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:

Perineal Hygiene

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perineal hygiene and pericare tips

Here, we are covering an aspect of potty training that comes up for every parent: pericare, or perineal hygiene, and teaching kids how to wipe when toilet training. So often, a young child learns to use the toilet and other aspects of potty training, but then struggle for a long period of time with the wiping aspect. Teaching children to wipe thoroughly is a hygiene task that can be limited by many underlying areas. Here, you’ll find strategies to help wiping bottoms and interventions for perineal hygiene. Also check out ADLs for more information on daily tasks.

How to teach pericare, or perineal hygiene needed to wipe completely during toileting.

What is pericare?

For the uninitiated, pericare (or peri-care) is short for perineal care. Perineal care refers to the hygiene and self-care of the perineal area following toileting, cleaning, and wiping of the perineal area of the body is the “private parts” area. Pericare is a term for the hygienic tasks involved in this part of the body, such as wiping one’s bottom.

Anyone of any age may need help wiping their bottom with their perineal care, but it is especially important to teach our little ones the proper way to manage their bottoms as they become more independent. 

This component of toileting is one that impacts overall independence and self-care with the toileting process. So often, we cheer and celebrate making it to the toilet on time, but the perineal hygiene aspect is equally as important.

Related: Potty Training Seats for Special Needs

You may be thinking, “Why do I need to teach my child how to wipe!?!”. For something that is such a natural task for many, it can feel odd to teach somehow how to do it.

However, learning how to maintain a clean bottom is important for one’s health and confidence. Wiping properly, washing gently, and wearing appropriate clothing decreases the risk of yeast infections, urinary tract infections, and odors. Plus, discussing peri-care can open the door to many other conversations about the body, health, and safety – if that’s something you are interested in exploring with your child.   

A great time to educate your child about peri-cares is while potty training. It is easier to teach the correct way first than to re-learn how to do it later. If you are stuck on potty training, we feel you there! Check out this Toliet Training Book that can help you help your children of varying needs.

Don’t be discouraged if your child is already potty trained and they have yet to learn how to take care of their bottoms independently – it can take time and practice! 

Development of Pericare

An important area to cover first is the development of pericare skills. It is so important to remember that we are talking about young children who are learning a whole new skill with toileting. There are many considerations: autonomy, body awareness, interoception, self-awareness, the sensory processing and interoception aspect, family perspectives…potty training can be very overwhelming for kids.

Then, to break it down even further, the hygiene aspect of toileting is another ball game!

In our book, The Toilet Training Book, we cover the development of potty training and really cover what underlying skills play into potty training and independence with toileting.

But, one important thing to remember is that a three year old child may be able to make it to the toilet in time to go, flush, and wash their hands, but the wiping aspect can developmentally, come with time.

Developmentally, perineal hygiene, or wiping completely after toileting, may be a skill achieved during a range of 4-6 years. This range is so wide due to the underlying skills, sensory considerations, motor skills, and cognitive growth needed for perineal hygiene including knowing when and where to wipe after a bowel movement or urination, using enough pressure on the toilet paper to clean completely, wiping enough times to clean completely, and maturity to complete the task.

The emergence of these skills takes time, but there are ways to support development of perineal hygiene.

GET COMFORTABLE with perineal hygiene

Everyone wants a clean bottom, let’s start there. It can be smelly and embarrassing to talk about, but it is an important step to understanding personal healthcare.

We want to give you the confidence to discuss this in any way that you and your family feel comfortable with because it is a “touchy” subject for some. The more comfortable you are with peri cares, the more comfortable the child will be. 

Let’s start off the potty training wiping techniques by talking about good hygiene.

Here are some ideas to talk about perineal hygiene with kids:

  • Make it silly: Some people respond best to humor but watch out for demeaning jokes. 
  • Make the conversation about pericare hygiene scientifically accurate: It becomes less embarrassing when you hardly know what is being said! 
  • Make pericare sound similar to washing hands: We have to clean away the germs; they can make us sick! 
  • Make discussions about perineal hygiene your own: You know your family best. Think about terminology that works for the individual. In what ways can you increase trust and comfort for all? 

GENERAL GUIDELINES for teaching perineal hygiene

Here are some general tips for a healthy bottom that should be shared for children and adults alike. Please speak to your family physician if you have any questions or concerns related to your child’s unique needs. 

  • Wear breathable (preferably cotton) underwear that is not too tight. Change daily or when soiled. 
  • Don’t hold it in. While it is good to wait to “go” until you reach the toilet, holding in pee or poop for too long can result in a variety of issues. 
  • If it is comfortable, sit on the toilet with elevated feet. You may have heard of the (Amazon affiliate link) Squatty Potty – placing the legs in more of a squatting position helps bowel movements pass. More importantly, children should have access to a either a smaller potty or a footstool (or a box,etc.) near the toilet so that their feet do not dangle. 
  • Wipe from front to back to reduce bacteria entering the urethra. Talk about anatomy and why wiping front to back is effective and safe.
  • Wipe gently with 3-4 squares of folded toilet paper (each household can determine the amount – some kiddos use way too much!) until clean. I always recommend to look at what you are wiping away so that you learn about how much you need to wipe. 
  • Consider use of warm or cool wipes over toilet paper.
  • When bathing, wash the genital area gently with mild soap and rinse with clean water. No soap should be entering the body through the anus or the vagina. 
  • For bathing a uncircumsized child, refer to this article for great information and consult your family doctor for personalized advice.   

Pericare INTERVENTION IDEAS

Children will not know unless we lead them, so here are some fun ways to teach pericare! 

