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:

Strawberry Activities

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strawberry activities

This time of year, a fun therapy theme is in order for building skills, and strawberry activities meet the mark! As the warm summer days draw near, it’s time to start thinking of ways to enjoy the season! What better way to do that than with some strawberry-themed activities? Whether you’re a kid, an adult, or somewhere in between, there’s something fun and inspiring that you can do with these juicy little red berries. Keep reading to find out more about all the strawberry activities you can try.

strawberry activities

Strawberry Activities

Strawberry picking is a great springtime activity here in the south. We go every spring and fill our baskets to overflowing. But, what if you could use a few strawberry crafts and activities to build skills?

One of the most remarkable benefits of strawberry activities is the opportunity to get outdoors. When we get outside and explore, we can discover new things, breathe in the fresh air, and get active in ways that aren’t available indoors. We can observe nature in all its glory and appreciate the natural beauty of the world around us.

Below, you’ll find fun strawberry crafts, strawberry writing prompts, and fine motor ideas to use in therapy sessions, in the classroom or at home.

Strawberry picking is a great event to add to your strawberry themed activities.  This post includes a free download of Strawberry Themed Activities to fill those endless summer days. 

What do do with all of those strawberries?

strawberry snacks

There are so many benefits to cooking with kids, and washing and cutting strawberries to make strawberry snacks has double the benefits for children! Especially if kids are involved in the picking and washing process, they are gaining fine motor and sensory motor benefits.

Just like shrimp in Forrest Gump, there are some great things to do with strawberries. You can eat them whole, dip them in chocolate, there is strawberry ice cream, cheesecake, muffins, pancakes, freeze them for later, make popsicles, smoothies, milkshakes, or fruit salsa.  

  • Strawberry Pancakes is a good recipe to cook with children.
  • Making fruit pizza is always fun for kids and has strawberries as a main ingredient.
  • Frozen Fruit Kabobs has many sensory benefits including the alerting sensory input of frozen fruit.
  • Strawberry smoothie- Freeze strawberries to make delicious popsicles, smoothies, and other frozen treats! Smoothies are a great form of heavy work for oral motor input.
  • Another is Fruit Salsa Recipe 

Fruit salsa is another strawberry themed activity you can do with your learners. It is an excellent treat to take for potluck dishes, packed lunches, or serve at a summer birthday party.

  1. 7 strawberries
  2. 1 granny smith apple
  3. 1 kiwi

Chop the apple first into small pieces.  I use the Pampered Chef chopper.  Don’t use a blender, it will be soupy (I made that mistake once).  Then peel, chop, and add the kiwi.  Lastly, chop and add the strawberries.  Once it is all chopped tiny it will resemble salsa.  

Serve with dipping sticks of graham crackers, cinnamon pita chips, or spread over ice cream.

Strawberry Crafts

Building fine motor skills, scissor skills, hand-eye coordination, and more happens in occupational therapy crafts. Here are some fun strawberry crafts to get you started:

  1. Strawberry stamps: Cut a strawberry in half and use it as a stamp to create fun strawberry-themed art.
  2. Strawberry paper plate craft: Use paper plates, paint, and green construction paper to make a strawberry paper plate craft. Here are more paper plate activities.
  3. Strawberry pom-pom craft: Use red and green pom-poms to create a cute strawberry craft.
  4. Strawberry thumbprint art: Use your thumb to make strawberry shapes on paper and decorate them with green paint for the stem and leaves. Here are all the benefits of fingerprint art.
  5. Strawberry sun catcher: Use tissue paper and contact paper to create a strawberry sun catcher.
  6. Strawberry paper lantern: Create a strawberry paper lantern with red paper, green pipe cleaners, and a battery-operated tea light.
  7. Strawberry painted rocks: Paint rocks to look like strawberries and decorate with green felt or paper for the leaves.
  8. Strawberry paper chain: Create a strawberry paper chain with red and green construction paper.
  9. Strawberry wreath: Use foam wreath forms, red and green ribbon, and faux strawberries to create a strawberry wreath.
  10. Strawberry paper bag puppet: Use a paper bag and construction paper to make a strawberry puppet.
  11. Strawberry party hats: Use red paper cups and green construction paper to create strawberry-themed party hats.
  12. Strawberry keychains: Create strawberry-shaped keychains with polymer clay.
  13. Strawberry t-shirts: Use fabric paint to create strawberry designs on t-shirts.
  14. Strawberry bookmarks: Create strawberry bookmarks with red and green cardstock.
  15. Strawberry bunting: Create a strawberry bunting with red and green fabric or paper.
  16. Strawberry garland: Use red and green felt to create a strawberry garland.
  17. Strawberry mobile: Create a strawberry mobile with felt or paper strawberries.
  18. Strawberry picture frames: Use foam frames and faux strawberries to create strawberry picture frames.
  19. Strawberry tote bag: Use fabric paint or iron-on transfer paper to create a strawberry design on a tote bag.
  20. Strawberry cupcake liner craft: Use a red cupcake liner and green paper to cut out a strawberry shape. Glue the green paper on top for a stem. Then add seeds using a black marker.

Fine motor Strawberry Themed Activities

Looking for ways to build fine motor skills with strawberries? Try these ideas…

  1. Strawberry picking: Take your kids to a local strawberry farm and let them pick their own strawberries. This is a great way to teach them about where their food comes from and to enjoy the outdoors.
  2. Strawberry art: Use strawberries as a stamp to create fun and colorful artwork. Simply cut a strawberry in half and use it to stamp onto paper or fabric.
  3. Strawberry science: Conduct a science experiment with strawberries to learn about acid and bases. Dip a strawberry in baking soda and watch it fizz, then dip it in vinegar and observe the reaction.
  4. Strawberry math: Use strawberries as a fun way to teach math skills, such as counting, sorting, and measuring. Have your kids count how many strawberries they picked, sort them by size or color, or measure them with a ruler.

As promised, this post includes several PDF files of strawberry worksheets.  They are versatile, and can be used in different ways, to meet several goals and objectives.  Traditionally,  learners will color and cut the strawberries, roll a dice to count the number of berries to add into their basket. They can write some sentences about strawberries, or their berry picking adventure.

Other ways to use this strawberry activity pack:

  • Lowest level learners can dictate what they would like written
  • Middle level learners can write one or two words about strawberries, or copy from a model
  • Higher level learners can write a journal entry about strawberry picking, or search for recipes to make with their berries, creating a recipe page.  This turns into a multilevel activity to use during many sessions.  They can also draw about their ideas.
  • Laminate the page for reusability. This saves on resources, and many learners love to write with markers! Note: some children love to use dry erase markers, while others become upset if they can not take their work with them.
  • Make this part of a larger lesson plan including gross motor, sensory, social, executive function, or other fine motor skills
  • Pre-cut the shapes for entry level learners to glue onto their basket
  • Talk about the strawberries, name other berries, make the fruit salsa recipe
  • Project this page onto a smart board for students to come to the board and drag the strawberries into the basket or write in large letters.
  • More or less prompting may be needed to grade the activity to make it easier or harder.
  • Drippy wet glue is messy, and not as convenient as glue stick, however it is superior for different reasons.  The added benefit is the sensory input from touching the wet glue, as well as fine motor strengthening from squeezing the bottle
  • Pre-cut and laminate all of the pieces ahead of time, if your emphasis is on playing the game
  • More advanced learners can work on social skills by teaching beginners to play
  • Work in pairs or in a small group to address problem solving, turn taking, and negotiation skills.
  • Velcro the back of the pieces for a fine motor resistance task
  • Add glitter!  Glitter makes everything wonderful

The strawberry worksheets target several skill areas:

  • Hand strength and dexterity – staying on the lines builds hand muscles and develops muscle control
  • Visual motor skills –Combining what is seen visually and what is written motorically.  This takes coordination to be able to translate information from visual input to motor output. Coloring, drawing, counting, cutting, and tracing are some visual motor skills.
  • Scissor skills – Cutting on the lines can be challenging. You may need to highlight the lines or make them thicker for beginning learners
  • Proprioception – pressure on paper, grip on pencil
  • Counting/Learning Numbers – Count the strawberries to understand number concepts in addition to coloring and cutting
  • Social/Executive Function – Following directions, turn taking, task completion, orienting to details, neatness, multi-tasking, attending to task, and impulse control can be addressed using this Strawberry Themed Activity Pack
  • Handwriting: Letter formation – correctly forming the letters top to bottom. Letter sizing – correctly fitting the letters into the size boxes. Spacing, line placement, directionality, and spelling are also addressed
  • Copying – copying words from a model, transferring the letters from one place to another
  • Strength – core strength, shoulder and wrist stability, head control, balance, and hand strength are all needed for upright sitting posture and writing tasks

During the summer, learners have more unstructured time.  While it may not be necessary to document the “how” and “why” they are working on these strawberry themed activities, it is important to understand the benefits.  

Summer reading list

For some reason, young learners do not like reading. Finding a way to tie reading into fun activities, or your summer theme, will help motivate even the most stubborn learners.

In this classic, The Little Mouse, the Big Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Hungry Bear, (affiliate link) Little Mouse loves strawberries, but so does the big hungry bear. . . How will Little Mouse stop the bear from eating his freshly picked, red ripe strawberry? This classic story is beloved for its humor, expressive illustrations, and surprise ending.

