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:

Supporting Student Strengths in the Classroom

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student strengths in the classroom

When working with kids, we as professionals support students in many ways, but one of the most important ways to support kiddos is by highlighting individual student strengths in the classroom. We’ve all been there: feeling down about our own insecurities. That negativity impacts our mood, behavior, and the way we respond to others, including co-regulation. For kids that struggle with various areas, they may constantly be aware of how they are challenged to learn, make friends, participate in classroom activities. We as occupational therapy professionals can bring positivity and support through the simple act of highlighting the good. Our students on every ability level will thrive when using their strengths as meaningful motivation!

Student strengths in the classroom to support learning and classroom tasks using student's personal strengths

Here, we are talking about how to support students by identifying student strengths, understanding how to use those strengths to support the child, and how professionals can identify individual strengths for each student.

Student Strengths in the Classroom

School professionals and paraprofessionals do so much for our students, and it is not always easy. One way to bring some positivity to the classroom is to highlight all of the wonderful strengths you see.

Student strengths in the classroom environment are obviously an important aspect of school performance. We all thrive when we feel we do something well. It makes us want to learn more about the topic. Doing a job or task well makes us want to achieve because we know we are good at that particular thing.

We know that using a strengths-based approach works for Autistic learners, trauma-informed therapy interventions, specific diagnoses such as cerebral palsy, and essentially everyone!

What Are Student Strengths

Let’s start with defining exactly what are student strengths and how to facilitate functional skills and learning through the use of strength-based participation.

Student strengths are exactly that; the strengths of the individual student! So often, we talk about the challenges a student has. We see the behaviors, the deficits, and weaknesses, and the diagnosis. These negative aspects are what the student is reprimanded on. It’s what makes them stand out (in the eyes of the student) and makes them different than their peers. But when we highlight strengths, we are shifting the focus to the positive.

All students have strengths. Every one has interests, positive aspects, special skills, and abilities that make them unique. Student strengths are any personal trait that makes them who they are!

When an individual’s personal strengths are highlighted, there is a ping of dopamine that offers feedback through the nervous system. There is a feeling of “good” that travels through the brain and body. This positive feedback can support regulation, mood, emotions, behavior, communication, and participation.

When student strengths are highlighted in the classroom, students thrive.

When student strengths in classrooms are highlighted, not only do individual students thrive in academic learning but in these other areas, but the whole classroom can be impacted too. The classroom can grow and develop together as a unit when they see that each student’s special skills and abilities play a role in their teamwork. Each student brings something special to the table and when these special skills are identified, students can empathize with more understanding.

A student that struggles with attention and has physical behaviors or anger might be very talented at drawing. That special interest can be used to create a classroom poster that shows how we are all different, but all of us have some unique qualities that make us who we are as individuals.

Simple wording that highlights the positive aspects of a student go much farther than the constant barrage of negative messaging. Our students pick up on this wording. So, when we put a positive spin on the terminology or ways we describe a child’s positive qualities, we are doing a benefit for not only the student, but the whole classroom’s view of the world around them.

Highlighting student strengths can support teamwork and empathy. It develops individuals into leaders, teammates, and supports conflict resolution.

Let’s take a closer look at student strengths…

List of Student Strengths

A child may be constantly in motion, but they can also be described as active or energetic. A student might be impulsive or take risks but they can also be described as adventurous or confident. Simply putting a different, positive spin on skills and abilities can make a difference.

Some student strengths include:

  • Artistic
  • Accepting
  • Confident
  • Self-assured
  • High self-esteem
  • Friendly
  • Sociable
  • Outgoing
  • Creative
  • Imaginative
  • Capable
  • Insightful
  • Perceptive
  • Talented
  • Intellectual
  • Deep thinkers
  • Daring
  • Energetic
  • Honest
  • Friendly/Makes friends easily
  • Talkative
  • Articulate
  • Kind
  • Loving
  • Empathetic/Sensitive to the needs of others
  • Affectionate
  • Fun-loving
  • Active
  • Loyal
  • Determined
  • Organized
  • Resilient
  • Humble
  • Caring
  • Helpful
  • Introspective
  • Reserved
  • Thoughtful
  • Altruistic
  • Trusting
  • Modest
  • Affectionate
  • Warm
  • Sympathetic to others, including to strangers
  • Benevolent
  • Predictable
  • Thorough
  • Ambitious
  • Consistent
  • Grateful
  • Forgiving
  • Patient
  • Original
  • Innovative
  • Clever
  • Curious
  • Strong
  • Tactful
  • Brave
  • Calm
  • Optimistic
  • Funny/humorous
  • Polite
  • Loyal
  • Persistent
  • Conscientious
  • Self-disciplined
  • Leader
  • Reliable
  • Resourceful
  • Hard-working
  • Persevering
  • Controlled
  • Goal-oriented
  • Unselfish
  • Mindful
  • Amiable
  • Considerate
  • Happy/cheerful
  • Great interpersonal skills
  • Communicator
  • Critical Thinker
  • Problem Solver
  • Great at Public Speaking
  • Teamwork
  • Collaborator
  • Accountable
  • Active Listener
  • Adaptable
  • Decision-maker

You can see how this list could go on and on…and on! Highlighting the positive aspects of students in the classroom is powerful!

How to identify Student Strengths

As student supporters – whatever role that may be – we should harness those individual strengths into greater achievement for all of our students.

One easy way to identify strengths of an individual student is to think about each subject, unit, or specials class. How does the student behave in each?

What is their engagement like in music versus physical education; math compared to reading? Maybe they are the first to raise their hand during social-emotional learning or cringe when they know writing time is next. No strength is too small; maybe they are not academically achieving in any traditional subject but are a leader on the playground or in the hallway. 

Let’s say our student, Charlie, loves science class for the action. They show great strength in exploring and understanding scientific concepts. However, they hate writing because they never know what to say and are not confident in their penmanship yet. 

As a supporter of this student, our role is to find ways to bring their favorite aspects of one subject into their least favorite. For example, Charlie really does cringe at the idea of writing, so I try to break that down. If they present with reduced fine motor or visual motor skills and therefore handwriting is a challenge, how can we use their strength in science to increase their writing skills? 

The first thing that comes to mind is to intentionally and meaningfully include writing in the science lesson. It’s technically “science” time, but guess what: we are going to be strengthening fine motor skills with eyedroppers and writing the results of our experiment! 

The best part about integrating one subject into another is that it is a universal approach – all children will benefit from combined learning! 

How to Use Student Strengths as Motivation  

We all know how difficult it can be to motivate students. My favorite word that correlates with motivation is ‘meaningful’. If you can make something meaningful to someone else, it becomes motivating. Using a student’s strengths is a great way to create meaningful learning. 

One method to ease into meaningful learning is to make a list of preferred topics.

We can use Charlie again here – you see that all of their folders are superhero-themed. They are always donning Super Mario or Minecraft and talking about their beloved cat during their free time.

Taking the time to make a list of preferred topics for each of your students may take some time, but it will be so worthwhile! Make the list of ideas accessible to all those who work with this student, and most importantly, to the student themselves. 

With a list of their favorite things in hand, Charlie always has preferred options of what to write about. Even when not writing, there is always the comfort of having meaningful subjects nearby. Better yet, they are from a teacher (or another supporter) who wants to connect with them – how cool is that? 

This doesn’t always have to be simply based on what a student likes; if a student is a good leader, give them more autonomy or leadership roles to produce quality work. Or if a student is a strong speller, de-scrambling words as a part of the writing process could be motivating. 

The just-right challenge is often most motivating: it is just easy or familiar enough to initiate a task (using our strengths)…but just hard enough to still learn, grow,  and feel accomplishment! 

ENVIRONMENT: Student STRENGTHS in the Classroom Environment

A person’s environment is a big deal to occupational therapists. We participate in functional tasks in so many different environments and those places impact function in a major way.

One model of occupational therapy is called the Person-Environment-Occupation model and it is used in many different settings, including schools.

This model is exactly what it sounds like; the combination of a unique person and all their traits, PLUS the environment they are in, PLUS the occupation that they are doing. All of this results in performance. The big picture here is that the environment plays a huge role in how well we perform. 

Simply put, the Person/Environment/Occupation model breaks down who we are, where we are, and what we are doing.