Areas that can be broken down to increase overall self-care include:

  • Address balance
  • Pulling up and down undergarments
  • Wiping front to back
  • Wiping thoroughly
  • Wiping with enough pressure
  • Gripping the toilet paper
  • Washing hands after wiping
  • Reaching around to the back

Each of these areas can include aspects of balance, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, strength, coordination, sensory processing, executive functioning skills, and visual motor skills. It’s important to look at each individual’s area of difficulty and then break it down into the underlying areas that are impacting success with pericare.

First look at the area of difficulty. Then, consider how underlying areas are impacting that particular area. Come up with intervention strategies that support that need and create a “just right” challenge to build independence and pericare functioning.

Let’s look at each of these areas of perineal hygiene…

Pulling up and down undergarments:

  • Fine motor strength and coordination fine motor activities to the rescue! There are so many fantastically fun ways to increase this skill, but here are some that are more directly associated with potty training.
    • Lei Obstacle Course: Grab some Hawaiian-inspired leis, hula skirts, or long necklaces and create a long pathway. As a child walks through the pathway (hopefully to another fun activity in the course), they must step inside the lei and pull it up as high as it will go. If it fits over their arms/head, they can wear it as a necklace. Pulling up the lei and wiggling their body through will strengthen the same skill as in pulling up pants. Reverse the challenge to mimic pulling pants down.
    • Silly Socks: Grab a variety of socks in fun colors and different sizes and see how many you can put on in one minute! Layering socks up the arms and legs (and removing them, too!) mimics the skill of pulling up and down undergarments. 
    • Stickers: Challenge them to peel off stickers all along the waistband of their pants. Don’t forget the backside! 

Pericare: Wiping Activities

Balance and reach are huge parts of perineal hygiene. Staying balanced on the potty while wiping is a big challenge for our core strength, flexibility, and range of motion. To practice this skill through play-based activities, see the ideas below! 

Play-pretend: Place peanut butter on the back of a disposable or washable diaper and have your child wipe it off. Any familiar paste will do – sun butter, nutella, cookie butter…anything to wipe! When they think they are done wiping, show them the diaper to see if they actually cleaned it. 

Art-based: Wipe a plastic plate with toilet paper to create an art project – the toilet paper acts as the paintbrush. They must wipe clean the whole plate! For an extra challenge, place the plate behind their backs, and the work of art in front of them. 

Play activity: Using static electricity, tape, or velcro, have your child squat to “pick up” pom-poms or other sticky and lightweight items on their bottoms (think: window stickers, damp tissues, etc.). They carry them carefully to a container and remove them one by one. You can really make this game your own!

Wiping Front to Back

There are so many ways to work on perineal hygiene to cover other aspects besides the balance consideration. Consider these strategies to teach kids to wipe front to back:

  • Use toys, books, clothing, and other items to work on teaching front and back directional concepts.
  • Teach children to count to help with wiping a certain number of times.

Reaching Back to Wipe During Perineal Hygiene

  • Clip and unclip clothes pins on the back of clothing to work on reaching back and around..
  • Use a pool noodle to reach around and through the legs to work on reach, visual attention, scanning, and eye-hand coordination. You can tap the pool noodle on a target and create a game.
  • Practice wiping the backside in the bathtub.
  • Put a handkerchief or scarf in their back pocket for the child to reach for and pull out.
  • Put stickers on the child’s back or pants for them to reach for and grab.

Wiping with enough pressure

  • Work on tearing paper for hand strength and eye-hand coordination to pull off appropriate sizes of toilet paper.
  • Use play dough, LEGO, tong activities to develop hand strength.
  • Wipe dry erase marker off a dry erase board. Then, position the dry erase board on the ground between the feet to bend and wipe. Then, position it behind the back to reach and wipe.
  • Wipe peanut butter or washable paint from a plastic baby doll.
  • Help kids to wipe thoroughly by painting with toilet paper with having them try to wipe a blob of paint off a plastic plate and remind them to keep going until the plate was empty.

More perineal care and potty training tips

Looking for more information on underlying considerations that impact toileting? Need strategies, supports, and tools to facilitate independence with toileting skills? Need support strategies for potty training an older child, but not know where to begin?

Looking for ways to help individuals with toileting skills when cognitive, behavioral, motor skills impact participation in independent toileting? Trying to initiate or progress with potty training when a diagnosis of Down Syndrome, Autism, or a motor skills challenge is at hand? Check out the Toilet Training Book: A Developmental Take on Potty Training for Kids of All Abilities.

Resources for toilet training kids of all abilities
The Toilet Training Book: A Developmental Look at Potty Training for Kids of all Abilities

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.

Balance Activities for Kids

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balance activities

There are many great ways to positively affect balance skills, and using specific balance activities for kids that impact gross motor coordination and other areas of development. This article also includes various balance activities for preschoolers, toddlers, focusing on balance skills for all ages!

In this post, you will find balance activity ideas tailored to different age groups with ideas for upgrades and downgrades to meet the individual needs of a variety of children. You will find activities for toddlers, preschoolers, and kids. Some activities can be used during therapy treatment, at home with families, or in the school classroom. 

balance activities

Balance activities for kids

Balance skills are important skills for children to have as children must control and maintain multiple body positions in their daily life functions. They rely on balance for daily activities such as dressing, going to the toilet, navigating each environment, sitting to eat meals, and playing.

They need good balance to engage in sports and games that they play with others to be safe and minimize fatigue. Good balance skills also minimize injury as the child can more successfully utilize protective responses when needed. 

Begin by reading this resource on the development of balance.

When addressing balance skills, many times this also includes:

In addition to these areas of consideration, there is also the functional aspect. In order to complete functional tasks throughout the day, or daily occupations, there needs to be movement, manipulation of objects, while maintaining or performing tasks with balance and coordination. So, balance activities are a win-win for the children and you as the provider! 

