Colleen Beck, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist and the owner and author of The OT Toolbox website. She manages all of The OT Toolbox social media accounts and runs the popular newsletter.
Read about Colleen's experience and career as an occupational therapist, including how The OT Toolbox began on our About The OT Toolbox page: https://www.theottoolbox.com/about-us/
Colleen created The OT Toolbox in 2011 and since then has written thousands of blog posts designed to support therapy providers, educators, parents, counselors, admin, and caregivers in promoting the healthy development of kids.
Check out Colleen's blog posts below:
I love using coffee filter butterfly crafts in occupational therapy to work on several skill areas. The fine motor benefits are huge with this one. This coffee filter butterfly craft is a great fine motor and bilateral coordination activity for kids. If you are looking for butterfly life cycle crafts, this one is a great addition. Or, if you are seeking Spring OT activities, be sure to add this colorful fine motor butterfly craft to your list.
Why make a Coffee Filter Butterfly Craft?
One craft that hits on several skill areas is a benefit in pediatric occupational therapy sessions. This coffee filter craft is a nice one to develop skills because it works on so many areas that are covered in therapy sessions:
This was an easy set-up and fun craft we did one afternoon recently. You’ll need the following materials:
Coffee filters
Water color paints/water
A straw
Clothes pin
Pipe cleaner
String (to make a banner)
Directions to make a tie dye coffee filter butterfly
Use a paint brush to add a bit of water to the wells of a water color paint pallet. To really work on fine motor skills, use your thumb to drop water droplets into the paint tubs.
Use the straw to drip colored water from the water color paints. Then drop them onto the coffee filter. Allow the colors to blend into one another. If you add more water to the paint wells, you can transfer that water with the straw.
This version of painting a coffee filter can be a challenging fine motor task but one that really develops separation of the sides of the hands, thumb IP joint flexion, and motor planning skills.
To make this painting process easier, try using a eye dropper where the child can squeeze the end of a small dropper to draw up water from the water color wells. Another option is using a small plastic syringe to draw up watercolor paint and dropping it onto the coffee filter.
Little Guy and Big Sister both loved dropping the water into the color wells. Big Sister felt pretty good about showing her little brother how to drop the water into the color wells using her straw.
This is a great activity to work on thumb isolation and control of the thumb during fine motor activities.
Next, dip the edges of the coffee filters into the colors so the water creeps onto the edges of the coffee filter.
Other ways to add the color can use the straw end or the paint brush. This craft is nice because it can be adjusted for many different kids.
When kids drip the color on with a paintbrush, or drop color with the straw, it’s fun to try different ways to color the filters and see the colors blend together.
Next, use clothes pins to pinch the middle of the coffee filter together in the middle. This is a great hand strengthening and eye-hand coordination task.
Finally, add a pipe cleaner to the end of the clothes pin for the antenna of the coffee filter butterfly. Bend the pipe cleaner around the clothes pin and twist it up to make antenna.
If you like to create several butterflies in a variety of colors, you can clip them onto the string for an other bilateral coordination task.
They look pretty! Big Sister wanted to hang them on the ceiling of her room. We strung the butterflies on yarn and taped them to her ceiling. This would be a great way to display a whole client caseload of coffee filter butterflies and really show off those fine motor skills!
Add this butterfly craft to a butterfly theme in therapy or home programing.
These heavy work cards include a page of butterfly life cycle activities that incorporate calming heavy work activities for motor planning and proprioceptive benefits.
Or, in the Spring Fine Motor Kit, you’ll find butterfly and caterpillar activities that are designed to build a variety of fine motor manipulation, dexterity, and strengthening tasks.
Spring Fine Motor Kit
Score Fine Motor Tools and resources and help kids build the skills they need to thrive!
Developing hand strength, dexterity, dexterity, precision skills, and eye-hand coordination skills that kids need for holding and writing with a pencil, coloring, and manipulating small objects in every day task doesn’t need to be difficult. The Spring Fine Motor Kit includes 100 pages of fine motor activities, worksheets, crafts, 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.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with engaging and skill-building activities is a fun way to support child development while incorporating a festive theme. At The OT Toolbox, we believe in using hands-on activities to promote fine motor skills, sensory exploration, and movement, all while keeping therapy sessions fun and engaging. Incorporating St. Patrick’s Day occupational therapy activities into your lesson plans or therapy sessions can help children develop essential skills through play and creativity. It’s a therapy theme that’s fun and functional!
From shamrock fine motor activities and leprechaun-themed crafts to rainbow gross motor games (and other rainbow activities), or a fun pot-of-gold sensory play, this page is filled with creative ways to target developmental skills in a fun and meaningful way. Whether you’re working on cutting skills with shamrock templates (find them inside The OT Toolbox membership!), strengthening hand muscles with leprechaun bead stringing, or encouraging movement through treasure hunts, these St. Patrick’s Day OT activities offer something for every child to enjoy while supporting their growth and independence.
Because we love focusing on fine motor skills through play, that means we get to have fun and get creative in our occupational therapy sessions with fun crafts, sensory bins, play-based obstacle courses and more!
Looking for St. Patrick’s Day activities to work on skills in therapy sessions that use a St. Patrick’s day theme? Here, you’ll find four leaf clover activities, rainbow activities, St. Patrick’s Day crafts, snacks, and more. Use these ideas to foster child development of functional skills using a fun theme.
St. Patrick’s Day ideas for Therapy
How is it March already?? We’ve got lion-like weather yet again around here, but spring, rainbows, and lamb-weather are on the horizon, Yay for warmer weather!
These St. Patrick’s Day theme activities and ideas are great for planning therapy sessions based on four leaf clovers, shamrocks, leprechauns, and pot of gold fun. It’s time to get in a spring-like mood and a fun little themed play date or preschool party sounds like just the thing Check out the ideas below for green-themed party ideas for the kids.
St. Patrick’s Day Theme in therapy
Having a weekly theme in your therapy sessions makes planning much easier. Each St Patrick’s Day activity can be adjusted to meet different levels and functional goal area depending on the kids that therapists are serving.
Check out all of the St. Patrick’s Day theme activities below. You’ll find resources for teletherapy, fine motor, gross motor, crafts, and more. If St. Patrick’s Day ideas for kindergarten, preschool, or specific age groups are what you’re looking for, you are in luck.
St. Patrick’s Day PDFs
Feeling lucky for some last minute St. Patty’s day treats? These materials are all click and go. You can download the St. Patrick’s Day PDFs, print them off, and start using to develop fine motor skills, visual perception, handwriting, and more.
You’ll find shamrocks, clovers, and rainbow activities that kids will love:
There are more free St. Patrick’s Day activities and downloads below, too. We’ve sorted these out by free slide decks, and activity areas.
St. Patrick’s Day theme therapy slide decks
Try these St. Patrick’s Day therapy activities in the format of a free Google slide deck. Therapists can go through the slides with the clients on their caseload and foster development of goal areas.
St. Patrick’s Day Write and Sign slide deck– Work on handwriting with these writing prompt activities. Then use ASL to sign the words, building fine motor dexterity, coordination, finger isolation, and motor planning.
Shamrock Visual Perception slide deck– This slide deck includes 7 different visual perception activities. Kids can move the pieces on the slide decks to work on areas such as visual discrimination, visual attention, visual scanning, and much more.
Four Leaf Clover Balance Exercises– Go through the slides and follow the exercises as kids are challenged to balance a pillow or beanbag in different ways (a stuffed animal or roll of socks works too!). Encourage coordination, motor planning, core strength, proprioceptive input, and more.
Rainbow Visual Motor Activities slide deck– Working on handwriting, but the underlying issue of copying forms and visual motor integration is an issue? Kids can copy simple-to-complex rainbow forms and work on pencil control, eye-hand coordination, and more.
More St. Patrick’s day Ideas
St. Patrick’s Day Party Snacks for Kids
To really build fine motor skills and executive functioning in kids, have them make these healthy rainbow snacks. There is a lot of skill-building to happen in the kitchen.
St. Patrick’s Day Songs for Kids
Get the party started with some Leprechaun Songs for St. Patrick’s Day from Let’s Play Music. Wouldn’t these be fun songs to sit the kids in a circle for a preschool sing-a-long?
St. Patrick’s Day Printable Pages for Kids
Set up a little table with some print outs to keep the kids busy and having fun with friends. Scatter a box of crayons and a pile of printable sheets on a little picnic table are all you need.
Cutting strips of paper or foam craft sheets are great fine motor work for beginner scissor users. If you are looking for St. Patrick’s Day activities for kindergarten and preschool ages, have kids cut strips of colorful paper like we did in this rainbow window activity.