Unique person and all their traits + environment + occupation = performance 

Simple equation using the Person-Environment-Occupation model used in occupational therapy to focus on occupational performance.

When you take a look at this performance model, and consider the use of personal strengths to support successful performance, we can help individuals thrive. Adding personal strengths to the equation supports completion of the task, buy-in, motivation, and meaning.

Strengths-based Classroom Environment-

Thinking back to our example student from above, let’s go a bit further by using this model to look at how to add student strengths into occupation:

What can we do to make Charlie’s environment optional based on their strengths and weaknesses? They are a great direction-follower and do not get distracted easily, so their seat may be best near peers that could use a positive role model. In addition to this, they have good eyesight so do not need to be placed at the front of the room. 

Charlie’s room job is to turn on and off the lights, so the pathway should be clear and perhaps a seat close to the light switches may be nice. Charlie is very organized and that is apparent when you look at their desk area! 

Because Charlie has reduced writing skills, placing their seat in view of the helpful visuals (wall dictionary or alphabet, grammar posters, etc.) will be important.

To increase their engagement in writing, offer various pencils or erasers in a communal spot, and bring their love of drawing (a stone’s throw away from writing) into the classroom by offering time to decorate the classroom walls or their locker. 

A final note on student strengths in the classroom

Again, these recommendations are universal and can be applied to all students. There is a careful balance to be had, however, to make the environment optimal for students of varying needs and abilities. 

Whenever possible, start with a student’s strengths. It can be so easy to fall into what is challenging about a student’s behaviors or grades, but dwelling on the negatives never produces many positive results. We hope to have given you a new outlook on student strengths and how to best integrate their use into day-to day school life! 

List of student strengths in the classroom handout

Free List of Student Strengths in the Classroom

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FREE Handout: Student Strengths in the Classroom

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    Sydney Thorson, OTR/L, is a new occupational therapist working in school-based therapy. Her
    background is in Human Development and Family Studies, and she is passionate about
    providing individualized and meaningful treatment for each child and their family. Sydney is also
    a children’s author and illustrator and is always working on new and exciting projects.

    ABC’s of Summer Learning

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    ABCs of summer

    Summer is a time to relax and have fun, but with a little thought, play can inspire learning! We created this ABCs of Summer list of summer alphabet activities years ago, but it is still a fun resource! Go through the activities week by week, or use switch to a new letter every few days. The best thing about this list of A-Z summer activities is that it’s very open-ended! Pick the ones that work for you!

    ABCs of summer activities for kids

    ABCs of Summer

    This list of a-z summer activities was inspired when our kids were preschoolers. We wanted to pull together a list of fun alphabet themed play ideas that could be a Summer Bucket List of sorts.

    With the end of summer looming and back-to-school fall schedules not so far off, we thought it would be fun to present an A to Z list of fun, creative, and educational play and learning activities. 

    That’s where this summer alphabet comes into play!

    There are so many reasons why messy, sensory play supports development and learning. Not only are kids learning the alphabet, they are developing skills in other areas, too:

    • Learning the letters of the alphabet
    • Fine motor skill development
    • Visual motor skills
    • Gross motor skills
    • Sensory input for self-regulation
    • Handwriting or pre-writing skills
    • Eye-hand coordination
    • Confidence
    • Body awareness
    • Connection with others
    • Attention and focus
    • Executive functioning skills

    We wanted to pull together a list from around the web and share playful and fun activities to make the most of summer before those fall schedules start up again.  Now is the time to make a few memories.  

    Kids learn through play so the best learning comes through playful activities.  Let’s wrap up the summer with a full alphabet of fun.   Here we have it…the ABCs of Summer Learning! 

    ABCs of summer for kids

    How to Do ABCs of Summer

     These ideas can be done all throughout the summer, but it’s very open-ended.

    You can look through the list and pick and choose a few activities to extend out the dog days of summer. 

    Motor Skills- Encourage movement. You can use our alphabet exercises to get started with ideas. Pick a letter, do the letter exercise, and then do an activity or two based on that letter. Then repeat in a few days with a different letter.

    Sensory-Based- The alphabet summer ideas listed below are mainly sensory-based play, meaning that they involve texture exploration, messy play, and getting the hands and body involved in the play. This is designed to inspire learning! Consider making an alphabet sensory bottle to start off your summer ABC theme. Shake up the bottle, find a letter, and do the activities associated with that letter until you complete the whole alphabet. You could select a random letter or you could look for a specific letter. It’s up to you!

    Incorporate Handwriting– For children in kindergarten and above, adding in writing practice is a good idea. Use these letter formation strategies for practicing each letter…also grounded in movement and sensory experiences to promote motor memory of letter formation. For children in preschool, addressing pre-writing skills over letter formation is recommended, based on development. Simply go through the abcs of summer based on the lines used in letters. Our recourse on letter formation covers recommended progression of letters based on development and lines. Older kids can even just write some of the words that start with that letter, for additional practice with copying words, writing on lines, and spacing.

    Writing Trays- Speaking of writing practice, there is more than one way to practice forming letters or the lines that make up letters. Use one of our many writing trays for handwriting as an added way to incorporate motor and sensory movements to form individual letters or pre-writing skills associated with the letters. (lines, diagonals, shapes, line changes, etc.)

    One final tip: Summer is meant to be a time to slow down on the schedules, lists, educational tips and pointers…and  a time for the kids to just have fun being kids.  So be sure to make this FUN and a way to connect through play.

    With these tips in mind, let’s get started on the ABCs of Summer!

    Summer Words that Start with A:

    Summer Words that Start with B

    Summer Words that Start with C

    Summer Words that Start with D

    Summer Words that Start with E

    Summer Words that Start with F

    Summer Words that Start with G

    Summer Words that Start with H

    Summer Words that Start with I

    Summer Words that Start with J

    Summer Words that Start with K

    Summer Words that Start with L

    Summer Words that Start with M

    Summer Words that Start with N

    Summer Words that Start with O

    Summer Words that Start with P

    Summer Words that Start with Q

    • Sort and Manipulate Quarters 
    • Play the Quiet Game
    • Make a fort with a Quilt
    •                                  

    Summer Words that Start with R

    Summer Words that Start with S

    Summer Words that Start with T

    Summer Words that Start with U

    • Plan an Under The Sea Party
    • Use an Umbrella in the rain or sun
    • Help Unload the dishwasher
    • Blow bubbles with a straw underwater

    Summer Words that Start with V

    Summer Words that Start with W

    Summer Words that Start with X

    Summer Words that Start with Y

    • Go for a walk and Look For Yellow
    • Name the months in the Year   
    • Play in the yard
    • Visit a yard sale

    Summer Words that Start with Z

    What are your favorite summer activities?

    Shirley Temple Popsicles Recipe

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    Shirley Temple popsicle

    Today’s Shirley Temple popsicle recipe is a cool treat for summer, but also a great way to get kids busy in the kitchen cooking and developing skills. We’ve shared a ton of cooking with kids recipes, and this 7up popsicle recipe is even better because its an alerting sensory food that can be a great sensory tool for this time of year.

    Shirley temple popsicles are a sensory food. Use lemon lime popsicle treats to wake up the mouth!

    Shirley Temple Recipe

      I wanted to share a sweet treat with you  today that my kids ( and the neighborhood kids) love. Who doesn’t love Shirley Temples? These are in popsicle form and are oh so good. I hope you enjoy!   

    When I was a little girl, there was a seafood restaurant in the town we lived in called Neptune’s Galley. I have no idea if that restaurant is still in business or not, but I remember it vividly. There was a huge statue of Neptune on the roof of the building and it was dark and nautical on the inside. I have to admit, I do not remember the food that was served there.

    I remember first being introduced to Shirley Temple’s!

    At the time, my favorite movie just happened to be Shirley Temple in The Little Princess. And my daddy knew that and ordered me a Shirley Temple to drink…and the rest is history.

    I think I requested that drink at every restaurant  we ate in for the next five years after that!

    In case you didn’t know, a Shirley temple drink is a kids’ drink that has 7up, Sprite, or other cool and refreshing fizzy drink. You add a touch of cherry, and maybe another fruit juice, and you’ve got yourself a kid-friendly drink that is a huge hit.