Searching Amazon for Strawberry Themed books (affiliate link) returned over 9,000 options!  Remember Strawberry Shortcake?  She is still around.  There are literary award winners, chapter books, and fun read aloud choices.  

Are you hungry for strawberries yet?

Me too.  Luckily we filled our basket to overflow capacity this year. Here comes fruit salsa, smoothies, homemade ice cream (don’t forget to add chocolate chips), and strawberry pancakes. Creating thematic activities may take work up front, but the rewards will be worth it.

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

Family Fun Day

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family fun day

Today, we have a fun blog post for you, especially if you are looking to plan a family fun day! A fun day with the family is the perfect opportunity for spending quality time with your loved ones, away from the stresses of daily life. It’s a time to create memories and bond with one another while participating in activities that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re looking for family night ideas, outdoor adventures or indoor entertainment, there are plenty of fun and exciting activities that families can engage in. In this blog post, we’ll explore some family fun day ideas and activities that are sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face. So, let’s get started!

family fun day

Family Fun Day

Ever feel board of the usual day to day monotony? Sound familiar?  Many families are over scheduled, shuttling their kids from school or daycare to baseball, scouts, soccer,  friend’s houses, and appointments. Sometimes all in one day! 

Children learn by watching but also by engaging and doing. They learn by example. 

In addition to providing an opportunity for family bonding, research has shown that engaging in fun and stimulating activities with loved ones can have positive impacts on social-emotional development and overall wellbeing, making family fun day a valuable investment in the health and happiness of your family.

Pledge this year to spend less time on electronics. and more time making memories and doing fun family activities.  You just might have some fun in the process!

If you have seen the movie, Yes Day, you understand the need for family activities.  Spoiler alert:  I am not sure if I could go through the carwash with the windows down, but I am definitely down for an ice cream challenge and amusement park.  The premise of the movie is, the parents have fallen into a routine of saying no, and are going through the motions of their life, without enjoying any of it.  

Why have a family fun day?

Development happens at home and there is opportunity for connection and family collaboration during the day to day activities. However, sometimes all of the stressors of daily life mean that we forget to have fun.

When we take time to focus on fun, whether it’s for an afternoon or an evening activity, or a full day of connection, we have the opportunity to build stronger relationships within the family.

One study showed that families who engage in more frequent leisure activities together reported higher levels of family functioning, including better communication and problem-solving skills.

There are so many beneficial reasons to experience a family day every once in a while:

  • Connection and making memories
  • Building leadership experiences
  • Problem solving as a family or in a group
  • Planning an activity
  • Executive functioning skills to complete tasks
  • Building stronger relationships
  • Trying new things
  • Conflict resolution
  • Self-confidence
  • Social emotional development

“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence” -Denis Waitley

Setting aside time for family time allows for meaningful interactions. The whole family can work together on a project, create something, do a service project together, or just have fun together doing something different than the usual routine.

Excuses to not have a family fun day

Before I offer up suggestions, hit me with all of your excuses for not doing family activities first:

  1. We are too busy

Anyone can carve out ten minutes for a family game of cards, a race around the house, a walk with the dog, or a game of Simon Says.

  1. We have no money

Most likely this is not true.  Your money and funds need to be allocated to include family time.  Family fun day and activities do not need to cost ANY money. A board game, obstacle course, game of charades, game of tag, walk along the beach cost nothing.  

  1. Our kids hate X, Y, Z

Your kids have to learn the value of family time.  It is going to be hard to please everyone at the same time, so start a rotation list of who gets to pick the activity.  Chances are, once they get started they will enjoy spending time together. Save the lectures and griping during family time.  Savor some purely fun moments together.

  1. We don’t know what to do

Start with what you know.  If your kids play sports, throw the ball out in the yard. If you have pets, incorporate them in a fun activity.  Google local events in your area for ideas of low cost or free activities near you.  There is usually a festival, park, activity, or event coming up.  Make a list as a family of all the things you already do, and the things you would like to try.

  1. We don’t know where to start

Start by making a little time.  Getting started is the hardest part.  Moving out of your routine and comfort zone takes a lot of effort.  You can do it! Or start at your favorite place for resources; the OT Toolbox!  It is packed with gross motor fun and games.

Now that we’ve worked through the reasons to have a family fun day…let’s get to the actual fun!

Family Fun Day Activities

Here are some family activities whether you are looking for a family fun day or just a ten minute game. Many of these family activities are free and low cost. They are perfect for a family get together or just a weekend of family fun.

  • Family Olympics is a favorite: pull out the corn hole, croquet, golf clubs, balls, or whatever outdoor games you have and start the competition
  • Day at the beach- we live near the beach so this is a simple one. You may have to tweak this to meet the needs of everyone in the family, so be prepared.
  • Go on a sensory nature walk with the family– Explore a local park or hike.
  • Arts and crafts – go to a pottery painting place, family painting night, make slime together, paint a mural on a wall, create with chalk, finger paint.  The possibilities are endless and you do not have to have talent to spend time together
  • Try some of these outdoor sensory diet activities.
  • Game night marathon – Dig out all of the board games and start playing!  Candy Land marathon if you have littles, and the sky’s the limit for older children.
  • Learn something new – learn a new language together. How about sign language?
  • Cook together – Making pretzels, cookies, pizza, or homemade ice cream are always fun. These cooking with kids recipes will get you started.
  • Head outside for these backyard lawn games.
  • Make a fort – Get out the blankets, pillows, rope, or whatever it takes to make an awesome living room fort.  Break out the books and snacks!
  • Tent camp – throw up a tent in the backyard for a night with smores, card games, and telling stories.  
  • Local tourist spots – check out the local tourist spots in your area.  An aquarium, museum, carriage ride, walking tour, factory tour, river boat cruise are a fun way to spend a day together
  • Play a few of these tag games.
  • Geocaching – This is the world’s largest treasure hunt!  If you have never tried this, you are in for a treat
  • Jigsaw puzzle – Dust off that puzzle and lay it out on the dining room table 
  • Volunteer – There are a lot of local opportunities to spend a day helping others through various service ideas.
  • Day trip – Pack a lunch and get out there.  My parents used to take us for a Sunday Drive, and while I hated being trapped in the car, we did spend the day together singing, playing Ispy, and having a picnic lunch.
  • Day out – cast your net a little wider. How far is the next city?  How about a state park or lake?  
  • Make a sensory dough recipe and cook up some homemade play dough, slime, oobleck, or moon dough!
  • Make a scavenger hunt for the family to follow
  • Run – Do a 5k or marathon together.  There are fun themes like the Hot Chocolate 5k, The Cupcake Run, and the Santa Race.
  • Car wash – Washing the cars can turn into a fun activity on a hot day with a hose and sprinkler.  An added bonus of an ice cream trip at the end is always a hit.
  • Bike ride – get out there in your neighborhood, on the greenway, or go to a park.
  • Play Simon Says.
  • Movie Night – While movie night is super fun once in a while, it is not really a family activity.  You can make it more interactive by lying on a big blanket together on the floor, talking about the movie, making and eating a fun snack, taking short breaks for activity during the movie, or watching an interactive sing along movie.  We love the drive-in movie theater.  We fill the back of the car with blankets and open up the back door to pile in and watch together.  This often includes snacks, pizza, a frisbee or football, and a whole lot of fun.
  • The OT Toolbox has a plethora of gross motor games to check out.

Tips for Family Time

Family fun time does not need to be extravagant. This list of family activities could be endless. However, just select one thing from the list and go with that.

Make family activities a habit. Plan on one night or one afternoon and plan to have fun together.

Put them on the calendar and make a commitment.  You might have to start with one a month, or one a quarter, but start somewhere. 

Our next adventures (with and without our grown kids) include SeaWorld, pottery creating, a night at the theater, a visit to the boat show, a mystery dinner activity, date night fun boxes, and a spring camping trip.  Our calendar is booked!  How about yours?

Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.

Writing Trays for Handwriting

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Child's fingertips drawing a letter S in sand. Text reads sand writing tray

Writing trays are a fantastic way to help kids work on handwriting, letter formation, and pre-writing skills.  There are so many benefits to a sand tray (or other sensory writing materials) in helping with letter formation and handwriting. There is a reason that writing trays are a popular way to encourage fine motor skills and an introduction to handwriting; They use a tactile sensory strategy to encourage movement in learning in a multi-sensory way.  Writing Trays make letter formation fun and meaningful in a play-based manner.


Try this easy rice writing tray for a simple sensory writing experience.

Writing trays are sensory activities to teach handwriting

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

What is a writing tray?

I’ve used writing trays in my occupational therapy interventions and with my own kids for years. Writing trays are such a powerful tool to add a multi-sensory component and moveemnt to learning to write.

Writing trays are a dry or wet sensory material in a low tray or bin type of container. Children can use their finger or a tool such as a pencil, paint brush, or other item to draw, write letters, or form numbers into the sensory material.

Writing Trays are a creative way to help kids learn to write letters, numbers, shapes, and pre-writing strokes.  There are a ton of different ways that writing trays can be set up and used in letter formation. Essentially, a writing tray uses a low container (or TRAY) and a medium that can be moved and shifted for writing.