What is Static Balance and Dynamic Balance?

There are forms of balance that include static and dynamic movements and a combination of both which are all utilized frequently in everyday life.

What exactly are static and dynamic balance?

Static balance- Simply put, static balance is when you hold your body stationary in a position or posture.

Building static balance first is where to begin, as this is what provides a good foundation of balancing skills before moving on to more complex balancing with movement.

Examples of static balance is sitting on a stoop, standing in place, holding a plate in the lunch line…

Dynamic balance- Dynamic balance is when your body is in motion. You need both to engage and maneuver through daily activities.

Once you have static stability and control you can start to use movement within it, first, closer to the base and then working further outside of the base. 

An example of this might be navigating up or down bleachers, holding a stack of books and items while walking in a line at school, yoga poses…this is just the beginning of examples of dynamic balance.

balance activities for toddlers

Balance Activities for Toddlers

Moving through the toddler years involves much progression in the development of skills. Toddlers gain more control over the movement of their body in the world around them.

Toddler balance presents as moving through the environment safely and while carrying objects, and gaining skills in walking on uneven surfaces, gaining steady ability to move up and down stairs, changing positions, stepping over objects, sitting on a chair or couch with upright balance, putting on and taking off clothing, and many other aspects of toddler skill development.

This occurs through play and participation in daily tasks, but you can facilitate balance skills in toddlers by offering play based activities that challenge the systems mentioned above.

Pillow on the Floor – Easily challenge a toddler’s balance skills by having them step and stand on a pillow on the floor. This can be a couch or bed pillow or even a couch cushion. 

Bubble Burst – While the child is sitting, blow some bubbles to have them reach outside of midline to pop a single bubble on the bubble wand or upgrade to have them reach in all directions to pop as many bubbles as possible. Want to challenge sitting balance more? Have them sit on a less stable surface such as a bench without back support (maybe their feet do not touch the floor completely), a sensory cushion on the floor, or a small peanut ball. 

Freeze – Play a game of freeze by playing music and then suddenly stopping it to have the child freeze and hold the position. You can downgrade to have them do this while sitting and then upgrade to have them do this while standing in one place and then upgrade it further by having them do this while moving around the room. 

Bean Bag Pathway – Place bean bags in a path along the floor and have the child step on each of the bean bags with alternating feet to challenge their balance in a safe way. 

Laundry Basket Run – This is a fun way to engage toddlers in balance in a variety of positions such as standing, sitting, or kneeling. Simply place the child inside of a laundry basket and easily push them along the floor to help them work on their balancing skills in all positions. Sitting will be the easiest and standing will be the most difficult. Always be alert to their safety in the basket, especially while standing!

Cross Crawl Exercises– Use these balance tasks to work on single leg stance, motor planning, standing balance activities, and challenges to core strength. You could also stand on an unstable surface while doing the cross crawl exercises or sit to target sitting balance.

These activities support lower extremity strength needed for balance!

balance activities for preschoolers

Balance Activities for Preschoolers

During the preschool years, children aged 3-5 gain even more motor control. They also develop cognitively and have a sense of purpose and develop in executive functioning skills at a considerable rate.

Preschool balance presents as kicking, jumping, skipping, hopping, galloping, and other motor skills. You’ll see preschoolers learn to pedal and ride bikes, manage steps with alternating feet, walk on stairs without holding onto a banister, moving through position changes, standing on one foot, holding and carrying objects, standing to get dressed and undressed, and many other aspects of preschool development with more advanced balance skill work.

Preschoolers continue to build these skills through play and various experiences, but you can offer more ways to strengthen balance skills using these balance exercises for preschoolers.

Bubble Burst – Yep, that’s right, use bubbles for balance again because what preschooler doesn’t like bubbles?  Use this fascination with bubbles to your advantage and help them work on balance skills too!  Simply blow some bubbles and have the child try to step on them once they land on the floor. You can upgrade by having them pop more than one bubble at a time as they attempt to stomp as many bubbles as possible. You can further upgrade by having them step down from an elevated surface and pop a single bubble or multiple bubbles.

Twister Time – Play a game of Twister to challenge balance skills in children. The simple design of this game is a balance barrage of fun!  You can downgrade by simply just having them use their feet to step, hop, or jump on the colored dots. You can upgrade the game by playing as designed with the use of hands and feet. 

Kneeling – Play a bubble burst game with children either half-kneeling or full kneeling to challenge their balance skills. You can start with simply trying to pop bubbles using one hand and then upgrade to having the child reach to pop bubbles with two hands. Add a pillow while kneeling to add an extra element of challenge.

Stairs and Curbs – The use of stairs and curbs are the perfect tool for practicing balance skills. Simply attempting to walk up the stairs with one foot on each step starts the balancing work. Upgrade the activity by having children perform freeze play on the stairs with one foot on a step above the other. Children can also work on not holding the handrail, with an adult positioned behind them for safety, while walking on the stairs. Have a child walk along the edge of a curb as a fun way to work on tight rope walking. Downgrade the activity to have the child simply work on stepping up and down off the curb.  

Big Foot Walk – This is a fun way for preschoolers to work on balance skills while walking in big shoes. Let them choose a pair of adult shoes to don and wear as they walk across the room. It’s an old pastime activity that still has value for young children today as they challenge their balance while walking and stepping. Don’t have adult shoes they can keep on their feet? Then just use old tissue boxes in the same manner. 