    Therapy Benefits to Make these Popsicles

    Not only are these popsicles a fun treat, there are also benefits to getting kids involved in the actual preparation process.

    Pour and Scooping Activity- The best thing about making a Shirley temple drink with kids is that it’s an easy recipe. There are only a few ingredients, but children can pour and scoop the food items, working on so many fine motor skills. By pouring and scooping the ingredients, you address bilateral coordination, crossing midline, eye-hand coordination, strength, graded motor control, motor planning, and much more.

    Fine Motor Skills- We’ve covered the benefits of fine motor development during cooking in the past, and this is a great starter recipe to try with kids…they get a huge reward in the end- a refreshing Shirly Temple popsicle!

    Executive Functioning Skills– Another benefit to making this Shirley Temple recipe is to add executive functioning skills while following the directions to prepare the recipe.

    Shirley temple popsicle on a plate

    Shirley Temple Popsicles Recipe

    Cold, bubbly Sprite, grenadine and a cherry on top. Oh, how I loved getting that pink-tinted drink brought to me. I felt so grown up!

    Flash forward 20 years. My boys and I were at Red Robin and I introduced them to Red Robin’s Shirley Temples.

    Ummm, they were not impressed. I guess it is a girl thing. They ended up with root beer floats. But I was determined to get them to like them!

    So last week I set out to make Shirley Temple Popsicles.

    At first I tried with just Sprite and maraschino juice. Eh. Then I added cherries to the mix. Still not right. So, after a few trial and errors, I added fresh orange juice, sprite, cherries and cherry juice. Perfect. And the boys ate them all.

    So here is to nostalgia. And Shirley Temple!

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups Sprite or 7-Up soda
    • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice ( it took about 3 medium oranges to get the juice I needed)
    • Grenadine (I find this in the aisle with the margarita mix, etc)
    • Maraschino cherries

    Directions:

    1. In a large mixing cup, combine the soda and the orange juice. Set aside.
    2. Fill popsicle molds with maraschino cherries. (Mine were smaller molds, so I used 3 cherries in each mold.)
    3. Add about a teaspoon of grenadine to each mold. (You could use the cherry juice in the bottle of cherries, if there is enough, in place of the grenadine)
    4. Add the soda and orange juice mixture to each mold, about 2/3 full. Don’t fill to the to the top of the molds. It will expand after freezing.
    5. Place tops on popsicle molds and freeze.

    Sensory Food

    This popsicle recipe is a great sensory food, because of the alerting factor the cool ice pop offers to the mouth. We talked a lot about the benefits of sucking and alerting or calming properties of cool and warmth on this website in the past.

    In fact, our post on using a sports bottle as a self-regulation tool shares information on the sensory receptors in the mouth and jaw. It is these receptors that register the cool, alerting temperature of a popsicle.

    The cold temperature alerts, or “wakes up” the mouth. This can be a great sensory strategy to use for achieving attention or focus. It can help to regulate a child’s sensory needs when they are feeling lethargic or overly run-down.

    Not to mention that during the hot summer months, a cold popsicle is the perfect treat!

    However, there’s more to it than that. Sucking on a popsicle engages proprioceptive input through the muscles and joints in the mouth and jaw. Essentially, the popsicle is a strategy to offer heavy work through the mouth. So, a popsicle can actually be calming, too. It really depends on the child as well as the situation.

    Think about a hot and humid summer day. A popsicle and a moment of chill-out time can help a child to calm down, re-group, and regulate their senses.

    As an added benefit, a popsicle can be a great tool to use in oral motor exercises.

    Lemon Lime Popsicle

    Important to note about this recipe is that you can use Sprite or other pop or soda that contains lemon lime flavoring as one of the main ingredients.

    The lemon-lime flavor is very alerting, as they are citrus foods. This flavoring in the popsicle “wakes up” and alerts the taste buds and acts as sensory input.

    One tip: If you are concerned with the sugar intake, or want to find a lower sugar version, consider using low calorie lemon lime drink or 7-UP ten as an alternative to the lemon lime popsicle treat.

    So? What do you think? Let us know if you make Shirley Temple popsicles and use them to develop skills!

    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.

    Magnetic Marble Run- Great Therapy Tool!

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    magnetic wall marble run

    One thing occupational therapists love is using fun toys to develop skills and this magnetic marble run fits the bill. We found this Tumble Trax magnetic wall marble run and loved the ways to support fine motor skills, visual motor skills, and gross motor skills. Let’s take a better look at how to use a marble run to support development, and break down the activity analysis for this particular magnetic marble run toy.

    Magnetic marble run activities for therapy

    Amazon affiliate links are included in this post.

    How to Use a Magnetic Marble Run

    Use this magnetic marble run in so many ways to work on a variety of skills. From fine motor, to core strength, to visual tracking, to crossing midline…this marble run can be so helpful.

    We covered how to support skills such as visual tracking using marble runs in a different blog post but here, we hope to cover more ways to support development with a simple toy.

    Because this marble run attaches to the wall using magnets, and because the magnetic marble run pieces are movable, there are so many ways to support development.

    Some of these skills include gross motor development, visual motor skill development, fine motor development, and more.

    Use a Magnetic Marble Run for Gross Motor Skills

    Use the magnetic marble run on a vertical surface to address skill development:

    • Work on core strength by working on a vertical surface.
    • Address visual shift and upright posture by working at a plane equal or slightly above the head and line of sight.
    • Work on postural control
    • Address changes in positioning to bend, squat, and challenge different muscle groups by bending to retrieve marble run pieces and place them on the magnetic surface.
    • Work overhead to visually track and shift vision in different planes.
    • Address balance and coordination skills
    • Incorporate breathing

    Use a Magnetic Marble Run for Visual Processing Skills

    Move magnetic marble run pieces to target specific visual motor skills:

    • Work on visual tracking to watch the marble run through the track.
    • Address visual scanning skills to shift vision to the next area the marble will move
    • Incorporate eye-hand coordination skills
    • Address visual perceptual skills such as figure-ground, visual closure, visual discrimination, etc.
    • Address visual motor skills by copying designs using the movable track pieces, included with the Tumble Trax Magnetic Marble Run set. (affiliate link)

    Use a Marble Run for Fine Motor Skills

    • Address crossing midline to move a marble to a starting point across the midline.
    • Trace the track with fingers.
    • Pick up and manipulate the marble onto the Tumble Trax (affiliate link) ledge.
    • Strengthen hands, including grip and pinch to manipulate and move the track pieces against the magnetic surface.

    Attach it to a magnetic wall or board, garage door, and even the refrigerator. It’s a fun way to play and work on the skills kids need.

    Magnetic marble run

    Learning Resources Tumble Trax Magnetic Marble Run

    This marble run attaches to the refrigerator or any magnetic surface for endless visual motor integration exercises. Visually tracking the marble is a skill builder for reading and writing tasks.  Kids can address the form copying skills needed for handwriting with this interactive toy.

    Click here to get this magnetic marble run. (affiliate link)

    More Marble Run Activities

    Check out these other marble run activities we’ve shared before:

    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.

    Looking for more ways to support fine motor skills, visual motor skills, sensory challenges, and gross motor skill development? Grab one of our therapy kits to work on so many areas!

    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!

    Homemade Colored Sand

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    Color sand for sensory play

    Have you ever thought about making colored sand? It is possible to color sand, easily, and get the kids involved in the process, too. Here, we are covering how to color sand as a sensory play material for the sandbox, for art, and for homemade colored sand fun!

    We have been playing outside so much recently.  Our sandbox is right outside and the kids are in there daily. We added a little color to some of the sand this week and have been having fun with our colored sand!

    Color sand for a sensory play experience with many therapy benefits.

    Color Sand for Developing Skills

    Kids love to color sand, and the process is a fun motor and sensory activity to support development of a variety of skill areas, too:

    • Eye-hand coordination to pour and scoop the sand
    • Bilateral coordination to pour sand into a bag or container
    • Gross motor skills, heavy work, proprioception, and motor planning skills to shake the containers of sand and paint
    • Executive functioning skills to mix and color the sand
    • Tactile sensory play to manipulate the mixed textures of dry sand and wet paint.
    • Fine motor skills to pinch the crumbled dry clumps of colored sand
    using food coloring to make colored sand

    How to Color Sand

    We made a simple batch of colored sand very easily.  This simple recipe is a great activity for kids to make as a cognitive and direction-following activity. Read on for directions on how to make colored sand…

    Big Sister helped me with this and we had fun while the little kids were napping.   So how did we make our colored sand?  