St. Patrick’s Day Games and Activities for Kids
If sensory play is your thing, a green rice sensory bin would be so much fun…throw a sheet down on the floor (or a baby pool set up indoors would work, too!) and let the kids in on the sensory fun with 3 Rainbow Sensory Bins!
Rainbow Handwriting Kit– This resource pack includes handwriting sheets, write the room cards, color worksheets, visual motor activities, and so much more. The handwriting kit includes:
Write the Room, Color Names: Lowercase Letters
Write the Room, Color Names: Uppercase Letters
Write the Room, Color Names: Cursive Writing
Copy/Draw/Color/Cut Color Worksheets
Colors Roll & Write Page
Color Names Letter Size Puzzle Pages
Flip and Fill A-Z Letter Pages
Colors Pre-Writing Lines Pencil Control Mazes
This handwriting kit now includes a bonus pack of pencil control worksheets, 1-10 fine motor clip cards, visual discrimination maze for directionality, handwriting sheets, and working memory/direction following sheet! Valued at $5, this bonus kit triples the goal areas you can work on in each therapy session or home program.
Use these St. Patrick’s day theme ideas in working on fine motor skills with kids. Amazon links included below.
6 Fine Motor Activities Using Gold Coins– This printable handout on 6 fine motor activities using coins strengthens those fine motor skills using just a handful of coins. We used plastic gold coins in our activity, but you could use pennies as well.
Shamrock Balance Beam– Cut out shamrocks from paper and use them to make a balance beam to incorporate core strength, coordination, vestibular input, and more.
Finger Isolation Clover Fingerprints– Got paint? Use it to make fun fingerprint 4 leaf clovers and work on finger isolation, separation of the sides of the hand, eye-hand coordination, and more. This would be fun with homemade puffy paints, too (just need flour & water).
Bilateral Coordination Clover Activity– Stick a piece of paper to the wall and draw symmetrical clovers to work on bilateral coordination, visual tracking, visual motor integration, and more.
Four Leaf Clover Deep Breathing Exercise & Coloring Page– Take mindful coloring to the next level with this deep breathing exercise. Kids can color and then use the printout as a deep breathing exercise over and over again.
St. Patrick’s Day Gross Motor Activities
Next up are gross motor activities for a St. Patrick’s Day theme in occupational therapy sessions.
My main favorite activity to address balance, coordination, and motor planning in OT sessions is by creating a shamrock balance beam. You can challenge a variety of skills like walking on tip toes, balancing on one foot, stooping and squatting, and more.
Carry the gold (balance small objects while walking)
Shamrock sack race
Crawling through a rainbow tunnel
Tossing golden coins into a target
Frog jumps over shamrocks
Pot-of-gold bowling using green bottles as pins
Treasure hunt with clues requiring gross motor actions
Parachute games with gold coins or green balloons
Leprechaun chase game (tag with a St. Patrick’s Day twist)
St. Patrick’s Day Fine Motor Activities
We can incorporate fine motor development into therapy sessions in a lot of different ways. Things like using fake gold coins is one favorite idea. You can check out our:
Stringing rainbow-colored beads to make a necklace
Cutting out shamrock shapes from paper
Tearing green tissue paper to create a collage
Using clothespins to clip gold coins onto a string
Tracing and decorating shamrocks with glitter glue
Placing stickers on a rainbow outline
Rolling and shaping playdough into leprechaun hats
Transferring small pom-poms with tongs to a pot of gold
Threading pipe cleaners through a colander to make a rainbow
Pinching and placing small sequins onto a leprechaun craft
Folding paper to make origami four-leaf clovers
Punching holes along the edges of a shamrock to lace with yarn
Peeling and sticking gold star stickers onto a chart
Squeezing a glue bottle to make a rainbow craft
Using Q-tips to paint tiny gold coins
Stamping shamrocks with small sponges
Sorting and placing mini rainbow erasers into sections of an ice cube tray
Using a dropper to transfer green-colored water into a container
Scrunching tissue paper to create a textured rainbow craft
St. Patrick Sensory Bins
The nice thing about a sensory bin is that you can target so many goal areas- work on tactile discrimination. Address crossing midline. Work on attention or visual motor skills. Here are some of our favorite St. Patrick’s Day sensory bin ideas:
Kinetic sand with small St. Patrick’s Day-themed molds
Cotton balls and rainbow-colored pom-poms for a cloud and gold treasure hunt
Dry split peas with hidden letters or numbers for a matching game
Green slime with gold glitter and mini plastic coins
Dry oatmeal with rainbow-colored scoops and spoons
Rainbow-colored sensory foam with hidden gold gems
Green playdough with shamrock cookie cutters and small rolling pins
Crinkle paper or tissue paper squares in rainbow colors with tongs for fine motor play
Water with floating green and gold sensory items
Dyed salt with paintbrushes for tracing letters and shamrocks
Cornmeal or flour “gold dust” with hidden treasure items
Cotton balls with peppermint extract for a “lucky cloud” bin
Ice cubes with frozen gold coins for a melting treasure hunt
Cereal rainbow (Froot Loops) with scoops and tongs for sorting
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.
Creating a simple heart craft is a fun and engaging way to support fine motor skill development while celebrating Valentine’s Day. It’s a great addition to your Valentine’s Day Occupational therapy activity ideas! As occupational therapists, we believe in using hands-on activities to help children build important skills through play and creativity.
Incorporating an easy heart craft into therapy sessions, classrooms, or at home can encourage children to strengthen their hand muscles, improve coordination, and practice scissor skills, while making something festive and fun.
From construction paper heart projects to cut folded paper designs, this page is filled with simple Valentine’s Day crafts for preschoolers that support fine motor development. Whether you’re looking for a heart craft to help with cutting skills, hand strength, or coordination, this activity is a great way to promote learning while celebrating the holiday with creativity.
We have other heart crafts here on the website you’ll want to check out, too.
Cutting a paper heart
Before we get into the craft, let’s talk about how a simple paper heart craft is an easy way to work on skills in an occupational therapy session.
I love to use an easy craft like, just cutting construction paper into a heart shape because we are working on so many areas! This activity naturally promotes scissor skills, as children must carefully hold and manipulate scissors to follow a curved cutting line.
Cutting along a folded edge provides a visual and tactile guide, helping children develop control and precision while strengthening the muscles in their hands. You can make the lines bold or thin. You can use thick or thinner paper…there are so many ways to individualize this one craft, which is perfect for the busy school based OT.
Additionally, bilateral coordination is required as one hand stabilizes the paper while the other operates the scissors, reinforcing the ability to use both hands together in a coordinated manner. This carries over into daily tasks like dressing, handwriting, and using utensils.
Beyond cutting, the act of folding the paper before cutting works on pinch strength and hand dexterity. Pressing the paper together and making a crease encourages children to use their fingertips and develop the small muscles of the hand, which are important for fine motor control.
Occupational therapists can use this easy heart craft as a tool to address different areas of need by adapting the activity to the child’s skill level. For children with weaker hand strength, using thinner paper or assisting with the fold can make the task more accessible, while those needing more of a challenge can try folding multiple layers or cutting intricate designs. By incorporating this simple craft into therapy sessions, school activities, or home play, therapists, parents, and teachers can provide a fun and engaging way to build foundational motor skills in a meaningful and festive way.
Are you getting ready for Valentine’s day? Maybe putting together a few ideas for next week or just enjoying the pretty pink pictures (is Valentine’s Day reeeeally a holiday??) maybe you are looking for a few Valentine’s Day activities to use in occupational therapy.
Either way, you have to admit…the hearts, love, and kindness is pretty contagious! We’ve been having fun doing a few Valentines Day activities and this Sparkle Heart Craft was no exception. Valentine’s Day Activities are just FUN. This one was scented and smelled as pretty as it looked.
Paper Heart Craft
We started with a few supplies:
craft paper to cover the table (this was essential with this craft!)
Pomegranate Bath Salt (optional) You could also use glitter or skip this step all together.
I cut a few hearts from the construction paper. Baby Girl did this craft with me and she was excited to see the hearts.
I poured a little of the pomegranate bath salts into a little cup. They smelled SO good! This craft was turning sensory already.
Next, I used the glue to draw a couple of hearts and showed Baby Girl how to sprinkle the salts on the glue. She was hooked!
She LOVED this activity! She squeezed the glue and drew all kinds of decorations on our red hearts. Sprinkling the bath salts was a great way to encourage pincer grasp.
There were also times when she transitioned to a tripod grasp to sprinkle the glitter. Using the pointer finger, middle finger, and thumb to grasp with the ring and pinkie fingers tucked into the palm is a tripod grasp. She sprinkled the salts all over the glue. I had to cut more hearts because she wanted to keep making more and more sparkly hearts!
Valentine’s Day Craft with Fine Motor Skills
This craft worked on tripod grasp by sprinkling the bath salts (with a great scent!) and gross grasp of the hand when squeezing the glue bottle. This was a great activity for little hands!