Animal Walks- Preschool children are gaining more control over their body and can segmentally differentiate between proximal and distal as well as bilateral sides of the body as they gain more coordinated control. This is a great time to use animal walks to support development! Even better, animal walks support the proprioceptive system by integrating heavy work, which is organizing, so the young child learns more about their body, how it moves, and where it is in space. Try these animal walk ideas with themes:

balance activities for children and older kids

Balance Activities for Children

We covered the toddler and preschool range, but what about supporting older children with balance activities? During the grade school age, or in older ages, balance skills can still be addressed. In older children, you’ll see more advanced motor skills such as riding a two wheel bike, riding a scooter, playing more advanced games, managing bleachers, managing balance at the playground, carrying food trays at lunch time, and other balance tasks.

Balance Cushion Activities – This blog post has multiple ideas for the use of balance cushions and the development of balance skills. Also, an upgrade could include the child attempting to stand with one foot on each cushion to complete activities as this will challenge their balance more intensely by giving the child different wobble movements for each foot to manage. 

Pool Noodle on the Floor – Simply place a pool noodle on the floor and have the child walk heel to toe across the noodle without falling off the noodle. You can downgrade by having the child walk side-stepping along the noodle until they can balance with more skill. 

Tape Line on the Floor – Begin by placing a straight tape line on the floor and have the child walk heel to toe across the line without falling off. Create a challenge by placing the tape in a zig-zag line and have them walk heel to toe across this line.  Upgrade the activity by having the child walk placing their left foot over the line on the right side and then their right foot over the line on the left side, essentially crossing their legs to walk on either side of the line. Upgrade further by having the child walk over stuffed animals or pillows that are placed along any tape line and challenge further by having them walk backward on any line. You can have children walk or tip toe along the tape balance beam and stop to place paper shapes or objects along the tape lines.

Below you will find a list of balance tape line themes to keep the activity fun and festive:

  • Christmas tree- Place tape on the floor in the shape of a triangular tree for changes in direction.
  • Snowflake balance beam – Stop while walking on the balance beam and bend or squat to place paper snowflakes along the line.
  • Valentine’s- Place tape on the floor in a heart shape. Then ask children to bend at certain spots and place paper heart cutouts along the tape lines.
  • St. Patrick’s Day balance beam – Stop and bend to place a shamrock on the tape line.

You can also easily create a paper balance beam using die-cut images placed along a line for children to walk on. This is a fun and engaging way for children to work on a skill that may not be easy, but the distraction of the images can facilitate engagement. 

Flower Balance Activities- This flower balance activities slide deck resource is a free digital download that encourages balance coordination, motor planning, sequencing, and movement pattern challenges.

Playground Theme Balance Activities- Use this free playground theme therapy slide deck to encourage gross motor skills, sequencing, motor planning, and balance coordination skills, with a playground theme.

Egg Races – Use a small rubber ball to balance on a wooden spoon and have a race across the room without dropping the ball. Upgrade the activity by having the child navigate a path of pillows or blankets rolled up to make an uneven terrain while balancing the ball on the spoon. You can upgrade again by having the child switch the spoon between their hands while standing still or while moving across the room. 

Hopscotch – Use the old game hopscotch as a new game again by playing it in different balancing ways to work on a child’s balancing skills. For example, not only hopping as you would normally play but think about changing it up by having the child hop on each number with one foot or have them jump forward and then backward along the board. 

Sticker Grab – Place stickers on top of the child’s foot and have them lift their foot to grab the sticker off and place it on paper to create a fun picture. Consider varying the paper placement so that they must reach out of their base of support. They can either stand or sit on an exercise ball when lifting their foot to grab the sticker. Change it up by alternating the feet for sticker grabbing. 

Yoga Poses or Animal Moves – Essentially, yoga poses and animal moves are one of the easiest ways to have children work on balance skills as the child must imitate postures and body positions to create the pose or perform the movement. This version of (Amazon affiliate link) The Yoga Garden Game is a fun game for children to play as it is not competitive just cooperative with the goal being just to have fun with one another while learning different poses. No winners and no losers in this game, just FUN! 

Try these yoga activities with fun themes that kids love:

Hula Hoop Activities- These hula hoop activities support the development of balance with standing balance challenges, throwing, crawling, and a variety of motor planning tasks.

The Floor is Lava Games- Kids love the floor is lava games! Encourage use of building motor skills, changes in positioning, coordination, etc.

Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Balance Equipment

One of the jun parts of OT and PT sessions is introducing fun therapy “toys” (or therapy tools) to work on and facilitate development of skills such as balance skills. Below, you’ll find therapy balance equipment that supports the development of balance in kids. Use these tools in balance activities based on play.

If you need ideas for balance equipment during therapy, below is a list of equipment that can be utilized to develop, challenge, and practice balance:

Amazon affiliate links included below:

These DIY therapy balance equipment tools can support skill development at a much cheaper price tag:

Tips to Develop Balance SKills

Each of these items are great tools to use in obstacle courses, relay races, and more. Consider using them in conjunction with one another for changes in balance.

Additionally, here are a few other tips to develop balance skills in children of all ages:

  1. Other ways to support using these therapy balance equipment items is with a visual schedule for planning the therapy session.

2. Incorporate more skills into balance beams- Use these activities and games along side an indoor balance beam idea or an outdoor balance beam.

3. Don’t forget the power of playing outdoors. The outdoors offer so many opportunities for changes in surfaces, climbing over tree limbs, playground equipment, hills and slopes. Each of these areas can be used to challenge balance. Consider these outdoor sensory activities.

While there are a variety of balance activities included in this post that are mostly for the indoors, don’t forget that you have simple things around you in the outdoors that will engage children in balancing fun without the use of fancy equipment and just the elements of nature!