    1. Scoop a little sand into plastic baggies.
    2. Add around 10-15 drops of food coloring.
    3. Seal the baggie and shake it up. (great for some gross motor play!!)  
    4. Let the sand dry and have fun playing.  

    We left our sand right in the open baggies and let it dry overnight.  If you wanted to play right away, you could spread the sand out on a tray and it would dry much sooner.

    Color sand for sensory play
    add food coloring to baggies of sand

    Color Sand Activities

    Once you have mixed a batch of colorful sand, you can use it in various sensory and motor activities.

    Make Color Sand Pictures

    So the next day, we spread the sand out on a tray and played!  She loves making pictures in the sand and telling stories (like Nina on Sprout!)  This was such a fun activity.  

    Practice Writing Letters with Colored Sand

    We spread out the sand onto a low tray and used it as a writing tray. My preschooler told me all kinds of stories, made words, and we practiced some lower case letter formation.

    Big Sister is knows how to make most lowercase letters and can copy all of the letters.  This is a great activity for letter formation and practicing handwriting.  

    Use Colored Sand for Pre-Writing Skills

    For kids that are still working on diagonals, crossed lines, and shapes, a sand sensory writing tray is a great tool to work on pre-writing skills. The tactile feedback offers muscle memory for forming lines and shapes.

    The sand adds a sensory aspect to letter formation. Using a large tray like this one adds whole arm movements which are perfect for the young child who is just learning letter formation.  I love the contrast that the white tray adds to the colored sand.  

    We played for a long time with this (again during Little Kid nap time).

    colored sand on tray for child to form letters

    Of course, when you have bags of colored sand, you have to mix the colors together to see what happens 🙂  

    Color sand for a sensory tray.

    Grade the colored sand activity for therapy

    How can you grade this activity for different aged children? There are many ways to color sand and use one batch with several ages. This is especially good for families with children at various ages. Consider the contamination aspect when using a batch of colored sand in the therapy setting.

    • Toddlers would love to explore the colors and sensation of the sand on their fingers.
    • Pre-writers can copy and trace shapes, zig-zag and intersecting lines
    • Early writers can trace upper case letters.
    • Older hand-writers can copy a word from a card positioned off to the side. 
    • Practice spelling words with school-aged kids.

        We saved our bags of colored sand and will be using them again.  Have you done any projects with colored sand? 

    Finally, after playing with your homemade colored sand, use the opportunity to add this tactile sensory play experience to your toolbox of handwashing 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.

    Working on other fine motor skills through play? Grab one of our Fine Motor Kits to get started!

    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!

    Tag Games To Develop Motor SKills

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    Tag games for kids

    The thing about playing tag games is that you can take a classic lawn game and make rules to change the game a thousand different ways and never play the same game twice! Chase games are a fun way to get kids moving and outside with movement, balance challenges, development of the visual system, and heavy work. Best of all? Tag activities can support developmental needs on all levels and abilities. Add these tag games to our massive list of outdoor lawn games to get kids moving, running, jumping, and building motor skills!

    These tag games are powerful ways to help kids develop skills. Use the creative tag games in therapy or in summer camp activities.

    Tag games

    There are so many reasons why tag games are a must for summer time fun. Let’s break it down:

    • Tag games are great ways to add motor movement to kids, to get them off the screens, and outside. Running and playing tag supports gross motor coordination.
    • Tag also is a powerful way to play together as a family, adding a chance for connection and creating memories. What better way to spend some time together as a family than playing a game of tag that offers heavy work, sensory input, in the great outdoors?
    • Tag games are also great running games for physical education.
    • Tag is a fun way to support therapy goals with a small group. Use the tag games in a group therapy setting, in PE planning, or in summer camp activities.
    • Playing tag at summer camp offers a break between activities, adds heavy work, and can get kids moving and building skills. Best of all- you can modify the tag game to meet any theme or topic!

    The options are limitless! Here are more summer camp ideas that tag can fit well into with therapeutic and team-building benefits.

    There are many therapeutic benefits of playing tag. Use these tag games in therapy or summer camps to help kids with child development and have fun too!

    Therapeutics benefits of playing tag

    When kids are running, stopping, turning course, running around obstacles, there are many developmental benefits.

    Let’s break down games of tags for their therapeutic benefits:

    Running- running in short bursts offers cardio input that gets the blood pumping. When kids run and stop in short bursts, they are gaining heavy work input through their legs and core.

    The short intervals involved in tag games build muscle strength, and allow for running at various speeds. As opposed to longer distance running, kids can be successful in running in short bursts.

    This is also a great way to “reset” after being indoors for a while, on a long car ride, in the classroom all day, or on screen devices for a long period of time. We talked here about the benefits of treadmills and wellbeing, but for shorter bursts of running, the mindfulness benefits definitely exist!

    Stopping and Starting- When we run and then stop abruptly or stop and turn, there are so many motor components occurring at one time.

    The muscles that are actively engaged need to stop abruptly, adding heavy work input through those muscles and joints. Then the opposing muscles and core need to activate to maintain posture. The whole body is engaged in this action. Kids often play tag in a yard or park where there are trees or other stationary structures.

    These provide a need to move around targets and slow running speed. This requires the visual processing system to interact with the motor tasks. When kids are running around other tag players, they are running around moving targets, which further engages muscles and visual processing system.

    Stopping and starting motor skills are a challenge for:

    • Proprioception
    • Vestibular input
    • Motor planning
    • Body awareness
    • Depth perception
    • Balance
    • Coordination
    • Postural control

    Tagging others- Tag is such a great way to interact with others in an appropriate way. You may have had a school yard experience where you were pushed down in a game of tag. When others tag you and it occurs unexpectedly or with too much force, a fall can happen!

    However, by playing tag, kids get that experience with proprioceptive input, vestibular input, and visual motor skills.

    • How much force must they exert to tag without pushing over a playmate?
    • How far do they need to reach out to tag a friend without hitting their face?

    All of this experience in movement is powerful! It helps kids learn about how their body moves in space, body awareness skills, visual perceptual skills, spatial awareness, and eye-hand coordination skills.

    Spatial awareness- Expanding further on the spatial awareness skills, or spatial relations, body awareness, posture exercises for kids, and position in space, all of these body concepts are able to be carried over to other functional tasks.

    This experience allows kids to use this knowledge when walking in crowded hallways without bumping into others, spatial awareness in handwriting on a page, moving while carrying plates or heavy items. All of these experiences can be integrated for functional movement.

    Executive functioning skills- Playing a simple game of tag can build executive functioning skills, too! Think about it: when you play tag, there is working memory to recall movements that allowed you to escape in a previous game or trial.

    If you’re playing a fun tag game version, you need to recall specific words or phrases that were already used. Other executive functioning skills that are used in tag include planning, prioritization of movements, impulse control, task completion, initiation, processing speed, self-monitoring, foresight, mindset, and cognitive shift. What a powerful game tag is in building cognitive skills!

    Motor planning- Moving, making motor plans, running around obstacles and other children…what a great game tag is to build motor planning skills.

    There’s more: tag is a fast-paced game. So those motor planning sequences and movements need to happen quickly. The good news is that a game of tag offers many trials and repetitions to build motor plans and muscle memory.

    Visual Processing Skills- Visual processing skills is an umbrella of visual skills and tag addresses many of these areas through play. And playing tag requires many visual processing skills under that umbrella!

    Take a look at all of the visual skills needed for tag:

    What a powerful game tag is!

    So, now that we know the massive therapeutic benefits of tag, let’s take a look at some fun tag games for kids.

    Play these creative tag games to add a twist to the classic tag game.

    Fun Tag Games

    Classic tag–

    Someone is it and chases the others in the group. When they touch someone else, that person is now “it”. The game continues.