Looking for more Valentine’s Day activities? You may also like Valentine’s Day Goop Painting for more sensory and fine motor fun!
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.
If you are an occupational therapist like me, then you know the power of using play tunnels in an occupational therapy obstacle course. The heavy work input provided by crawling through a tunnel is unmatched, especially when we use it as a warm up to fine motor tasks or functional activities.
Let me explain…
How Play Tunnels Help Kids
Play tunnels are one of the best tools for therapy as you can work on so many skills if you just put a little creativity into it. Tunnel activities simply invite kiddo fun and engagement while working on very important skill development across a spectrum of areas. You can use fabric tunnels or nylon, pop-up tunnels depending on the skills you want to address with tunnel play. With a little imagination you can build your own DIY tunnels too!
Tunnel for Occupational Therapy
There is a reason why OTs love using tunnels in occupational therapy sessions!
Keep reading to get some play tunnel ideas using different materials. For home-based therapists, DIY tunnels are a great tool for families to use in the home environment providing an opportunity for a fun and easy to implement home-based program. Some of these tunnel activities for babies and tunnel activities for toddlers can be used to address specific needs through play.
They also like to use tunnels for sensory needs such as vestibular and proprioceptive input. In the simplest of terms, the vestibular sense is known as the movement sense telling us where our body is in space, while the proprioceptive sense is known as the deep pressure sense telling us the direction, speed, and extent of our body movement in space.
These senses are important to help a child develop balance, body awareness, understand the position of their body in space as well as knowing how much speed and pressure their bodies are exerting when completing an activity or moving within their environment.
Adding a play tunnel into sensory diet activities to meet a variety of needs. It’s an easy way to encourage sensory input in the school environment, home, or clinic.
So, you may be asking, how can
children gather vestibular input from tunnel time activities? You can have
children roll within the tunnel, perform various body movements such as forward
and backward crawling, balancing on all fours while simply crawling through the
tunnel, slither on their backs, or have them crawl in the tunnel placed on top
of cushions and pillows.
These activities are great for supporting the development of crawling in babies and toddlers, especially because we end up seeing challenges down the road for kids that skip crawling. Here’s what an OT has to say about types of crawling.
Proprioceptive input can be obtained while the child is bearing weight on the upper and lower extremities during crawling providing input to the joints and muscles. They can push objects through the tunnel such as large therapy balls or large pillows, army crawl through the tunnel, and shaking the tunnel while child is inside can provide valuable proprioceptive input.
By using a play tunnel to address proprioception to improve body awareness, the proprioceptive sense allows us to position our bodies just so in order to enable our hands, eyes, ears, and other parts to perform actions or jobs at any given moment. Proprioception activities help with body awareness. Using a fabric tunnel that is snug against the body can provide good input which can also have a calming effect for some children.
Play tunnel activities
When using a tunnel, you can work on
other skills that address multiple areas for children. Try some of these fun
tunnel time activities:
Play Connect Four with pieces on one end and the game played on the other end.
Assemble puzzles with pieces on one end and then transported through the tunnel to the other end.
Clothespins attached on end to transport and place on the other end. You can use clothespins with letters to spell words.
Push a large ball or pillow through the tunnel.
Crawl backwards from one end to the other.
Slither through the tunnel (rocking body left and right) to get from one end to the other.
Scoot through the tunnel using hands and feet or even crab walk through the tunnel.
Recall letters, shapes, or words from one end and highlight on paper at the other end.
Recall a series of steps to complete a task at the other end.
Blow a cotton ball or pom-pom ball through the tunnel. Kids love this to see how many they can blow in a timed fashion.
With pennies on one end, have child transport them to the other end to insert into a bank. You can even give them the pennies at end of the session if you want.
Push a car through the tunnel to drive it and park it at the other end.
Build a Lego structure by obtaining blocks at one end of the tunnel and transporting to the other end to build.
Intermittently crawl through the tunnel and lie within one end to work on a drawing or handwriting activity. This is just a different and motivating way to encourage handwriting practice.
Crawl over pillows or cushions placed inside or outside of the tunnel.
Use a flashlight and crawl through the tunnel gathering specific beads that have been placed inside to string at the other end of the tunnel. You could work on spelling words with letter beads or simply just string regular beads.
Place Mat Man body pieces at one end and have child obtain pieces per verbal directive and then crawl through the tunnel to build at the other end.
tunnel activities for preschoolers
Ok, so for the preschool age range, let’s come up with tunnel activities for preschoolers that support development at this stage.
Crawl through a tunnel while holding a puzzle piece like a letter from an alphabet puzzle. Then they can place the puzzle piece in the puzzle when they get through the tunnel.
Set up an obstacle course with tunnels to crawl through
Crawl through a tunnel to match objects or sort colors. I like using blocks to sort into baskets.
Pretend the tunnel is a cave or secret hideout during imaginative play.
tunnel activity for toddlers
Next up are some of my favorite tunnel activities for toddlers. These also help to support development at the toddler stage.
Crawl through a fabric or pop-up tunnel
Push a toy car or ball through a tunnel
Play peek-a-boo at each end of the tunnel
Roll a ball back and forth through the tunnel
Crawl to retrieve objects placed inside the tunnel. I like to pair this idea with our ball in a muffin tin activity.
Next, I want to share some DIY play tunnel ideas because as occupational therapists, we are always coming up with fun play ideas using everyday materials!
DIY Play TUnnel Ideas
So, as mentioned previously, what if
you don’t have a tunnel or you want to create one within a home for developing
a home-based program? Well, make one! How can you do this? Read on for a few
fun ideas.
Create a tunnel by crawling under tables or chairs.
Create a tunnel in the hallway with use of pool noodles. Bend them over in an arch to fit or simply cut them down to size to slide directly between the walls.
Use large foam connecting mats and assemble a tunnel.
Use tape or yarn and string to alternating walls down a hallway to crawl under.
Use sturdy pieces of foam board positioned or connected together to make a tunnel.
Use an elongated cardboard box. Sometimes you can get large boxes at an appliance, hardware, or retail store.
Stretch a sheet or blanket over furniture and crawl.
Simply place a sheet or blanket on the floor and have child crawl under it (a heavier blanket works well).
Place a therapy mat inside a series of hula hoops.
Use PVC pipe to build a tunnel. Add sensory items to the PVC frame to create a fun sensory element to the crawling experience. One such tunnel was built by my wonderful fieldwork student, Huldah Queen, COTA/L in 2016. See the picture below.
Sew a fabric tunnel (if you have that skill).
Use pop up clothes hampers connected together after cutting out the bottoms.
Simulate tunnel crawling with simple animal walks or moves.
Tunnel activities can facilitate
child engagement while providing an optimal skill development setting. Tunnel time can address gross motor and
sensory needs while also incorporating other activities making tunnel time a
skill building powerhouse tool. Incorporate fun fine motor and visual motor
activities to make tunnel time a “want to do” activity every time!
Regina Parsons-Allen is a school-based certified occupational therapy assistant. She has a pediatrics practice area of emphasis from the NBCOT. She graduated from the OTA program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina with an A.A.S degree in occupational therapy assistant. She has been practicing occupational therapy in the same school district for 20 years. She loves her children, husband, OT, working with children and teaching Sunday school. She is passionate about engaging, empowering, and enabling children to reach their maximum potential in ALL of their occupations as well assuring them that God loves them!
I am SO excited about this challenge. What is the Pencil Grasp Challenge? Well, if you know a child who struggles with pencil grasp, holds the pencil with a tight or inefficient grip, uses all of their fingers to hold a pencil, or writes with an awkward grasp, the Pencil Grasp Challenge is for you!
We’ve updated this challenge to add more resources and tools to promote functional pencil grasp for efficient and legible handwriting. Here’s what’s new…
We amped up the resources and added data collection and observation tools, the Pencil Grasp Play Book, the Pencil Grasp Bundle so you can continue to work on the areas impacting handwriting, and added a certificate of completion for this challenge.
If you are a member and access the challenge through your membership, or purchase the paid challenge, it INCLUDES a certificate of completion for 1.2 contact hours!
Challenge Includes:
Five lessons that break down pencil grasp into actionable activities
Five Activities based on underlying skills needed for a functional pencil grasp
Five Observation Sheets and Data Collection Sheets to track progress on the underlying areas that make up a functional pencil grasp
Challenge Intro Workbook
Pencil Grasp Play Book- Play-based activities and checklists to foster pencil grasp and fine motor skills ($8 value)
Pencil Grasp Bundle ($42 value)
Certificate of Completion for 1.2 contact hours!