Sensory writing trays can contain sensory fillers of any type. If you are able to move the material in a way that letters can be drawn in the tray, then the sensory writing tray is a success. With a sensory writing tray, children can write letters independently or copy letters from a visual letter card.

You can find them used in schools, clinics, preschools, early learning centers, and homeschool dinging rooms.  

Writing trays are one tool to support development of Near point copy skills skills.

Writing tray sensory filler ideas for handwriting

Writing Tray Sensory Filler Material

Affiliate links are included in this post.

What is in a Writing Tray? (Writing Tray Fillers)

Writing Trays are filled with a filler that us manipulated and shifted so that letters or writing lines are visible.  Some ideas for filling a writing tray include the sensory materials listed below.

Sand (affiliate link)
Colored Sand 
Rice
Dyed Rice
Salt
Dyed Rice
Play Dough (affiliate link)
Other Doughs
Sugar
Flour
Cornmeal
Slime (Check out the fun we had with slime in a writing tray!)
Spices (affiliate link)
Crushed Chalk (affiliate link)


While sometimes, a child can use their finger to form the lines in their writing tray, a writing tool is typically recommended. (More on that below.)
Use writing trays for handwriting and letter formation

Sensory Writing Tray Benefits

Kids can use writing trays to practice letter formation, or pencil control and stroke sequence in writing letters.  
 
Typically, they will be provided with a visual cue or cue card for copying the letters/numbers/shapes.  
 
Other times, kids can form the letter/number/shape independently when prompted to make a specific letter. This is a great way to work on visual memory and independent letter formation.
 
Be sure to verbally prompt children to form letters or build letters with correct stroke sequence.  This is essential for carryover of accuracy with letter formation in handwriting.  
 
Otherwise, the child is simply playing in the sensory tray and not effectively using the writing tray as a tool for improved handwriting.  
 
Encouraging the child who is learning pre-writing strokes and beginning letter formation can use a writing tray as a base for forming letters independently. Try using visual and verbal cues to promote correct letter construction.
 
A few more must-dos when using a writing tray for addressing letter formation:
  • Make sure letters are not formed in parts.  In other words, don’t allow kids to make a circle and then a line to form an “a”. 
  • Make sure letters are formed from top to bottom. 
  • Realize that the motor plan to form letters with your finger is different than the motor plan to form letters with a pencil or other pencil-like writing tool.

The nice thing about writing trays is that they are very versatile. Students of all ages can use writing trays to work on different levels of handwriting. Some ways to work on handwriting include:

  • Copying pre-writing lines
  • Copying shapes 
  • Letter identification
  • Uppercase letter formation
  • Lowercase letter formation
  • Letter copying
  • Letter writing from memory
  • Cursive letter formation
  • Cursive letter writing from memory
  • Word copying
  • Sight word writing
  • Spelling word writing
Writing trays for handwriting, letter formation, and fine motor skills.

 

Fine Motor Skills and Writing Trays

A writing tray can be an effective tool in boosting fine motor skills.  Kids can use their finger to form lines and letters while strengthening finger isolation and separation of the two sides of the hand, including an opportunity for the ulnar side fingers to tuck into the palm for a more effective pencil grasp when writing.
 
Children can also use a tool to form letters in a writing tray.  This can be an opportunity to develop pencil grasp.  
 
However.  There are a few items that should be mentioned about using a writing tray to address pencil grasp and appropriate motor plan for letter formation.
 
Writing Trays are a common tool.  But if you just place a writing tray in front of a child, you will likely see an inefficient writing activity.  You will probably see most kids forming letters with an awkward grasp on the writing tool, a flexed and deviated wrist, an abducted shoulder, and generally ineffective positioning.  


Positioning absolutely carries over to letter formation and handwriting.
 
A writing tray can be used to address pencil grasp and handwriting needs.  However, it is essential to use the tray in a proper manner.  There are a few ways to do this:
  • Place the writing tray on a slight slant. Try using a DIY slant board.
  • Use a low edged tray.
  • Use verbal, physical, and visual cues for appropriate positioning. 
  • Position the writing tool in your child’s hand with an appropriate tripod or modified tripod grasp.
  • Show the child how to hold the tool at the end of the tool as if they were holding a pencil.
Once you’ve got your writing tray set up and positioning taken care of, it’s on to the fun stuff…making a writing tray!
 
 

How to make a Writing Tray

Making a writing tray to gain benefits of teaching sensory handwriting is easy. You can use materials found around the home.

The options are limitless when it comes to writing tray combinations! You can create a writing tray in any theme or to meet any need. You’ll need just a few items: a container, a filler, a tool, and letter cards.

Writing Tray Ideas

First, you’ll need a low tray, basket, bin, or other container. We’ve used a variety of containers in our sensory writing trays. You’ll want a container that will hold the sensory writing material within its edges.

In some cases, you can even scatter the sensory material on a flat surface like a table or a plastic table cloth on the floor. For example, we used dyed rice right on the kiddie picnic table for a pre-writing and hand strengthening activity.

Kids will be using a tool or their hands to write letters and the sensory material can scatter. Some specific ideas include:

  • Kitchen baking trays (jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with edges)
  • Food storage containers
  • Melissa and Doug wooden puzzle boxes
  • Cardboard boxes cut low on the sides
  • 9×11 cake pan
  • Shirt box
  • Tray
  • Low basket

Writing Tray Tools

Next, you’ll need a tool to use to write the letters. This can be items found in the home as well.  Some writing tray tools include:

  • Finger
  • Eraser end of a pencil
  • Paint brush
  • Feather
  • Straw
  • Pointer stick
  • Stick from a tree
  • Craft stick
  • Chopsticks
  • Toothpick (Incorporate our toothpick holder activity to further fine motor skills!)
  • Craft pom pom attached to a clothes pin

Writing Tray Letter Cards

Next, an important part of a writing tray is the letter model. As mentioned above, writing trays are great for copying pre-writing lines, shapes, letters, numbers, and words. 

Cards can be used as a visual model for forming letters or words. Some cards include direction arrows. Others might include a sight word or spelling word for the child to copy. These cards can be positioned in different positions to address different needs. 

  • Position the letter cards right in the tray for near-point copying.
  • Position the writing tray cards in a vertical position near the writing tray to challenge vision shift. 
  • Hang the writing cards on a wall for far point copying to work on visual shift, visual attention, visual memory, and copying from a distance. 

Writing Tray Fillers

You’ll also need a sensory material to act as a filler. This is the material that the child will actually “write” in. When we say “write”, they are using the tool to form letters as the sensory filler moves in the tray. They will not actually write a letter with a pencil or other marking device. Sensory filler material can be as creative as you let it. Some writing tray fillers include these materials:

Click each link for ideas on how to set up these creative writing trays.

 
 
As you can see, the ideas are limitless when it comes to sensory handwriting! Use a theme or materials that meet the needs of your child or client and are motivating and fun!
 

More sensory Handwriting Activities

Sensory Writing Bag

Sensory Handwriting Camp at Home

Teach letters with sensory textures

Pencil pressure activities

 
 
 

 

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.

Sand Writing Tray

One very easy way to create a sand writing tray is to use a child’s picnic table placed either outside in a sandbox or over a tarp (or outdoor space where it’s ok that sand goes into the ground and lawn).

We loved using our kid’s picnic table in this way to make a sand writing tray.

sand writing tray

For this sand writing tray, we made it super simple and just dumped a thin layer of sand onto our (Amazon link) Little Tykes picnic table. Then, I invited the kids to all sit down and draw in the sand using their fingertips. This is a great exercise in finger isolation.

sand writing tray

Practicing letters in a sensory surface like writing and drawing in sand on a picnic table surface is a motivating and fun activity for kids because it’s not something they typically do.

Kids learn new skills well with a multisensory learning experience and a sand writing tray is a great, inexpensive way to do just that.

To encourage vocabulary and verbal expression, tell stories on the table surface and ask questions that extend the story further. Then, while practicing lines and drawing shapes and figures, gently smooth the sand with the palm of your hand and start over again!

sand writing tray for preschool

Preschoolers can practice pre-handwriting lines, while older kids can form letters and numbers in the sand. They can also copy and trace letters to improve their penmanship skills.

Social Emotional Activities for Preschoolers

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social emotional activities for preschoolers

In today’s blog post, we’re talking all about social emotional activities for preschoolers…and for good reason! We love these emotions activities for preschoolers. Emotional skills have become one of the most discussed milestone checklists as children learn how to respond to their feelings at home and at school. Having a set of emotion activities preschoolers love is a key component to developing awareness about feelings and empathy during the preschool years. Another great resource is our stages of empathy development.

social emotional activities for preschoolers

Social Emotional Activities for Preschoolers

When a child experiences a BIG feeling, they don’t always have the words to express those feelings with others, sometimes resulting in a tantrum.

There are many reasons that children become frustrated, including wanting attention, being annoyed with peers, and the desire to do something they are unable to do (just to name a few.) We’ve talk before about self regulation in preschoolers, and how to foster regulation needs, however, it’s worth breaking down the social emotional component into further detail.