Regina Allen

Regina Parsons-Allen is a school-based certified occupational therapy assistant. She has a pediatrics practice area of emphasis from the NBCOT. She graduated from the OTA program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina with an A.A.S degree in occupational therapy assistant. She has been practicing occupational therapy in the same school district for 20 years. She loves her children, husband, OT, working with children and teaching Sunday school. She is passionate about engaging, empowering, and enabling children to reach their maximum potential in ALL of their occupations as well assuring them that God loves them!

What is Finger Isolation?

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finger isolation

Today’s post is all about finger isolation: what does finger isolation mean, why this fine motor skill is important, and even finger isolation exercises and activities to support precision and dexterity in the fingers. As children develop dexterity in fine motor skills, more precision and refined movements allow for coordinated skill work. It’s through this motor skill that one can do specific tasks that use only one finger or several fingers.

Finger isolation is needed for daily tasks, and finger games are just one way to build this skill.

You may have heard of finger isolation as a component of fine motor skills that kids need for dexterity and precision. Today, we’re discussing this important motor skill, how finger isolation impacts function, and activities to build finger dexterity. So, what is this motor skill that allows us to point, hold up a single finger, or make fingerprints? Let’s discuss!

What is finger isolation? 

Finger isolation is the ability to isolate and use the fingers one at a time in functional tasks. The fine motor skill of finger isolation is the development of being able to “isolate” or individually use each finger of the hand. Counting one finger at a time, tying shoes, typing on a screen or computer keyboard, finger games like “Where is Thumbkin?”, and opposing one finger to the thumb are examples of finger isolation. One way to target this is using typing programs to improve finger isolation.

When children are developing they begin to use each finger individually; as infants, children tend to use the hand as one solid unit. Finger isolation is one of the first important developmental milestones that leads to children’s ability to write well with a pencil, type on a keyboard, play a musical instrument, tie shoes ect!

If you’re wondering how to see if your child has good finger isolation, you can ask yourself:  

  • Does your preschooler or kindergartner avoid pointing?
  • Do they tend to gesture in the direction of an object instead of pointing?
  • Do they use their whole hand to grasp objects rather than one or two fingers when that makes more sense for the size of the object?
  • Do they struggle to manipulate coins, turn a page of a book, tie shoes, or other task requiring refined movements?

Then adding a few finger isolation activities and games might be helpful for your child!

Development of finger isolation

Finger isolation typically develops in the baby at around 6 months of age as they begin to pick up small pieces of cereal. It progresses to pointing, and then separation of the two sides of the hand with in-hand manipulation. Finger isolation is so important in fine motor dexterity in every task that the hands perform.

There are other components of fine motor skills that contribute to the precision of isolating fingers in activities:

  • Separation of the sides of the hand- Separating the sides of the hand isolates the precision side of the hand from the power side of the hand allows for, and requires isolation of fingers and joints during motor tasks.
  • In-hand manipulation- In hand manipulation includes moving objects within the hand and refined isolation of digits and joints on the fingers contribute to this skill.
  • Arch development– This hand strength allows for fingers to move in isolation of one another.
  • Opposition- Finger and thumb opposition of the thumb to the fingers also plays a role in finger isolation. This ability to oppose the thumb to a single digit allows for more refined and precise grasps on objects.
  • Open thumb web space- Similarly, to oppose the thumb to the fingertips, an open thumb web space is necessary.

Finger Isolation and Screens (apps and games)

From a very young age, many small children are efficient at using tablets and phone apps with finger isolation to point, swipe, and move through images on the screen. However, when kids are scrolling the screen, and using their finger in isolation on a tablet, they typically use only one finger (the index finger OR the middle finger) and do not exert strength on the screen.  

They are not receiving feedback through the muscles and joints of the hand (proprioception) to build motor plans for fine motor tasks. They are not establishing a “store” of fine motor experiences.

You then may see that single finger is stronger and more dominant in tasks such as pencil grasp or tying shoes. This concept is similar to the dominance of a hand or side of the body. Equally of interest is this post on deciphering the difference between dominance and ambidextrous. It’s all related, and to the occupational therapy professional, so interesting to read about the connections!

Read here for more symptoms of too much screen time.

Finger isolation is a fine motor skill kids need for dexterity and precision. Here are ccupational therpay activities to work on fine motor skills.

Development of fine motor skills includes finger isolation. Here is more information on finger isolation for dexterity and motor control.

Finger Isolation Activities

So, how can you build and develop finger isolation?  There are many ways to build finger isolation skills. You’ll also find more finger isolation activities along with a craft that can help kids become more aware of this fine motor skill. Below are small motor tools to help with development. Add these finger strength exercises to your therapy plans or home programs.

One great way to develop precision in a single digit of the hand is to instruct the individual to tap each finger to their thumb (give them a demonstration so they can mirror you!),

Isolation of the individual fingers really develops with hand strength and coordination through the use of hand clapping games and finger rhyming songs. Show the individual finger and hand games such as “Where is Thumbkin?”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, and other rhyming games that involve hand motions.  

Overall, fingerplay songs are a powerful tool to support the development of finger isolation!

  • Pop bubbles
  • Play “I spy” with items around the house and encourage your child to point
  • Counting on fingers one at a time
  • “Itsy Bitsy Spider” (this is a great beginner motor plan with easy finger isolation hand motion)
  • Shadow hand puppets using a flashlight
  • Dampen fingers to pick up small items such as glitter, confetti, other small items
  • Teaching common finger expressions such as “A okay”, thumbs up, finger guns etc
  • “Lizard fingers”: this is one of my favorites that really makes kids laugh, stick small pieces of tape on each finger and have kids pretend to be a lizard and see what they can pick up around the room! (Make sure to have small items that can actually be picked up, we’ve had a couple failures with this activity!)