    TV Tag

    One person is “it”. When they approach another person, the player yells the name of a TV show and drops to the ground. They are then safe and the person that is “it” needs to run and tag another person. This type of tag can be adjusted to call out music, songs, YouTube shows, games, sports, favorite foods, animals, etc.

    Flashlight Tag–

    Play tag in the early evening hours with flashlights. When you shine your flashlight on a fellow tag player, that player is tagged and they are now “it”. This is a great activity for challenging visual scanning skills, visual discrimination, visual figure ground, and visual tracking skills.

    Sharks and Minnows Tag–

    One person is the shark and the others are the minnows. When the shark touches another player, that person then turns into a shark. Now there are two sharks. Play until all of the minnows turn into sharks.

    Freeze Tag-

    When a person is tagged, they need to freeze in place until another player touches them to “unfreeze” them.

    Cops and Robbers Tag-

    A group splits into either “cops” or “robbers”. The cops chase the robbers and once tagged, they need to sit in “jail” until another robber tags them and releases them.

    Pizza Tag-

    One person is “it” and chases the others.  Players run from “it” and can stay safe from being tagged by naming pizza toppings and touching the ground.

    Animal Walk Tag-

    Players can assume an animal walk (crab walks, hop like a bunny, waddle like a penguin, sway like an elephant, etc.) and play tag!

    Social Distance Tag Games

    No-Touch Tag Games-

    Tag games can be modified to any theme which is great for social distancing. One person is “it”. When they near another child, that person yells out a word or phrase, or completes an action like hopping, squatting, acting like an animal, touching the ground, dabbing, or completing any physical action. Tag could take any action or theme in this way.

    Shadow Tag-

    Play classic tag but tag one another by stepping on the shadow of others. This is a great social distancing version of tag, as well.

    Social Distancing Tag-

    This tag game is another way to play with others, gain the benefits of tag, and play in a socially distanced form. Simply play tag in the classic version (or use any of the fun tag versions described here) and when “it” is within 6 feet of another person, they have tagged the other player. This is a nice way to work on spatial awareness and scanning at a distance, too.

    Tag Games for Different Themes

    The cool thing about a classic game of tag…or any of the versions listed above, is that you can adjust the theme to fit a weekly therapy theme, a summer camp theme, or a learning theme at school. Different types of tag games can be played using all one theme to add different movement opportunities and motor planning challenges.

    • Have an ocean summer camp? Play ocean animals tag (kids call out ocean animals and drop to the ground to stay safe.)
    • Planning a space camp? Play space tag. Kids can call out planets when the “it” person is near and stay safe.
    • Creating a Pirates theme summer camp? Modify sharks and minnows tag to meet your theme.
    • Coming up with a handwriting camp to work on handwriting skills? Encourage heavy work through the arms by adding crawling, hopping, or heavy work animal walks.

    What do you think? Have you played any of these tag games before? Let’s get those kids moving!

    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.

    Tips For Potty Training -Occupational Therapy & Physical Therapy

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    occupational therapy potty training tips

    There are many tips on potty training out there, including many toileting methods, training strategies, and potty training charts. But, what if you could have the occupational therapy potty training strategy? Toileting is an ADL and potty training is part of that. What if you could get the low down on potty training from an occupational therapy or physical therapy professional, that is guided by development, focuses on underlying skills needed to use the bathroom, and addresses the whole child perspective? What if you could ask every developmental question under the sun and get tips for toileting straight from the pediatric OT and PT?

    occupational therapy potty training tips

    This blog post covers just that! I’ve joined forces with some of the best occupational therapy and physical therapy bloggers to to bring you the best potty training tips.

    Occupational therapy Potty Training

    When occupational therapists work with children, they focus on the whole perspective. We look at development, environment, and every aspect that contributes to the entire process of toileting:

    • Awareness (sensory, cognition) to know when to go to the bathroom
    • Clothing management (fine motor skills, gross motor skills, visual motor skills, bilateral coordination, crossing midline, coordination skills, executive functioning skills, cognition, sequencing)
    • Motor skills to sit, balance, stand, grasp, wipe, clean
    • Bowel movements and urination (sensory processing including interoception aspect, contributing factors such as sleep, nutrition, sensory integration) Related, read our resource on not sleeping through the night.
    • Pericare
    • Hygiene– washing and drying hands (fine motor skills, gross motor skills, visual motor skills, sensory processing, executive functioning skills, attention and behavior)
    • Parent education
    • Physical adaptations and modifications– adaptive equipment, specialty toilet seats, environmental changes, visual schedule use, etc.
    • Play-based activities to support development of underlying areas that impact each of the above areas

    As you can see, occupational therapy professionals focus on the overall development and whole view of the child, the environment, and many other perspectives. This is a wider focus than your typical 3 day potty training method, or a sticker chart!

    Potty Training Tips

    Toilet training tips can look like a checklist of tasks to complete. But, when you consider all of the aspects of development that play into the process of toileting, there is much more than just a list of potty training tips to accomplish.

    Potty training is an important rite of passage for children. For most individuals, they use the toilet each day without a single thought. And it is possible for the toddler or preschooler to get to that stage. Children of all ages, including older kids can struggle with the process, which is all very typical.

    1) ROUTINES- The most valuable potty training tip for parents, no matter the age of the child and the physical or cognitive ability is consistent routine.

    Routine, whether it is practiced with a visual schedule, a potty training sticker chart, toileting adaptations, special nutrition, timers, physical exercises like yoga…all should be consistent and replicated on an ongoing basis.

    There are so many aspects of development that contribute to underlying skills and the process of toileting. Whether these factors are addressed in occupational therapy sessions or in a home program, that consistent practice and routine trial is needed to support development.

    2) PATIENCE- A second and worthy toileting tip is to focus on the patience.

    Toileting is a complex process. Add in environmental considerations such as public toilets, loud hand dryers, noisy flushing toilets, and other sensory-based distractions.

    • Consider rushed schedules to get out the door in the morning.
    • Consider typical behaviors and attention spans of toddlers and preschoolers.
    • Consider day to day stressors.
    • Consider the distraction of screens and social media (“My infant is using the toilet all by themselves!”…yeah right!)

    This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the factors that play into potty training. The fact is that kids are kids! They are just learning this complex skill, and toileting is a huge developmental process! The key to this whole process is patience and persistence.

    3. BIGGER PICTURE- A third potty training tip occupational therapy professionals focus on is looking at the whole child.

    This is more on what we covered above. When you take a step back and think about ALL of the developmental areas that play into toileting, self-care, hygiene, there are SO MANY areas at play here!

    Let’s look at all of the areas that have a factor in the toileting process:

    • Balance
    • Coordination
    • Dexterity
    • Motor planning
    • Sequencing
    • Impulse control
    • Attention/focus
    • Safety awareness
    • Body awareness
    • Grasping strength and mobility
    • Postural control
    • Fine motor coordination
    • Gross motor coordination
    • Visual perceptual skills
    • Sensory processing- tactile sensitivities, proprioception, vestibular, interoception, auditory, olfactory (smell)
    • Interoception- This is worthy of a second mention- The ability to know when to go, to feel the pressure in the belly area, the sensation of having to pee or poop, the feel of pushing a bowel movement, the sensation of knowing when the process is complete, feeling hunger or thirst, sensing an upset stomach
    • Cognition
    • Communication and language
    • Social and emotional skills
    • Family perspective

    This list essentially covers all areas of development! You can see that simply potty training can take longer for some individuals, and that is completely ok!

    Occupational Therapy Toileting Strategies

    The occupational therapy professional working with families on the functional task of toileting considers all of the areas listed above. They break down the process and use skilled assessment to analyze areas contributing to challenges with toileting.

    OT professionals offer strategies and supports to develop contributing areas that impact the challenges that come up with toilet training. They offer suggestions, motivators, fun play activities, schedules, and consultancy that promotes development in the areas that will lead to success.