These items are not included in the free email version of this challenge: Observation Sheets for each activity, Data Collection sheets, Pencil Grasp Play Book and Pencil Grasp Bundle. You can get these resources only in the paid version of the challenge or in the membership.What You’ll Learn:
Why behaviors and big emotions affect learning and participation.
The connection between emotions, the fight-flight-freeze response, and self-regulation challenges.
The role of heavy work, proprioceptive input, and whole-body movements in supporting regulation.
How to teach deep breathing techniques to hijack anxiety and promote calm.
Practical ways to integrate self-regulation tools into classroom settings.
In this 5 lesson challenge, I’ll be teaching everything you need to know about the skills that make us a functional pencil grasp. You’ll learn what’s going on behind the inefficient and just plain terrible pencil grasps you see everyday in the classroom, clinic, or home. Along with loads of information, you’ll gain quick, daily activities that you can do today with a student or your own child. These are easy activities that use items you probably already have in your home right now.
The Pencil Grasp Challenge is a comprehensive, self-paced online course designed to equip occupational therapy practitioners, educators, and caregivers with practical strategies to address this critical need.
Let me tell you a little more about the challenge.
PENCIL GRASP CHALLENGE
If you already signed up, be sure to check your email, because I have some surprises there for you and access to our private community.
If you haven’t sighted up yet, but want to, find the link to join us below.
What is the Pencil Grasp Challenge?
The pencil grasp challenge is a 5 day mini course and challenge. During the course of five days, I’ll be teaching everything you need to know about the skills that make us a functional pencil grasp.
You’ll learn what’s going on behind the inefficient and just plain terrible pencil grasps you see everyday in the classroom, clinic, or home. Along with loads of information, you’ll gain quick, daily activities that you can do today with a kiddo you know and love.
These are easy activities that use items you probably already have in your home right now.
Besides learning and gaining a handful (pun intended) of fun ideas to make quick wins in pencil grasp work, you’ll gain free printable handouts that you can use to share with your team or with a parent/fellow teacher.
You’ll get access to printable challenge sheets, and a few other fun surprises. And, possibly the best of all, you’ll get access to a secret challengers Facebook group, where you can share wins, chat about all things pencil grasp, and join a community of other therapists, parents and teachers working on pencil grasp issues. This is going to be fun!
If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up now, because we’re gearing up for a fun week in the pencil grasp Facebook group.
More about the challenge
This challenge has been a yearly challenge for the last three years.
The Pencil Grasp Challenge started because on The OT Toolbox, we have had many questions on handwriting and pencil grasp. Parents, teachers, and therapists have questions on concepts such as:
How do I fix pencil grasp?
What is an appropriate pencil grasp?
How does pencil grasp develop?
What is a functional pencil grasp?
How does pencil grasp impact handwriting?
I need handwriting help! Where do I begin?
When is it developmentally appropriate to work on pencil grasp?
My child/student has a terrible pencil grasp! What do I do?
As a result, I have A LOT of handwriting and fine motor activities here on The OT Toolbox website. A lot of those activities are perfect for developing a functional and efficient pencil grasp. The Pencil Grasp Challenge started as I had an idea to create a challenge of fine motor activities to boost the skills kids need for strong and efficient hands, so they can hold and manipulate a pencil without difficulty. I started using #pencilgraspchallenge hashtag on my Instagram posts for those activities, with the intention to start this challenge with all of you.
In fact, go ahead and check out #pencilgraspchallenge on Instagram…you’ll find loads of fun fine motor activities designed specifically to build the skills needed for a better pencil grasp.
Enter the Pencil Grasp Challenge!
Get ready because The Pencil Grasp Challenge is making a comeback, and this year, it’s bigger and better than ever! Over the years, we’ve offered a free email challenge, but this time, we’ve taken it to the next level.
We’ve ramped up the lessons, added essential observation and data collection tools, and included not one but TWO incredible resources—the Pencil Grasp Bundle and the Pencil Grasp Play Book. Plus, for the first time ever, participants can earn a certificate of completion for 1.2 contact hours, making this challenge a must-have for professionals looking to enhance their skills.
How to Join the Pencil Grasp Challenge
We’re offering three flexible options so you can choose the one that best fits your needs:
1. Best Value: Purchase the Course for Just $25!
If you’re not a member yet, now is the perfect time to grab this exclusive offer. For just $25, you’ll receive:
All challenge materials, including the observation & data collection tools,
The comprehensive Pencil Grasp Bundle,
The Pencil Grasp Play Book,
And a certificate of completion for 1.2 contact hours.
Want to try the challenge without the extras? Join our free email course to participate in the core challenge. While you won’t receive the premium resources (such as the observation tools, play book, or certificate), it’s still a great way to improve fine motor skills.
👉 Join the free challenge below by entering your email address into the form.
Why Join the Pencil Grasp Challenge?
This challenge is fun, actionable, and effective, making it perfect for parents, teachers, and therapists looking to support children’s handwriting development. You’ll be amazed at how quickly fine motor skills improve with these targeted activities.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to take your handwriting skills to the next level. Whether you’re a professional or a parent supporting your child, there’s an option for everyone.
Join today and see the difference for yourself!
Want to join us in helping kids achieve a better, functional pencil grasp that works for them? Enter your email address into the form below. This is the free email version of the course:
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.
There are certain times during the school year when indoor recess becomes a must. When the temperatures are below freezing or there is constant rain, i seems like there are days on end of indoor recess. We wanted to put together a list of indoor recess activities that can support attention spans and keep kids from wreaking a classroom.
Recess is a must for moving and getting the brain breaks needed for learning. It’s a sensory coping tool built right into the school day!
Indoor Recess Activities
Looking for indoor recess ideas? Below, you’ll find winter indoor games and activities to add to the recess line up when it’s too cold to go outdoors for recess. We’ve tried to come up with indoor recess games for older kids AND indoor recess ideas for kindergarten and the younger grades.
Some of these ideas work well with traditional indoor recess group activities, and others are better suited for socially distancing during indoor recess, while still allowing kids to move! All of the inside recess ideas can be used to add activity and movement when it’s raining or too cold for outdoor recess!
Indoor recess activities can use materials you have in the classroom like games. Sometimes just rotating games during these days helps.
Other ideas use crayons from the student’s desk and a stack of paper. The goal is to curtail the mess but also allow kids to get up and move.
Indoor Recess Winter Activities for Kids
Here are more ways to get the kids moving this time of year:
This time of year can be a real struggle for kids. They’ve got a long school day, where it’s too cold to go outside for recess. Many are on screens during much of that day, especially if schooling is done virtually or at home with distance learning.
After school brings continued cold temps and an followed by coming home to an early sunset. Not to mention, many kids have after-school activities scheduled. It’s no wonder that kids are less active than ever before.
Because of this, I wanted to share these indoor recess ideas that can be used to add activity, motor planning, visual motor skills, midline crossing, and general movement!
1. Turn on the music and have a Crossing Gross Motor March. Crossing Midline is a developmental ability that is important for so many gross motor tasks. When a child has difficulty with crossing midline, they may demonstrate inefficiency with other areas like fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, hand dominance, self-care, reading, handwriting, and so many other areas. This can be done in a socially distanced format in a well-spaced out area such as a gym or hallway. And, for our virtual learners, this activity is fun for the whole family.
2. Add proprioceptive and vestibular input with an Indoor Skating activity! All you need for this activity is a pile of paper plates or old tissue boxes. If you have a carpeted area in the classroom, this can be a great way to identify a space for indoor ice skating during indoor recess. Add specific moves and have kids copy the ice skating moves to really incorporate motor planning and direction following.
3. Do the Hokey Pokey. Need some fresh ideas when it comes to the classic hokey pokey? Try playing “Snow-key Pokey” with a snowman theme. Just label the various body parts a snowman would have. For example: Snow cap, stick arms, boots, snow bottom, etc.
4. Animal Races- Gather a group of kids and have relay races in the hallway or gymnasium area. Kids can split into two teams and race against one another. Each child will need to come up with an animal walk as they race back to tag another person on their team. Some animal walk ideas include: donkey kicks, penguin waddles, bear walks, crab walks, frog jumps, elephant walks, snake slithers, etc.
5. Arctic Animal Yoga- Add animal walks with an artic theme. These would go perfectly with an animal theme and add the bonus of calming stretches. They are a great movement break during the day, use at circle time, morning meeting, free time or for use during stations. These cards are fun for use during physical education or in group/individual physical and occupational therapy. They are a great way to add simple movement into the day which we know is essential for learning and concentration. Use them with an arctic unit! These polar bear gross motor therapy activities can be used as a winter brain break or recess activity.
6. Freeze Dance- Turn on YouTube and dance to the music. When the music stops, everyone needs to FREEZE!
7. Charades- Ask each student to write on a slip of paper a character, animal, or object. Combine themes from the curriculum, favorite books, or movies. Students can act out the people or objects on the cards while the rest of the class guesses what the student is describing with movement.