Other finger isolation ideas here on The OT Toolbox:

What is finger isolation? Use these button rings to work on using fingers one at a time in fine motor activities with kids!

Finger Isolation Crafts

  • Make and play with finger puppets
  • Finger painting
  • Using a pointer finger to trace shapes in foam, slime, various sensory mediums
  • Make “spaghetti” strings by rolling play-doh between the index finger and thumb
  • Make a “finger soccer board” by folding up a small piece of paper into a triangular shape and have your child “flick” the “ball” into the goal

If there is ever an easy craft that you and the kids make, this is it.  These button rings are as cute as they are effective in developing the skills needed for tasks like maintaining a pencil grasp, shoe tying, and managing clothing fasteners.

This post contains affiliate links.

You’ll need just a few items for this craft:


These super cute button rings are a craft that my kids loved making.  They wore these rings every day for a while there. (This mom did, too!)

What is finger isolation? Use these button rings to work on using fingers one at a time in fine motor activities with kids!

 

  1. To make the rings, cut the pipe cleaners into small pieces.  You’ll want them small enough to fit little fingers, but a little longer in order to add the buttons.
  2. Thread the buttons onto one end of the pipe cleaner.  
  3. Twist the two ends together and tuck the end of the pipe cleaner on the outside of the ring (so it won’t rub up against the skin).
  4. You can add extra buttons and layer different colored buttons for fun rings. 

Finger isolation activity with rings

  • When wearing the rings, incorporate finger isolation by placing rings on different fingers.  
  • Ask your child to hold up the finger with a specific colored button or pipe cleaner.  
  • Try tapping fingers with the rings one at a time by calling out a colored ring and asking your child to play a “SIMON” type of memory game.
What is finger isolation? Use these button rings to work on using fingers one at a time in fine motor activities with kids!

  You’ll love these fine motor activities, too:

Homemade Pencil Grip
Toys to improve Finger Isolation
A-Z Fingerprint Art
Fine motor fingerprints to help with finger isolation and dexterity in kids
Benefits of Fingerprint Art
Help kids with fine motor skills using a glove as a trick to help them isolate fingers.
Fingerless Glove Activity
Distal Finger Control Exercises

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.

What you need to know about Sensory Swings

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Sensory swings

If you’ve ever walked into an occupational therapy gym, you may have seen a variety of sensory swings and wondered, “why does occupational therapy swing kids in their OT sessions?” There are many reasons why, and in this blog post, we’ll cover sensory swings, the best sensory swings to use for sensory needs, and why!

Sensory swings for sensory input and occupational therapy swings used in OT sessions

There are many types of sensory swings that we use as occupational therapy providers. This is one piece of sensory equipment that is worth the price. We recommend splurging for a swing of some type in our blog post on creating sensory rooms on a budget.

Sensory Swing Movements

Swings are simply a great tool for sensory input as well as sensory integration. The predictability of linear swinging can be calming and settling for the children who need that support.  For more information on the theory and background on this concept, check out our blog post on Ayres Sensory Integration.

Having the swing perform unpredictable moves such as rocking, spinning, side to side movement, and even start and stop movements while suspended in air, can be very alerting and stimulating for the children who need that support.

In our blog post, Sensory Swings for Modulation you will read how powerful the swing can be when used as a sensory strategy for individual sensory processing needs and modulation. 

There are many considerations when it comes to sensory swings, however. A swing can be a tool for modulation but it can also cause sensory dysregulation in users.

Dysregulation refers to internal needs of the sensory systems that result in meltdown because the sensory processing system is out of balance.

You might find that only 5 minutes of intense swinging leads to dysregulated sensory system with overstimulation. This state can require a long period of time and intervention to get the individual to reset or calm down.

When it comes to sensory swings, different types of movements can impact modulation or dysregulation. It’s important to be aware of these considerations before using a sensory swing as a tool in therapy.

Each individual will be different and it can be a delicate balance of movements that are stimulating verses calming. A swing for one child might spiral into dysregulation with a lengthy period of time and calming input required to regulate the sensory systems. Other individuals may crave intense movements and can benefit from that swing input for a longer period of time, allowing for functional participation.

Alerting sensory swing movements

In general, fast rotary vestibular input is often stimulating. Likewise, quick and sporadic movements on the swing are stimulating.

The vestibular sense which is utilized during swing use helps to activate more body awareness, muscle tone, balance, and coordination as well as providing a level of increased alertness. If you want to learn more about vestibular activities in general, you can read the blog post Vestibular Activities.

Calming sensory swing movements

Calming or regulating sensory swing movements may include gentle, linear movement to calm the vestibular system. These swing pushes should be rhythmical and linear movement as these are more calming swing movements.

The proprioceptive sense can be activated during swing use by reclining in a swing and rocking rhythmically in a swing providing deep pressure input to the body can help soothe strong emotions and decrease engine levels of high alertness. This helps with self-regulation and body control. 

You can see that there are many different variables and each individual will require independent assessment from a qualified professional. This is why simply adding a sensory swing to a sensory room in a school can be a detriment to all of the students. School administrators and educators should always consult the occupational therapy professional before using a sensory swing in the school environment.

Types of sensory swings in occupational therapy and activities to do with sensory swings

Occupational therapy Swings

Sensory processing is not the only area that can be addressed with the use of swings.

How you utilize a swing and even the type of swing you use, can help a child to work on core and upper extremity strengthening, balance, visual processing, bilateral coordination, motor planning, righting reactions, body awareness, position in space, gross motor coordination, neck extension, eye-hand or eye-foot coordination, and visual tracking.