    Occupational therapy practitioners can support families with potty training troubles in so many ways:

    • Development of underlying areas through play
    • Adaptations and modifications to the environment
    • Establishing a routine
    • Creating a sensory diet
    • Writing appropriate toileting social stories
    • Educating parents and guardians on readiness factors
    • Supporting carryover of skills across environments
    • Medical review and ruling out considerations that should be addressed with a physician
    • Focusing on reducing anxiety
    • Supporting with schedules, motivators, and play-based games and activities
    • Creating visual cue cards or tools to support communication skills
    • Address mobility and motor skill issues
    • Supports to address dressing skills
    • Backward chaining or forward chaining methods for potty training process
    • Education on various potty training methods that work best for the individual
    • Data methods
    • Functional skill assessment
    • Address sensory sensitivities
    • Address clothing considerations
    • Educate on sensory and perceptual concepts such as wet/dry, clean/dirty, front/back
    • Body awareness considerations
    • Address physical considerations
    • Address concurrent considerations such as diagnoses and their impact on toileting: physical or cognitive considerations, sensory processing differences, mobility, balance, muscle tone, etc.

    The whole process of potty training is complex and aspects can be a challenging and difficult time for parents.  There can even be frustration at times.

    All children need to learn and finding out the best potty training tips and ways to help with teaching kids to potty train that works for their individual needs.

    To support kids in these areas, I’ve joined a team of pediatric occupational therapy professionals and physical therapists in creating the ultimate resource based on development and the whole child.

    The Toilet Training Book: A Developmental Look at Potty Training for Kids of all Abilities was created as a comprehensive resource covering every aspect of toilet training including:

    • Potty training readiness (based on development)
    • The developmental progression of toileting, perineal hygiene, self-care, and handwashing
    • Toileting for special populations including Autistic individuals, those with diagnoses such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Spina Bifida, Spinal Cord Injuries, and other physical disabilities, etc.
    • Strategies and supports for those with fine motor, gross motor, visual motor, behavioral, trauma, sensory, or cognitive considerations
    • Tips and suggestions when there is trouble with toilet training
    • Equipment suggestions for toileting

    The book also includes toilet training matrix for readiness and functioning, readiness skill activities, interoception information, social stories, visual schedules, sticker charts, and other tools.

    ackling potty training is a challenge for all kids! What if you had the inside scoop on development in your back pocket? 

    What if you had the know-how of occupational therapists and physical therapists with DECADES of experience to guide you?  

    The Toilet Training Book offers a developmental look at potty training for kids of ALL needs.

    toilet training book

    More Potty Training Tips from OT and PT

    The authors of the Toilet Training Book have decades of experience working with individuals of all skills and abilities. Check out some of the potty training tips they have, coming from the OT/PT perspective:  

    Fine Motor and Toileting- Looking for fine motor considerations when it comes to toileting and potty training? There are many fine motor skill areas that impact potty training:

    • tearing toilet paper
    • wiping with enough grip and strength
    • managing clothing fasteners such as buttons, zippers, snaps, etc.
    • managing the faucet and soap
    • Motor skills to grasp and use towels
    • and even using the sticker chart!
    • Opening locks on public restroom doors
    • Flushing the toilet

    We as occupational therapists might focus on the fine motor aspect all of these areas that impact toileting. Still other contributions grasp, coordination, pinch strength, crossing midline, bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination.

    For tips and suggestions to support development of all of theses areas, check out Potty Training, Toileting and Fine Motor Considerations by The Inspired Treehouse.

    Gross Motor and Toileting- Toileting has a considerable gross motor skill component. Consider that areas that impact potty training skills:

    • Mobility to the bathroom
    • Managing a small space
    • Getting on and off the toilet
    • For boys, standing and maintaining balance at the urinal or toilet
    • Managing clothing while sitting, standing, squatting
    • Balance
    • Coordination
    • Postural control
    • Weight shift
    • Trunk control

    Pediatric OTs and PTs can use task analysis to break down these areas into smaller steps that can be addressed through play, modifications, and activities. Check out Gross Motor Skills and Toilet Training by Your Therapy Source for more information.

    Potty Training and Sensory Processing- The potty training process has a huge sensory component. Think about these areas:

    • Tactile components to manage toilet paper, water, soap, etc.
    • Auditory consideration- sound of flushing, echo in the bathroom, sounds of others in a public restroom, hand dryers
    • Olfactory consideration- The smell of bowel movements and urination can be an issue for some, the scent of soap
    • Proprioception- understanding where the body is in space in order to squat, stand, and move with enough force
    • Vestibular- movement into different planes including an inverted head (kids will do this), standing, sitting
    • Interoception- knowing when to go, when bowel movements are completed, the feeling of a full bladder and empty bladder, huger, thirst, and even sweat
    • Sensory defensiveness, sensory seeking, sensory hypersensitivities, poor registration of sensory input all contribute to toileting
    • Body awareness
    • Fecal smearing

    For more information on the sensory aspect of potty training, check out Toileting and Sensory Processing by Miss Jaime OT.

    Adaptations and Modifications for Potty Training- Modifications to potty training can include many things:

    • adaptive equipment
    • adjustments for fine motor or gross motor
    • seating modifications
    • adaptations for fear
    • social stories
    • visual schedules
    • wiping modifications
    • sensory modifications
    • behavior modifications

    For more information on the modifications, check out Modifications For Potty Training from Therapy Fun Zone

    Developmental and Environmental Readiness for Potty Training- Readiness is more than development in some cases. Therapy can address these areas that impact successful toileting:

    • Readiness activities such as books, stories, and social stories
    • Following the lead of the child
    • Practicing hand washing
    • Practicing clothing management- removing clothing, dressing skills, buttons, zippers, snaps, buckles, etc.
    • Visual cue cards

    For more information on readiness, check out Preparing Your Child & Environment for Potty Training from Growing Hands-On Kids.

    Play-based potty training- Occupational therapy professionals use play as a tool to support development, because play is the primary occupation of children. Through play we can develop many skills. Play can be used to address activities in toileting such as:

    • Teaching wet and dry through sensory play
    • Teaching dirty and clean through sensory play
    • Teaching front/back and directional concepts through obstacle courses and doll play or other toys
    • Addressing body awareness through sensory play, obstacle courses, and toys
    • Addressing interoception, proprioception, body awareness, and sensory integration through yoga and heavy work activities
    • Addressing hand strength, gross motor skills, crossing midline, and physical considerations through pretend play, gross motor games, etc.

    For more information on using play to support potty training, check out Teaching Concepts for Potty Training Through Play from Your Kids OT.

    All of these areas are covered in detail, along with much, much more information in The Toilet Training Book, a Developmental Look at Potty Training for Kids of All Abilities.  

    Potty Training tips and ideas to help kids learn to potty train from Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists
    Potty Training tips and ideas to help kids learn to potty train from Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists

      Looking for more functional ideas for kids?  

    Potty Training Seats for Special Needs

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    Potty training seats for potty training special needs kids

    Occupational therapy professionals work with clients of all ages and abilities on toileting and hygiene. That’s why this resource on special needs toilet training seats is so important. In therapy sessions, a skilled assessment of the whole individual can indicate a need for postural modifications to support motor skill needs. When it comes to potty training and toileting in general, there is a LOT of information out there. And, if you ask around for suggestions for the best potty training seats, you will probably get a variety of answers.

    Some of these seats will help with independent perineal care, too because of the positioning and stability added for balance. Potty training supports like handrails, grab bars, and guards can help with the hygiene aspect of toileting.

    Special Needs Toilet Training Seats

    It can be overwhelming to weed through all of the potty seats out there on the market and in the local box store toddler aisle. The difficulty compounds when you consider potty training with special needs children.

    Today, I wanted to pull together a list of kids toilet seats out there on the market that are perfect for special needs kids, as well as typically developing kids. Why? Because so often, a few simple changes with positioning, balance, and stability can be the tool to help kids feel more comfortable, confident during the toileting process.

    Adding a stable support at the feet, back, or bottom can help a child to relax so they can toilet.

    These potty training chairs help address the underlying needs that kids might struggle with when it comes to potty training. These potty training seats and supports can be the tools needed to address a variety of underlying needs when it comes to getting started with potty training.

    Here’s the thing: it can be difficult to make suggestions or come up with a comprehensive list that covers ALL of the special needs out there. (That’s where your occupational therapy evaluation or equipment analysis will come into play!)

    BUT, I can definitely address some of the more common potty training seats out on the market and address the underlying areas that they can address and hopefully target a best fit.

    These recommendations for potty training seats are guided by development and great for kids of all needs. Use these potty training seats as suggestions when starting potty training for toddlers or preschoolers.

