Colleen Beck OTR/L

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:

A Guide to Emotions Check-In for Kids

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Emotions check in

Having an emotions check in for kids is a critical piece of the social emotional skills puzzle. We know the value of addressing emotions and self regulation in mental health. The simple act of checking in with our kids’ feelings and emotions is pivotal in benefiting overall mindset, emotional intelligence, and much more. Here, we’ll cover how and why an emotions check-in supports child development.

We’ve previously created a resource on using a feelings check in. Having these tools in your toolbox to support students is beneficial in meeting needs with affect modulation, mental health, and emotional well-being.

In this article, we’ll unpack what an emotions check-in is, why it matters, and how it can become a valuable tool in supporting our kids’ emotional regulation.

emotions check in

What Does An Emotions Check-In Mean?

An emotions check-in is a simple practice that involves where kids pause and take a moment to identify and express how they feel at a given moment. This can look like describing your emotions or selecting a current emotion from an emotions list. This can be different, yet similar, to a feelings check in.

Helping kids to understand the difference between feelings and emotions (and the similarities) is helpful in supporting social and emotional development. It’s key to helping kids to build self awareness.

This can be practiced through tools or self regulation strategies like a feelings chart or a mood meter that gives kids a visual aid to pinpoint where they are on the emotional spectrum. Understanding mood and affect and how this relates to behavioral responses so these types of emotions tasks are great for development.

Imagine a tool that acts as a compass for a child’s emotional journey, aiding in everything from daily tasks to self-care and mindfulness. That’s where a simple emotions check-in comes in handy!

How Does Emotions Check-In Help Kids?

Now how does this simple practice help kids navigate the rollercoaster of emotions? Social skills development doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s so important to recognize the role that one’s own emotions play in empathy, co-regulation, and interacting with others.

There are many ways an emotions check list can help kids with social emotional skill development.

Some of those aspects include:

Let’s break down each of these benefits of checking in on emotions:

Emotional Labeling

Ever had that feeling of being in a fog of emotions and not quite sure what’s going on? An emotions check-in is like turning on the headlights in that fog. 

It gives the kids the vocabulary to put names to their feelings. Instead of just feeling a jumble, they can say, “Oh, that’s frustration,” or “Hey, look, I’m feeling excited!”

Recognizing Emotions

By recognizing their emotions, kids will be better equipped to regulate them. So, when the wave of frustration hits, they can ride it out instead of being swept away.

It’s not about suppressing feelings but understanding and managing them effectively like mastering the controls of an emotional rollercoaster.

Naming Emotions

In the long run, an emotions check-in can foster a culture of open communication about feelings.

So, instead of a kid saying, “I don’t know,” when asked how their day was, they can confidently say, “I felt a bit anxious during the math test, but I’m okay now.”

It’s also a way for them to communicate not just with themselves but also with others. As kids become familiar with their own emotions, they will develop empathy for the feelings of their peers, creating a supportive and understanding community.

Emotion Coping Tools

Through emotions check-ins, kids work with teachers or therapists to develop personalized emotion coping tools. 

Feeling stressed? Let’s try deep breathing. Overwhelmed? How about a quick mindfulness exercise?

Whether it’s taking a deep breath, going for a walk, or talking to someone, these tools empower children to handle challenges constructively.

Emotional Self-Awareness

Emotions check-ins contribute to the development of self-awareness and emotional intelligence. 

They will be able to understand their triggers, their joys, and their challenges. They also learn to be present in the moment and, if needed, engage in self-care strategies.

This foundation prepares kids to navigate relationships, understand themselves, and face life’s ups and downs with resilience.

Healthy Emotional Mindset

Imagine if kids grew up with a healthy mindset of thinking that all emotions are valid and part of being human.

It’s not about labeling emotions as good or bad; it’s about accepting them all and learning to navigate them. This sets the stage for a positive relationship with their own emotions.

One final area is executive functioning. It’s worth mentioning the role that emotions and cognitive skills have on one another. Read about the connection between emotions and executive functioning.

Emotions Check in strategies

So now that you know the specifics behind using an emotions check as a development tool, let’s look at some emotions check in strategies.

Emotions List: An emotions list serves as a valuable tool for children to identify and articulate their feelings effectively. By providing a comprehensive range of emotions, such as happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and more nuanced emotions like excitement or disappointment, children can better understand and express their emotional experiences (Plutchik, 2001). Encouraging children to use an emotions list during check-ins helps them develop emotional literacy and communication skills, fostering healthy emotional expression and regulation.

Use our social emotional learning worksheet to support this area.

Daily Feelings Check-In: A daily feelings check-in is an essential component of promoting mental health and emotional well-being in children. This routine practice encourages children to reflect on and communicate their emotions on a regular basis (Hoyt, 2015). By setting aside time each day to check in with their feelings, children learn to recognize patterns in their emotional experiences and develop coping strategies for managing stressors effectively. Implementing a daily feelings check-in routine can contribute to a positive emotional climate and support children’s overall well-being.

Mental Health: Mental health encompasses the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of individuals, including children. It influences how children think, feel, and behave, affecting their ability to cope with stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices (World Health Organization, 2014). Prioritizing mental health in childhood lays the foundation for lifelong emotional resilience and contributes to positive outcomes in various areas of development. By promoting awareness and understanding of mental health, parents and caregivers can support children in maintaining optimal well-being.

Emotional Well-being: Emotional well-being refers to the state of being able to cope with the ups and downs of life, experiencing a sense of balance and fulfillment in one’s emotions. For children, emotional well-being encompasses feeling secure, valued, and supported in their emotional experiences (Keyes, 2002).

Fostering emotional well-being involves creating a nurturing environment that promotes self-awareness, emotional regulation, and healthy relationships. By prioritizing emotional well-being, parents and caregivers empower children to navigate life’s challenges with resilience and optimism.

Conflict Resolution: Conflict resolution skills are essential for fostering positive relationships and managing interpersonal conflicts effectively. Teaching children how to resolve conflicts peacefully and constructively promotes social-emotional development and communication skills (Cohen & Adelman, 2004). Encouraging children to express their feelings, listen actively, and work together to find mutually beneficial solutions builds empathy and promotes understanding. By equipping children with conflict resolution skills, parents and educators empower them to navigate conflicts in a respectful and productive manner.

Feelings Chart: A feelings chart is a visual tool that provides children with a range of emotions and corresponding facial expressions, helping them identify and label their feelings (Ekman, 1999). By referring to a feelings chart during check-ins, children can gain insight into their emotional experiences and learn to communicate their feelings effectively. Utilizing a feelings chart promotes emotional awareness and vocabulary development, empowering children to express themselves authentically and seek support when needed.

Something like emotions crafts can help with this, with the child population.

Build Self-awareness: Building self-awareness is a foundational skill for emotional intelligence and personal growth. Helping children develop self-awareness involves encouraging self reflection on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (Brackett et al., 2006). Engaging in check-in routines and activities that prompt children to describe their emotions and reflect on their experiences fosters self-awareness. By nurturing self-awareness, parents and educators empower children to recognize their strengths, weaknesses, and emotional needs, laying the groundwork for healthy self-esteem and personal development.

Check-in Routine: A check-in routine provides children with a structured opportunity to reflect on their emotions and share their experiences in a safe and supportive environment. Consistent check-ins help children develop a habit of self-reflection and communication, promoting emotional well-being and resilience (Denham & Brown, 2010). Establishing a check-in routine at home or in educational settings encourages open dialogue and strengthens relationships between children and caregivers. By making check-ins a regular part of daily life, parents and educators demonstrate the importance of emotional expression and connection.

Describing Your Emotions: Encouraging children to describe their emotions is a fundamental aspect of promoting emotional intelligence and self-expression. Providing children with language to articulate their feelings helps them understand and communicate their emotional experiences effectively (Gross & Levenson, 1997).

Prompting children to describe their emotions during check-ins fosters emotional literacy and communication skills, empowering them to express themselves authentically and seek support when needed. By validating and exploring children’s emotions, parents and educators promote emotional well-being and strengthen the parent-child or teacher-student relationship.

Another tool for describing emotions is using self reflection games that support this skill.

Another fantastic resource that can help develop social and emotional skills is the activity book, Exploring Books Through Play.

This digital E-BOOK is an amazing resource for anyone helping kids learn about acceptance, empathy, compassion, and friendship. In Exploring Books through Play, you’ll find therapist-approved resources, activities, crafts, projects, and play ideas based on 10 popular children’s books. Each book covered contains activities designed to develop fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory exploration, handwriting, and more. Help kids understand complex topics of social/emotional skills, empathy, compassion, and friendship through books and hands-on play.

The book Exploring Books Through Play, has 50 different activities based on popular children’s books. Each book is used for 5 different activities that cover a variety of areas: sensory play, crafts, gross motor activities, fine motor activities, handwriting, scissor skills, and so much more.

social emotional activities for kids

How to Use Emotions Check-In Practices?

It’s time to put the magic of emotions check-ins into action. Whether you’re at home, in school, or at therapy, here’s your guide to incorporating these practices:

Emotion Check-ins At Home

In the home, teaching key regulation strategies can support a lifetime of emotional wellbeing. During the day to day tasks is when we can see breakdowns because of stress, worries, frustration, or other things going on. Supporting the highs and lows of emotions with acceptance and love at home is key.

  • Daily Check-Ins: Make emotions check-ins a part of your daily routine. Set aside a few minutes, maybe during dinner or before bedtime, for each family member to share how they’re feeling. 
  • Create a Feelings Chart: Get creative! Make a feelings chart together, using drawings, stickers, or even emojis to represent different emotions. Hang it up where everyone can see, making it a visual reminder to check in with their feelings.
  • Feeling Journals: Encourage kids to keep feeling journals, where they can jot down their emotions throughout the day. This not only reinforces the practice but also serves as a valuable tool for parents to understand their kid’s emotional experiences.

Emotion Check-ins at School

At school, a self-regulation group activity could be an emotions check in. Whether you use tools from regulation curriculum like the Alert program or Zones of Regulation, you can pull pieces that work with your population and specific needs.

  • Morning Check-Ins: Start the school day with a quick emotions check-in. It could be as simple as a thumbs-up, thumbs-down, or in-between. Teachers can use this to gauge the emotional temperature of the class and address any concerns.
  • Integrate into Lessons: Incorporate emotions check-ins into various subjects. For instance, during a language arts class, students can express their emotions through writing, or in a science class, they can relate emotions to different states of matter.
  • Classroom Mood Meter: Implement a mood meter in the classroom, allowing kids to place their names on the section of the chart that best represents their current emotional state. It fosters a sense of community and allows teachers to be aware of the emotional needs of their students.
  • Collaborate with Parents: Keep parents in the loop by sharing the emotions check-in routine with them and encouraging them to continue the practice at home. This creates a bridge between the school and home environments.

Emotion Chck in At Therapy

Therapy sessions can support emotional wellbeing and self regulation goals through specific tools that the student, client, or patient can practice and then try during daily tasks.

  • Emotion Check-In Ritual: Start therapy sessions with a dedicated emotions check-in ritual. It could be a verbal check-in or using tools like a feelings chart or mood meter. This sets the tone for the session and helps the child and therapist understand the emotional landscape.
  • Emotion Exploration Activities: Incorporate activities that delve into emotions to help children express and explore their feelings in a comfortable setting. These activities can be tailored to the child’s age and interests. 
  • Develop Coping Strategies: Based on the identified emotions, work together to create personalized coping tools. These can range from simple deep breathing exercises to more complex strategies tailored to the child’s needs.

Remember, the key is to make emotions check-ins a natural and integrated part of the environment, whether at home, in school, or during therapy. 

Moreover, consistency and open communication lay the foundation for these practices to be effective in supporting emotional well-being.

In conclusion, emotions check-ins aren’t about fixing emotions but empowering kids to understand, navigate, and regulate their feelings.

Whether at home, in school, or in therapy, integrating these practices can lay the foundation for emotional intelligence and well-being.

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.

Affect Modulation for Kids: Strategies and Insights

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Affect modulation

Affect modulation may sound like a complex term, but it is a cornerstone for social and emotional development. When it comes to daily functional skills, interacting with peers, and learning, our affect plays a major role.

In this blog post, we will break down the concept of affect modulation and explore what it means to kids, as well as practical ways to support modulation skills at home and in school. We’ve previously covered sensory modulation, which is a slight variance. We’ve also previously discussed how to use swings in sensory modulation. Today’s post covers a variation of these topics.

Affect modulation with emoji with different facial expressions

Affect modulation techniques are different for every individual, just like the range of emotions we all experience.

What Is Affect Modulation?

Affect modulation refers to the ability to regulate and manage one’s emotions or affective states. Self-regulation is a vast concept and affect modulation is one component of self regulation.

To further break it down:

  • Affect refers to the emotional expression expressed by an individual in reaction to a specific situation. This can be facial expressions or emotions that are exhibited by body language, the eyes, or how the person physically displaces their internal feelings.
  • Modulation refers to the ability to regulate or adjust emotional input and arousal levels to adapt to the demands of the environment or specific task.

Emotional modulation refers to the ability to regulate one’s emotions in different situations. This involves recognizing and understanding emotions, as well as effectively managing and expressing them. Individuals who struggle with emotional modulation may experience difficulty controlling their emotions, leading to mood swings, impulsivity, or emotional dysregulation.

Putting together the terms, “affect” and “modulation”, this is the ability to response and organize internal with the external expression.