As children learn how to communicate with both gestures and words, tantrums tend to dissipate and children start to learn about collaboration, discussions and compromise. In this blog, we will discuss how to support children’s emotions during the toddler and preschool years.

Have you heard of the “terrible twos” or the “threenager?” These words are commonly used for young children as adults discover that they show their feelings with their body (not necessarily with words.) As they grow into four and five year olds, they learn  more language and negotiating skills. But what about when they are two and three? 

In order for a child to understand what they are feeling and how to communicate those feelings in a productive way, they must first learn the words to express those feelings.

According to this article, “A typical 2-year-old can say about 50 words and speak in two- and three-word sentences. By age 3, their vocabulary increases to about 1,000 words, and they’re speaking in three- and four-word sentences.”

Dr. Robert Plutchnick, psychologist, discovered over 25000 emotions in his famous emotions wheel. As children become more aware of their feelings and gain new ways to communicate them, their response to frustration improves. 

Why Use Play to Foster social emotional skills in preschoolers?

All children learn the best through play, and that includes learning social and emotional skills.

Whether learning at home or at school, preschoolers respond best to positive reinforcement and consistency. Using meaningful and motivating books, games, and toys, as well as social emotional play opportunities support preschool-aged children in developing these essential skills.

Through play, preschoolers learn to use their sensory systems to calm down when they are feeling overwhelmed. They learn the words to communicate their feelings.

One of my favorite parts of using social emotional play activities is they also foster problem solving and confidence. When children learn how to problem solve, they can use what they learn in the future if they start to become frustrated about the same situation again.

As children start learning more about their feelings, and their emotions, their social skills start to blossom. This social skills checklist is an amazing resource that describes, in detail, the following social skills that children learn in their preschool years:

  • Conversational Skills
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Emotional Skills
  • Social Play
  • Emotional Development
  • Emotional Regulation
  • Peer Interactions
  • Self-Awareness Skills
  • Self-Confidence

When in the classroom, it is important that we give children ample opportunities to practice emotional skills through large group, small group and free play activities.

Every child learns new skills differently, and when we use multisensory emotion activities to teach emotional concepts to preschoolers toddlers and preschoolers are able to remember these skills quickly. 

One tool that can support preschoolers (and those of all ages, as well) are social stories to support social and emotional considerations in any given task.

preschool Social Emotional Activities

If children have the opportunity to play with emotions and talk about feelings on a daily basis, they are able to respond to their feelings much easier when they are feeling upset or overwhelmed.

emotions activities for preschoolers

Here are my 5 favorite playful activities to teach social and emotional skills to preschoolers:

  1. Feelings FREEZE-

Kids LOVE to move. What better way to teach them new emotion words then with a “FREEZE” game? Turn on some music and have kids dance or run around. When you pause the music, say an emotion and the kids must freeze and make the face that goes along with that emotion. You can expand this game into beginning reading activities by writing the feeling on a piece of paper and holding it up (for older children.) 

2. Paper Plate Emotions Faces-

You can use items like paper plates, cupcake liners, or even pieces of construction paper to pretend and identify with emotions. Emotion faces are a wonderful activity for preschool circle time or small group time. You can make them as elaborate as you like or you can keep it simple by having the children draw their own faces! These feeling faces can be used as part of a pretend play scenario in the future. These pumpkin emotion faces are one idea. Or, you can use this emotion faces worksheet for older children.

  1. Chalk Emotions-

I love bringing in sensory components to all lessons I teach in preschool, and water and chalk is one of my favorite was to do so. Chalk activities are just one of those fun and creative ways to learn through play. For this activity, draw some feeling faces on the concrete with chalk. Fill up a bucket of water and add some paint brushes to the water. Have children trace t he chalk faces with the wet paint brushes and watch the faces “disappear!” This is a fun way for children to name the emotion while making that emotion “disappear.” Extend this activity with children by asking them what they can do when they feel the way the chalk face does. 

  1. Fine Motor Emotion Eggs-

Fine motor strengthening is incorporated into this super fun plastic egg activity where the top part and bottom part of faces can be mixed and matched. As children pull apart and put together the eggs, have them name the feeling they “made.” To expand on this, ask them what recently made them feel that way and what did they do to feel better. The more conversations we have about how to respond to feelings, the more likely children will remember what to do when they feel that way. 

5. Using Your Voice (Puppet Shows): When children are learning how respond to other children’s behaviors, a lot of times they result to hitting, grabbing, or other means of communication. Creating a puppet show area of the classroom, to do as a center time or even during large group time, can encourage children test out different social situations and practice (with puppets) how to respond. Including a teacher puppet show during large group is often a great way to model these “shows” and encourage children to come up with their own (such as what to do when you want a toy.)

5. Friendship Activities: Preparing some small and large group activities that highlight friendships, such as books, art activities, and more, can support children in understanding why creating friendships at school is important. You can find lots of friendship activity ideas in our blog.

6. Story time-There are many preschool book activities that describe feelings in a fun way for preschoolers. The following list of books are developmentally appropriate for young children and are great ways to talk about different feelings throughout the day. 

  • F Is for Feelings by Goldie Millar
  • Feelings to Share from A to Z by Todd Snow
  • Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney
  • Lots of Feelings by Shelley Rotner
  • My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
  • The Great Big Book of Feelings by Mary Hoffman
  • Today I Feel Silly, & Other MOODS That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis

Emotional development is an important skill that preschoolers learn through experiences. With ample opportunities to practice and the right supports, children will learn how to manage their feelings in a positive way.

When emotion activities are included regularly throughout a child’s day, discussing and talking about how they feel and how others feel becomes familiar and natural. When they have the words and the practice to communicate feelings and emotions with adults and peers, they will be able to use these skills when they are overwhelmed. 

Explorar los libros a través del juego es una guía para utilizar los libros infantiles en la terapia y mientras se construyen las habilidades de desarrollo.

Exploring Books Through Play is a digital, e-book designed to foster social emotional skills like friendship, acceptance, and empathy with play activities. Grab your copy today.

7. Use any of the activities above along with a feelings check in activity. This can be a great way to start the process of understanding emotions and how to support needs for regulation.

pre-k social emotional activities

Early childhood educators need to consider the social and emotional development of young children in the preschool or pre-K environment. These developmental skills drastically impact learning and skill achievement in the classroom setting.

When in the classroom, typical developmental milestones are considered and lesson plans are based around child developmental stages. However, being able to manage emotions and feelings with minimal supports and redirection empowers children.

As they start attending preschool, all of the classroom and peer situations may be new. They are now around friends who are also delayed in social and emotional learning. A large focus of curriculum has shifted from pre-academic to a strong social/emotional foundation, in order to support our most youngest learners in self-care, self-soothing, turn taking, and basic play skills with peers. 

In addition to the social and emotional activities for preschoolers listed above, some more advanced ideas can be used including:

Group Discussions Lead by Children: One of my favorite ways to support children listening to each other and taking turns, is to incorporate group discussions within circle time. This could be in a question/answer format, or in a story creation activity. To create a story with your preschoolers, the teacher would start by saying “Once upon a time there was a ______.)” Then the child to the right of the teacher would say the next sentence. The child to the right of that would continue the story with the next sentence, and so on! Once it gets back to the teacher, the story is completed. Not only is this a great activity for literacy and language development, but every child is listening to each other to find out what happens next. 

Calm Down Corner: Visual and tactile supports help people of all ages, but it is essential to have a visual space in the classroom for preschoolers to retreat to when they need time to calm down. A calm down corner makes creating this area simple and makes it a positive experience for children. A variety of self-led choices can be made in the classroom space, with items that help children calm down using their sensory system. As they calm down, they can use the visuals included in the kit to explain to other children and adults how they are feeling and what they need support with.

Classroom Jobs: When children take care of the classroom environment together, they take responsibility and care about the classroom and what is inside. As a team, children learn to work together to keep their classroom and the children in the class safe and functioning.

Classroom Safety Rule Creation: Having rules that every child understands and acknowledges allows children to be reminded of and help other children remember basic rules throughout the school day. Always phrase your rules in the  “do” instead of the “don’t.” For example “Use Walking Feed” instead of “Don’t Run.” This tells children what they should be doing.

Block Creations: Have you noticed that a lot of the daily frustrations occur in the block area, where children are all wanting to use the same blocks (whether that be Magnatiles, large wooden blocks or the cars?) When children are supported in sharing space and materials in a highly sought after area, they are able to generalize those skills into other areas of the classroom. In the morning, have children work together to create a block creation that they are all a part of. That could be building their town, a local zoo, the space station, etc. Block play supports collaborative play in one of the most creative ways.

Some more resources for social and emotional learning:

If you are looking for more ideas, we’ve covered social emotional toys and even books to support emotional development because these skills are something that every child learns through play and interacting with others.

Jeana Kinne is a veteran preschool teacher and director. She has over 20 years of experience in the Early Childhood Education field. Her Bachelors Degree is in Child Development and her Masters Degree is in Early Childhood Education. She has spent over 10 years as a coach, working with Parents and Preschool Teachers, and another 10 years working with infants and toddlers with special needs. She is also the author of the “Sammy the Golden Dog” series, teaching children important skills through play.