    Potty Training Seats are Not One-Size Fits All!

    Let’s face it. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to potty training. Because of the vast differences in in kids development, interests, motivation, physical or special needs, potty training can be a challenge to know where to start.

    This list is hopefully a start for addressing some of the areas kids need for successful potty training.

    Amazon affiliate links are included below.

    Portable Seat– (affiliate link) This type of seat is great for kids who need a smaller opening on the toilet. Kids of all needs benefit from a larger seat area when first potty training. This one is nice because it can be carried from place to place when on the go outside of the home. Just fold it up and place in it’s carrying bag. Using a portable seat can make it easy to add interests when beginning potty training. Add interests such as special toys and items to make sitting motivating.

    Squatty Potty– (affiliate link) The squatty potty is a helpful way to provide a more stable base of support while sitting on the toilet seat. Kids can place their feet on the support that curves around the toilet base and improve balance while sitting. This base of support can help kids who need extra support or have balance needs.

    The Step and Go stool (affiliate link) is another, more inexpensive option. Adding a supportive base can help calm nerves of unsupported sitting. Children can use a wider base of support with this type of stool.

    Potty Training Chart– (affiliate link) While this isn’t a potty training seat, a training chart can be used to promote extended sitting on a potty chair, and to allow kids the ability to build up patience to sit and wait on a potty chair.

    Starting out by using a potty training chart to encourage kids just to go to and sit on the potty seat is a great start for younger kids or those who need to accommodate for sensory needs.

    A visual tool such as a potty training chart can be a practical way to reinforce individual skills that make up the process of toilet training. The nice thing about toilet training charts is that they can be individualized, based on the child’s needs.

    Some kids with special needs or sensory needs may be afraid of walking into the bathroom. A sticker chart can be one strategy to address that aspect given various modifications or activities that can help address needs.

    Step Stool with Handles– (affiliate link) Having a handle can help little ones who struggle with balance or feeling unstable when sitting on a regular sized toilet seat. This one has a step stool that provides a base of support through the feet.

    Toilet Seat with Pee Guard– (affiliate link) This seat insert has handles and slight curvature to the sides of the toilet seat ring, providing support and a sense of stability when seated on a regular size toilet. The urine guard is helpful for both boys and girls.

    Three-in-one Potty Training Seat– (affiliate link) As a mom of four, this 3-in-one potty training seat is a favorite. It goes with kids from the toddler stage when a smaller, floor potty chair is helpful in training. The ring insert can then be used when transitioning to a regular sized toilet. Finally, the seat forms a step stool for using either on the toilet or when washing hands. This is a convenient toilet training seat for families!

    A lower toilet position is closer to the ground and fits a smaller bottom. This helps with transition to a regular size toilet and allows for comfort and confidence in young children. This potty training system is great for the child who appreciates consistency.

     Ring Reducer– (affiliate link) There are many styles of toilet seat ring reducers out there and they serve a great purpose; to reduce the size of the opening on the toilet seat, allowing for small kids to feel more safe and secure when sitting on the toilet. This is a good transition seat to a regular sized toilet. For kids who struggle with coordination and balance, this ring reducer can be just the ticket to potty training success.

    Disposable Seat Covers– (affiliate link) These seat covers are convenient for kids who tend to grab the toilet seat when sitting on a regular-sized toilet. When out and about in the community, it can be helpful for some kids to use a seat cover that is more effective than just using toilet paper. Some of our kiddos can’t tolerate sitting without holding onto the seat or just can’t follow the directions to “not hold onto the seat”.

    These special needs potty training seats can be a guide to getting started with potty training for special needs kids.

    Physical Limitations and Special Needs Toilet Training

    While these potty training seat options just cover the surface of potty training, it’s important to remember to consider the underlying and developmental aspects of potty training.

    The therapist’s perspective can play an important part in identifying any developmental or transitioning needs when it comes to potty training. While there are many more specific tools that can be used with special needs toilet training as well as typically developing kids, these are just some of the basics.

    Remember that there truly is not a one-size-fits-all aspect for toileting. Some of our kids with more physical special needs or developmental considerations may benefit from a more extensive and supportive seating system.

    That’s where the occupational therapist comes into play with identifying needs and tools that will promote independence and function.

    There are many considerations that should be addressed when it comes to seating and toilet seats. First and foremost is the safe positioning of the individual on the toilet. Other considerations, depending on the special diagnosis may include:

    • reflex development and maturation
    • muscle tone
    • range of motion
    • balance
    • motor skills
    • attention span
    • motor planning
    • visual perceptual skills
    • postural reactions
    • joint tightness
    • eye mobility
    • cognitive considerations
    • weakness
    • sensory processing challenges
    • self-concept
    • body awareness

    In the book, The Toilet Training Book: A Developmental Take on Potty Training for Kids of all Abilities, we cover more on special diagnoses and potty training, including strategies and tips for individuals with cerebral palsy, Spina Bifida, trauma, Traumatic Brain Injury, ADHD, Autism, and other general considerations.

    Use these potty training seats for special needs kids when beginning the potty training process with kids of all needs.

    Potty Training Seats for Physical Needs

    Toileting Seat System- There are many toileting systems on the market that address physical needs. Seating systems are intended to  promote positioning, safety, mobility, transfers, function, and quality of life of the individual. Look for a system that meets the budget and can efficiently accommodate various needs such as toileting, showering/bathing, hygiene, etc.   

    Systems can come with a variety of adjustments and supports. Consider the need or use of the following supports:  

    • Headrest
    • Backrest
    • Armrests
    • Lateral back supports
    • Harness
    • Seat belt
    • Tray
    • Anterior support
    • Hip guides
    • Abductor
    • Urine deflector or guard
    • Calf supports
    • Lower extremity lateral supports
    • Ankle straps
    • Footrest
    • Tilt in space (backward/forward)
    • Recline
    • Height adjustments
    • Push handles (for caregiver support)
    • Wheeled base
    • Molded and Foam cushions
    • Pan/adaptability for use over a toilet or as a stand-alone toilet chair  

    Support Station for Toileting- A standing support station can be used in assisted hygiene or assisted toileting. The standing station can be a support to transfers and can be beneficial to clothing management, self-care, skin care, and undergarment changing.   

    The support station is a helpful tool for improving function and dignity of clients as can perform aspects of toileting, as well as participate in self-care. This is a means for reducing diaper use as well, further improving dignity.

    Additionally, support stations are a tool for improved safety of caregivers. When clients stand at a standing support frame, they are truly building strength, endurance and self-care skills in a natural manner within the occupation of toileting. 

    Wiping after toileting and special Potty seating

    When it comes to pericare, there are things to consider with the various special needs toileting systems.

    • Can the child maintain their balance while reaching for toilet paper?
    • Can the child weight bear or shift their weight from side to side or forward in order to wipe?
    • Can the child reach around their body to wipe?

    For More information on Potty Training 

    Watch for information coming soon to this space on the new Toilet Training Book! It’s about to be released and is your go-to resource on potty training based on development and individualized needs.

    This book was created by occupational therapists and physical therapists who are experts in the field of child development, sensory processing, motor skills, and function.    Need more information and real strategies to improve potty training success? Want insider tips and tools from the occupational therapist’s and physical therapist’s perspectives? The Toilet Training Book is here!

    Potty Training Help

    Tackling potty training is a challenge for all kids! What if you had the inside scoop on development in your back pocket? 

    What if you had the know-how of occupational therapists and physical therapists with DECADES of experience to guide you?  

    The Toilet Training Book offers a developmental look at potty training for kids of ALL needs.

    • This digital e-book is a deal of a resource at $19.99

    The Toileting Book is a comprehensive resource covering every aspect of toilet training.  

    Details about The Toileting Book:  

    • Written by a team of experienced pediatric occupational therapists and physical therapists with decades of experience  
    • Packed with information on toilet training readiness and achievement of toileting success
    • Includes Toilet Training Guides for special populations (children with fine or gross motor needs, behavioral or cognitive challenges, physical disabilities, etc.) including Sensory Processing Disorder, Trauma-Informed Needs, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Spinal Cord Injuries
    • Provides information on interoception and the role this sensory system plays in potty training
    • Discusses common toileting equipment and special needs toileting tools
    • Includes tips and suggestions for individualized toilet training 

    This book is available in digital, e-book format AND in a physical, soft-cover book format.