In simpler terms, it’s about controlling and expressing emotions in a way that is appropriate to the situation. Think of it as the emotional thermostat that helps us maintain a comfortable and balanced state.

Difference between affect modulation and emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is a vital component of mental health and well-being. It involves the ability to manage and respond to an emotional experience with a range of strategies. As a pediatric occupational therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how mastering affect regulation can significantly impact daily life, especially in children. It’s not just about controlling emotions but understanding and using them in a way that benefits overall development.

One of the key distinctions I make in my practice is between affect regulation and emotion regulation. While they are closely related, understanding the nuances between them can provide deeper insights into how we process and respond to emotional experiences. This knowledge is crucial in developing effective strategies for managing stressful situations, which are an inevitable part of life.

The theory behind affect regulation is fascinating and offers a framework for understanding how emotions influence behavior and cognition. It also sheds light on the importance of developing regulation skills early in life. These skills are essential for navigating the complexities of emotional experiences and for fostering resilience and emotional intelligence.

Implementing supports to impact affect modulation in therapy involves a combination of grounding techniques, cognitive reappraisal, and other strategies aimed at managing emotions. These techniques are beneficial for all ages. They serve as powerful tools for enhancing emotional regulation and improving mental health outcomes.

Differences between Mood and affect

Mood and affect are similar, but there are distinct differences.

Mood and Affect

Take a look at the image above. You can see that mood and affect are deeply connected. You can’t have affect without mood, and mood impacts affect. While we might consider the similarities between affect and mood, there are distinctions in that these two areas of emotional regulation impact our daily functioning abilities in different ways.

For example, when we have internal thoughts that make us happy, such as thinking about an upcoming exciting event, we have might smile or have a positive body language. We might move with confidence or be light on our toes.

When we have an upcoming test that we are nervous about, we might be quiet and a frustrated look on our faces, or have a tense posture, sweating, or a grimaced facial expression.

Let’s look at mood and affect based on feelings we experience.

Mood is the internal feelings that we all have:

  • sadness
  • nervousness
  • fear
  • happiness
  • irritation
  • frustration
  • hopelessness
  • excitement
  • etc…

Affect is the external expression of our mood and feelings and this includes:

  • facial expressions
  • body language
  • tone of voice
  • eye expression (the sparkle in the eye, or a flat look in the eyes)

Mood and affect definitely work together!

types of affect labeled with emoji using different expressions.

In the healthcare fields, “affect” refers to the outward expression of emotion or mood, typically through facial expressions, gestures, and vocalizations. These different types of affect will be documented in assessments and treatment.

Types of Affect

Because of the vast range of moods, and the range of expressions is wide as well. Then, there are several different types of affect. The affect types of those which describe a common response to emotional input or situations.

In occupational therapy documentation, a therapy provider might describe a person’s behavior as a flat affect or elevated affect.

Let’s take a closer look at the types of affect:

  • Broad affect- indicates a wide range and appropriate modulation of emotional input with expressed behaviors
  • Restricted affect- Indicates a narrow range of emotions
  • Blunted affect- indicates a reduced intensity of emotional expression or response
  • Flat affect- this term indicates a lack of emotional expression
  • Labile affect- indicates a rapidly shifting emotions
  • Inappropriate affect- indicates emotional response that is not appropriate for the situation
  • Euphoric affect- This affect is characterized by an intense feeling of happiness, elation, or joy. Someone with a euphoric affect may have a wide smile, bright eyes, and expressive body language indicating excitement or pleasure.
  • Dysphoric affect- Dysphoric affect is the opposite of euphoric affect and is associated with feelings of sadness, unhappiness, or discomfort. A person with dysphoric affect may appear withdrawn, with a downturned mouth, furrowed brows, and subdued body language.

The Science Behind Affect Modulation

The science of affect modulation delves into the neurological and psychological mechanisms that underpin our ability to regulate emotions. Research in this field has uncovered how certain brain regions, neurotransmitters, and hormonal responses are involved in the complex process of emotional regulation. This scientific understanding informs the development of effective therapeutic interventions that target these biological systems.

Studies have shown that practices such as mindfulness and grounding techniques can positively affect brain activity and emotional responses. These findings underscore the potential for therapeutic strategies to enhance emotional regulation and resilience, ultimately improving mental health outcomes.

By integrating insights from the science of affect modulation with practical therapeutic techniques, we can offer more effective support to individuals struggling with emotional regulation. This holistic approach not only addresses the symptoms but also targets the underlying causes of emotional dysregulation, fostering lasting change and well-being.

What Does Affect Modulation Mean for Kids?

When we talk about affect modulation in the context of kids, we’re focusing on their capacity to handle a wide range of emotions because, let’s face it, childhood is a whirlwind of new experiences and challenges.

It’s like having a built-in guide for emotions to help them understand and manage their feelings. It starts with recognizing what they’re feeling, happy, sad, mad, or anything in between, and just how much of an emotion to show in different situations 

As they grow, affect modulation teaches kids when it’s okay to show big emotions and when it’s better to keep things more chill. For example, turning up happiness when playing with friends or dialing down frustration when faced with a tricky task.

This skill is essential because it helps kids understand their own feelings and handle the ups and downs of life. It also helps them navigate social situations and figure out how to respond appropriately. 

How to Help Kids Understand Affect Modulation?

Explaining affect modulation to kids might seem like a tricky task, but breaking it down in simple terms and using certain strategies can make it more accessible for them.

Affect modulation refers to the ability to regulate one’s emotional states in a way that is adaptive and conducive to well-being. It involves understanding and managing the intensity and duration of emotions to navigate daily life effectively. As a therapist, I emphasize the importance of this skill, especially in children, as it lays the foundation for healthy emotional development and coping mechanisms.

Some strategies to help individuals in therapy to better understand affect modulation include:

  1. Use Everyday Language: Start by using words and phrases that kids encounter in their daily lives. So, instead of saying “affect modulation,” you can talk about “feeling and mood management.” 
  2. Compare Emotions to Weather: Draw parallels between emotions and weather conditions. For example, explain that just as the weather changes, our emotions can change too. Sometimes it’s sunny (happy), and other times it might be stormy (angry or sad). This comparison helps kids grasp the idea that emotions come and go.
  3. Storytelling and Role-Playing: Narrate stories or use role-playing to illustrate scenarios where affect modulation comes into play. Describe a character who successfully manages their emotions in a challenging situation and discuss why it was helpful.
  4. Personal Examples: Relate it to their experiences, like how they handle different emotions during playtime, school, or family activities. You can also share stories from your life where you had to manage your emotions – both the successes and the times you learned from challenges.
  5. Connect with Characters: If there are favorite characters from books, movies, or TV shows that deal with emotions, use them as examples. Discuss how the characters handle different feelings and ask kids what they would do in similar situations.
  6. Check up on emotions and feelings as they fluctuate throughout the day and identify triggers or warning signs for behaviors. Tools include creating emotions check in activities or a feelings check in. This can be part of a group self regulation activity for a classroom or the whole family.

By incorporating these strategies, you’ll help kids not only understand but also embrace the concept of affect modulation as a valuable tool for navigating their emotional world. 

Remember, the key is to make it interactive, relatable, and fun.

Factors That Influence Affect Modulation for Kids

Affect modulation in kids is influenced by a variety of factors that play a significant role in shaping their emotional experiences and responses. 

Understanding these factors can help parents, educators, and caregivers provide effective support. 

Let’s take a look at the things that impact affect modulation.

  1. Past Experiences: A child’s previous experiences shape how they handle emotions. Positive experiences might make them more confident in expressing themselves, while negative ones could make them more cautious.
  2. Family Environment: The family is like the home base for emotions. If a home is filled with support and understanding, it’s easier for kids to develop strong affect modulation. But if it’s a bit chaotic or stressful, it might be trickier for them to manage their feelings.
  3. Cultural Influences: Cultural norms and values can shape a child’s understanding and expression of emotions. Different cultures may have varying expectations regarding emotional expression, and being aware of these cultural influences is essential in providing appropriate support.
  4. Social Interactions: Kids learn a lot from their friends and peers. It’s like being part of an emotional team. Positive interactions can boost their affect modulation skills, while negative ones might present challenges.
  5. Support Systems: Having reliable support is crucial – whether it’s parents, teachers, or friends. A strong support system helps kids navigate their feelings with more confidence.
  6. Life Events and Trauma: Significant life events or traumatic experiences can impact a child’s emotional well-being. Grief, loss, or other challenging experiences may affect their ability to regulate emotions. 
  7. Genetic and Biological Factors: There is evidence to suggest a genetic component in emotional regulation. Some children may be naturally predisposed to certain emotional tendencies. 
  8. Media and Technology Exposure: The digital age introduces new elements that can influence affect modulation. Exposure to certain media content or excessive screen time may impact a child’s emotional development. 

By considering these influences, parents, teachers, and caregivers can provide the right kind of support, helping kids develop strong and healthy affect modulation skills.

How to Support Affect Modulation in School and at Home?

Supporting affect modulation in school and at home involves creating environments that foster emotional awareness, expression, and regulation for children. 

Practical worksheets and activities play a crucial role in therapy, providing tangible ways for children and adults to practice and reinforce their regulation skills. From assertive responses worksheets to anger management tools, these resources are invaluable for facilitating emotional growth and learning.

Ultimately, embracing affect modulation as a path to emotional wellness requires patience, practice, and persistence. It’s a journey that can profoundly influence personal and professional life, leading to improved relationships, better decision-making, and greater emotional resilience.

As a pediatric occupational therapist, I incorporate various core techniques into my practice to support affect modulation. Grounding techniques, or coping strategies, are essential for helping children and adults alike anchor themselves in the present moment, reducing overwhelming emotions.

Cognitive reappraisal is another crucial strategy, enabling individuals to reframe negative thoughts and perspectives into more positive and manageable ones.

Here are practical strategies for settings like at school or at home:

Affect Modulation strategies At School

  1. Emotion-Friendly Classroom: Teachers can establish a classroom culture that encourages open discussions about emotions. Create a “Feelings Corner” with resources like emotion charts and books to help children express and understand their feelings.
  2. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs: Implement SEL programs that explicitly teach affect modulation skills. These programs often include activities, discussions, and lessons designed to enhance emotional intelligence.
  3. Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate behavioral expectations and consequences. Consistent guidelines provide a sense of predictability, helping children understand the boundaries for expressing emotions.
  4. Peer Support and Group Activities: Foster a supportive peer environment where children can learn from one another. Group activities that involve cooperation and communication can enhance affect modulation through shared experiences.
  5. Individualized Support Plans: Identify children who may need additional support in affect modulation. Develop individualized plans that address their unique needs, involving teachers, counselors, and parents in the collaborative process.
  6. Teacher-Student Relationships: Cultivate positive relationships between teachers and students. A trusting connection makes it easier for children to seek guidance when faced with emotional challenges.

Affect modulation strategies At Home

  1. Family Check-Ins: Establish regular family check-ins where everyone can share their highs and lows of the day. This promotes open communication and provides an opportunity to discuss and support affect modulation.
  2. Model Healthy Emotion Management: Demonstrate healthy ways to manage emotions. Children often learn by observing, so showing them constructive ways to express feelings sets a positive example.
  3. Emotion-Labeling: Encourage children to label their emotions accurately. Use everyday situations as examples and discuss how different feelings can be expressed and managed.
  4. Consistent Routine: Establish a consistent daily routine. Predictability helps children feel secure and provides a stable environment for developing affect modulation skills.
  5. Family Activities: Engage in activities that promote emotional expression and regulation. Drawing, storytelling, or playing emotion-themed games can be enjoyable ways to reinforce affect modulation.
  6. Limit Screen Time: Monitor and limit screen time, ensuring that content is age-appropriate. Excessive exposure to certain media can impact emotions, and regulating screen time can contribute to a healthier emotional state.

These strategies contribute to creating environments where kids feel supported and empowered to navigate their emotional experiences successfully.

If your kid is facing challenges with affect modulation despite implementing these strategies, consider seeking guidance from mental health who can provide a more tailored support plan.

Activities for Talking About and Supporting Affect Modulation

Here are some engaging activities for talking about and supporting affect modulation in kids:

  1. Feelings Journal: Encourage kids to keep a feelings journal. They can draw or write about their emotions each day. This practice helps them reflect on their feelings and track any patterns.
  2. Mood Meter: Use a mood meter with different quadrants representing different emotions and energy levels. Have the child place a marker on the meter to show how they’re feeling at a particular moment.
  3. Emotion Check-In Board: Create a simple board with different emotions and ask the child to place a marker on how they’re feeling each day. This visual tool helps them track and share their emotions.

There are more strategies to support affect modulation. We’ll cover them in more detail here:

Grounding Techniques

Grounding techniques have proven to be highly effective for those moments when emotions seem overwhelming. As a pediatric occupational therapist, I’ve witnessed firsthand how these strategies can bring someone back from the edge of an emotional cliff. It’s like having a mental emergency kit; knowing these techniques can make all the difference in managing emotions, especially in children who are still learning to navigate their feelings.

The beauty of grounding techniques lies in their simplicity and accessibility. They can be used anywhere, at any time, providing immediate relief without the need for any special tools or environments. Whether it’s a child struggling with anxiety or an adult facing a bout of panic, grounding techniques offer a lifeline, helping to stabilize emotions and return to a state of calm.

Sensory Grounding Using Your Five Senses

One of the most powerful grounding techniques involves leveraging our five senses to reconnect with the present moment.