Cutting Playdough

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cutting playdough

This cutting playdough activity is a fine motor hand strengthening activity that builds scissor skills, bilateral coordination, and more! We love using play dough snakes to target these skills, but in this blog post, we’re talking all things cutting playdough with scissors!

cutting playdough

Cutting play Dough

By cutting playdough with scissors, you can quickly target several areas:

Little Guy is just learning how to hold the scissors, how to coordinate both hands together when cutting, how to open and shut the blades of the scissors to cut smooth lines, and how to stay on a line when cutting. 
 
This little activity is perfect to work on all of those things.
 
Plus, he thought it was a ton of fun to Cut. Play Dough. With. Scissors.

 
cutting playdough
 
 
 
 
First, roll out the play dough into a “play dough snake“…this is a perfect fine motor strengthening activity for little hands.
 
Mom, You then use the blades of the scissors to press lines into the “snake”.
 
 

Why cutting play dough?

 
The child will hold the play dough snake with his assisting (non-dominant hand).  Using the helper hand in a coordinated manner can be tricky for the new cutter.  A fun way to practice (like this activity) is a real confidence booster. 
 
Holding the scissors in a vertical position is sometimes, a big part of the problem with accuracy of cutting paper along lines.  Cutting the play dough snake usually will automatically correct a horizontal or diagonal position of the scissors.  Practice will help to carry-over the positioning when cutting paper. 
 
The nice wide and short lines in the play dough snake are great for practicing line awareness and the “open/shut” motion of the scissors when cutting.  Plus, the slight resistance of the play dough really provides feedback to the child. We cover this in our post on graded precision.
 
Just be sure to do this activity with your child.  This shouldn’t be an unsupervised activity…a little finger can get caught in the scissors easily.
 
 
This one looked like so much fun that Big Sister had to join in too 🙂
 
 

Expand the activity to cut play dough with scissors

One way to make this activity more difficult, or to add resistance to the playdough for greater hand strengthening is to freeze the play dough. Popping it in the freezer makes the dough more resistant, adding greater feedback through the hands.

More fine motor activities:

Working on fine motor skills, visual perception, visual motor skills, sensory tolerance, handwriting, or scissor skills? Our Fine Motor Kits cover all of these areas and more.

Check out the seasonal Fine Motor Kits that kids love:

Letters Fine Motor Kit
Kit de motricidad fina de verano
Summer Fine Motor Kit
Outer Space Fine Motor Kit
Space Fine Motor Kit
Spring fine motor kit
Valentines Day fine motor kit
winter fine motor kit
Winter Fine Motor Kit

Or, grab one of our themed Fine Motor Kits to target skills with fun themes:

Want access to all of these kits…and more being added each month? Join The OT Toolbox Member’s Club!

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.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

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Instrumental activities of daily living

This post is all about exploring Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, or IADLs which are addressed in occupational therapy interventions.  What are IADLs?  What are examples of IADLs? What is the difference between ADL (activity of daily living) and IADL? And, how to explain all of the above in layman’s terms for caregivers/parents/teachers…We’ll cover all of that here!

Instrumental activities of daily living

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

As a “seasoned” therapist, I used the term ADLs (activities of daily living) for all tasks regarding self care. The term IADLs is newer to me.  Perhaps it is because I work with young children, who do not do a lot of instrumental activities of daily living.

However, IADLs are an important part of occupational therapy, especially when considering the goals of the person. One individual receiving OT services may have a goal to work on cooking so they can make meals for their family. Another may have a personal goal to balance a checkbook so they can manage their own finances.

iadl medical abbreviation

IADL is a medical abbreviation for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. Related, but different than ADLS, which stands for activities of daily living.

These two areas are primary focus of the occupational therapy practitioner, as together, they represent all functional occupations, or the daily tasks that make up an individual’s day.

IADLs are different for every individual and also vary depending on the age of the individual. A middle school student or high school student will have different instrumental activities of daily tasks that make up their day.

This leads to the question….

What are IADLs?

Instrumental activities of daily living are more complex activities or tasks that a person does to maintain independence in the home and community. IADLs are not necessary for fundamental functioning, but allow an individual to live independently in their community.  This includes tasks beyond activities of daily living that involvement with physical and social environment.

The definition of “instrumental” is;  very important in helping or causing something to happen or be done. It is something that is useful or helpful. It is used as an aid.

A simple way to remember what IADLs are, is to use the mnemonic SHAFT.

  • S – shopping
  • H – housekeeping or housework
  • A – accounting or managing money
  • F – food preparation
  • T – telephone/transportation

The SHAFT mnemonic can help you distinguish the difference between ADLs and IADLs and help you identify what an IADL is without having to remember a whole list of IADLs.

IADLs, while physical in nature, involve a certain amount of cognitive thinking (executive functioning skills).  This is the reason young children are not able to do these tasks yet, and the elderly population loses this ability first, as their cognitive abilities decline. An interesting statistic is the fact that 50% of persons over the age of 85 need assistance with at least one IADL activity.  

It’s important to realize that one thing that contributes to the ability to complete more complex daily tasks is mental dexterity which enables quickness of thought in IADLs.

Check out this recent post on the OT Toolbox regarding Occupational Therapy at Home.

Examples of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

So, what are some examples of IADLs?

  • Managing a budget, including using the ATM, counting and using money, managing bank accounts, writing checks, and remembering bills. 
  • Remembering to go to doctors appointments and taking medications as prescribed.  Medication management includes taking medications as prescribed, learning which medications treat which conditions, learning about possible side effects, and discussing medications with health care providers
  • Planning and preparing meals, including hot and cold items. This could also pose significant safety and health risk if done incorrectly
  • Being able to do housework, sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms.  This can include arranging for help if desired
  • Doing your own shopping – groceries, clothing, or anything else you need.  This includes identifying which stores sell specific goods, making shopping lists, and planning routes for shopping trips. 
  • Using the telephone and computer, including landline, cellphone, internet, and/or medical alert device as a means of communication
  • Managing transportation – driving, hiring cabs, arranging for rides, navigating the community, or taking public transportation
  • Yard work – includes mowing grass, raking leaves, pruning shrubs, and other tasks.
  • Clothing care/Laundry – includes washing, drying, folding and putting away clothing
  • Time management – includes telling time, reading a calendar, following a schedule and making appointments
  • Managing your household in its entirety – including pet care, arranging for help, childcare
  • Any and all extracurricular activities – maintaining a hobby or socializing with friends, family, and peers

List of IADLs

We put together a list of IADLs to give you a better idea of that this looks like.

A list of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living includes aspects that can apply to pediatrics, including school-based OT as well as life skills addressed in OT sessions:

  • Retrieving things or putting things away which are needed for ADLs
  • Getting objects out of cupboards, drawers, closets, etc.
  • Using a telephone or computer
  • Handling mail
  • Using money
  • Writing checks and balancing a bank account
  • Using vending machines
  • Using equipment
  • Using public transportation
  • Purchasing items from stores
  • Caring for devices like ambulatory aides
  • Laundry tasks
  • Home management tasks
  • Meal preparation
  • Shopping
  • Purchasing food or needed items
  • Following emergency procedures
  • Emergency preparedness such as knowing how to call 911 or what to do in the case of an emergency
  • Home maintenance tasks
  • Leisure activities (hobbies, playing games, etc.)
  • Many other components of daily tasks
  • Serving others through community service- These service ideas are practical ways to help others.

These life skills cards target many aspects of IADLs and are a great tool for practicing daily tasks.

What is the difference between ADL and IADL?

ADLs are the basic things you need to do to survive and be well. IADLs are the things you can do to enhance your personal interactions and/or environment.

ADLs are essential to unassisted survival. If a person can not do these things independently, their ability to live unassisted diminishes greatly.   As the name suggests, these are activities done on a daily basis, needed for basic living or survival.  A mnemonic that can be used to remember these is DEATH:

  • D – dressing: including wearing clothes in an acceptable fashion
  • E – Eating:  feeding self (not including meal prep)
  • A – ambulation: walking, sit to stand, getting in/out of cars/tub/bed/chairs
  • T – toileting: including using the facilities, then wiping/washing self without help
  • H – hygiene: bathing, grooming, brushing teeth

A person who can perform basic self care but not IADLs can live independently with some assistance from family or others in the community.  For example, they can hire a housekeeper, Meals on Wheels, accountant, lawn care professionals, and a transportation service.  This type of person can have help come in daily, or weekly as needed but can do basic self help skills.

In contrast, a person who can not perform basic ADLs is likely to need around the clock care in order to survive.  This would include young children, elderly, and people with disabilities.

IADL assessments

IADL Assessments

Some common evaluation tools for measuring functional performance levels include the following IADL assessments:

  • Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale – The scale addresses ability to use the telephone, shopping, food preparation, housekeeping, laundry, mode of transportation, responsibility for own medications, and ability to handle finances.
  • Independent Living Scales – A standardized, performance-based test that requires the patient to complete tasks in 5 IADL areas: memory/orientation, managing money, managing home and transportation, health and safety, and social adjustment. Norms are included for adults ages 65 and older
  • Evaluation of Living Skills 4th Edition – requires the patient to complete tasks in the following areas: self care, safety and health, money management, transportation and telephone, work and leisure. The 4th edition has been revised to include modern pictures and communication devices, i.e. cell phones.
  • Assessment of Motor Process Skills – The assessment evaluates performance during both ADL and IADL skills. The IADL tasks included are meal preparation, home maintenance, and laundry.