When working with occupational therapy swings, each child is different in their needs and their preferences and it is up to you as the OT professional to determine what is needed and what needs to be worked on for skill development.

It is also your role as the OT practitioner to guide and educate other professionals and parents of children to ensure the child’s needs are being met properly and that safety measures are being utilized.

Now, two questions for you regarding those OT swings:

  1. Do you know what swing to use for the kiddos you see in therapy? 
  1. Do you often ask what activity can I do while they are on this swing so they will continue to remain motivated?

Types of Sensory Swings

Well, let’s take a look at six of the most common therapy swings utilized in occupational therapy clinics and therapy rooms in schools. These types of sensory swings can be used for various reasons and in a variety of sensory swing activities.

Also, there are swings that parents can use indoors or outdoors to address a child’s sensory needs.  If you read our post Outdoor Sensory Swing you will learn how taking sensory play activities into the outdoors will provide children with many outdoor sensory experiences just by using the world around us.

If purchasing a sensory swing is just simply too expensive to think about, read all about how you can use the playground equipment to address Sensory Integration at the Playground with the guidance of the therapist to meet each child’s needs.  

There is no best sensory swing of this list, rather, each type of sensory swing has it’s own specific uses and benefits to supporting the needs of the individual user.

Bolster Sensory Swing

A Bolster swing (affiliate link) is a type of sensory swing that challenges balance, vestibular processing, motor planning, cervical extension endurance, proximal control/stability, and core strengthening, The child can lie prone, inverted, kneel, sit or straddle the swing. 

Bolster Swing Activities:

  1. Have a child work on hanging inverted like a koala bear and then time them to see if they can meet or beat their last best time.
  2. Have a child kneel on the bolster while hanging on and then attempt to toss bean bags into a basket.  
  3. Have a child straddle the bolster swing like a horse and use a reacher to pick up bean bags from the floor and then try to toss them into a basket using the reacher to toss.
  4. Spread balls around on the floor under the swing and have the children lie prone on the swing and attempt to reach out to pick up the balls and place them in a basket. You will move the swing around as needed.

Ladder Sensory Swing

A Climbing ladder swing (affiliate link) provides the challenge of motor planning while simultaneously working on balance, strength, and body awareness. The child simply works to climb the ladder from the bottom to the top and then back down again. It adds the fun of swinging while providing a challenging workout.

Ladder Swing Activities:

  1. Place a bucket or basket filled with puzzle pieces, letters, shapes, or other items at the top of the ladder for a child to retrieve one at a time by climbing up and down the ladder swing. Then, have them either put the pieces into the puzzle base or practice writing the letter or drawing the shape before going back up the ladder to grab the next item. 
  2. An adult can stabilize the bottom of the swing by holding it steady while the child climbs or an adult can slightly twist and turn the ladder swing while the child attempts to climb up and down. It’s called the ship on the rocky seas! 
  3. Place two or three articles of clothing at the top of the ladder and have the child retrieve one at a time and when they get to the bottom they can work on zipping, buttoning, or snapping!

Hammock Swing

A Cuddle hammock swing (affiliate link) (also called a cocoon swing), is a calming type of sensory swing that provides proprioceptive input, assists with soothing strong emotions, and gives a nice deep pressure input which is calming and grounding for some children. This swing can be an easy first swing for children who need more gross motor support and are fearful of the movement other swings provide.  The Lycra-type material allows children to sit, stand, or lie in the swing making it a highly versatile swing. 

Hammock Swing/ Cocoon Swing Activities:

  1. Have a child lie prone with their head and arms positioned outside the swing. This position creates a form of weight bearing through their arms and works on full upper body strengthening. They will work to pull and push themselves using the floor while inside the swing. 
  2. Place items around on the floor under the hammock just out of the reach of the child and then have them pull themselves along the floor to reach the items, such as bean bags, to toss into a basket. 
  3. Have the child lie prone and then grasp and hold your hands while you are seated on the floor in front of them. They will pull themselves toward you to shift the swing back and forth. 
  4. Have the child lie supine and reach up to remove clothespins that are clipped on the edge of the swing. The swing provides body support but works on building upper extremity strength and endurance as the child works against gravity to reach up. You can alternate activities and have the child place the clothespins instead.
  5. Have the child recline or lie within the swing and simply do deep breathing or mediation exercises while slowly swinging back and forth. 

Pod Swing

A Hanging pod swing (affiliate link) provides vestibular input, assists with balance, and makes a nice cozy pod that gives children a sense of calm regulation and relaxation to just simply cool inside. This swing can serve as a good first swing as it allows for seated support while simply swinging slowly and provides more comfort to children who may be more fearful of the freedom of other types of swings. 

Pod Swing Activities:

  1. Try turning off the lights, playing soft music, and have a child hold a small fidget or light-up toy while swinging slowly back and forth as they stay cuddled inside. 
  2. Place a pillow inside of the pod swing and have the child climb inside to provide a cushy, deep pressure input while swinging slowly and rhythmically in a linear fashion.
  3. Blowing bubbles for the child to watch while seated in the swing provides a calming feel as the motion of the bubbles will be slow as they descend. 
  4. Have the child sit in the swing and complete deep breathing or mediation exercises while slowly swinging back and forth. 

Platform Swing

We covered specifics about platform swings on a related blog post.

A Platform swing (affiliate links) (or this version of a platform swing with net base or material platform base) is the most common swing found in therapy settings and provides the opportunity for calming and alerting to get the child’s engine right where it needs to be for a treatment or classroom session. It is highly versatile as it can help a child build upper body strengthening, core strengthening, balance, and motor planning. 