Sensory Awareness method- I often guide children through exercises that focus on what they can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. This method is particularly effective because it diverts attention away from distressing emotions and towards the external environment. For example, I might ask a child to name three things they can see around them or to focus on the sounds they can hear in the moment.

This sensory grounding technique is grounded in psychology, acknowledging how sensory input can directly influence our emotional state. By focusing on tangible, observable details in our surroundings, we can anchor ourselves in the present, reducing feelings of anxiety or panic. It’s a practice I recommend not just for children but for adults as well, as it fosters mindfulness and promotes emotional regulation.

The 3 things method- You might also use the “3 Things” method where you name three things you can see, three things you can feel, and three things you can hear. Taking the time to be aware of your senses allows you to “reset”.

Implementing these sensory awareness techniques can be as simple as keeping a “sensory kit” handy, filled with items designed to stimulate the five senses. A soft fabric, a favorite scent, or a photo of a cherished memory can serve as powerful tools for grounding. These sensory objects can provide immediate comfort and a sense of safety, guiding the mind away from distress and back to a place of calm.

Grounding Objects and Statements

Grounding objects- In my practice, I’ve found that grounding objects and statements can be incredibly effective for immediate emotional relief. A grounding object can be anything that has a calming effect on the individual, such as a smooth stone, a stress ball, or a small toy. These objects serve as a physical anchor, providing a tangible focus that can help lessen the intensity of overwhelming emotions.

Grounding statements- Another grounding tool is a phrase that one can use to combat negative thoughts. Grounding statements are short, reassuring phrases that can be repeated silently or aloud. Phrases like “I am safe” or “This will pass” can be powerful reminders that help bring someone back to a state of calm.

These techniques are rooted in psychology and are useful for anyone who may struggle with verbalizing their emotions.

Combining grounding objects with statements enhances their efficacy. For instance, holding onto a grounding object while repeating a calming statement can double the grounding effect, offering both physical and mental anchors. This combination can be a quick and effective way to regain emotional balance, especially in stressful situations.

Progressive Relaxation Techniques

Progressive relaxation techniques are another cornerstone of my therapeutic approach, particularly when working with children who experience anxiety or sensory processing challenges. These techniques, which involve gradually tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups, can significantly reduce physical tension and, in turn, calm the mind. It’s a method that not only helps in the moment but also teaches children valuable skills for managing stress in the long term.

The process of systematically working through the body, focusing on one muscle group at a time, serves as a powerful mindfulness exercise. It requires concentration and attention to bodily sensations, which can help distract from overwhelming thoughts or emotions. By learning to recognize and control physical tension, children can gain greater awareness and control over their emotional states as well.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercises

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercises are a fundamental tool I use to teach children about the connection between physical tension and emotional distress. Starting from the toes and working our way up to the facial muscles, we tense each muscle group for a few seconds before releasing. This process not only helps in reducing physical stress but also provides a mental break from any troubling thoughts or feelings.

While guiding children through PMR, I emphasize the importance of breathing. Taking deep, controlled breaths in conjunction with the tensing and relaxing of muscles enhances the relaxation effect. This combination of breath control and muscle relaxation is supported by psychology, which recognizes the bidirectional relationship between body and mind. As the body relaxes, the mind follows, leading to a decrease in anxiety levels and an improvement in mood.

For children who are particularly sensitive to sensory input, PMR can be a gentle introduction to understanding and managing their reactions to stress. It’s a technique that not only provides immediate relief but also empowers children with a lifelong skill for self-regulation. Practicing PMR regularly can significantly improve a child’s resilience to stress, contributing to their overall emotional well-being.

Combined Relaxation Exercise (Audio Guidance)

Audio-guided relaxation exercises combine the benefits of progressive muscle relaxation with mindful breathing and visualization techniques. I often recommend these audio guides to children and their parents as a part of the home routine. Listening to soothing, directive narrations can make it easier for children to engage in the relaxation process. This is especially true for those who find written instructions challenging.

Audio exercises are designed to lead the listener through a series of relaxation techniques. They provide clear instructions on breathing, muscle relaxation, and visual imagery.

The use of audio guidance also adds an auditory sensory component to the relaxation process, which can be engaging.

Incorporating these audio-guided exercises into a child’s daily routine can significantly enhance their ability to manage stress and anxiety.

The regular practice of these exercises can help develop a sense of calm and emotional resilience. It’s a tool that not only benefits them in the present but also equips them with skills for lifelong emotional wellness.

Breath Training for Emotional Stability

Breath training is a core aspect of my work in supporting children’s emotional stability. Something as simple as changing our breathing patterns can have a huge impact on our nervous system. Deep breaths and relaxation breathing can shift us from a state of stress to one of calm.

Teaching children to be mindful of their breath offers them a direct way to influence their emotional state. It gives them a sense of control over their feelings.

By focusing on breath, it’s possible to regulate response to stress. This leads to improved emotional stability and resilience.

Balance: The Key Role of Affect Modulation

Affective modulation is a cornerstone of emotional wellness, involving a complex interplay of personality traits, cognitive processes, and behavioral strategies. Throughout their practice, occupational therapy practitioners have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of mastering affect modulation. It enables individuals to navigate their emotions more effectively, ensuring wellness, wellbeing, and a balanced life.

The techniques and insights shared, such as grounding methods, breath training, and mindfulness, are more than just tools. They are pathways to resilience and emotional stability.

Understanding and helping kids with affect modulation is like giving them superpowers for handling their feelings. 

Whether it’s at school or home, the key is to create a safe and supportive environment. By doing this, we’re setting up our kids for a future where they can face anything with a smile and a sense of strength. 

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.

Symptoms of Too Much Screen Time

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Did you know there are specific symptoms of too much screen time that you’ve probably experienced? You’ve probably seen or experienced the symptoms of too much screen time. Blurry eyes, a muddled mind, difficulty with focus, trouble stopping the screens and behaviors when asked to stop…But what are others experiencing when it comes to screen time overload?

As a related resource, this screen time checklist can be helpful in assisting children and teens to complete a certain amount of non-screen tasks before getting access to their devices. Another comprehensive and powerful resource when it comes to screen time is this digital devastations course for therapists and parents.

Part of understanding the symptoms of screen time overload is getting on board with being a tech wise family. Just reading about these ideas and tips and getting to know the impact that technology time has on development is a great first step.

Symptoms of too much screen time

How do screens really impact our kids? And, exactly how much screen time is too much? Is it really that bad if our kids watch movies and play video games all summer? Today, I’m detailing all about what the research tells us about screens, and what evidence we have on the symptoms of screen use in children and teenagers.

Screen time symptoms include:

  • headache
  • blurry eyes
  • foggy brain
  • eye strain
  • sleep issues
  • tantrums
  • emotional skills and emotional development
  • issues with problem solving skills
  • weight
  • physical health

More common struggles are listed below when it comes to specific screen time symptoms.

This blog post is part of a short series I’m sharing on screens and the devastating impact that they have on our children. I’m very excited to share with you a powerful tool that we can use to make a positive change in our kids. One that can impact our community and our children’s futures.

We share some of the impact of screentime in our graphic below:

Symptoms of screen use in kids and research on screens and development in children and teens.

Average Screen Time

We know first hand that children today are using screens more and more. Whether it’s online learning, entertainment apps and games, watching videos, or playing with friends, screens are a part of our kids’ daily lives.

Unlike kids of just a few years ago, children today have online learning, internet-based supplemental activities, learning apps, and screen-based reading on phones and tablets.

With the sudden onset of distance learning and telehealth, kids are on screens, tablets, phones, and computers more now then ever before. Online classroom lessons and therapy sessions are just one more reason for more screen hours.

“Play” is often screen-based: interactive video games with friends, gaming apps, messaging, and videos is done for entertainment. Children and families are tied to devices to manage the home and activity schedules and to communicate with coworkers, friends, family, teachers, and coaches.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that children ages eight to 10 spend an average of six hours per day in front of a screen, kids ages 11 to 14 spend an average of nine hours per day in front of a screen, and youth ages 15 to 18 spend an average of seven-and-a-half hours per day in front of a screen.

According to the one study, children aged 8-18 spend and average of 7.5 hours in front of a screen for entertainment each day. That is a startling number!

But, when you think about requirements for distance learning, video entertainment, communicating with friends and family, app usage, that number begins to make sense. All of the screen time throughout the day and evening hours adds up quickly.

According to the World Health Organization, over 23% of adults and 80% of adolescents are not sufficiently physically active. Our kids are living sedentary lives and the adults in their lives are as well.

Children are spending more time in sedentary activity by using screens and less time in creative, active play that their bodies NEED to thrive and develop.

We also know that children under a certain age should not have access to screens. We know that kids need more active play and creative play that involves the senses. We know that our children need these things to regulate emotions, behaviors, and to give their nervous systems what they need to learn and develop.

We’ve talked a lot on this space about wellness and well-being. We’ve discussed the balance of occupations. But, have you ever looked deeply into the research on screens?

Children as young as 2 years old have their own tablets. The average age of a child getting a smartphone is now 10.3 years old. This is astounding and gravely against recommended ages of screen time according to the American Academy of Pediatric Guidelines.

Digital Clutter can cause executive function overload.

Digital Clutter

Digital clutter is a constantly growing mountain of distractions. And those distractions lead to MORE distractions…impulsivity, forgotten tasks, and lost time…​​​​​​​ digital clutter impacts executive functioning and things like time management abilities in a huge way! Does this sound familiar or what??

​​​​​​​Just because the clutter doesn’t take up physical space it’s easy to ignore but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t effect us, in a major way.

​​​​​​​​We have all wasted 15 minutes searching for a specific photo or an email. Then 10 minutes resetting a forgotten password. Felt that overwhelm by constantly dinging notifications.

Other examples of digital clutter include:

  • Not deleting emails
  • Too many unread emails
  • Too many notifications on the phone
  • Lost passwords
  • Following too many people or pages on social media
  • Having too many unnecessary social media accounts
  • Being a member of too many social media groups (too many notifications)
  • Drained battery on devices
  • Misplaced downloads
  • Unused apps
  • Constant notifications on devices
  • Photos stored on all devices and in random places
  • Misplaced emails or phone numbers

You might recognize some aspects of this…

When you have all of this digital clutter, it causes another aspect of screen time issues: overwhelm and even anxiety. This is something that I think all of us have experienced as a result of screen distractions. We are trying to do a task like contact someone about something important. But we’ve misplaced the email or their phone number. Or we’ve downloaded a file to use in a therapy session, only to not recall where it’s downloaded to or which device it’s on.

This list could go on and on and on!

​​​​​​​​Here are some quick wins to chip away at the existing digital clutter. Set a timer and choose one!​​​​​​​​

  1. ​​​​​​​​Put all of your downloads in once place. Use the same email address to download all of the resources.
  2. Look at all of the apps on your device and remove ones that you don’t use that often. It’s like cleaning out your closet; if you haven’t worn a piece o clothing in a year, donate it. The same goes for apps. If you haven’t used it recently, delete!
  3. Unsubscribe from emails + delete>> Set a timer and unsubscribe from any emails you don’t read. Delete any unneeded emails.
  4. ​Delete photos>>Take 5 minutes and scroll through some photos. Delete duplicates or blurry shots, anything you actually won’t really look at again.
  5. ​​​​​​​​Organize apps>> Go through the apps on your phone and delete any that you haven’t used in the past year. Sort similar apps into folders on your screen. Just tap and drag them into a combined folder.

What are your best tips for managing the digital clutter overload?

More information on attention and organization are on our executive functioning skills resources.

Symptoms of too much screen time in kids.

Too much screen time symptoms

The effects of screen time on children is showing up in the research. We are seeing astonishing symptoms of screen time in so many ways. These are just SOME of the symptoms and signs of screen overload:

  • Impact on physical health
  • Behavior Issues
  • Poor posture
  • Poor core strength
  • Poor fine motor skills
  • Increased frustration
  • Impulsivity
  • Moodiness
  • Poor ability to handle stress
  • Poor endurance
  • Mental health issues
  • Impact on emotional health
  • Decreased attention
  • Decreased cognitive skills
  • Overactive brain
  • Poor ability to transition
  • Addiction “state of being”
  • Less self-control

Do these screen time symptoms sound familiar? Some of them probably do! But, it’s not just something that is in your mind when it comes to screens and foggy thoughts.

Then, there can even be other symptoms of too much screen time that arise that we don’t always think about. For our kids who are developing in other areas, this can be a real problem.

This might include social withdrawal. We see the child that would rather watch YouTube videos than go outside and play with neighbors or friends.

Dysregulation

We might see emotional dysregulation. Particularly in children and adolescents, can be linked to emotional challenges, including increased irritability, frustration, or mood swings.

This leads us to our next issue…

Behavioral Issues

Still another area of consideration are the behavioral issues. You’ve probably seen the toddler or preschooler that is playing on a device. When the parent takes it away suddenly, there is a tantrum. This happens because a preferred activity is suddenly removed. The brain and body need to reset and a tantrum or breakdown results. There can be an increase in behavioral problems, including impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity, which might not be immediately attributed to screen time.

Cognitive Delays

For young children, especially toddlers and preschoolers, we might see cognitive delays. In young children, excessive screen time can impact cognitive development, potentially delaying language acquisition, attention span, and problem-solving skills.

Pencil Grasp

Pencil grasp and visual motor skills are another area you might not think about right away. Overreliance on screens may limit opportunities for engaging in activities that develop fine motor skills, such as drawing, writing, or manipulating small objects. Pencil grasp development requires play and when the primary form of play in young kids is via screens, we see that impact as school based therapy providers. This is one of the main things that therapists want parents to know about pencil grasp.

warning signs of too much screen time adults

The warning signs for too much time on screens isn’t just for kids. We see the impact of screentime in adults too.