A final thought

As you can see from the description of IADL above, you can understand why this has not been a foundation of my work with 2-5 year old children. They are focusing efforts on basic living and self help skills, not laundry, money management, or housekeeping. 

Toddlers and young children do not have the cognitive skills for these higher level tasks.  As children move into late elementary/early middle school, these skills become paramount in shaping their ability to live independently in their community, and should be addressed frequently. 

Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.

Life Skills task cards

Target many IADLs using our Life Skills Activity cards. Choose one or more cards to work on at a time.  Learners will practice each task ten times, using a hole punch or other marking tool to measure their attempts. Once they have completed the card, learners can display them on a keyring to track their progress.  Cards may need to be completed more than once in order to master a skill, however there are some skills that may be mastered after only ten trials. Get your copy here.

Essential Components of Handwriting

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components of handwriting

In this blog post, we’re covering the components of handwriting in a list with tools and resources to cover each element. Click on each link to find all of the information you are looking for.  Be sure to check them all out for a complete understanding of developmental and physiological components to handwriting, creative activities to improve your child’s writing skills, and everything you need to know!

components of handwriting

Components of Handwriting

The components of handwriting can be broken down into categories: motor, visual perceptual, executive functioning, and sensory. Each of the building blocks of writing can contribute to handwriting problems when there is a delay in development or issues with building the underlying skills upon the other skill components.

Motor Skills Components- Motor components of handwriting refer to the physical act of writing, which includes the movements made by the hand, arm, and fingers to form letters and words.

This involves range of motion, hand strength, hand-eye coordination, pencil control, and fine motor skills.

Some of the motor components of handwriting include:

  1. Form: The shape and structure of individual letters and words. Read about letter formation.
  2. Size: The overall size of the letters and the spacing between them. Read about size awareness.
  3. Slant: The angle at which the letters are written. This is more applicable to the cursive form. Read about slant in cursive writing.
  4. Pressure: The amount of force used to write each letter. Read about pencil pressure.
  5. Speed: The rate at which the writer produces the handwriting. Read about writing speed.
  6. Writing Posture: The ability to assume and maintain upright sitting posture when writing, using core strength and stability. Read about writing posture.
  7. Rhythm: How smoothly and fluidly the writing flows across the page. Read about writing rhythm.
  8. Pencil grasp: This is a large area of handwriting. Refer to our resources on functional pencil grasp and development of pencil grasp for more information.

Fine Motor Elements- The fine motor skills can be further sub-categorized into a list:

Visual Perception- Visual Perceptual components involve the visual, motor, and cognitive processes that go into recognizing and interpreting written text.

This includes the visual and spatial aspects of handwriting, such as:

  1. Legibility: How easy the writing is to read and understand.
  2. Alignment: How well the letters and words are placed on the page. Read about margin alignment.
  3. Discrimination of letters: knowing the difference between upper and lower case letters and making the connection between different forms of a letter. read about visual discrimination.
  4. Spacing: How evenly spaced the letters and words are from one another. Read about spatial awareness.

Legibility- A related handwriting component is legibility. This is the ability to read written work, and the ability for others to read the written material. Many of these areas refer to the combination of visual and motor elements, or visual motor skills. Legibility refers to several aspects of handwriting:

  1. Writing speed
  2. Carryover of handwriting skills
  3. Copying material from a near point or distant point
  4. Consistency: How similar the handwriting is from letter to letter, word to word, and page to page.

Sensory Components- The sensory aspect of handwriting relates to several areas:

  1. Pencil pressure
  2. Body awareness
  3. Position in space (or proprioception)
  4. Self-regulation
  5. Sensory needs

Executive functioning components- Finally, a critical piece of the handwriting puzzle is executive functioning skills. We can break handwriting and executive functioning skills down into sub-areas:

  1. Working memory
  2. Impulse control
  3. Attention
  4. Organization
  5. Flexible thinking
  6. Planning and prioritization



I’m sharing each of the Handwriting posts here so you can easily find each topic.  If bad handwriting is an issue, check out the fundamental ingredients to handwriting!

From fine motor skills to gross motor skills, and sensory considerations to posture: This is a complete guide to Handwriting for Kids from pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapists.  

Everything you need to know about handwriting. Fine and gross motor considerations, sensory concerns, developmental progression, creative activities, posture, and more, from pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapist bloggers.
 
 
 




Everything you need to know about handwriting. Fine and gross motor considerations, sensory concerns, developmental progression, creative activities, posture, and more, from pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapist bloggers.
 
 
More Handwriting ideas you will love:
http://www.sugaraunts.com/2015/10/visual-tracking-tips-and-tools-for.html 
 
 

Activities for Handwriting Elements:

You’ll find many resources here on The OT Toolbox to support skill development impacting the elements of handwriting that make a difference in overall legibility. Here are some of our favorites:

For a comprehensive resource that breaks down each component of writing, grab a copy of The Handwriting Book:

The Handwriting Book is a comprehensive resource created by experienced pediatric OTs and PTs.

The Handwriting Book covers everything you need to know about handwriting, guided by development and focused on function. This digital resource is is the ultimate resource for tips, strategies, suggestions, and information to support handwriting development in kids.

The Handwriting Book breaks down the functional skill of handwriting into developmental areas. These include developmental progression of pre-writing strokes, fine motor skills, gross motor development, sensory considerations, and visual perceptual skills. Each section includes strategies and tips to improve these underlying areas.

  • Strategies to address letter and number formation and reversals
  • Ideas for combining handwriting and play
  • Activities to practice handwriting skills at home
  • Tips and strategies for the reluctant writer
  • Tips to improve pencil grip
  • Tips for sizing, spacing, and alignment with overall improved legibility

Click here to grab your copy of The Handwriting Book today.

Types of Eye Specialists

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types of eye specialists

In this blog post, we’re covering information on types of eye specialists. As occupational therapy providers, many times we work with clients or patients on activities of daily living or IADLS that are challenged by vision needs. Knowing about different types of vision specialists is important because we can better understand what support a the individual could benefit. Here, let’s dive into vision specialties.

types of eye specialists

If you have been researching types of eye specialists or read my post on Behavioral Optometrists, you may feel overwhelmed by all of the information out there! 

In order to make this clearer, the OT Toolbox has a PDF on the Different Types of Vision Specialists.  This is one of the resources included in our Visual Processing Bundle.

This post will (hopefully) shed some light on the differences between these professions, especially if caregivers are asking  you for advice, or you are in the position to make recommendations after screenings*

Types of Eye Specialists

There are four different types of vision specialties highlighted on the Types of Vision Doctors/Eye Specialists chart found in the Visual Processing Bundle:

  • Optometrists
  • Ophthalmologists
  • Behavioral/Developmental Optometrists
  • Vision Therapists

The chart gives a general overview of the different roles of the four types of vision specialists:

OPTOMETRIST

  • This doctor is responsible for checking visual acuity
  • They can prescribe glasses and contact lenses
  • Can not perform surgery and are not medical doctors
  • They can monitor conditions like glaucoma, dry eye, and diabetes related vision problems
  • For routine primary care, people often select an optometrist first

OPHTHALMOLOGIST

The Opthalmologist does more in depth vision care than the optometrist. 

  • They perform extensive eye exams, including dilation of the eyes
  • They are medical doctors
  • Medical eye care — for conditions like glaucoma, iritis, and chemical burns
  • Surgical eye care — for trauma, crossed eyes, cataracts, glaucoma, and other problems
  • Diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions related to other diseases, like diabetes or arthritis
  • Plastic surgery — to raise droopy eyelids or smooth out wrinkles

According to the American Academy for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, there are certain conditions that warrant a visit to the Ophthalmologist:

  • Bulging of one or both eyes;
  • Dark curtain or veil that blocks your vision;
  • Decreased vision, even if temporary;
  • Diabetes mellitus;
  • Distorted vision;
  • Double vision;
  • Excess tearing;
  • Eyelid abnormalities;
  • Family history of eye disease;
  • Halos (colored circles around lights);
  • High blood pressure;
  • HIV or AIDS;
  • Injury to the eye;
  • Loss of peripheral (side) vision;
  • Misaligned eyes;
  • New floaters (black “strings” or specks in the vision) and/or flashes of light;
  • Pain in the eye;
  • Thyroid disease-related eye problems (Graves’ disease);
  • Unusual red eye.

