice regrouping three digit numbers with this 3D Outer Space math maze that kids can use for extra practice and with bilateral hand coordination.
 
 
More hands-on math activities you will love:
 
Make a paper door to introduce concepts in first grade math like regrouping in addition. 
 
 

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.

Easiest DIY Pencil Grip Ever!

You might have seen my kids around town with this brightly colored pencil wrapped in a crazy pencil gripper.  They have a new favorite pencil and have been carting it to the karate practice waiting area, the hallways of dance lessons, and even in the wagon during our daily trips to the school bus stop.  It’s our homemade pencil grip and they are loving it!


They’ve been drawing, writing, and scribbling away with a plain old pencil that I glammed up with bright colors and a delightfully press-y DIY pencil grip.


So what makes this pencil grip so appealing?  It’s soft, it’s squishy, it’s brightly colored, and it’s got a great scent that my kids can’t get enough of.  Handwriting has never been so fun!


Make a DIY Pencil Gripper with balloons to encourage a tripod grasp and proprioceptive input during handwriting.

 

This post contains affiliate links.

Homemade Pencil Grip

If you’ve got a kiddo who needs to work on their pencil grasp, you’ve probably tried about 2,000 pencil grips that are on the market.  There are some really great ones out there.  As an Occupational Therapist who worked in schools, I’ve tried them all.  And my kids are pretty excited that I still have a nice stock of pencil grips on hand for trying out.


Not all pencil grips are the same, and many times, a pencil grip that works for one child will not work for another.  This pencil grip is fun and easy to throw together.  It’s one that you can customize for what your child needs in the way of gripping a pencil…and best of all, it costs about 25 cents to make!


This post would be a perfect fit in our 31 Days of Occupational Therapy series. Head on over to see free and inexpensive ways to work on many Occupational Therapy goal areas.

So what is it that makes this brightly colored homemade pencil grip so fun that your kids will want to carry their pencil all over town? 

Balloons!


Make a DIY Pencil Gripper with balloons to encourage a tripod grasp and proprioceptive input during handwriting.

DIY PENCIL GRIP

Simply snip off the end of the balloon and wrap it around the pencil two or three times (depending on the size balloon and pencil).  You can add one, two, or five balloons around the tip of the pencil.  The nice thing is that they can be adjusted to fit the grasp of your child.  The rubbery feedback of this DIY grip provides proprioceptive feedback when a child is pinching the pencil.  This is perfect for kids who might press to darkly or lightly on their pencil when writing.


SAFETY NOTE: This homemade pencil grip should ONLY be used with kids who are supervised and will not remove and put small items in their mouth.  Balloons are a HUGE choking hazard and this should not be an experiment if your child might pull off the balloons. Put the pencil and gripper away in a safe place when not using the pencil.  Please use your best judgement in deciding to try this pencil grip with your child.

Just watch!  With such a fun pencil grip, your kid will want to write at karate practice, dance lessons, and the bus stop!

Make a DIY Pencil Gripper with balloons to encourage a tripod grasp and proprioceptive input during handwriting.

More grip and handwriting activities that you will love:

 
As with all posts on this blog, this activity is meant to be used as a resource.  This blog and it’s author(s) are not responsible for adverse effects of this or any activity that is found on this site.  

Math Toys and Games that Build Skills

Today we have a list of math toys that are some fun occupational therapy toys that build math skills. In OT sessions, we might not teach math, specifically, but we do support individuals in IADLs such as cooking, balancing a budget, shopping, and safety (among every other area of living!). And guess what, each of these areas require a knowledge and use of math!

Amazon affiliate links are included in this blog post. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases.

WHy Math Toys?

So when math impacts function and safety, occupational therapists might come up with adaptations and modifications for the functional task. However, we can also recommend PLAY (another functional area!) as a tool to develop and target the area of math so the individual can function.

In the schools, occupaitonal therapists support the education of students. When specific math toys might build on underlying areas through movement, OTs might recommend a specific toy.

These math toy suggestions can work for educators and parents looking for multisensory learning, as well!

Math toys support fine motor STEM skills. More schools and curriculum are incorporating STEM and STEM lessons into the school environment, and math is an essential piece of that equation. Occupational therapy can appreciate this because STEM and STEAM also involves fine motor skills!