Excessive screen time in adults can have various negative effects on physical and mental well-being. For adults, we might need to spend long hours on a computer while at work. Then to spend more hours at home as entertainment when watching shows on a small screen or while scrolling social media. All of this time adds up!

Do any of these sound familiar?

  • Eye Strain: Complaints of dry, irritated, or tired eyes.
  • Headaches: Frequent headaches, particularly tension headaches, may be linked to prolonged screen use.
  • Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep may be associated with excessive screen time, especially before bedtime.
  • Sedentary Behavior: Excessive sitting or lack of physical activity associated with prolonged screen use.
  • Posture Problems: Neck and back pain due to poor ergonomics or prolonged periods of screen use.
  • Increased Stress: Excessive screen time, especially on social media or news sites, can contribute to heightened stress levels.
  • Anxiety and Depression: Some individuals may experience increased symptoms of anxiety or depression related to their online activities.
  • Reduced Productivity: Difficulty focusing or completing tasks due to distractions from screens.
  • Memory Issues: Challenges with memory and cognitive functioning associated with prolonged screen use.
  • Isolation: Spending excessive time on screens may lead to reduced face-to-face social interactions, potentially contributing to feelings of loneliness or isolation.
  • Blurred Vision: Vision-related issues such as blurred vision or difficulty focusing.
  • Digital Fatigue: Feeling mentally exhausted or drained after extended screen use.
  • Work or Personal Neglect: Neglecting work responsibilities, personal relationships, or household duties due to excessive screen time.
  • Strained Relationships: Increased conflicts or strained relationships with friends, family, or colleagues due to excessive screen use.
  • Lack of Exercise: Reduced engagement in physical activities due to prolonged screen-related activities.

Screentime in adults

It’s important to note that these signs may vary among individuals, and some people may be more resilient to the effects of screen time. However, being aware of these warning signs can help individuals and healthcare professionals address potential issues related to excessive screen use and promote a healthier balance in daily activities.

Encouraging breaks, adopting proper ergonomics, and establishing screen time limits can contribute to a more balanced and sustainable approach to technology use.

These are the things we see when it comes to screen time. But what else is happening when screens take over the balance of play, physical activity, creative play, and imagination?

  • Less family interaction
  • More frustration
  • More stress
  • Poor ability to transition between tasks (stopping screen play and moving to a different task)
  • Less creative play
  • Less imagination play
  • Less opportunities for communication and interaction
  • Wanting more and more screen time
  • Lack of energy
  • Poor motivation
  • More distracted
  • Posture issues
  • Difficulty with pinch and grip strength and dexterity
  • Eye tracking and shift difficulties

The list could go on and on! It’s the iceberg theory of behaviors, only it’s applied to screen time and over use.

Screen time symptoms

There is research behind these common concerns. More on that in an upcoming blog post.

Strategies to help kids balance screen time in the Digital Devastation Solutions course

How to balance screen time

We can do something. We can make a difference in our children and our future.

This doesn’t mean that we need to completely take screens away from our kids! It doesn’t mean that they can’t watch videos or play games with friends online.

But, we can offer balance, and the activities their nervous systems need to empower sensory and regulation so learning, emotions, behaviors, and mental well-being flourishes. Much of this can be impacted by another aspect, the individuals co-regulation abilities.

What kids REALLY need, is balance. They need play to help develop their brains. They need play to create new neural connections in the brain. They need creative activities to build self-confidence, emotional well-being, and strategies to cope.

Wondering about how much screen time is too much, and what to do when the effects of screen time seem to impact daily life?

How much screen time is too much?

Determining how much screen time is “too much” depends on various factors, including age, developmental stage, and the content being consumed. It’s important to remember that moderation is key.

The fact is that current education, social interactions, entertainment, and daily life tasks all revolve around screen use. Because daily life requires use of screens, we can’t be made to feel guilty about using phones, tablets, laptops, and other types of screens. This is a change in daily life experiences and a piece of the puzzle that must be considered.

Let’s take a look at what current research says about moving from the moderation level to the “too much screen time” level.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides guidelines regarding screen time for children and adolescents:

  1. For Children Under 18 Months: The AAP recommends avoiding the use of screen media other than video chatting.
  2. For Children 18 to 24 Months: If introduced, parents should choose high-quality programming and watch it with their children to help them understand what they are seeing.
  3. For Children Ages 2 to 5 Years: Limit screen time to one hour per day of high-quality programming, and co-view media with children to help them understand what they are seeing.
  4. For Children Ages 6 Years and Older: Place consistent limits on screen time, ensuring it does not interfere with adequate sleep, physical activity, and other behaviors essential to health.

While we can’t change current screen usage as times change; students work from personal tablets all day at school; shopping over apps is more and more common; checking in to the doctor’s appointment is done via a tablet at the doctor’s office door.

What we can do is be sure that activities such as physical play, face-to-face interaction, and sufficient sleep are integrated within the day over screen time.

Excessive screen time has been associated with various negative outcomes, including poor sleep, obesity, and delayed language development in young children. However, it’s essential to recognize that not all screen time is equal. Educational content and interactive apps can have benefits when used appropriately and in moderation.

As an occupational therapy practitioner, you can work with families to create a balanced approach to screen time that takes into account individual needs and developmental considerations. Encouraging parents to engage in activities that promote social interaction, physical activity, and creative play can help mitigate the potential negative effects of excessive screen time.

For more information, you can refer to the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on media use for children and adolescents.

How to manage Screen time

There is a way to combat the requirements of online learning, distance schooling, social distancing, and the newest concerns of today. One way to do this is by taking a multisensory approach to academics.

We can balance digital entertainment with the tools that kids need to flourish in emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

One way to manage screen time is to focus on telling time in kids.

We can manage screen time in ways that make a true difference.

Resources for Reducing Screen time

To support kids and the families that are looking for ways to adjust to the influx of screentime we have these days, here are some resources you can offer as a therapy provider:

Too much screen time can have devastating impact on kids and adults. We see this every day. Hopefully, the information in this blog post can help with understanding about the effects of too much screen time in kids and in adults.

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.

Drawing Journal with Stuffed Animals

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We had the chance to check out a new resource over on Amazon…a drawing journal for kids to use with their favorite stuffed animals! When it comes to helping kids with handwriting needs, coming up with creative and engaging activities can significantly contribute to enhancing various skills. That’s where therapeutic journaling comes into play, using a favorite toy or stuffed animals.

We wanted to share the drawing journal as a tool to support a variety of skills!

Drawing journal

Kids love this drawing journal!

Drawing Journal for Kids

The drawing journal, My Stuffed Animal Journal for Kids (Amazon affiliate link) is just that, a drawing journal with writing and drawing prompts for kids to use when writing about their favorite stuffed animals and soft toys.

We had a chance to draw and write about some of our favorite stuffed animals, and it was a hit. As an occupational therapist, I love the large drawing spaces on the page, and the bold writing lines for using line awareness in the writing prompts.

When using a motivating and meaningful writing prompt with kids (like asking them to write about their favorite stuffed animals!), there are many skills that you can target:

The drawing journal has a space for kids to draw a picture of what their stuffed animal looks like. This is such a fun drawing prompt for kids!

When children select a favorite stuffed animal or toy, the drawing prompt is meaningful and motivating. You can target a variety of skills with the drawing prompt section of the book:

Drawing Journal for Emotional Expression

The drawing journal offers kids a chance to express emotions and interests when it comes to their stuffed animal. The drawing journal prompts ask what each stuffed animal does at night.

Kids can write about every toy or stuffed animal they own and express their emotions through their stuffed animal journal.

Include prompts that prompt reflection on daily (nightly) experiences, feelings, and imaginative scenarios involving their plush toy companions.

Drawing Journal Prompts for Fine Motor Skills

As an occupational therapist, I love that the drawing journal prompts kids to draw and then write in several sections of the pages.

When kids draw, color, and write on each page, they can use a variety of drawing tools to improve fine motor skills:

  • Pencils
  • Colored pencils
  • Markers
  • Crayons

Highlight drawing prompts that target fine motor skills, aiding in the development of hand-eye coordination and pencil control. Emphasize the therapeutic value of these activities in occupational therapy sessions, supporting children in honing their motor skills through creative expression.

Stuffed Animals at Night

Kids love to wonder about the fun adventures their favorite toys and stuffed animals enjoy at night while the house is sleeping. It’s a fun and creative writing and drawing prompt that not only engages creativity but also serves as a tool to address executive functioning skills and narrative abilities like working memory, task completion, planning and prioritization.

Beyond the joy of documenting the nighttime adventures of a favorite stuffed animal, a drawing and writing prompt that asks about what a child’s favorite stuffed animals do at night provides a powerful therapeutic avenue for honing problem-solving, creative thinking, critical thinking, working memory, and cultivating a positive mindset.

You can even ask students to add more details to their stuffed animals’ nighttime adventures with challenges the toys have and ask the students to come up with solutions. This process of expanding the writing prompt helps children develop problem-solving skills, teaching them to approach difficulties with resilience and determination. This is a great critical thinking activity for kids!

Grab your copy of My Stuffed Animal Journal for Kids over on Amazon!

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.

Cross Crawl Exercises

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yoga poses printable-free

This article covers cross crawl exercises as a brain break tool and a bilateral coordination strategy to add sensory movement. Have you heard the term cross crawl and wondered what that meant? As parents, educators, and therapists, we are always looking for ways to help promote overall development of the children in our lives. One way to build connections in the brain and body is through meaningful exercise. In this post, we will focus in on a super important type of exercise: the cross-crawl.

Related: Butterfly Balance and Coordination Exercises 

What is a Cross Crawl

Cross crawl exercises are used in occupational therapy to support development of many skill areas: bilateral coordination, crossing midline, balance, motor planning, and more.

What is a cross crawl?

Cross crawl is defined as movements or cross lateral actions that are exercises that describe a category of movement – not just one exercise. Cross-crawl exercises are movements that involve crossing the midline of the body, which is an imaginary line that divides the body into left and right halves. You may have heard of the phrase bilateral coordination and crossing midline used with cross-crawls, too. 

The movement utilizes both hemispheres of the brain in a whole-brain activity by bringing self-awareness to the body (body awareness) as well as the physical coordination needed to create the physical, cross-lateral movements.

Cross Crawl exercises are specific cross lateral (one side of the body crosses, or reaches over to the other side of the body) movements designed to activate both sides of the brain and improve coordination, balance, and motor skills using a set number or repetitions.

Cross-crawl exercises can be as simple as marching or as complex as dancing, but they all involve movements that require the left and right sides of the body to work together while completing opposing actions. This might include: yoga, crunches with oblique rotation, standing and touching the right hand to the left foot/left hand to the right foot, standing and touching one elbow to the opposite knee, etc.

One main benefit of cross crawls is that they improve lower extremity strength, with supports balance and coordination in functional tasks.

Pretty cool, right? 

Benefits of cross crawls

There are many benefits of cross crawl exercises.

What do Cross Crawl Exercises do?

What are the benefits of cross-crawl exercises?

Cross-crawl exercises offer a wide range of benefits for children of all ages. As we show in the image above, using a cross crawl in play, brain breaks, or other motor skill activity may improve: 

  • Motor planning
  • Coordination
  • Brain breaks
  • Attention
  • Concentration
  • Srength
  • Coping tool
  • Balance
  • Visual skills
  • Crossing midline
  • Bilateral coordination
  • Core strength/stability
  • More!

Here are some of the most important benefits of cross-crawl exercises:

Improved coordination: Cross-crawl exercises help to improve coordination between the left and right sides of the body, which can lead to better balance and overall coordination. The cognitive coordination is visible as the child thinks about the action needed to complete the exercise and then works through the motor plan to complete the movements. 

As that action becomes more fluid, the movements occur in a more rhythmic way.

Increased brain activity: These exercises activate both sides of the brain and often challenge it to coordinate new motor plans. This can improve cognitive function and help children learn and remember new information.

Brain development occurs through a variety of movements, sensory stimulation, experiences, and learning opportunities. The cross-crawl technique is a tool to add to the sensory movement toolbox as completing the cross-pattern movements moves from slow and intentional to ingrained and automatic. This is fluid movement happening.

Better motor skills: Cross-crawl exercises can help children develop gross motor strength and coordination. They may be able to jump higher, fall less, run faster, climb to the top… you get the idea!

Some of the motor skills that can improve include:

Improved reading and writing skills: Crossing the midline is required during reading and writing. Practicing cross-crawl exercises has been shown to improve these skills by helping children develop better eye-tracking (visual tracking) and hand-eye coordination. These can be a great classroom brain break for academic work.

Add the cross crawl activity to your list of ways to add movement to the classroom!

Reduced stress and anxiety: Cross-crawl exercises can help to reduce stress and anxiety by promoting relaxation and mindfulness. This occurs because the nervous system’s responses play a huge role in how we think, behave, and respond to a given situation. We cover this in more detail in our blog post on the limbic system.

We talk about the mind-body connections of movement as a self-regulation tool to impact stress, worries, frustration, and anxiety in our resources on anxiety and sensory coping skills. 

An opportunity to recharge through movement is a great tool to have on hand for a real stress buster! 

In addition, there are significant social-emotional benefits to supporting stress and anxiety through movement.