OPTICIAN

  • Opticians aren’t eye doctors and can’t give eye exams. They get a 1- or 2-year degree, certificate, or diploma. 
  • They fill the prescription your eye doctor gives you. 
  • Check lens prescriptions
  • Provide, adjust, and repair glasses, frames, and contact lenses
  • Take facial measurements
  • Help decide which type of lenses and frames will work best
  • Order and check products, including contacts and eyeglass lenses

BEHAVIORAL OPTOMETRIST

  • A behavioral optometrist uses a wide array of exams to study your vision. 
  • Many of the tests require you to answer verbally because they’re related to how you interpret your vision.   
  • Because of the connection between the brain and the eyes, behavioral optometrists do measure your sight, but also your brain’s response to what you see.  
  • Behavioral optometry acknowledges the brain’s connection to vision, and the impacts on behavior that poor vision can  have.  
  • They are concerned with how your eyes and visual system function, and are interested in how your behavior affects vision or how your vision influences your behavior.  
  • The behavioral optometrist, also known as a  developmental optometrist, treats functional vision problems, including difficulties with binocular vision, eye movements and depth perception, as well as visual deficits following brain injuries. 

VISION THERAPISTS

“Vision therapy” is a term used by optometrists. 

  • Optometrists define vision therapy as an attempt to develop or improve visual skills and abilities; improve visual comfort, ease, and visual efficiency; and change visual processing or interpretation of visual information. 
  • Vision therapy is often prescribed and used by optometrists or behavioral optometrists 
  • Many ophthalmologists advise their patients that there is no benefit to vision therapy – there is a lot of controversy surrounding the efficacy of vision therapy, however many therapists have seen success in practice.
  • They work closely with the developmental or behavioral optometrist
  • An optometric vision therapy program consists of supervised in-office and at home reinforcement exercises performed over weeks to months. 
  • In addition to exercises, lenses (“training glasses”), prisms, filters, patches, electronic targets, or balance boards may be used.
  • Performs eye exercises with the goal of improving fundamental visual skills
  • Works to change how a patient processes or interprets visual information
  • Addresses visual problems such as lazy eye, crossed eyes, double vision, and convergence insufficiency
  • According to AAPOS: Behavioral vision therapy is considered to be scientifically unproven
  • American Academy for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus states there is no evidence that vision therapy delays the progression or leads to correction of myopia.  They also discount the use of “training glasses”.

Vision Therapists generally address the following issues:

Oculomotor problems: Problems with eye tracking skills, including fixation, pursuits, and saccades. Fixation refers to the ability to continue looking at a stationary target. Pursuits refer to the ability to continue looking at a moving target. Saccades refer to the ability to smoothly change fixation quickly and accurately from one target to another. For example, saccades are especially important in the act of reading.

Accommodative problems: Problems relating to the focusing system of the eye. Accommodative problems include difficulties focusing accurately during close work and difficulties switching focus from distance to near efficiently.

Vergence problems: Problems with eye teaming abilities and visual convergence. An example of this is convergence insufficiency, which is when the eyes do not work well together. Convergence insufficiency is one of the most common problems that can be treated with vision therapy

There are three categories of vision therapy:

“Orthoptic vision therapy” so called by optometrists are a series of exercises usually weekly over several months performed in the optometric office. Orthoptic eye exercises (orthoptics), as used by pediatric ophthalmologists and orthoptists, are eye exercises to improve binocular function and are taught in the office and carried out at home. ”Orthoptics” is a well-established profession performed by “Orthoptists” who work within the sub-specialty of ophthalmology. Orthoptists evaluate and measure eye deviations, manage amblyopia treatment and treat small intermittent symptomatic eye deviations.

Behavioral/perceptual vision therapy – eye exercises to improve visual processing and visual perception

Vision therapy for prevention or correction of myopia (nearsightedness)

Final Thought on Vision Specialties

While much of this can be confusing, the hope is that this post with the accompanying chart defines the skills and differences between each specialist.

While some professionals do not agree with vision therapy because of lack of clinical evidence, much of what WE do as occupational therapists could be considered alternative medicine with unproven results.  This holds true for chiropractors as well. We know through practice and clinical observation that what we do works, just as vision therapy can work for certain students.

Use your best clinical judgment to determine the best treatment and course of action for each of your clients.

*NOTE: Not all therapists are allowed to make recommendations or referrals.  Occupational therapists do not make diagnoses, therefore we must be very cautious making referrals or labeling a condition.  School based therapists are generally forbidden to make outside referrals due to liability reasons. When caregivers specifically ask for a recommendation, it is acceptable in many cases to provide a list of providers you trust.  Know your district and state laws when making referrals to other types of providers.

Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.

visual processing bundle

The Visual Processing Bundle includes digital products to target underlying visual processing skills so you can help students with classroom tasks like copying written work, letter reversals, and messy handwriting in fun and engaging ways!

  • Over 235 pages of workbooks, worksheets, e-books, handouts, activity cards, tracking tools
  • Classroom accommodation ideas
  • Checklists
  • Multi-level visual-motor integration workbooks
  • Pencil control worksheets
  • Classroom and therapy activities
  • Activity cards
  • Specific and open-ended activity cards
  • Visual tracking guide

The Visual Processing Bundle is a collection of 17 digital products. Get your copy today!

Empathy Activities for Kids

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empathy activities for kids

Many years ago, we made empathy bracelets as one of our favorite empathy activities for kids. Empathy activities like this bracelet craft are easy ways to teach kids about empathy as a foundation for social emotional skills. We made empathy bracelets as a way to develop social-emotional awareness and self-awareness of others and how they feel.  When you use a hands-on activity like this bead activity to teach abstract concepts like empathy, children can stimulate thinking and allow kids to grasp the perspectives of others. Use the empathy beads and the Quick as a Cricket activity idea here to help kids think about others and the world around them.

empathy activities for kids

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

Empathy Activities for Kids

One fun way to teach kids about empathy is with the children’s book, “Quick as a Cricket”. By using this book about feelings, and a fun activity that can be adjusted to meet the needs of various kids, teaching about feelings and values is meaningful.  

This book really hits on the self-awareness of a child as they see that each feeling in the book makes up a part of him.  We thought that if this boy is feeling all of these emotions about himself, then others are too! If you are looking for for more activities based on children’s books then we have a lot to share with you!

Use empathy beads and make an empathy bracelet to teach kids empathy. Its one of many empathy activities to show respect and awareness of other's feelings. This busy bag activity is based on the book, Quick as a Cricket.

Activity to teach empathy

Teaching kids about empathy is important. There are studies that show us that specifically teaching kids about empathy makes a difference. In fact, when we teach kids about empathy in ways that make sense to them (or are meaningful), we may see more positive positive social behaviors, such as sharing. 

Helping others becomes more meaningful as well. Additionally, research tells us that kids that learn about empathy are less likely to be antisocial or present with uncontrolled aggressive behaviors.   

Additionally, it’s been said that empathy and perspective taking serve an important role in what  is called prosocial behavior, or helping others, sharing, taking turns, etc.  

One way to support this awareness of the feelings and needs of others is through serving others. Doing various acts of kindness can teach this skill in a practical and real life way. Check out our list of service ideas for ways to help others while developing empathy.

After reading the book Quick as a Cricket, (just a few dozen times–this is a book you WILL read over and over again!), we talked about how each of us has many feelings that can be seen in animals.  

Some of our feelings happen daily, and some not for a while.  Other feelings pair together (feeling small and sad).   

Kids can have a difficult time with learning to be empathetic.  My kids really got an understanding of empathy as we talked about how other people might feel these feelings and we should be aware.  To take the empathy lesson a bit further, we made Empathy Bracelets with our empathy beads!    


Empathy Activity

Today, I have a fun friendship activity that uses a classic children’s book. Kids can struggle with the abstract concept of empathy and the perspectives of others.

This empathy activity is part of a bigger picture when it comes to empathy skills. When we notice and are aware of how we feel, and how those feelings make us act, we can have sympathy and awareness for others. The first step is to do an emotions check in followed by a feelings check in. While similar, they both play a role in being aware of how we feel and the emotion terms associated with those feelings. We can then reflect on how others might feel when they are in a similar situation.

This Quick as a Cricket activity will be a hit at your book club play date, or any day!  I loved the simplicity of our activity as it really went well with the simple rhyme of the book’s text.  

How to teach kids' empathy? Make an empathy bracelet with empathy beads to show respect and awareness of other's feelings. This busy bag activity is based on the book, Quick as a Cricket.

  This post contains affiliate links.  

To discuss and learn more about empathy, we used just a few items. First, we read the book, Quick as a Cricket, (affiliate link) by Audrey Wood.   If you haven’t read this classic book, it’s one you definitely want to find!  

The boy in the book discovers the characteristics of animals make up parts of himself.  The book has simple rhyming words and captures children’s attention.  It’s a great book to discuss self-awareness and feelings that make up all of us.  

Quick as a Cricket activity for kids. Make a bead bracelet and talk about empathy, acceptance, and perspectives of others.


Empathy Bracelets

You’ll need just two items to make empathy bracelets with kids:

  1. Pipe cleaners
  2. Beads
How to teach kids' empathy? Make an empathy bracelet with empathy beads to show respect and awareness of other's feelings. This busy bag activity is based on the book, Quick as a Cricket.

We grabbed a handful of colorful pipe cleaners.

To make our empathy bracelets, we used a bunch of different colored beads. (affiliate link) Some of the beads were different shapes and sizes, and that fit in perfectly with our empathy talks.  

People come in different shapes and sizes but we all have the same feelings inside!  

To create the Quick as a Cricket (affiliate link) activity, I used our snap and stack (affiliate link) containers.  This worked great as a busy bag storage system so the kids could create bead bracelets whenever they wished as a quiet activity.  