8. Indoor Balance Beam- Try some of these indoor balance beams using everyday items or a roll of painters tape. There are so many benefits to using balance beams. It’s a fun way to break up indoor recess into centers, too.
9. Ribbon Wand Dance- Make a handful of DIY ribbon wands and sneak in some gross motor skills and movement by dancing to music.
10. Indoor Gross Motor Game- Get the whole class involved in gross motor play with jumping, hopping, and more with this Dinosaur Gross Motor Game uses mini dinosaur figures. Grab the free printable game spinner and activity here.
12. Play the Four Corners Classroom Game– Add movement and sneak in some auditory processing work with this fun game shared over on The Game Gal.
13. Who Am I Game- The kids can write down book and movie characters on a sticky note and stick it to their forehead. They can ask other students questions as they move around the room, trying to figure out who they “are”!
11. Winter Toothpick Art– Use the Winter Fine Motor Kit materials to get kids moving with the toothpick art activities. These can be used on cardboard or a carpeted area to help kids build fine motor strength and tripod grasp.
12. Winter Crumble Art- This is another fun fine motor activity for indoor recess. Use bits of tissue paper or crumbled up construction paper to create a winter picture. These sheets are in the Winter Fine Motor Kit, too.
Quiet indoor games for the classroom
If you need quit games or activities kids can do in the classroom without a lot of gross motor movement like charades or yoga, pull out the crayons. Here are some ideas to try during indoor recess:
Tic Tac Toe Tournament
DIY Pictionary
Paper Dolls
Paper Snowflakes
Doodle Relay
Fold-and-Pass Story Drawing
Crayon Rubbing Art
Origami with Notebook Paper
Connect the Dots Challenge
Crayon Resist Art
Grid Drawing Challenge
Paper Chain Contest
Draw Your Favorite Animal
DIY Board Game Design
Collaborative Mural
Symmetry Drawing
Maze Creation
Hidden Picture Challenge
Letter Art Contest
Create a Comic Strip
Crayon Texture Collage
How do you make indoor recess fun?
What ideas to you have in your toolbox for an indoor recess that allows kids to move?
I hope these ideas are helpful in creating opportunities for movement and activity during these indoor recess months at school!
The Winter Fine Motor Kit has materials to print-and-go, including arctic animal finger puppets to develop finger isolation, toothpick art activities with winter themes, crumble art pages, coloring and pencil control activities for building strength and endurance in the hands. All of these materials are included in a 100 page packet with winter themes: snowmen, mittens, snowflakes, penguins, polar bears, arctic animals, 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.
Have you ever used pencil grasp toys to support development of handwriting? Helping kids with pencil grasp can be a challenge, so using motivating and fun activities to support the underlying skill areas is essential. Today, we’re going over the best occupational therapy toys that target pencil grasp development. Pencil grasp toys to challenge precision, dexterity, endurance, separation of the sides of the hand, and other skills needed for a functional pencil grasp. All of this can happen through play using toys to support stronger hands by focusing on grasp pattern development through play!
Amazon affiliate links are included in this blog post. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Recently, we shared fine motor toy ideas and then gross motor toys. Both of these areas are closely related to a functional pencil grasp, so be sure to check out those toy suggestions, too.
Pencil Grasp Toys
We love coming up with fun play and craft activities designed to work on the development of an efficient grasp. Being the season of gifting to others, we thought it would be fun to bring you our top recommended toys to work on tripod grasp, intrinsic muscle strength, rotation of the pencil while handwriting, and an open thumb web space.
Children who have difficulty with handwriting may completely HATE to work on letter formation and pencil grip. Why not gift them with a fun toy this holiday that will work on the developmental skills necessary to improve their grip on the pencil? Make the exercise fun as they PLAY their way to a better pencil grasp!
Handwriting is more than just pencil grasp! Manipulating a pencil to write letters and numbers has a lot to do with visual perceptual skills. You’ll find easy and fun ways to work on visual perceptual skills through play here.
Coming up with this list, we thought about the skills needed for an appropriate pencil grasp and age-appropriate handwriting. This toy gift guide is broken down into toys that will help with different sets of problem areas when it comes to a poor pencil grasp.
Let’s take a closer look at toy suggestions for these areas:
Toys for Tripod Grasp
Toys for an Open Thumb Web Space
Toys for Hand Strength
Toys for Extended Wrist
Toys for Tripod Grasp
Tripod grasp: The most efficient way to hold the pencil when writing is with a dynamic tripod grasp. While not necessary…a functional grasp works, too…a tripod grasp is a term we’ve probably all heard described before. So WHAT is a tripod grasp?
A Tripod grasp starts with a nice round circle made with the thumb and index finger. The pencil is pinched with the tips of the thumb and index finger and held close to the point of the pencil. The pencil is resting on and assisted by the middle finger. The ring finger and pinky fingers are tucked into the palm. All movement should happen with the fingers and thumb. The wrist and arm should not move while writing, coloring, or drawing.
Often times, new pencil and crayon users will hold the writing utensil in a different way. You might see four fingers opposing the thumb to hold the pencil. You might see the pencil positioned in the knuckles between the index and middle fingers. Maybe they hold the pencil away from the tip where the lead is and instead hold it in the middle of the pencil shaft. There are SO many variations of awkward and inefficient pencil grasps. If your little hand writer is showing some version that affects their letter formation and pencil control, try a few of these fun toys…
A few toys that help to encourage a tripod grasp:
Light Brite: (affiliate link) Picking up and manipulating those little colored pegs encourage a tripod grasp. Pushing them through the paper and into the holes is a great resistive exercise…disguised as FUN!
We have this Lite Brite Flatscreen – Red (affiliate link) from Hasbro and love making pictures with the pegs! When the child holds the pegs in his hand, it’s a great way to encourage the ring finger and pinkie finger in a tucked position. Show your child how to pick up a handful of pegs and “squirrel them away” in their palm while they push one peg into the board. What a great fine motor exercise! Not to mention, the dots of the guide paper is a great visual motor activity…so important in handwriting!
Lacing Cards: (affiliate link) Lacing cards are a great way to encourage a tripod grasp. This set of Lacing Shapes (affiliate link) from Patch Products come in simple shapes with bold colors. The child must hold the tip of the string in a dynamic tripod grasp to push through the holes of the card. If your child has their thumb squashed up against their index finger while threading the cards, be sure to show them how to make a nice round circle for an easier time.
Peg Boards: (affiliate link) Grasping pegs encourage a tripod grasp especially while pushing them into the holes of a peg board. Here are homemade pegboard ideas and even a precision pegboard you can make using perler beads (see below).
Spike the Fine Motor Hedge Hog– (affiliate link) This fine motor toy builds a stronger tripod grasp, and when positioned appropriately, can place the wrist into an extended position, too. This helps to further refine precision movements for accuracy and dexterity. These are great skills to carry over to pencil control and pencil movements during handwriting tasks.
Learning Resources 3 Prong Tong– (affiliate link) This tong tool promotes a better grasp on objects…but only if the hand is positioned correctly. If you allow kids to just pick up the 3 prong tongs and start using them, they likely will position the tong into their hand with a gross grasp, or by using all of the fingers along the length of the prong. This can actually strengthen the wrong muscles, and promote an ineffective motor plan that becomes muscle memory when writing with a pencil.
When kids use these tongs, they should have their hand positioned almost under the tongs, as if it were a pencil. When used this way, the tongs can strengthen the intrinsic muscles and promote a tripod grasp. These 3 prong tongs can work well when used correctly, but be sure to work along side a child with this one.
Toys for Open Thumb Web Space
Sometimes you will see a child who is holding their pencil with a closed web space. This happens when the thumb web space is the area between the thumb and the index finger. If the thumb is squashed up against the side of their index finger, they are not able to manipulate the pencil with small movements. They might move their whole arm to make letters instead of just the hand. A closed web space is an inefficient way to grasp the pencil and will lead to poor handwriting. This type of positioning requires activities that strengthen and stabilize the thumb.
A few toys that help encourage an open web space:
Tweezer Games: Tweezer activities promote an open web space and stabilization of the thumb. This Avalanche Fruit Stand (affiliate link) from Learning Resources is a colorful way to encourage an open web space. The vertical surface is perfect for encouraging an extended wrist.
Bead Sets: (affiliate link) Stringing beads is a good way to encourage an open web space. The child must hold the bead and string between their thumb and index fingers. Collapsing of the thumb web space will happen when the child demonstrates weakness in the muscles of the thumb. Beading is a repetitive activity and promotes strength.
This Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Stringing Beads with over 200 beads (affiliate link) from Melissa & Doug has over 200 beads in different colors and shapes, and even letters! You could even form sentences for the child to copy and practice their improved pencil grasp!
Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots: (affiliate link) Often times, a child will wrap their thumb around the index finger when they are writing with a pencil.. This indicates instability in the thumb and the muscles that allow for smooth pencil motions.
Pushing down on the buttons of the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em ROBOTS Game (affiliate link) from Mattel really strengthens the muscles of the thumb and allows for more stability leading to an open web space and ultimately more fluid motions of the pencil in letter formation. Plus, this game is just plain old FUN for kids of all ages!
Toys for Hand Strength
Hand Strength: If a child has weakness in their hands, they may complain that their hand is tired when they write or color. Then, to compensate for muscle fatigue, they resort to an inefficient hand grasp. They may grip the pencil with four fingers or with their whole palm. many times, a child will start off with a nice tripod grasp and then switch to a less efficient grasp…or even switch hands! Do they complain that their hand is tired or that it hurts? These kiddos need to work on hand strength. To allow for increased endurance when writing and coloring, this child would benefit from strengthening exercises.
A few toys that help encourage hand strength:
Pop Beads: (affiliate link) Pushing pop beads together is a perfect way to strengthen the intrinsic muscles of the hands including the arches of the hands.
Pop beads are such a fun toy that can be used to make patterns, different lengths, bracelets, necklaces, and even shapes. This Pop Beads (affiliate link) from ConstructivePlaythings are unique in their shape, color, sizes, and textures. A twist on the classic bead, this set will excite girls and boys of all ages. Be sure to shop for size-appropriate beads for your child’s hands.
Play-Doh: (affiliate link) Play dough is the ultimate open-ended toy for hand strengthening. There are unlimited ways to play all the while encouraging hand development.
We love this Play-Doh 24-Pack of Colors(affiliate link) for lots of creative play! Hide coins, beans, or beads in the dough and allow the child to find the items. Roll small balls of dough using just the thumb, index, and middle fingers.
Roll a play dough snake with the dough and have the child pinch the dough between their thumb and index finger. Just get creative and make some things with your play dough. Most of all, have fun!
Tissue Paper Art: (affiliate link) There is possible no better art project for hand strengthening than tissue paper art! Crumbling little bits of tissue paper is perfect for strengthening the small muscles of the hand.
Encourage your child to use just their finger tips to crumble the bits of tissue paper rather than two hands to crumble. This ALEX® Toys – Early Learning Tissue Paper Art -Little Hands 521W (affiliate link) from Alex Toys is bold, colorful and just plain fun art! Even better for the intrinsic muscles of the hands is tearing bits of paper before crumbling.
Squeeze Toys:(affiliate link) a gross grasp is using the whole hand to squeeze and flex into a grip.
What a great way to strengthen the muscles of the hands! This Lobster Claw Catcher (affiliate link) from is a fun way to encourage hand strength and endurance for coloring and writing.
Geoboard Activities– (affiliate link) Using a geoboard supports hand strength to enable endurance in handwriting. Manipulating the rubber bands promotes finger isolation, open thumb web-space, and and extended wrist.
Learning Resources Helping Hands Fine Motor Tool Set Toy– (affiliate link) This set of fine motor tools includes an eye-dropper, scissor scoops, and tongs. The sensory bin scoops and tools support hand strength through manipulating small objects or water.
These tools are a great way to strengthen the exact muscles needed for a functional pencil grasp.
Toys for Extended Wrist
Extended Wrist: An Extended wrist is a slightly bent back wrist. When a child’s hand is bent forward toward the palm, they typically exhibit inefficient grasp on the pencil and weakness in the hand. A slight bend in the wrist towards the back of the hand (bent up toward the ceiling when writing) allows for better movement and flow of the fingers when forming letters. Often times a child with a poor handwriting demonstrates a “hooked wrist” or a flat wrist and it leads back to inefficient control of the pencil and messy handwriting.
A few toys that help encourage an Extended Wrist:
Easel: (affiliate link) An easel can be used in so many ways while encouraging an extended wrist. Paint, draw, color, or write on the elevated surface. We love taping contact paper to our easel and sticking all kinds of craft supplies.
This really encourages an extended wrist while using a tripod grasp or tip to tip grasp to manipulate little items (think tissue paper, sequins, foil squares…the possibilities are endless!) This Easel (affiliate link) is great for extended wrist activities. And, it even folds down to reveal a desk surface. It’s the perfect gift to promote improved handwriting!
Ker Plunk: (affiliate link) The Ker Plunk Game (affiliate link) from Mattel encourages an extended wrist as the child pushes the sticks into the holes of the game. They are encouraged to use a tripod grasp to hold the sticks as well. Rotating the sticks encourages two types of in-hand manipulation.
Take this game a step further in handwriting exercise for strengthening and play laying down on the floor, propped up on your elbows. Getting down on the floor to play will activate the large muscles of the back and the shoulder girdle to improve precision in pencil grasp.
Montessori Boards-(affiliate link) Precision and dexterity activities are needed for pencil grasp and when you add in dexterity tasks and manipulation of tongs, spoons, or tweezers to move and place objects, it’s a win-win.
This precision Montessori board (affiliate link) builds the skills needed for pencil grasp: a stabile wrist, in-hand manipulation, open thumb web space, and dexterity.
Looking for a few activities to improve handwriting skills? Check out our round-up of the best handwriting activities from our blog and these other toy suggestions:
Want a printable copy of our therapist-recommended toys to support pencil grasp?
As therapy professionals, we LOVE to recommend therapy toys that build skills! This toy list is done for you so you don’t need to recreate the wheel.
Your therapy caseload will love these PENCIL GRASP toy recommendations. (There’s space on this handout for you to write in your own toy suggestions, to meet the client’s individual needs, too!)
Enter your email address into the form below. The OT Toolbox Member’s Club Members can access this handout inside the dashboard, under Educational Handouts. Just be sure to log into your account, first!
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.
For kids that struggle with body awareness, position-in-space, and overall spatial understanding, spatial awareness toys are fun ways to develop a specific set of skills that impact function of every day tasks. Occupational therapy toys like these space-based play support development of these areas. Want to help kids become more aware of their body position, the space that they need to function, write, and perform tasks through play? Here we are talking spatial awareness toys!
Let’s talk toys to support spatial awareness skills.
Amazon affiliate links are included in this blog post. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Spatial Awareness Toys
In this post, we’ll cover a few different things:
Spatial Awareness Definition
Spatial awareness activities
An easy spatial awareness tool for handwriting
Spatial awareness toys
Kids are often motivated by play as a means to support development of skills. When games and toys develop skills in which they struggle, it can be meaningful and engaging for the child. They may not even realize they are developing those skill areas through play. Before we get to the toy ideas, let’s go over spatial awareness in more detail.
Spatial Awareness Definition
First, let’s cover the definition of spatial awareness. You might be thinking…ok, I know a child who might be having issues with awareness of space during functional tasks… But exactly what is spatial awareness?
The definition of Spatial Awareness is being aware of oneself in space. Incorporating body awareness, visual spatial skills, and orientation, spatial awareness involves positioning oneself and/or functional items (pencil, a ball, a bag of groceries, etc.) in relation to oneself and the world around.
Spatial awareness means several things:
Awareness of spatial concepts can look like reaching for items without overshooting or missing the object.
It can mean use of a map to navigate streets or a new middle school.
It can incorporate spacing between letters and words in handwriting.
It can mean navigating a crowded hallway while carrying a backpack and a stack of papers.
Being able to reason about the space around us, and how to manipulate objects in space, is a critical part of everyday life and everyday functional tasks. This specific skill allows us to safely cross a street, fold clothing, load the dishwasher, place objects in a locker, put together a piece of “some assembly required” furniture, and other functional cognitive tasks. And these skills are especially important for educational success in particular handwriting tasks, math, STEM, and science.
Most of us realize as we walk through a doorway that we need to space ourselves through the middle of the door. Those with poor visual spatial skills may walk to closely to the sides and bump the wall.
Visual-spatial skills are used when a middle school or high school student uses a map to navigate a new school. Orienting yourself on the map and then relating that to the real world to make turns, movements in a large space takes a complex set of skills guided by visual spatial relations.
Spatial awareness skills also involve the fine motor tasks of coordinating handwriting with writing in spaces allowed on paper, placing letters within an area (lines), and forming letters in the correct direction.
So what is spatial awareness? Let’s break it down even further…
Spatial awareness and spatial perception
Spatial Awareness can be broken into three areas, specifically related to spatial perception: position in space, depth perception, and topographical orientation.
Position in Space– where an object is in space in relation to yourself and others. This skill includes awareness of the way an object is oriented or turned. It is an important concept in directional language such as in, out, up, down, in front of, behind, between, left, and right. Children with problems with this skill area will demonstrate difficulty planning actions in relation to objects around them. They may write letter reversals after second grade. They typically show problems with spacing letters and words on a paper.