Improved Confidence: When you are able to accomplish new things, like riding a bike, passing the swimming test, or compete in a high level of your sport, confidence soars! 

How to do a cross crawl exercise

Now that you know why a cross crawl is a great exercise, let’s talk about how to do cross crawls in therapy or at home.

How to do a Cross Crawl Exercise

A cross crawl is a simple, yet effective way to build skills. You’ll see below that development of cross-lateral skills occurs naturally through play in each age range. So what does a cross-crawl exercise look like?

How to complete a cross crawl exercise:

  1. When standing, bend the left knee to lift the left foot up off the floor. 
  2. Bend and rotate slightly at the waist to touch your right elbow to your left knee.
  3. Then stand back up straight again.
  4. Next, bend the right knee and bring the right foot up off the floor. 
  5. Bend and rotate slightly at the waist to touch your left elbow to your right knee.
  6. Then stand back up straight again.

Essentially, in cross lateral exercises, we are physically moving to connect the left side of the body with the right side of the body. This engages both the right hemisphere of the brain (with one action) to the left hemisphere of the brain (with a different action). Both sides of your brain are engaged and active through the movements.

There are many ways to connect the right leg to the left arm and the left leg to the right arm. Adding upper and lower body movements, plus rotation, to left and right sides of the body occurs naturally throughout the day in daily tasks. 

Let’s do a simple activity analysis of a daily task like washing clothes. Think about pulling a load of laundry out of a washing machine. 

  • You might need to bend at the waist and place your left hand into a washing machine, reaching down towards your right side. You see rotation at work, as well as reaching across the body. 
  • You pull heavy, wet clothing out of the washer and pull it across your body to place it into a dryer. 
  • Then, your right hand reaches across your body and down to push the wet laundry into the dryer. 

This is just looking at two simple actions in the whole task, and presenting one layout. This daily task can incorporate cross lateral movements in many different ways. What we see though, is that these actions occur naturally.

This simple exercise can be expanded on in many ways. We cover different ways to incorporate opposite sides of the body work in age-appropriate manners below.

Cross crawl exercises

We know that development occurs in a predictable pattern. Because of that understanding, we can facilitate development using cross crawl activities that support skill development across various ages and stages.

Cross Crawl Exercises

It’s important to present kids with age-appropriate cross-crawl exercises for children as a tool that supports the areas needed for each individual.

Here is a list of cross crawl exercises that can be incorporated into obstacle courses, brain breaks, exercise sequences, etc. These can be modified to meet the needs of individuals of all ages. Find age-appropriate and play based cross crawl activities that occur naturally in daily tasks and interests listed below.

  1. Standing cross crawl- Stand on the right foot. Raise the left foot and touch the left knee to the right elbow. Hold the pose. Then raise the right foot and touch the right knee to the left elbow. Hold the pose. Try to maintain balance without falling.
  2. Seated cross crawl- Sit on a chair, bench, or surface without a back support. Repeat the directions from #1 in a seated position.
  3. Laying cross crawl- Lie down on the floor on your back. Bend at the waist and touch the right elbow to the left knee. Return to lying flat on the floor. Then, bend the left elbow and to touch the right knee. Repeat with trunk rotation for crunches with oblique muscle involvement.
  4. Bug exercise- Lie down on the floor with your arms above your head on the floor and your legs straight. Keep your right arm straight and raise it up as you raise your left leg straight up to touch your right hand to your left foot. Repeat on the other side.
  5. Standing cross crawl on an unstable surface- Repeat the directions from #1 while standing on an unstable surface such as a pillow, a foam exercise mat, at slanted surface, or a low step.
  6. Standing toe touch- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms stretched overhead. Bend and reach your right hand down to touch your left foot. Stand back up and repeat on the other side.
  7. Bridge cross crawl- Position in a crawling position with belly lifted up off the ground. Bring one knee up and touch the opposite elbow to the knee. Repeat on the other side.
  8. Plank cross crawl- Position in a raised plank position. Carefully lift one hand and reach down to touch the opposite hip. Return the hand to the plank position. Repeat on the other side. Then try touching the hand to the opposite knee.
  9. Plank leg raise- Position in a raised plank position. Bring one knee up and touch the knee with the opposite hand. Repeat on the other side.
  10. Seated toe touch- Sit on the floor with legs spread wide. Reach across the body and touch the right hand to the left toes. Hold. Then repeat on the opposite side.

Here are some age-appropriate variations of cross-crawl exercises that children of all ages can enjoy:

Infants (birth -1 year): Before they are able to crawl (my favorite cross-crawl exercise!) you can teach your baby the motions while they lay on their back. 

Make it fun with a song or silly sounds and gently move the arm down and across the body while the opposite leg moves up and in – just how it would look if they were crawling. 

  • Use floor play activities
  • Use toys to encourage crawling
  • Place a bin or basket to one side and balls, toys, or blocks the child can place into the basket on the other side to to encourage rotation and reaching across the midline

Toddlers (ages 1-3): Toddlers can benefit from simplified cross-crawl exercises, such as crawling, rolling, and clapping. 

Encourage your toddler to crawl across the room (or  over furniture or your legs for an extra challenge!), roll from side to side, and complete high fives across all directions. They’ll love being able to play like this with you! 

  • Use a target like a blow up inner tube and encourage crawling and reaching across the body to sort colors like in this hand eye coordination activities for toddlers task.
  • Play follow the leader, simon says activities to encourage various movements
  • Climbing toys and activities
  • Hokey pokey games

Preschoolers (ages 3-5): Preschoolers can enjoy more complex cross-crawl exercises, such as hopping on one foot, skipping, and dancing. 

Play music and encourage your preschooler to dance around the room, hop on one foot, and skip across the yard.

  • All of the ideas listed above, plus…
  • Freeze dance
  • Follow the leader
  • Simon Says commands that target crossing midline
  • Yoga poses
  • Standing cross crawl exercises

Elementary school-age children (ages 6-12): Elementary school-age children can enjoy a variety of cross-crawl exercises, such as crab walks, mountain climbers, and yoga. These movements can be added to brain break games like Simon Says, Follow the Leader, and Charades.

Encourage your child to try new activities and find ones that they enjoy. This is a great break activity for the classroom or for an after school brain break before doing homework!

  • More complex yoga activities
  • Quadruped cross crawl exercises
  • Twister game
  • Complex charade games
  • Gymnastics
  • Martial arts
  • Basketball
  • Soccer
  • Riding a bike
  • Climbing trees
  • Swimming
  • Climbing walls
  • Ribbon dancing

Teens (ages 13-18): Teens can benefit from more challenging cross-crawl exercises, such as martial arts, structured dance, and team sports. High school occupational therapy can support this age with various tools to encourage mental health, coping strategies, and learning. Encourage your teen to try new activities and find ones that challenge them both mentally and physically.

Use the complex movements in brain breaks for high school or middle school brain breaks depending on the age.

  • All of the activities listed above plus…
  • Complex yoga sequences
  • Horseback riding
  • Track and field activities like Discus/Shot put/javelin
  • Cross training activities for sports
  • Kickboxing
  • Weightlifting
  • Cooking
  • Tai chi
  • Sports like basketball, football, basketball, kickboxing, martial arts, dance, etc.

For more exercise ideas, check out the Motor Skills Exercise Wheel. You can also have a great time challenging yourself and the kids with an OT Obstacle Course! 

It’s clear that cross-crawl exercises are an important aspect of the complex brain and a part of childhood development that should not be overlooked. All ages can enjoy and benefit from cross crawls! 

By incorporating these intentional cross-lateral activity exercises into your child’s daily routine, you can help them improve their coordination, balance, motor skills, cognitive function, and overall well-being. So, let’s get moving!

One tool to support cross crawls is using Yoga poses in play or therapy sessions.

Yoga Pose Cards

We talked about how exercises like Yoga can incorporate cross crawl positioning as well as support the strengthening of other gross motor skills like balance, coordination, motor planning, crossing midline, etc. Because of this, we wanted to share a great resource to use in improving these areas. Check out our free Yoga Pose Cards!

The Yoga Pose Cards are free when you enter your email address into the form below. We’ll send you the Yoga cards by email so you are able to print them from any device (school, home, work, etc.). Print off these Yoga pose cards and get those kiddos moving!

We made the yoga poses printable free via email, but you can grab it and MANY other movement activities inside The OT Toolbox Membership club. This set is a coloring activity, so users can select one of the printable yoga cards and color in the picture…then copy the pose. Many of these yoga poses on the cards involve crossing the midline and using a cross crawl exercise to foster skills.

Enter your name in the form below to get this printable set of yoga cards.

Free Color and Move Yoga Cards

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    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.

    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook
    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook

    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook walks you through sensory processing information, each step of creating a meaningful and motivating sensory diet, that is guided by the individual’s personal interests and preferences.

    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook is not just about creating a sensory diet to meet sensory processing needs. This handbook is your key to creating an active and thriving lifestyle based on a deep understanding of sensory processing.

    12 Self-Regulation Crafts for Kids (Fun + Effective) 

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    self regulation crafts

    Helping kids understand and regulate their emotions through arts and crafts is a fantastic way to promote self-regulation needs while fostering emotional intelligence and well-being. So, here are 12 self-regulation crafts designed to help kids express themselves artistically and navigate the colorful world of feelings. We know the power of targeting emotional regulation through tools like the Zones of Regulation and self regulation activities…crafts are another facet of those supports!

    Self regulation crafts

    12 Self-Regulation Crafts for Kids

    We’ve covered emotion crafts in the past, but that’s just the start. Once you’ve got a handle on understanding and naming emotions, moving to self-regulation craft ideas is next.

    The self regulation crafts below are designed to be hands-on. We love to use social and emotional tools in a way that is fun and engaging. So, if you can incorporate skill-building into making crafts with kids, you are also adding in fine motor, gross motor, functional tasks, heavy work input, and so much more.

    The self regulation crafts listed below work in a few different ways. Some of the craft ideas support sensory motor input by offering heavy work through the hands. You can add proprioceptive input by using tools like:

    • fidget tools- Make your own DIY fidget toys for a craft version.
    • bubble wrap crafts- pushing through the hands adds heavy work to the joints
    • Using resistive tools in crafting- This might mean you select a squeeze glue bottle over a glue stick because squeezing the glue bottle adds more heavy work input, which is calming and organizing.
    • Using resistive paper to tear or cut with scissors. This can add heavy work through the hands to calm and organize the body.
    • Incorporate oral motor components. Some crafts require breath power! For example, our water xylophone craft requires blowing air through pursed lips to make music. This is a calming and organizing activity!
    • Another idea that requires breath power is our pinwheel painting craft. This activity uses heavy work through pursed lips to spin paint. This painting activity can get messy (which is why we did this one outdoors!), but it’s a great oral motor craft that calms and regulates the sensory systems.
    • Still another fan favorite is our egg boat craft. We used a straw to power the boats and blowing through the straw really adds regulating input.

    You can see how taking a craft that covers emotions can add organizing and regulating sensory motor input just by the way you use one craft material over another. And, you can actually create a craft that is a self regulation tool in and of itself, for example making a feelings journal or a sensory bottle.

    Let’s explore some of these craft ideas…

    1. Emoji Faces Collage

    This craft allows kids to visually explore and express a range of emotions. By associating facial expressions with specific emotions, children develop a deeper understanding of non-verbal cues.

    Plus, the benefit of a hands-on activity using materials that kids cut out with scissors and glue onto a collage enhances fine motor skills and creativity. You could use old magazines or junk mail to encourage flipping pages and cutting a variety of paper types. This is great fine motor work for kids offered in a way that doesn’t look like “work”. It’s more fun than anything!

    How to Make an Emojis Face Collage:

    1. Gather magazines or printouts that show various facial expressions.
    2. Provide the kids scissors, glue, and a large sheet of paper.
    3. Instruct the kids to cut out different eyes, mouths, and other facial features from the magazines.
    4. Discuss each emotion represented – happy, sad, angry, surprised, etc.
    5. Have the children arrange and glue these features onto the paper, creating their own emoji face collage.

    2. Feelings Thermometer

    Another fun self-regulation craft is a feelings thermometer. The feelings thermometer is a simple yet effective craft to encourage open communication about feelings.

    The visual representation helps kids connect feelings to a scale, and regularly updating the thermometer encourages children to recognize and regulate their emotions in real-time.

    How to Make a Feelings Thermometer:

    1. Draw a thermometer shape on a large sheet of paper or poster board.
    2. Label different levels of the thermometer with emotions (e.g., happy, calm, frustrated, angry).
    3. Provide stickers or markers for kids to mark how they’re feeling on the thermometer.
    4. Encourage them to adjust the marker based on their emotions throughout the day.

    You could also quickly draw a thermometer on a chalkboard or dry erase board and ask the student to “check in” with their feelings by marking how they feel using dry erase markers or chalk. We covered a variation of this activity in our feelings check in activity. To incorporate the Zones of Regulation, you could use the colors of the program.

    3. Calm Down Glitter Jars

    A sensory jar, or a calm down glitter jar is a great self regulation tool for calming emotions or feelings. These jars can act as portable tools for kids to use when they need a moment to relax. One idea, our friendship sensory bottle, is a great way to create a self regulation craft, but also talk about friendship and differences, which is so important when it comes to regulating emotions and feelings.

    They encourage deep breathing and mindfulness as children focus on the glitter slowly settling. Watching the settling glitter also provides a tangible visual metaphor for emotions calming down.