    The Toilet Training Book- the potty training resource you need!

    Benefits of Nature Play

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    benefits of nature play

    Research has a lot to say about nature play. When it comes to outdoor play, there is a lot that can be discussed too. Occupational therapy professionals encourage a lot of open-ended play, outdoor games, and outdoor play. There is a natural sensory aspect to outdoor play, which supports self-regulation, emotional regulation, attention, and learning, all through just playing outside! Today we are talking all about what the research has to say about outdoor sensory diet activities and outdoor play.

    Benefits of nature play in developing skills in kids and adults of all ages.

    Benefits of Nature Play

    Taking sensory diet strategies outside is nothing new. But, doing so may just be a meaningful way to create the “just right” state of alertness and calming nature that, well, nature provides! But to take it a step further, did you know there are benefits of outdoor games? Did you know that the outdoors support executive functioning skills, self-regulation, and motor skill development…all through playing outside?

    Use this information when explaining about what a sensory diet is and what a sensory diet looks like for kids with sensory needs. 

    There are quite a few benefits to sensory experiences in the outdoors:

    Children have a large opportunity for sensory input through playground play. But, in recent times, children experience playgrounds that are more safe, allowing for less risky play. Encouraging specific activities such as a playground sensory diet on playground equipment can be beneficial to sensory needs. 


    Another item to consider is the aspect of applying sensory diet strategies within the classroom or home environments as a fix for sensory processing needs. The specific and prescribed sensory diet activities for a particular child can be very helpful in addressing specific sensory-related behaviors.

    However, the use of a sensory tool such as an alternative seating system within the classroom provides only one type of vestibular and/or proprioceptive input, such as up and down vestibular input. The child who plays outdoors encounters a wide variety of sensory input across all sensory systems! 


    You might even call sensory tools used to address specific needs a sensory band-aide. What if we as therapists could encourage authentic sensory input in the outdoors (or indoors, as indicated) that addresses all of the sensory systems. Using meaningful play experiences not only provide all the benefits of play. They encourage healthy development through the senses. 


    Research says outdoor sensory play is beneficial in the development of children. Use these outdoor sensory diet activities to inspire outdoor activities that boost skills like motor development, attention, regulation, and more.

    Research on Outdoor Play

    There are many benefits of outdoor play.

    There have been decades of research on the benefits of play in kids. The information below depicts how outdoor play impacts sensory needs in kids. This is not an exhausted review of the literature, simply a smattering of research available on the topic. 

    Research shows us that some of the developmental and primary tasks that children must achieve can be effectively improved through outdoor play.

    These benefits of outdoor play include:

    • exploring
    • risk-taking
    • fine and gross motor development
    • absorption of basic knowledge
    • social skills
    • self-confidence
    • attention
    • language skills

    Wow! Playing outside has a bigger impact than we may have thought!

    Other research has shown an increase in communication, along with more observed emotions, and increased interactions in children with autism when more time was spent outdoors. 

    Studies have found that dynamic and varied outdoor play offers opportunities for decision making that stimulate problem solving and creative thinking, opportunities that aren’t as easily found in the more static indoor environment.

    Still other research supports the many health benefits:

    • reducing stress
    • decreasing symptoms of ADHD
    • protecting against myopia
    • boost the immune system

    Outdoor Nature Play and Attention

    One study found a sensory diet in outdoor play along with sensory integration therapy resulted in better functional behavior of kids with ADHD (Sahoo & Senapati). 


    Using sensory activities that are specific in time and quality such as those in a sensory diet should be done in an authentic and meaningful manner in a child’s life. In this way, sensory input is motivating to the child in that it goes along with interests and the environment in which the child lives.

    It’s a fact that kids are spending less time playing outdoors. From after-school schedules to two working parents, to unsafe conditions, to increased digital screen time, to less outdoor recess time…kids just get less natural play in the outdoors. 

    Some therapists have connected the dots between less outdoor play and increased sensory struggles and attention difficulties in learning.

    Knowing this, it can be powerful to have a list of outdoor sensory diet activities that can be recommended as therapy home programing and family activities that meet underlying needs.

    From an occupational therapy perspective, nature play offers supports for underlying skill development. Children have the opportunity to develop motor skills, visual perceptual skills, confidence, executive functioning skills, and self-regulation that enables them to feel confident in their abilities. These areas of development support functioning and independence!

    When heading outdoors, you can put on a coat, boots, or jacket and work on self-dressing skills. You can experience all of the motor rich opportunities for movement in the outdoors. Navigating the environment (whether in the woods or the city) offers visual perception, motor planning, and eye-hand coordination opportunities.

    Just going outside for a walk is an exercise in skill-building!

    Research says outdoor sensory play is beneficial in the development of children. Use these outdoor sensory diet activities to inspire outdoor activities that boost skills like motor development, attention, regulation, and more.

    Outdoor Sensory Play Ideas

    Knowing the benefits of outdoor games and free play, let’s cover some fun ways to offer the movement, regulation, and input from the outdoors. Here are some outdoor play ideas that tick all of the boxes.

    Need some outdoor sensory play ideas? Try these outdoor backyard sensory diet activities that inspire free play in the outdoors while encouraging sensory input of all kinds! 

    Sensory diets and specific sensory input or sensory challenges are a big part of addressing sensory needs of children who struggle with sensory processing issues. Incorporating a schedule of sensory input (sensory diet) into a lifestyle of naturally occuring and meaningful activities is so very valuable for the child with sensory needs. 

    Sensory diets and specific sensory input or sensory challenges are a big part of addressing sensory needs of children who struggle with sensory processing issues. Incorporating a schedule of sensory input (sensory diet) into a lifestyle of naturally occurring and meaningful activities is so very valuable for the child with sensory needs.    That’s why I’ve worked to create a book on creating an authentic and meaningful sensory lifestyle that addresses sensory needs. The book is now released as a digital e-book or softcover print book, available on Amazon.    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook walks you through sensory diet creation, set-up, and carry through. Not only that, but the book helps you take a sensory diet and weave it into a sensory lifestyle that supports the needs of a child with sensory processing challenges and the whole family.   Get The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook here.

    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook is a resource for creating sensory diets and turning them into a lifestyle of sensory success through meaningful and motivating sensory enrichment.

    That’s where the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and Sensory Challenge Cards come into play.   They are printable resource that encourages sensory diet strategies in the outdoors. In the printable packet, there are 90 outdoor sensory diet activities, 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities, 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards. They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.  

    Here’s a little more information about the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards

    • 90 outdoor sensory diet activities
    • 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities
    • 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards
    • They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input. 
    • Research tells us that outdoor play improves attention and provides an ideal environment for a calm and alert state, perfect for integration of sensory input.
    • Outdoor play provides input from all the senses, allows for movement in all planes, and provides a variety of strengthening components including eccentric, concentric, and isometric muscle contractions. 
    • Great tool for parents, teachers, AND therapists!

    Be sure to grab the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and use them with a child (or adult) with sensory processing needs!  

    Benefits of Nature Play References:

    • Frost, J. & Sutterby, J. (2017). Our Proud Heritage: Outdoor Play Is Essential to Whole Child Development. Retrieved from: from: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/jul2017/outdoor-play-child-development
    • Hanscom, A (2017, October). The decline of play outdoors and the rise in sensory issues. OccupationalTherapy.com, Article 3990. Retrieved from http://OccupationalTherapy.com.
    • Moore, R. (2014). Nature Play & Learning Places. Creating and managing places where children engage with nature. Raleigh, NC: Natural
    • Learning Initiative and Reston, VA: National Wildlife Federation
    • Version 1.2.
    • Von Kampen, M. (2011). The Effect of Outdoor Environment on Attention and Self-Regulation Behaviors on a Child with Autism.  Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://search.yahoo.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1118&context=cehsdiss
    • Sahoo, S. & Senapati, A. Effect of sensory diet through outdoor play on functional behavior in children with ADHD. The Indian Journal of Occupational Therapy. Vol. 46, (2 ) 49-54.

    What are your favorite outdoor play ideas?

    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.