Depth Perception– Distances between a person and objects. This ability helps us move in space. Grasping for a ball requires realizing where the ball is in relation to ourselves. Kids with deficits in this area may have trouble catching a ball or walking/running/jumping over an obstacle. Copying words from a vertical plane onto a horizontal plane may be difficult and they will have trouble copying from a blackboard.
Topographical Orientation– Location of objects in an environment, including obstacles and execution of travel in an area. Kids with difficulties in this area may become lost easily or have difficulties finding their classroom after a bathroom break.
Visual Spatial Skills develop from an awareness of movements of the body. If a child has true visual spatial skills, they will likely demonstrate difficulties with athletic performance, coordination, and balance. They may appear clumsy, reverse letters and numbers in handwriting, and may tend to write from right to left across a page. They will have difficulty placing letters on lines, forming letters correctly, and forming letters with appropriate size.
When kids struggle with the ability to perceive where they are in space…when children are challenged to identify how much room they need to navigate the world around them…These are all examples of spatial awareness skills.
Letter size and use of margins also fall under the term “spatial awareness”. Use these spacing tool ideas to support spatial awareness in handwriting.
You can use a spacing tool to support spatial awareness skills in kids.
visual spatial relations activities
Addressing spatial awareness can occur with a handwriting spacing tool like the one we made, but other spacing activities can help with visual spatial relations, too. Try some of these activities:
Create an obstacle course using couch cushions, chairs, blankets, pillows, and other items in the house.
Try this activity for teaching over, under, around, and through with pretend play.
Create a paper obstacle course. Draw obstacles on paper and have your child make his /her pencil go through the obstacles. Draw circles, holes, mud pits, and mountains for them to draw lines as their pencil “climbs”, “jumps”, “rolls”, and even erases!
Write words and letters on graph paper. The lines will work as a guide and also a good spacing activity.
Use stickers placed along the right margin of to cue the student that they are nearing the edge of paper when writing.
Highlight writing lines on worksheets.
Draw boxes for words on worksheets for them to write within.
Play Simon Says. Print off these Simon Says commands to target specific skill areas in therapy sessions or at home.
Practice directions. Draw arrows on a paper pointing up, down, left, and right. Ask your child to point to the direction the arrow is pointing. Then have them say the direction the arrows are pointing. Then create actions for each arrow. Up may be jumping. Down may be squatting. The Left arrow might be side sliding to the left, and the Right arrow might be a right high kick. Next, draw more rows of arrows in random order. Ask your child to go through the motions and try to go faster and faster.
spatial awareness Activities
For more multisensory learning and hands-on play incorporating the development of spatial awareness skills, visit these blog posts:
Visit our Visual Motor Skills page for more activity ideas in all thing visual perception and kids!
Looking for more tools to improve visual spatial awareness? The toy ideas below are great for improving visual tracking and visual scanning in fun ways. These toys, games, and ideas may be a great gift idea for little ones who have visual perceptual difficulties or problems with spacing and handwriting, body awareness in space, letter reversals, detail awareness, or maintaining place while reading.
SO, save these ideas for grandparents and friends who might ask for gift ideas for birthdays and holidays. These are some powerhouse spatial awareness ideas!
When working on spatial awareness in handwriting, kids can count the number of holes in the pegboard in this Construction and Building Toy. (affiliate link) Copy instructions to build 3D structures while working on spacing of pieces and awareness of details in this fun engineering toy.
Mini erasers (affiliate link) as a spacing tool. Kids can write while keeping the small eraser on their desk. When they space out words, use the eraser as a measuring tool, just like our button buddy. You can also encourage them to finish their writing task and then go back and check over their work for spatial concepts with the eraser.
Practice spatial awareness of the edges of the page by using a Clear Rulers. (affiliate link) Kids can place the ruler along the edge of the paper to know when to stop writing and to use as a visual cue. Sometimes kids try to squish a word in at the end of a line when there is not enough room. Line the ruler up along the edge and as they write, they can see that they are nearing the edge of the paper.
Use a highlighter (affiliate link) to draw dots between each word, to provide a visual cue for spacing between words. You can also draw a line along the edge of the paper for a visual cue that the child is nearing the edge of the paper.
One study found that children who play frequently with puzzles, construction, and board games tend to have better spatial reasoning ability.
To get the whole family in on a spatial reasoning game while working on placement of pieces, try IQ Twist (affiliate link) for a game of logic as you place pieces in this puzzle.
This related IQ Arrows game (affiliate link) develops spatial relations but is great for adding to an occupational therapy bag. Use the arrows in play dough to work on directionality with heavy work through the hands. Make mini fine motor obstacle courses and other spatial relations activities on a smaller scale.
Kanoodle (affiliate link) works on pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, and is a great way to practice spacing needed in handwriting.
A toy like a geoboard allows a child to copy forms while counting out spaces of pegs. Try these Geoboards. (affiliate link)
Here are more spatial awareness games and specifically spatial reasoning games: These are Amazon affiliate links.
These toys specifically address body awareness and directional awareness to help with overall spatial awareness development. Position in space impacts functioning in daily tasks at home and in the community. This plays a part in social emotional development and overall confidence as well. When a child feels confident in their body in space awareness, they can navigate the world around them with ease.
And, in regards to handwriting, sometimes, spacing problems on paper have to do with difficulties with directional awareness.
Use Arrows (affiliate link) to start at the basics and practice naming left/write/top/bottom. Use them in whole-body movement activities where the child copies motions based on the arrow placement. Watch to make sure kids are not over stepping their allotted space.
Use Wikki Stix (affiliate link) for spacing on paper with physical cues for margins and spacing. Use the wikki sticks to space between words and a “ball” of the wikki stick to space between words.
Want a printable copy of our therapist-recommended toys to support spatial awareness?
As therapy professionals, we LOVE to recommend therapy toys that build skills! This toy list is done for you so you don’t need to recreate the wheel.
Your therapy caseload will love these SPATIAL AWARENESS toy recommendations. (There’s space on this handout for you to write in your own toy suggestions, to meet the client’s individual needs, too!)
Enter your email address into the form below. The OT Toolbox Member’s Club Members can access this handout inside the dashboard, under Handouts. Just be sure to log into your account, first!
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.
Here we are talking toys that help kids pay attention. These focus toys can be ways to support concentration or toys to help kids with the working memory skills needed for functional tasks, by allowing them to sustain attention during an activity. Part of our occupational therapy toys lists, this resource supports the development of attention through play.
Amazon affiliate links are included in this blog post. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Toys to Help with Attention
Some of the toy suggestions you find here are fidget items. Others are toys or games to support the skills needed to pay attention. Skills like sustained attention, maintaining focus in order to utilize working memory throughout a task, and items to support ADHD or generalized attention challenges can be developed through practice and play.
Helping kids with attention and focus can be difficult. Presenting games and toys can be frustrating for these kiddos and their parents or teachers when there are underlying reasons for inattention and lack of focus. We’ve shared several posts on attention in the past and wanted to put together a list of great toys and tools that can help with attention and focus for participation in games or other leisure activities, school tasks, and daily skills.
Toys and Tools to Help with Attention and Focus
Affiliate links are included in this post.
TheseDIY fidget toys are an option for the classroom or in the home.
Strengthening the core can have a great effect on helping kids improve attention and focus in the home and in the classroom. Read more about strengthening the core to help improve these skills.
A smaller sized therapy ball like this 9 inch Stability Ball (affiliate link) might be a better option for kids who use the balls for floor activities like laying prone on the ball in a superman pose. This is a great core strengthening and vestibular activity that can help with strengthening and sensory needs.
Other smaller sized therapy balls would be more appropriate when the balls are used as a seat to help with attention. Proper positioning is essential for handwriting and reading when seated at a desk. Try this 28 inch therapy ball (affiliate link) for younger kids.
A Large Stability Ball (affiliate link) is a great tool to have in the home or classroom. Use it for alerting sensory input or as a strengthening tool to build core strength.
Brain Breaks Game (affiliate link) is a great game that allows time for movement during, before, and after learning. Read more about brain breaks and other ways to help kids focus here.
The Peanut Therapy Ball (affiliate link) is great for inviting movement and sensory input in a variety of positions. Try this as a seat or to engage core muscles.
Thinking Putty (affiliate link) Squeezing putty provides heavy input through the hands. This can be calming for children and a valuable tool for allow kids to take focus off sensory needs and onto the task at hand. This type of putty comes in a variety of colors.
It is important to remember that every child is different. Just as needs and interests differ, the thing that can capture attention and focus will vastly vary from child to child. Use the interests that your child cares about to improve focus and attention.