    How to Make Calm Down Glitter Jars:

    1. Fill clear jars with water, leaving some space at the top.
    2. Add glitter in different colors (representing different emotions).
    3. Seal the jar tightly.
    4. Shake the jar vigorously to create a swirling effect with the glitter.
    5. Discuss how the glitter represents a busy mind or heightened emotions.

    4. Traffic Light Feelings

    Similar to the feeling thermometer, the traffic light metaphor simplifies the concept of emotional intensity for kids. It provides a visual cue for recognizing and categorizing emotions. Using a traffic light to explore feelings is nice because you can adjust this emotions craft to meet any need and you can use a variety of materials.

    How to Make a Traffic Light Feelings Craft:

    1. Draw or print a traffic light template with three circles (red, yellow, green).
    2. Label each circle with a different emotion (e.g., red for anger, yellow for frustration, green for calm).
    3. Provide colored markers or crayons.
    4. Instruct the kids to fill in each circle with the corresponding color and draw facial expressions to represent the emotions.

    The traffic light feelings craft idea is a nice one to use on an occupational therapy door or bulletin board in a school environment!

    5. Feelings Journal

    While a feelings journal isn’t traditionally a craft activity, you can definitely make this self regulation tool your own and add some crafting opportunities. Journaling encourages self-reflection and the expression of emotions through writing or drawing. Over time, kids can observe recurring patterns in their feelings and develop an overall deeper understanding of themselves.

    Additionally, discussing their entries can facilitate open conversations about emotions between you and the child.

    How to Make a Feelings Journal:

    1. Provide blank notebooks or sheets of paper.
    2. Encourage kids to decorate the cover of their feelings journal with colors and drawings that represent different emotions.
    3. Each day, ask them to draw or write about how they felt and why.
    4. Discuss the entries regularly to promote communication about emotions.
    5. Incorporate art or creativity by adding doodle prompts, adding stickers, or coloring in the margins and blank spaces of the journal.

    6. Worry Dolls

    Worry dolls provide a tangible representation for abstract emotions or concerns.

    Sharing worries with the dolls externalizes the burden and helps kids feel a sense of relief. The act of creating and interacting with the dolls also promotes a sense of control over emotions.

    How to Make a Worry Doll:

    1. Provide a wooden craft stick, markers, pipe cleaners, and tape or glue.
    2. Wrap the pipe cleaners around the craft stick and bend them into arms and legs. Use a small piece of tape or a dot of glue to hold the craft sticks in place.
    3. Add facial features to one end of the craft stick.
    4. Decorate the dolls with colorful yarn, markers, or fabric.
    5. Designate each worry doll as a guardian of specific worries or emotions.
    6. Encourage kids to share their worries with the dolls before bedtime.

    7. Mood Meter Painting

    The mood meter painting helps kids visually connect colors with specific emotions. 

    It prompts self-reflection as children consider and express their current emotional state. It also fosters a deeper understanding of the fluid nature of emotions.

    How to Make a Mood Meter Painting:

    1. Draw a large mood meter on a poster or canvas, dividing it into four quadrants labeled “Happy,” “Calm,” “Worried,” and “Angry.” You could also use a paper plate that is divided into four sections.
    2. Provide various colors of paint corresponding to each mood.
    3. Encourage the kids to paint their current mood on the meter, using colors that resonate with how they feel.

    8. Rainbow of Emotions

    This craft also introduces the concept of emotions as a spectrum, while connecting colors with specific emotions. 

    The visual representation of emotions as a rainbow is a positive and inclusive approach to recognizing and managing feelings. 

    How to Make a Feelings Rainbow:

    1. Create a rainbow template with different emotions assigned to each color (e.g., red for anger, blue for calm, yellow for happiness). Our free rainbow template is one option.
    2. Provide the kids with colored paper, markers, and glue.
    3. Ask children to cut out cloud shapes and write or draw things that make them feel each emotion, then glue them onto the corresponding color.

    You can use our deep breathing rainbow along with this activity.

    9. Emotion Charades Drawings

    This game of charades encourages expression without needing verbal communication. Kids can get involved with making this activity by drawing pictures or facial expressions on the cards to match the feelings and emotions words.

    It promotes understanding of non-verbal cues associated with different emotions and enhances empathy development as the kids consider how others interpret and respond to their drawings.

    How to Make Emotion Charades Drawings:

    1. Write different emotions on the cards (happy, sad, surprised, etc.).
    2. Ask kids to pick a card and draw a simple representation of that emotion without using words.
    3. Other kids can also guess the emotion based on the drawing.

    10. Coping Strategy Cards:

    Creating coping strategy cards provides tangible tools for children to use when faced with challenging emotions. Whenever a kid feels overwhelmed, they can pick a card and practice the coping strategy written on it. These can be coping mechanisms that support sensory and emotional needs.

    These cards can help encourage proactive thinking about how to manage and regulate emotions. The nice thing is that this craft can be taylored to the individual’s interests and needs.

    How to Make Coping Strategy Cards:

    1. Create cards or small rectangles from sturdy paper. Use a set of old cards and decorate them with permanent markers or stickers. You can even tape a piece of paper over the face of the cards. Another idea is to tape paper over the cards and then laminate them for durability.
    2. Write or draw different coping strategies on each card (e.g., deep breathing, drawing, taking a break).
    3. Decorate the cards with colors or illustrations.
    4. Discuss and explain each coping strategy with the children.

    11. Paper Plate Emotion Masks

    Paper plate emotion Masks allow kids to visually express and embody different emotions. Wearing or holding the masks provides a tangible way for them to explore and share their feelings with others.

    How to Make Paper Plate Emotion Masks:

    1. Cut paper plates in half to create masks.
    2. Have children draw or paint facial expressions on the masks to represent different emotions.
    3. Attach craft sticks or elastic strings to turn the masks into handheld or wearable creations.
    4. Once completed, discuss the emotions depicted on their masks.

    12. Mood Rocks

    Mood rocks serve as tangible pocket-sized tools for recognizing and expressing emotions. Kids can carry these rocks and use them as prompts to discuss or reflect on their current mood which fosters self-awareness.

    The process of collecting and decorating rocks also provides a calming activity.

    How to Make Mood Rocks:

    1. Collect smooth stones or rocks (or ask the kids to collect them).
    2. Instruct kids to decorate each rock with colors and symbols representing different emotions. (make sure to apply a sealant to protect the artwork).
    3. Discuss each emotion as they work on the rocks.
    4. Encourage kids to keep their mood rocks in a designated space.

    Self-Regulation Crafts in Occupational Therapy

    Occupational therapy practitioners love using crafts as a tool to support skill building…its’ in the very roots of our profession! So when it comes to supporting the cognitive and emotional aspect of functional skill development, crafting is a go-to OT activity!

    And, for therapy providers that are working with students or clients in small groups, the craft ideas we shared in this blog post make great therapy ideas for self-regulation group activities.

    These self-regulation crafts not only nurture creativity but also serve as valuable tools for emotional intelligence. 

    Through the use of colors, expressions, and discussions, kids can gain a deeper understanding of their own emotions and develop empathy for others, laying the foundation for healthy emotional well-being.

    Want a few more craft ideas for self regulation, emotions, and social and emotional development? Check out our e-book, Exploring Books Through Play. The e-book walks you through using popular children’s books to create crafts and hands-on activities based on social emotional areas like empathy, feelings, friendship, and emotions. It’s a wonderful resource to add to your therapy toolbox!

    social emotional activities for kids

    Exploring Books Through Play has 50 crafts and activities for children.

    Exploring books through play and teach kids empathy, friendship, and compassion with fun play activities.

    For more information on this digital resource, check out the full description on Exploring Books Through Play.

    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.

    Winter Fine Motor Activities

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    winter fine motor activities

    Looking for winter fine motor activities that boost the skills kids need? These fine motor ideas develop the skills that kids need for tasks like handwriting, pencil grasp, cutting with scissors, managing clothing fasteners, and more. You’ll find winter activities that boost hand strength, grasp, precision and endurance in the hands…all through play! We’ve even got a winter fine motor kit, loaded with resources, activities, crafts, and no-prep materials designed to help kids develop fine motor skills. So scroll on! 



    First, stop by our fine motor skills library for tons of ideas to work on the motor skills kids need.


    It has been fun sharing winter activities this week! If you missed any of the posts, be sure to check them out below. We’ve talked about indoor recess ideas for winter, brain break ideas, and activities to address bilateral coordination skills, and even mindfulness! You will have ideas for a season of development!


    Check out the Winter Activities on the site this week: 


    Monday- Indoor Recess Ideas

    Tuesday-     Winter Brain Break Ideas

    Wednesday-     Winter Bilateral Coordination Activities

    Thursday-    Winter Mindfulness Activities (Be sure to check out these hibernation activities, too. They make a great calm down space!)

    Friday-     Winter Fine Motor Activities (TONS of  Free Printables!)


    Now on to today’s topic, fine motor activities!

    These winter fine motor activities can help kids develop the hand strength and fine motor skills needed for every day tasks, all with a winter theme.

    Winter fine motor activities are fun ways to build hand strength.

    Winter Fine Motor Activities

    Winter is a great time to work on fine motor skills. It’s so functional! You can help kids by getting those hands moving so they have the finger dexterity, pinch strength, and finger isolation to put on a pair of gloves.

    You can address gross hand grasp, arch development, and bilateral coordination skills so kids can pull on a pair of boots. You can work on precision, separation of the sides of the hand, eye-hand coordination, and in-hand manipulation skills so kids can zipper and button winter coats. All of these are functional winter tasks!

    We used those same hole reinforcer stickers to make a fine motor snowman craft that boosts skills like tip to tip precision, separation of the sides of the hand, and arch strength. 

    Many winter fine motor activities can be adjusted to meet the needs of the individual. For example, these snow globe letter puzzle cards can address fine motor skills to color and manipulate the cards. The winter-themed activity can be modified to meet the needs of the individual: using less or more cards, incorporating fine or gross motor input, and positioning the cards in different planes or surfaces to work on various levels of fine motor control. It’s just one more way to make therapy skills like fine motor dexterity fun with a winter theme!

    Similarly, this snow globe deep breathing exercise can be modified to address fine motor skills. Ask users to point and trace the breathing lines to integrate finger isolation, separation of the sides of the hand, and eye-hand coordination. Then, they can “draw” the same shape on their palm using their finger to point as they breathe. It’s a bilateral coordination and fine motor task that addresses self-regulation, too.

    Print off this mitten printable for fine motor skill work while developing other areas like eye-hand coordination, motor planning, precision, and more.

    This winter clothing worksheet is focused on tracing numbers. But, this hands-on activity can address many fine motor skills, too. Ask kids to color the pictures. then, they can cut out each number strip to work on scissor skills. Then, ask them to write the winter clothing word. Finally, they can write the number to work on number formation skills. But what if you asked them to then roll the same number of play dough balls for each number? What a great way to work on hand strength. If you asked the child to place the correct number of mini erasers or coins on the table or in a slotted top, they can incorporate in-hand manipulation skills, too.

    Another fine motor worksheet is our Also be sure to grab our new winter crossword puzzle. The printable can be used to support pencil control by circling words and individual letters. Or, use the end of a pencil as a stamp to stamp out the letters of the winter words for more fine motor fun.

    This beaded snowflake craft from Early Learning Ideas encourages bilateral coordination, separation of the sides of the hand, precision, in-hand manipulation, and a tripod grasp…with pretty results!


    Use paper hole reinforcers to improve precision and dexterity by forming letters and names like Fun-a-Day did. 


    If you’re looking for another craft idea, then this clothespin snowman craft uses a clothespin clip to really work the muscles of the hand. Move that snowman around and clip him onto bags, coats, and books! 


    If you’re looking for a fine motor activity for kindergarten kids, then this sight word tic tac toe game is the ticket! Kids can make the game pieces, and move them around to play a game of tic tac toe while strengthening skills like tip to tip grasp, arch development, separation of the sides of the hand, and finger isolation.


    For more craft ideas that boost fine motor skills, check out all of these winter bird crafts. You’ll find ideas for strengthening the hands and other fine motor skills while making cute bird crafts, bird feeders, and other activities. 


    If working on scissor skills is a priority, a paper snowflake is the way to go this winter. But what if you took the paper snowflake up a notch by cutting cupcake liners? This cupcake liner paper snowflake activity boosts hand strength with a pretty result!


    Working on pencil grasp? You don’t need a pencil! Make this snowflake stamp art and promote the fine motor skills that are needed for a functional grasp: separation of the sides of the hand, arch development, and an open thumb web space for example. This creative winter painting idea has a sensory component, too.

    Winter Fine Motor Worksheets

    Worksheets can get a bad rap. But, for the occupational therapy professional that thinks outside of the box, it is possible to use a printable tool to address hands-on skills like in-hand manipulation, separation of the sides of the hand, and more than just handwriting or scissor skills.

    Some of our favorite winter worksheets include:

    The Penguin Therapy Kit, the Snowman Therapy Kit, and the Winter Fine Motor Kit all include resources that address so many fine motor areas:

    winter fine motor kit
    Winter Fine Motor Kit
    Penguin Therapy Kit
    Snowman Therapy Activity Kit
    Snowman Therapy Kit
    There are fine motor activities for the whole winter in our Winter Fine Motor Kit, Penguin Therapy Kit, and Snowman Therapy Kit!
    • dexterity
    • hand strength
    • in-hand manipulation
    • separation of the sides of the hand
    • finger isolation
    • arch development
    • finger opposition
    • pinch and grip strength
    • bilateral coordination
    • wrist stability
    • and more!