How to teach kids' empathy? Make an empathy bracelet with empathy beads to show respect and awareness of other's feelings. This busy bag activity is based on the book, Quick as a Cricket.

 

Before making the empathy bracelets, we read through the book once more.  

We looked at each of the animals and talked about their color and found a bead that went along with the animal.  

We discussed the feeling or description of the animal and how we sometimes show those feelings.  

Then we made our bracelets.  It was fun to see how each of my kids made their bracelets differently.  One just plucked the beads from the bin and said the feeling that went along with that color.  

Another flipped through the book and matched up beads to the animal.  

Each empathy bracelet is different as it is made by a different child.  But, they all mean the same thing; they represent the feelings that we all share!  

When you make these empathy bracelets, you could pull out colors to match the animals or feelings, or you could just let the child create as they wish.  It is completely up to you!    

You can talk about empathy and kindness in many ways using activities with kids.  Mine loved this Little Blue and Little Yellow book activity to promote kindness, too.   

Kids will love to wear their bracelets and fiddle with the beads.  As they fidget with the individual beads, they can remember the feeling that is associated with that bead.  They might see someone who is having a bad day and recognize the emotion.    

Encourage empathetic respect of other’s feelings even when your child is not feeling that same way.  You can explain that not everyone has the same beads or colors of beads on their bracelet (or might not be wearing a bracelet!) but they still have those feelings and emotions inside of them.    

How to teach kids' empathy? Make an empathy bracelet with empathy beads to show respect and awareness of other's feelings. This busy bag activity is based on the book, Quick as a Cricket.

Empathy Activities for Kids

For fun and hands-on empathy activities for kids, grab our social emotional skills resource, Exploring Books Through Play: 50 Activities based on Books About Friendship, Acceptance, and Empathy, that explores friendship, acceptance, and empathy through popular (and amazing) children’s books!  It’s 50 hands-on activities that use math, fine motor skills, movement, art, crafts, and creativity to support social emotional development.    

  • Use plastic eggs to work on empathy by writing various scenarios on strips of paper. Kids can open an egg and state how they would feel in the scenario. This is a great group activity.
  • Use dolls and puppets. Act out scenarios and record the story on a phone or tablet. Kids can re-watch and describe the various feelings and how the characters felt and acted. 
  • For kids with autism, modeling, prompting, and reinforcement are strategies that can help.
  • Read books! These chapter books that teach empathy are great for the older kids or using as read-aloud books with the whole family. They are great ways to spark conversations about empathy. 
  • Writing about Friendship Slide Deck – writing prompts, writing letters to friends, and handwriting activities to develop friendship skills, all on a free interactive Google slide deck.
  • Create a social story about specific events or tasks that involve other individuals. This can create options for the individual to use during a task and can help when there may be unexpected situations to navigate that lead to feelings of anxiety or worries leading up to a social situation or activity.

  • Children can benefit from perspectives of others, including through personal space. Use this Personal Space Friendship Skills Slide Deck as a tool to address body awareness and personal space among others. Friendship involves allowing personal space, and body awareness and all of this is part of the social skill development that some kids struggle with. Use this free Google slide deck to work on body awareness and personal space.
  • Here are five simple activities to teach empathy to preschoolers.
  • Pretend play is a wonderful way to teach empathy to young children. You can do this as an adult directed activity, through puppets or assigning roles to children during large group times. Encouraging a child child to be sad for a specific reason and having another child take care of them, will help children learn body language of others. 
  • Emotion activities that are available to complete on a daily basis, help children learn how to name different feelings in themselves and identify those feelings in others.
  • Friendship activities such as these friendship activities.
  • Using Book-related play activities- This digital download contains 50 hands-on, multi-sensory play-centered activities for anyone helping kids learn about friendship, acceptance, empathy, compassion, and differences in others. These activities encourage cooperation, negotiation and communication through play.
Use this Quick as a Cricket activity to teach kids about feelings. It's a fun hands-on empathy activity for kids.

More Quick as a Cricket Activities

Expand on the empathy activities with other Quick as a Cricket activities that involve play and movement. First, pick up the book, Quick as a Cricket. (affiliate link) Then use the empathy beads activity here along with these functional activities to inspire development:

Quick as a Cricket Snack from Craftulate can get kids busy in the kitchen building skills like executive functioning and fine motor skills.

Quick as a Cricket Sensory Play from Still Playing School includes play and sensory based learning.

Quick as a Cricket Art from Fun-a-Day inspires fine motor skills and motor development.

hands-on activities to explore social emotional development through children's books.

References on empathy skills

Schrandt, J. A., Townsend, D. B., & Poulson, C. L. (2009). Teaching empathy skills to children with autism. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 42(1), 17–32. doi:10.1901/jaba.2009.42-17  

What is Empathy?

Empathy is the development of care for others. When I was young, my mom always told me to say “I’m sorry” when I was in a conflict with my cousin. Sometimes I didn’t feel sorry (after all, he’s the one that took the ninja turtle from me first,) but I did what I was told. After a while, saying “I’m sorry” felt repetitive with no actual meaning behind it. 

Instead of teaching children to say “I’m sorry,” what would happen if we helped our kids understand how another person is feeling, and respond with care for that person’s feelings. This is called empathy. 

Empathy Development in Kids

Did you know the ability to use and practice empathy in everyday situations is not a born skill and that there are actually specific and defined stages of empathy development? It’s true!

There is real power to the development of empathy in the first five years of a child’s life. Not only do children need to understand who they are as a person, but how others feel. Empathy isn’t something that can be forced on a child, but it is something they can become familiar with and understand through adult support and play based activities. 

stages of empathy development

Here, we are covering the stages of empathy development and some activities that preschoolers can participate in, to understand and practice empathy. 

Empathy is a complex skill that is learned over time.

From the time a child is born, they open their eyes and notice that they aren’t the only being! There’s mom, dad, nurses and they all do everything possible to get the baby’s needs met. As a child grows, they are introduced to siblings, cousins, peers and other adults. Every interaction a child has, provides them with opportunities to understand social structure and engagement. 

According to this article by Professor Martin L. Hoffman, the main theorist on the development of empathy in childhood, “there must be parallelism of feelings and affections with thoughts, moral principles, and behavioral tendencies.”

“ First stage (global empathy)

It comprises the first year of a person’s life and consists of the fact that the child does not yet perceive others as different from himself. For this reason, the pain that he perceives in the other is confused with his own unpleasant feelings, as if it were happening to himself. For example, the baby who, on seeing his mother crying, dries his own eyes.

Second stage (egocentric empathy)

It corresponds to the second year of life, and the child is aware that it is the other person who is going through the unpleasant situation. However, she assumes that the internal states experienced by the other person are being felt by herself.

Third stage of the child’s development of empathy (empathy for the feelings of others)

It runs from the second to the third year. The child is aware that the feelings he experiences are different from those of the other person, and is able to respond to them in a non-self-centered way. At this point, she is already in a position to understand that the other person’s intentions and needs differ from her own and, therefore, that person’s emotions may also differ from her own. Thus, for example, she becomes able to console.

Fourth Stage (empathy for the life condition of others)

It comprises the final period of childhood. The feelings of others are perceived not only as reactions of the moment, but also as expressions of their general life experience. That is, they respond differently to transitory and chronic states of pain, since they take into consideration the general condition of the other.”

How to support empathy development in each stage

Ages 0–12 Months:  Supporting strong, secure attachments in infants, is essential at this age. As children learn that others are understanding how they are feeling, and are supported by getting their needs met, babies learn that their emotions and feelings can be understood by other, even before they can talk. 

Ages 1–3 years: To help toddlers develop empathy, describe their feelings to them, and the feelings of others around them. This is helpful when they are engaging in play with other kids, as toddlers have a harder time managing their emotions. For example, “When Sandy was sad, it was so nice that you gave her some ice to help her leg feel better.” 

Ages 3–5 years: In the preschool years, children are learning how to respond to their feelings and the feelings of others. Adults can support empathy development by asking open ended questions and providing concrete ways for children to calm down and express their feelings. Through using emotional tools such as pretend play-based activities, children are able to regulate their feelings and learn how to communicate their needs to others.

A 6 year old boy recently saw his 3 year old brother become upset because he couldn’t climb as high on the play structure. The 6 year old could use toys to help his brother and asked him if he needed help calming down. Once calm, his brother helped his 3 year old get a step stool so he could reach the rung on the bottom of the play structure. 

The social and emotional measures in this preschool rating scale, includes empathy goals for children ages 19 months and up. As empathy development becomes a focus in Early Childhood and essential for Kindergarten readiness, teachers and parents are looking for more easy to teach empathy through play. 

A final note on empathy

Empathy is something that isn’t taught to children, but a skill developed over time. Starting with strong, positive attachments in early childhood. When children have the opportunities to practice developing their social skills by being provided a variety of opportunities to engage in play throughout early childhood, their empathy grows exponentially.

Adults can support the development of empathy in early childhood by asking open ended questions, creating opportunities for children to practice developing friendships through play, and providing children with concrete ways to respond to big feelings in themselves and others. 

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.