Try these attention building tips:
Begin by playing one on one with the child in an environment that is free from distractions.
Try playing a game or completing an activity for a short period of time with breaks for movement and gross motor activity. It is not the movements that will boost attention, but rather the break to allow for movement. Coming back to a desk-top or structured activity or game may be easier for kids with attention and focusing issues.
Slowly increase the time spent on a task.
toys for concentration
Try games without a lot of rules or classic games that do not have a lot of distracting colors, sounds, and lights. Other children may require toys that light up with sounds and flashes in order to help with attention, based on the use of novel auditory or visual stimuli.
Low-tech attention boosting toys and tools might include:
Checkers (affiliate link) is a classic game that can encourage increased time focusing on an end goal. This type of game will certainly not work for all children with attention or focusing difficulties. The limited colors and simple game board can be a benefit for other children, however.
Connect 4 (affiliate link) Try playing this game on it’s side to eliminate the need to shift the vision and observe distractions. Use the legs on the game and lay it down on a table surface to have enough slant for the pieces to fall into place. A slight shift might be needed to get the game pieces to fall into place.
Ring Toss (affiliate link) is a game that can allow for movement during game play. Try adding weights to wrists or ankles for heavy work input during game play. Position the ring toss game in a corner of a room to eliminate distractions. This type of game is often times an incentive to address leaning concepts such as math, sight words, and spelling.
A Pop and Catch Game (affiliate link) is another movement-based way to encourage focus. Kids will need to keep their eyes on the ball as they move their cup to catch it before it hits the ground. This might be a challenge for children with visual motor integration difficulties. Try sitting on the floor, close together. Then, build up to kneeling, moving farther apart, standing, and even sitting in a rolling chair.
Toys to help with Visual Attention
For some kids, the attention concerns arise when there are too many distractions in the child’s visual field. They are unable to pick out the important information. This might occur when a child is trying to find matching socks from a drawer full of unpaired socks. They can not scan and search to find the sock they need and give up.
Other kids simply can not filter out unnecessary information in a cluttered scene. These kids wiggle, fidget, and can’t focus in the classroom.
Toys and tools can support these areas. Games and activities like a math maze activity that incorporates interests are one idea. Then, you could also try games and toys that are out there on the market.
toys to help focus
These toys to support focus and attention are Amazon affiliate links. Each toy can foster attention and focus by playing the game.
Some tips to use toys to support the ability to focus and attend during game play, there are a few ways to make the game not only fun and engaging, but also meaningful in development.
Using toys to develop focus skills in children is an essential aspect of occupational therapy because kids and play are one and the same! Play is the primary occupation of the child, so game play is one way to foster specific skills.
When using games to develop focus, use these tips:
Choose Purposeful Toys: Select toys that encourage concentration and engagement. For younger children, toys with vibrant colors, interesting textures, and simple features can capture their attention. Examples include building blocks, puzzles, or toys that involve sorting and matching.
Incorporate Sensory Elements: Integrate sensory experiences into play to enhance focus. Toys with various textures, shapes, and sizes can stimulate different senses, promoting sensory integration. This could include engaging in flexible seating options and varied sitting positions during play (laying on the floor, alternative seating options, etc.). It could also mean a calming corner to play. Or, you could incorporate sensory bins or other sensory materials in game play. Sensory play has been linked to improved attention and focus in children (Case-Smith & O’Brien, 2010).
Remember, each child is unique, and it’s crucial to tailor activities based on their individual preferences and developmental level.
Reference: Case-Smith, J., & O’Brien, J. C. (2010). Occupational therapy for children and adolescents. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Spot It (affiliate link) requires kids to pull out and match items between two cards. This is a great game for car rides, too!
A Maze Puzzle Book (affiliate link) encourages kids to visually attend to the correct line as they scan the puzzle.
Where’s Waldo Books (affiliate link) are a visual attention and memory game. Focus on the details!
Use Hidden Picture Books (affiliate link) like these sticker books to help kids pull out visual information from a cluttered page. Using stickers can be motivational for kids.
Fidget Toys to Help With Attention and Focus
Finally, there is the sensory need that results in inattention. When kids are preoccupied with a sensory over-stimulation or under-stimulation, attention and focus lack. We’ve shared toys and tools that can help to meet sensory needs with fidget toys. Try these ideas for fidget tools for classroom and home use.
The Tangle Jr. Original Fidget Toy (affiliate link)will keep fingers and hands busy so kids can concentrate on homework or school work. A ball of play dough or this Pull and Stretch Bounce Ball (affiliate link) is a good way to keep kids’ hand occupied as they move with the small motor proprioceptive input. This heavy work for the hands can allow kids to concentrate as they write. The Sensory Desk Stickers (affiliate link) is great for kids who are doing homework as it can sit on a table surface or notebook on the go. A pencil topper like these Pencil Tops Fidget (affiliate link) can help kids while they write, and can be fidgeted with on or off the pencil. THE ULTIMATE FIDGET (affiliate link) is a quiet fidget toy that kids can keep in their pocket.
There are so many strategies to address attention in kids and activities that can help address attention needs. One tactic that can be a big help is analyzing precursors to behaviors related to attention and addressing underlying needs.
How to Support Students with Attention in the Classroom
Common questions come up when we support parents and teachers with attention needs in the classroom. I will put my responses as an occupational therapist here.
Why do so many students struggle with attention and focus in school? Classrooms today often require students to sit for extended periods, engage in unengaging lessons, or manage high expectations for behavior. This can overwhelm students, leading to attention and behavior challenges. Addressing these concerns requires a multi-faceted approach, including movement breaks, hands-on learning, and strategies to enhance self-regulation.
How can therapists help teachers promote attention and focus? School-based occupational therapy practitioners can collaborate with teachers by providing strategies that are easy to implement in the classroom. Ideas include short brain breaks using tools like the ones inside The OT Toolbox Membership, GoNoodle, Brain Gym, or MeMoves, and introducing standing desks or alternative seating. Offering staff in-service training on integrating movement and sensory strategies into the school day has proven effective in reducing referrals.
What role does movement play in improving attention? Movement is so critical for self-regulation and attention. Activities like brain breaks, outdoor running, or even a few minutes of yoga can help reset a student’s focus. Encouraging more recess or gym time is another way to give students the physical activity they need to stay engaged and attentive.
How can individualized strategies support students struggling with attention? Individualized movement plans, such as creating movement breaks or providing specific tools like wobble cushions or standing desks, can help active students channel their energy productively. Additionally, teaching students to self-advocate for movement breaks empowers them to manage their own needs.
What are some easy-to-implement strategies for classrooms? One idea I love is to use a Google Chrome extension like Move It for reminders to stand and stretch.
As the OT in a building, I also like to send out weekly emails to staff with tips and articles related to sensory regulation, motor skills, and attention (e.g., “Motor Monday”). Provide teachers with pre-referral manuals or lists of classroom-based interventions.
How do sensory strategies contribute to attention? Sensory strategies help regulate a student’s nervous system, making them better able to focus. These can include heavy work activities, calming tools, or visual schedules to establish routines. There are more inside The OT Toolbox membership. Combining sensory activities with executive functioning strategies like chunking material or using visual aids enhances classroom participation.
How can we address pushback from teachers on implementing these strategies? Middle school and high school teachers may resist incorporating movement into their classrooms. Offering research-backed evidence and easy-to-apply methods, such as brief standing activities or mindfulness moments, can help ease resistance. Highlighting how these tools benefit classroom management and academic success makes them more appealing.
Can alternative seating really help students? Yes, flexible seating options like standing desks, wobble cushions, and other alternative seating options allow students to move subtly while working, improving focus and reducing disruptive behavior that impacts attention.
How can therapists address teacher overwhelm about attention issues? Regular communication, such as weekly emails with simple, actionable ideas, can reduce teacher stress. Providing clear, evidence-based strategies in handouts or in-service sessions ensures teachers feel supported without being overwhelmed.
Want a printable copy of our therapist-recommended toys to support attention and focusing skills?
As therapy professionals, we LOVE to recommend therapy toys that build skills! This toy list is done for you so you don’t need to recreate the wheel.
Your therapy caseload will love these ATTENTION toy recommendations. (There’s space on this handout for you to write in your own toy suggestions, to meet the client’s individual needs, too!)
Enter your email address into the form below. The OT Toolbox Member’s Club Members can access this handout inside the dashboard, under Handouts. Just be sure to log into your account, first!
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.
(optional) You could also use glitter or skip this step all together.
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(affiliate link) is a good way to keep kids’ hand occupied as they move with the small motor proprioceptive input. This heavy work for the hands can allow kids to concentrate as they write. 
(affiliate link) can help kids while they write, and can be fidgeted with on or off the pencil. 
(affiliate link) is a quiet fidget toy that kids can keep in their pocket. 