    Print off the pages that you need and you’ll never run out of fresh fine motor activities this winter!

    To end out the Winter Week here on The OT Toolbox, I wanted to create a fine motor worksheets that are a true resource during the winter months. These fine motor worksheets that cover a variety of different fine motor abilities:  

    These 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.

    Play Dough Roll Mats- We’ve shared some free play dough mats before. They are perfect for developing fine motor skills and hand strength needed for tasks like coloring with endurance, manipulating small items, and holding a pencil. Kids can roll small balls of play dough with just their fingertips to strengthen the intrinsic muscles. The Winter Fine Motor Kit contains 6 winter play dough mats that can be used all winter long!  

    Pinch and Grip Strength Activities- Includes: glue skills page, tong/tweezer activities, lacing cards, finger puppets, 1-10 counting clip cards, 10 toothpick art pages, find & color page, 5 crumble art pages. TARGET SKILLS: Precision, pinch and grip hand strength, tripod grasp, arch development, bilateral coordination, open thumb web-space.

    Pencil Control Worksheets- Connect the arctic animals or winter items and stay on the pencil path lines while mastering pencil control. Some of the lines are small and are a great way to strengthen the hands, too.  

    Arctic Animal Cutting Strips and Scissor Skills Sheets- Work on scissor skills to cut along lines to reach the arctic animal friends or snowflakes, snowmen, and mittens. This is a great way to strengthen the motor and visual skills needed for cutting with scissors.   Also included are 7 scissor skills strips with graded precision designed for data collection and accuracy development, 2 color & cut memory cards, 4 pages simple cutting shapes in small/med/large sizes, 3 pages complex cutting shapes in small/med/large sizes, 2 small and 2 large cutting skills puzzles. These worksheets help kids develop graded scissor skill accuracy and precision, visual perceptual skills, eye-hand coordination, crossing midline, bilateral coordination.

    Handwriting Sensory Bin Materials- You and the kiddos will love these A-Z uppercase and lowercase tracing cards with directional arrows, 1-10 tracing cards with directional arrows, 1-10 counting cards. Using the sensory bin materials can develop tactile handwriting, letter and number formation, finger isolation, crossing midline, sensory challenges.

    “I Spy” Modified Paper- Includes: Color and find objects in two themes: winter items and arctic animals; 3 styles of modified paper for each theme: single rule bold lines, double rule bold lines, highlighted double rule. Use these pages to develop handwriting, pencil control, line and spatial awareness, legibility, visual perceptual skills, visual memory.

    Fine Motor Handwriting Sheets- Try the 4 Find/Color/Copy pages in different styles of modified paper, rainbow writing pages in 3 styles of modified paper. These handwriting worksheets use the winter theme to help with handwriting, visual perception, pencil control, visual memory, visual attention, precision, pencil control, functional handwriting.

    Write the Room Activities- Using a winter theme, these Write the Toom cards includes: 5 lowercase copy cards, 5 uppercase copy cards, 5 lowercase tracing cards, 5 uppercase copy cards, 6 cursive writing copy cards, 2 styles of writing pages. TARGET SKILLS: Letter formation, pencil control, visual motor skills, visual attention, visual memory, line placement, functional handwriting at all levels and stages.

    Get the Winter Fine Motor Kit Here.

    winter fine motor kit

     

     

    These fine motor winter activities will keep the kids active and moving all winter long.

    Free Winter Fine Motor Set

    Today, we have a fun fine motor activity set to build fine motor strength, dexterity, and coordination skills. It’s an Arctic Animal Fine Motor set that includes play dough or coloring mats and handwriting pages right on the same page, all with a Winter arctic animal theme.

    This item is also found inside our Membership Club.

    FREE Arctic Animal Fine Motor Set!

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      Looking for a consistent way to support fine motor skills all year?
      This yearlong fine motor system includes seasonal activity kits and monthly data collection tools to support planning and progress monitoring.

      If fine motor planning and data collection feel overwhelming, you’re not alone.
      This done-for-you yearlong bundle organizes seasonal activities and monthly screening tools in one system.

      Get the Yearlong Fine Motor and Data Collection Bundle today!

      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.

      Snowy Farm Sensory Bin

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      farm sensory bin

      Welcome to a winter wonderland on the farm! In today’s blog post, we’re diving into the magical world of sensory play with a snowy farm sensory bin. This delightful activity combines the charm of a farm theme with the sensory joys of winter, creating an engaging and therapeutic experience for children. This is one of our favorite winter sensory bins because you can focus on so many different underlying skills through play.

      Farm sensory bin

      Whether you’re a parent looking for creative winter activities or a therapist seeking effective tools for skill development, this farm sensory bin is tailored to captivate young minds while addressing various therapeutic areas. Read all about sensory bins in general as a therapy tool to support skill development.

      Farm Sensory Bin

      We love a great occupational therapy sensory activity because cold winter temps and less daylight hours mean you might not have a chance to get little ones outside as often as you might like. Plus, a farm sensory bin goes great with a Farm theme in preschool or in occupational therapy sessions.

      This farm sensory bin has a winter theme, but you could actually set up a farm sensory bin any time of year. In fact, we loved this play dough farm activity that goes along with a farm theme and supports fine motor skills as well as sensory input.

      The base of shredded paper sets the stage for a snowy landscape, providing a tactile experience that stimulates sensory exploration and fine motor skills.

      This winter-themed sensory bin features a collection of farm toys and mini figures, turning the snowy setting into a farm scene ready for imaginative play.

      Farm Animal Sensory Bin

      The farm animal sensory bin takes the excitement a step further, introducing miniature figures of beloved farm animals. As children dive into the bin, they engage in hands-on exploration, feeling the textures of the shredded paper, maneuvering the farm toys, and creating their own farm stories.

      This sensory-rich experience enhances tactile input, encouraging self-confidence as children express themselves through play.

      Farm Theme Sensory Bin Setup

      Setting up the farm theme sensory bin is a breeze:

      1. Begin with a large container filled with shredded paper to create a snowy base. You could also use other sensory bin base materials if you don’t have shredded paper on hand.
      2. Add farm toys such as barns, tractors, and mini figures of animals to bring the farm to life.
      3. Encourage creativity by incorporating small props like faux trees or fences. This simple yet effective setup provides a canvas for endless imaginative scenarios.

      Before this weekend, we’ve had a super cool spring.  With a handful of days where it snowed.  We are ready for outside play in short sleeves, running in the yard, and grass stained knees.

      But, we have been loving this fun play activity too 🙂

      We had a boat load of shredded paper from doing taxes recently.  It came in pretty handy for a small world snowy farm scene!

      We put some farm animals, the Little People barn, and of course, Little Guy’s construction vehicles.

      (how else can the farmer move allll that snow??)

      Little Guy went to farm-town with imagination stories and pretend play.

      Baby Girl loves to make the animal sounds and had a blast finding them in the shredded paper.

      Why This Farm Sensory Bin Helps Development


      Beyond simply playing in the sensory bin, this farm sensory bin serves as a therapeutic tool to foster development in various areas.

      You can target areas in:

      Fine motor skills are particularly important in early childhood development, as they lay the foundation for more complex tasks in the future. 

      Tactile discrimination, exploration, and sensory desensitization are effectively addressed with sensory bins as they are playful and present in a non-threatening way. The playful nature of sensory bins allows children to control their tactile experiences, fostering confidence in their interactions with materials and gradually increasing their comfort with different sensations. 

      The hands-on nature of the activity promotes fine motor skills as children manipulate the farm toys and engage with the sensory materials. Communication skills blossom as they create farm narratives, fostering language development.

      In addition, occupational therapy providers love sensory bins because they can offer a unique and enjoyable way to engage reluctant children who may initially be hesitant about engaging in the sensory elements of tactile defensiveness challenges.

      Tactile input and sensory exploration contribute to a holistic sensory experience, supporting overall sensory processing.

       

       
       
       
       
      My fun-loving Baby Girl instigated this little incident…
       
      she just couldn’t help herself 🙂
       
       
      What are we learning through play?

      Imagination Play

      Pretend Play

      Learning Animals

      Animal Sounds

      Visual Scanning

      Sensory Play

       

      Farm Sensory Bin Ideas

      You can pair this farm sensory bin with other therapy ideas, too. Use some of these tools and resources to support skills like gross motor skills, coordination, brain breaks, and more:

      • These Farm Brain Breaks can add movement and gross motor input to a child’s day and fit in great with a farm animal theme. Print off the cards and use them in the classroom or home.
      • These heavy work cards includes a set of 8 farm themed heavy work activities that can be used as a brain break or added proprioceptive input.
      • Free Farm Scissor Skills Packet
      • This barn craft is fun because kids can make a barn and use it in the farm animal sensory bin.
      • This Farm Fingerprint art activity supports visual closure, visual tracking, and visual scanning activity, too.
      • The Farm Therapy Kit has a bunch or activities to support sensory needs, handwriting, motor skills, dexterity, and more.

      Get your copy of the Farm Therapy Kit.

      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.

      Winter Sensory Bins

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      winter sensory bins

      Today, we have some great winter sensory bin ideas to use this time of year. When it’s cold outdoors, indoor sensory play is the way to go when it comes to supporting sensory motor needs and facilitating skills. Why? Sensory bins are the best go-to tool for children to engage in a variety of sensory experiences while learning about a season or holiday so they are fun and motivating. But more than that, a sensory bin engages many of the senses at once and can easily be tailored to your specific needs for a child and to the materials that you have on hand. You can target many occupational therapy goals using a single sensory bin. Adding in wintertime themes is easy with snowman sensory bins, snow sensory bins, and many other ideas.

      Let’s explore winter sensory activities using sensory tables and bins…

      Winter Sensory Bins

      Winter Sensory Bins

      Wintertime Sensory Bins are a great way to foster sensory motor skills and engage students in an individualized activity.

      A sensory bin is usually a durable container filled with various types of materials and items that can stimulate and engage a child’s senses such as sight, sound, touch, and/or smell.  Winter-themed sensory bins are the perfect tool for engaging children in learning and open-ended play as part of this cold, wet season. They offer a multi-sensory experience that can easily target aspects of a child’s development.  

      Seasonal sensory bins are a great way to introduce children to the changing seasons and connect them with nature and what is happening in the world around them. With the simple use of textures, temperatures, colors, sounds, and scents, children will engage in a sensory activity that builds tolerance and engagement with materials they may not readily choose to participate with on their own. 

      There’s no right or wrong way to play with sensory bins, other than eating or tasting anything in them – don’t allow it. Other than not eating or tasting anything, children have the freedom to play creatively and use their imaginations to create scenes and stories about the materials in the bin. This in turn easily allows for work on language development and social interaction as children naturally engage in conversation about the items in the bin and the bins themselves. The sharing of materials helps to facilitate turn-taking and cooperation as children play together. 

      Motor skills can be targeted by having children work on scooping, pouring, mixing, stirring, and picking up objects with the use of tools. These activities require precision and control of the hands and fingers, which are essential for handwriting, drawing, scissor use, manipulating clothing fasteners, and using feeding utensils.

      Fine motor skills are particularly important in early childhood development, as they lay the foundation for more complex tasks in the future. 

      Tactile discrimination, exploration, and sensory desensitization are effectively addressed with sensory bins as they are playful and present in a non-threatening way. The playful nature of sensory bins allows children to control their tactile experiences, fostering confidence in their interactions with materials and gradually increasing their comfort with different sensations. 

      In addition, occupational therapy providers love sensory bins because they can offer a unique and enjoyable way to engage reluctant children who may initially be hesitant about engaging in the sensory elements of tactile defensiveness challenges.

      When a child needs some time to pull away from the chaos and clutter of an environment or just needs time to ground themselves, sensory bin play can offer a calming effect and help them regulate their emotions. It can easily be used for self-soothing and stress relief. 

      Sensory bins are just plain fun when it comes down to it. Children are more likely to engage in and with items that they may not normally do so and children find learning fun with the use of the materials that are presented in this fun and playful way. Go sensory bins!!

      Whether you are a therapist, teacher, or parent, winter-themed sensory bins are an excellent means for enriching any child’s winter experience and helping to promote holistic development. They are easily adaptable to suit various therapeutic and educational objectives and provide a creative outlet to explore the beauty of the winter season

      If you need inspiration for the types of sensory bins you can create to represent the winter season, take a look at the variety of ideas we have gathered for you. These may help to trigger some creative fun that you have buried inside of your tired thoughts this time of year with all of the excitement of the holiday season. We hope you enjoy!

      Winter Sensory Bin Themes

      You could also do holiday themed sensory bins during the winter months. This might include:

      Arctic Animal Sensory Bin

      An Arctic Animal Sensory Bin is a hands-on explorational bin that is designed to facilitate hands-on educational learning of the animals that inhabit the Arctic region. This type of wintertime bin is typically created with a variety of materials and items that stimulate touch, sight, and in some cases smell.

      Some specific ideas include our Polar Bear Sensory bin.

      Here’s how to create an Arctic animal sensory bin:

      1. Use a large plastic sensory bin especially if using frozen items to represent ice and cold. 
      2. Fill the bin with Arctic-related materials such as artificial snow, white rice, salt, or potato flakes. Another option would be to fill it with blue-tinted water (use a few drops of food coloring) to represent an icy ocean.
      3. Add Arctic animals such as polar bears, wolves, foxes, penguins, seals, whales, or even snowy owls. 
      4. Add rocks or pebbles for an icy terrain.
      5. Add fake plastic cubes or even real ice cubes to represent ice. 
      6. Add toy igloos, caves, or icebergs from playsets to represent the Arctic region and create a scene with the animals.
      7. Add blue or silver glitter and blue glass gems for a sparkling, snowy effect.
      8. Add cotton balls or quilt stuffing for snow drifts.
      9. Add tongs or tweezers for picking up and moving items around within the bin. 
      10. Add plastic spoons and other scoopers to scoop and pour snowy base materials. 