If we can combine math skills with play, AND developing areas such as working memory and fine motor skills, we have a powerful math toy!

After a long day of school, kids just do not want to practice more math facts.  Their brains are exhausted from being “on” all day, and they need to relax with movement and fun.  But sometimes, kids need extra help with practicing math concepts.  So, how can you work on important skills when the kids are just over memorizing math facts and flashcards?

 

Math Toys

 

You play!  These are the best toys and games that build math skills and are not only fun, they are going to work on math concepts.  These math activities are playful and fun and will help with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, sequencing, patterns, money, and time.  We’ve got math games to fit all ages and stages.  These are the toys I’m looking at this year and have more than a few on my shopping list!



These games and toys will sneak in the math and kids won’t even realize they are learning!

 


Toys and games for kids to build math skills: Patterns, shapes, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, time telling, and money.
 
 

Math Toys and Games

This post contains affiliate links.

Money Games and Toys
These math activities work on many skills.  When a child counts money, they work on addition and subtraction facts, mental math, and real-life practice.  These games and toys are perfect or kids who are interested in money.
 
Clumsy Thief math game (affiliate link) is a fast paced money counting game. It’s a Best Toy award winner and on our list this Christmas!
 
 
 
 

Pattern Games and Toys 

 
Teddy Bear Counting (affiliate link) is a fun patterning and counting book. It’s hands on learning in a bright and colorful book. 


Use Baby Bear Counters (affiliate link) with the book. Although, my kids are fond of using Teddy Graham Crackers (affiliate link)with this book, too!

 
 

Sequencing Games and Toys

 
The Occupational Therapist in me loves this Melissa & Doug Bead Sequencing Set (affiliate link) for it’s fine motor and extended wrist components! Kids can work on first, second, third sequencing terms while threading beads and also patterns with this wooden toy.
 

Counting and Number Toys and Games 

One of my favorite math (and fine motor) recommendations is Avalanche Fruit Stand Game. (affiliate link) Kids can count and match fruit while using tweezers on an inclined surface. It’s an Occupational Therapist’s dream tool. 

Learning Resources One To Ten Counting Cans (affiliate link)
is perfect for preschoolers who are learning one-to-one correspondence, number identification, and counting skills. 



Every child loves cookies. This Counting Cookies (affiliate link)
game builds basic math counting skills with cookies and a cookie jar. 



Mini Muffin Match Up (affiliate link) is another fine motor math game that encourages sorting, counting, and matching. 

Shape Identification Toys and Games 

This Shape Sorting Cupcakes (affiliate link)
is another preschool game that will work on beginning math skills. Kids can practice shape identification while practicing fine motor skills.

 

Addition and Subtraction Games and Toys

 
ThinkFun Math Dice Jr. (affiliate link) helps kids with mental math and subsidizing. Dice games are a favorite in our house and there is a reason why: Kids love to throw dice! But what they don’t know is that when they are counting and adding the numbers on the die, they are practicing basic math skills.


Tiggly Counts (affiliate link) is an interactive math game that is played with iPads and tablets. This game is very cool and makes math on a screen become hands-on.

Monopoly Junior (affiliate link) is great for kids aged 5-8. We just recently started playing Monopoly to work on addition and subtraction and it’s a hit!

Multiplication and Division Toys 

Sumoku (affiliate link) uses colorful tiles and requires players to figure out multiples of the number on the die.


Say Cheese (affiliate link) teaches multiplication skills in a mouse and cheese race game.

 

Time Telling Toys 

Teaching kids to tell time requires hands-on learning. This Telly the Teaching Time Clock (affiliate link) is a great beginner time telling tool and is perfect for a bedside clock for kids! (This is totally another gift I’m getting my kids this year!) 


We’ve got this Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Clock (affiliate link)
and love it for the shape puzzle and for teaching time telling concepts.
 
 

Fractions Math Toys

Learning Resources Pizza Fraction Fun (affiliate link) introduces kids to fractions and has multiple ways to play for more fraction challenges including adding and subtracting fractions. 


Work on more fraction skills with Fractions Bingo Game. (affiliate link)


Did you find some new gift ideas?  What is on your shopping list this year?