      Ideas to encourage children to engage in open-ended sensory play with the artic animal sensory bin:

      1. Scoop and pour the snow and ice to make it look like it is snowing. 
      2. Pretend to be the Arctic animals and make voices for them as they talk about the Arctic living.
      3. Stack and build shelters with the cubes. 
      4. Create snow drifts and other snowy terrain scenes for the animals to be a part of in play or living.
      5. Have children use their imagination to create scenarios and stories involving the Arctic animal theme.

      As children play with the Arctic sensory bin allow them the opportunity for sensory exploration while also encouraging imaginative play with the materials. A great tool for homeschool and preschool environments. 

      Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin

      A Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin is a delightfully fun sensory play bin, especially popular during the winter months. It’s a fantastic way to encourage imaginative play and help children explore different tactile materials while simulating the experience of making, drinking, or serving a warm cup of hot cocoa.

      Here’s how a hot cocoa sensory bin can be created:

      1. Use a plastic storage bin to hold the sensory bin contents. 
      2. Fill the bin with cocoa-related material such as instant cocoa powder, dried cocoa beans, scented coffee grounds, brown rice or beans, or even brown shredded paper. 
      3. Add items like white foam marshmallows, white pom-pom balls, or cotton balls to mimic marshmallows.
      4. Add items like small brown pom-pom balls or plastic chocolate chips from a playset to be used for chocolate chips.
      5. Add measuring cups, spoons, and other containers for children to scoop, pour, transfer, and measure cocoa material.
      6. Add small spoons, wooden dowels, or playset plastic utensils for stirring, mixing, or topping the cocoa.
      7. Add play or toy plastic cups, mugs, and saucers for serving the cocoa. Option: Paper coffee cups would work too.
      8. Adding a cocoa-scented element can add to the olfactory element of the bin while children engage in using it.
      9. Optional additions could be toy figurines, dolls, or stuffed animals to create little friends who enjoy the hot cocoa for imaginative play.

      Ideas to encourage children to engage in open-ended sensory play with the hot cocoa sensory bin:

      1. Scoop and pour the cocoa and toppings into the cups and mugs for serving or pretend drinking.
      2. Pretend to make the cocoa by measuring and mixing the cocoa to make hot cocoa recipes.
      3. Experiment with different sensory textures by touching the dry cocoa materials and soft marshmallow materials.
      4. Have children use their imagination to create scenarios and stories involving the hot cocoa theme. They could be selling hot cocoa at a stand or coffee shop or they could be sitting at home in front of a snowy window while sipping their cocoa.

      As children play with the hot cocoa bin, they will develop important fine motor skills and engage their senses while promoting creativity and imaginative play. A fun bin for the school and home setting during a particularly cold, wintry day.

      Winter Wonderland Sensory Bin

      A Winter Wonderland Sensory Bin is a super fun activity for children. This hands-on experience captivates multiple senses simultaneously, fostering imaginative play.

      To craft your winter wonderland sensory bin, follow these steps:

      1. Use a large plastic bin or deep tray. 
      1. Choose a snowy landscape material for the sensory bin base filler such as white rice, white sand, cotton balls, shredded white paper, or instant snow.
      1. Add winter-themed miniature figurines and props like small animals, trees, houses, snowmen, and people sledding or skiing. If you don’t have these items, make them! Create penguins and snowmen out of recycled paper towel rolls and grab a few pine tree branches from outside to make some trees. 
      1. Add small wintertime clothing items such as mittens, scarves, or hats to dress the props. 
      1. Add items like pine cones, evergreen pieces, wood pieces, and cinnamon sticks to evoke the scents of winter.
      1. Add textured items like faux fur, soft or fuzzy fabrics, rough pinecones, and mushy water beads.
      1. Add sleigh bells or small instruments to create a few fun sound effects.
      1. Add silver or iridescent glitter or sequins to represent glistening snow. Integrate craft foam snowflakes, known for their shine and ease of use—they can be effortlessly dropped into the bin for an added touch.
      1. Add fine motor tools like small scoops, tongs, or tweezers for scooping and transferring items within the bin.

      Ideas to encourage children to engage in open-ended sensory play with this winter sensory bin:

      1. Scoop and pour the snowy content to represent falling snow. 
      2. Have children create small scenes in the bin to present wintertime play. 
      3. Have children describe the sensory aromas and textures as they explore. 

      This activity bin is a great way for children to learn about wintertime fun and to stimulate their creativity while developing sensory and fine motor skills.  This bin can seamlessly serve as a sensory station in the classroom.

      Winter sensory bin

      Frozen-themed Sensory Bin

      A Frozen-themed Sensory Bin is all about creating an ice or frozen bin that allows children to explore cold and ice while engaging their senses in many ways. We made a Frozen sensory bin using homemade sensory snow made from baby powder and oil.

      Here’s how to set up an ice or frozen sensory bin:

      1. Start with a large plastic tray or bin.
      2. Fill it with blue or white glass gems or beads to represent snow and ice crystals. Alternative choices could be white rice or Epsom salt which could give the bin a frosty appearance.
      3. Add plastic polar animals, penguins, or even characters from the movie “Frozen.”
      4. Add real ice cubes by freezing water in ice cube trays and even freeze small plastic objects in ice cubes.
      5. Add textures like fluffy quilt filler, cotton balls, or slippery glass or water beads. 
      6. Add scents like mint-scented cotton balls or pine-scented materials. 
      7. Add small bells or chimes in the bin to create an ice tinkling sound. 
      8. Add a warm water spray bottle or droppers for rescuing the frozen items out of their ice cube confinements.
      9. Add tongs, scoops, and spoons for scooping, pouring, and transferring filler materials.
      10. Add blue or silver glitter to the items in the bin for an added icy look to the setting. 

      Ideas to encourage involvement in the Frozen themed sensory bin:

      1. Use the sensory tools to manipulate the materials and release the frozen items from their frozen enclosures.
      2. Have the children describe the sensory items as they explore them with their hands and other senses. 
      3. Again, create imaginative stories with the animals and characters in the bin. 

      This sensory bin can be a great way for children to learn about ice and winter while developing sensory and fine motor skills. Brr…it’s a cold one. 

      Winter Bakery Sensory Bin

      A Winter Bakery Sensory Bin is a delightful and engaging bin that brings the magic of a winter bakery to life for kids. We’ve created an outdoor snow kitchen that was a lot of fun.

      How to create a winter bakery sensory bin:

      1. Use a plastic bin.
      2. Fill the bin with flour or cornstarch to simulate the feeling of powdered snow. Alternatively, fill the bin with white rice and then add globs of play dough to create a textured dough for use with the bakery tools. 
      3. Add some colorful sprinkles to the bin, allowing children to use them to decorate their baked treats. 
      4. Add essential oils to the base materials with scents like gingerbread or peppermint. 
      5. Place fun aprons around the bin for children to don and doff before and after play. 
      6. Add miniature play bakery items to stock the bakery, such as: cookie cutters, rolling pins, cupcake liners. mini muffin tins, and small baking trays.
      7. Add small utensils and molds for baking play, such as spatulas, cookie molds, and measuring cups and spoons. 

      Ideas to encourage children to explore and play within the winter bakery sensory bin:

      1. Have children use the bakery items to create imaginative treats.
      2. Have children pretend to have a bakery shop and stand and make orders to go. 
      3. Encourage children to tell stories and create scenarios as they serve their “baked goods” and run their winter bakery.

      This sensory bin activity offers children an excellent opportunity to learn about baking, develop fine motor skills, and spark their creativity while embracing a wintertime bakery theme. It’s a wonderful addition to either a classroom’s kitchen area or the home kitchen. 

      outdoor snow kitchen

      Winter Colors Sensory Bin

      A Winter Colors Sensory Bin is a fun way for children to explore and learn about the colors and themes associated with wintertime. This sensory bin is as easy as using winter colors (think greys, blues, whites, pearl, ivory, and silver).

      Here’s how to make a winter colors sensory bin:

      1. Start with a shallow plastic bin or tray.
      2. Fill it with white rice, salt, light blue or silver shredded paper, white beans, dried pasta, or cotton balls to represent snow or a frosty, wintery look. Consider crafting a unique winter color theme by utilizing a skein of blue yarn as the foundational filler for the bin. Build on this filler by adding other winter-colored items to the yarn base.
      3. Add colorful items with winter hues such as:
      • Blue or silver glass gems, beads, or buttons
      • White, blue, and/or silver pom-pom balls
      • Colored felt or foam shapes in winter hues
      • Blue, white, or silver pipe cleaners or craft sticks (craft fun snowflakes with the use of the pipe cleaners to add to the bin)
      1. Add scoops, tongs, or small containers to encourage fine motor skills. 

      Ideas to encourage the use of the winter colors sensory bin by children:

      1. Sort the colorful items by shape or color. Use tongs or tweezers for sorting, utilizing containers for opening and closing.
      1. Create patterns or designs using the colorful pieces.
      1. Describe the colors and shapes they see.
      1. Engage in imaginative play using the items to build structures or tell stories.

      This sensory bin helps children learn about wintertime colors, exploration of sorting and categorizing while fostering hand skills, and allows for creativity in play. 

      Frosty the Snowman Sensory Bin

      A Frosty the Snowman Sensory Bin is a fun way to foster fine motor skills including hand and finger strength. Make the soda dough and use it in a sensory bin with flour or corn starch. This can be a messy play sensory bin, but it’s a good chance to practice hand washing skills.

      You could also use real or instant snow (fake snow) that can be purchased. This instant snow on Amazon (affiliate) is a great winter sensory bin base material.

      Winter sensory bin

      A winter sensory bin can include things like craft pom poms, cotton balls, cotton batting, tinsel, gems, clothes pins, and much more.

      Snow Sensory Bin

      The Frosty the Snowman sensory bin can be expanded by using real snow or fake snow in a large container or tray. Add a few scoops and spoons, water droppers, and even food coloring to create winter fun with a snow sensory bin.

      We used real snow in an indoor sensory bin by bringing the water table indoors. This was fun because we painted snow with watercolors using paintbrushes to get creative and develop visual motor skills.

      Paint snow in a sensory bin

      Real snow can be a fun sensory bin filler.

      Winter SENSORY BIN FILLERS

      All of the winter sensory bin ideas that we listed above can be adjusted to meet the needs of all kids.

      Some of these materials can be used as sensory base materials or added in as materials to manipulate and explore.

      Try adding these sensory bin items for tactile sensory input with a winter theme:

      • Real Snow- Scoop some real snow from outside if you’ve got snow. This is a great way to bring winter indoors, especially if the temps are too low.
      • Fake Snow or Insta-Snow– An alternative to using real snow (if you don’t have real snow outside) is to use fake snow in the sensory bin. Create a snowy atmosphere with artificial snow that mimics the feel of real snow. It’s a non-messy alternative that provides a tactile sensation.
      • Shredded Paper- Use shredded paper as a “snow” base for a winter sensory bin activity. We used small toys to make a winter farm sensory bin that was a lot of fun.
      • Pine Cones– Natural pine cones provide a tactile experience and a festive scent.
      • Cinnamon Sticks– Cinnamon sticks add a wonderful aroma and a unique texture to the sensory bin.
      • Cotton Balls or Cotton Snow– Use cotton balls to represent snow. This soft material is gentle and safe for hands, offering a different texture.
      • Winter-themed Toys– Include miniature winter-themed toys such as snowflakes, snowmen, or polar animals. These can enhance imaginative play and add a visual element.
      • Silver or White Tinsel– Tinsel adds a shiny and reflective quality to the sensory bin, representing ice or frost.
      • Sensory Ice Cubes– Freeze water with small winter-themed objects inside ice cubes. As the ice melts, it introduces a cold sensation and reveals hidden treasures.
      • Pine Branches or Pine Needles– Bring in the natural scent of winter by adding pine branches or needles. This adds an olfactory component to the sensory experience.
      • Scented Playdough– Create scented playdough with winter scents like peppermint, cinnamon, or pine. Playdough allows for tactile exploration and creative molding.
      • Winter Colored Rice– Dye rice in shades of white, blue, and silver to represent winter colors. Rice provides a different tactile sensation and is great for scooping and pouring.
      • Warm and Cool Textures– Include items with both warm and cool sensations, such as fabric swatches representing cozy blankets and icy gel packs for contrast.

      Sensory bins offer a playful opportunity for children to engage multiple senses in a non-threatening or intimidating manner, creating a safe and comfortable space for them to explore at their own pace, within a familiar setting.

      The nice thing is that themed play scenarios using a sensory bin can target so many different skills, and there is no right or wrong way to play. However, it is always important to supervise young children while they play with sensory bins and ensure the materials used are age-appropriate to prevent choking hazards or other safety concerns. Always be sure to store sensory bins in a safe place when not in use.

      These winter number cards are in the Winter Fine Motor Kit and are a great addition to a winter sensory bin.

      Want to create a Winter sensory bin using number or letter cards? We have them inside the Winter Fine Motor Kit.

      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. 

      winter fine motor kit
      Winter Fine Motor Kit

      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.

      Regina Allen

      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!