Platform Swing Activities: 

  1. Use this unstable surface swing to challenge a child’s body positioning to include side-lying, tummy time, tall kneeling, standing, criss-cross sitting, long sitting, and partial kneeling. 
  2. Have the child lie prone with their head and arms positioned over the edge. Then have them walk with the upper extremities around the floor picking up puzzle pieces to place in the puzzle base located in a central location. Pieces are picked up one at a time. 
  3. Place different colored bean bags in a circle on the floor around the swing. Call out different colors and have the child rotate themselves while lying prone on the swing and using their hands to walk around on the floor to stop at each color called out.  Letters and shapes can be used for this activity too.
  4. Place cones on an elevated surface and while the child is either lying prone or in a quadruped position, have them reach out to drop rings onto the cones. 
  5. Have the child sit criss-cross in the center and toss a beach ball to themselves.

Trapeze swing (affiliate link) provides a good opportunity to work on upper extremity strength and endurance, gross grasp skills, trunk strength, and motor planning. If you add lower extremity work also, then you address upper and lower body coordination. 

Activities:

  1. While swinging or not, encourage a child to hold and lift their legs to kick a ball.
  2. While swinging, the child can simply jump over a therapy ball that is placed inside of a tire tube. 
  3. Simply work with a child on grasping and swinging while pumping the swing with their own feet. 
  4. While swinging or not, have a child hold on and lift their legs to kick a set of bowling pins or have them attempt to pick up each bowling pin with their feet and place them in a basket. 
  5. While swinging the child, can work on timing and release to let go and crash into a crash pad.

Sensory Swing Tips

What do you do with all of this information and activity ideas? Go get onto a swing and try out some of these fun activities! That’s right, we as adults need to have some fun too!

But, after you’ve tried them, demonstrate them to the kiddos as they will most likely be more motivated to do the same activity after they see YOU do it. After all, you and I both know that the best way to teach a child is by setting a good example and you’ll get to have some fun in the process! It’s a win-win folks! 

One tip for using a sensory swing in a therapy session can include a visual schedule with a plan that helps the individual with regulation needs. It can include swinging, then heavy work, music, blowing bubbles, dim lights, heavy rhythmic play, and deep breathing. All of these sensory tools regulate the system and can calm the system after the movement from the sensory swing. This is just one example and each individual will benefit from different strategies.

Be sure to take a look at the maximum pounds allowed for some swings as you’ll want to be sure that it will work for all of your kiddos before purchasing.

Always supervise children while on swings especially when rotary swinging as this can instigate seizure activity in some children.

sensory swing safety

There are important things to remember when it comes to sensory swing safety. Safety considerations for sensory swings relate to both in the clinic and, with the ready availability of purchasing a sensory swing online, in the home as well.

Remember these sensory swing safety tips:

  1. Installing a sensory swing- Always read the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them carefully. Different types of sensory swings may have different weight limits, installation requirements, and safety recommendations. You may need specific installation parts for sensory swings, especially considering the weight of the user and how the sensory swing will be used.
  2. Support structures for sensory swings- Make sure the swing is securely anchored to a strong support structure. The support structure should be able to handle the weight of the swing, the child, and any additional equipment or accessories.
  3. Monitor the sensory swing for signs of wear and tear- Check the condition of the swing and its components regularly. Look for any signs of wear and tear, such as frayed ropes, torn fabric, or rusted hardware. Replace any damaged parts immediately.
  4. Supervision during sensory swing use- Always supervise your child while they are using the swing. Never leave them unattended, even for a short time.
  5. Educate the user on how to get on and off the swing, and how to use a sensory swing- Teach your child how to use the swing safely. Show them how to sit or lie down properly, how to hold on to the ropes or chains, and how to get in and out of the swing safely. This is especially important for particular positioning such as laying in supine (on belly) or when spinning is used in the sensory swing. Teach your child and other children using the swing to watch for signs of overuse.
  6. Where to put a sensory swing- Make sure the swing is set up in a safe and open area. The area around the swing should be clear of any obstacles or hazards, such as furniture, sharp objects, or hard surfaces.
  7. Other safety equipment- Consider using a safety harness or seat belt to keep your child secure in the swing. This can be especially important for children who have difficulty sitting still or have balance or coordination issues. You can also consider padding around the swing area on walls using gymnastic pads or wall padding, or cushioning pillows of pads on the floor.
  8. Upkeep- Keep the swing clean and dry. Wipe down the fabric or other materials with a damp cloth and allow it to air dry between uses.
  9. Consider overuse and type of use- If your child has any medical or physical conditions, consult with their healthcare provider before using a sensory swing. They can provide guidance on whether the swing is appropriate and safe for your child’s needs.
  10. Lastly, trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right or safe, don’t use the swing until you can address the issue or seek guidance from a qualified professional.

Therapy Swings- What to watch for

When using a therapy swing of any kind, it is a must to watch for overuse or overstimulation. This is because the sensory input of a therapy swing/sensory swing can be very overwhelming.

Particularly with rotary input, a therapy swing (either at home or in the clinic setting or in a sensory room in the school setting) can lead to overstimulation, dizziness, agitation, hyperactivity, fatigue, or other considerations. For this reason, it’s very important to limit rotary input to a specific set of minutes which should be monitored throughout use of the therapy swing.

Also, it’s extremely important for therapy swings to be used under the guidance and recommendation of a pediatric occupational therapy professional.

While sensory swings can be beneficial for children with sensory processing issues, overuse or improper use can potentially cause harm. Here are some things to watch for with sensory swing overuse:

  1. Dizziness or nausea: Rapid or repetitive swinging can cause dizziness or nausea, especially in children who are sensitive to motion.
  2. Overstimulation: While sensory swings can be calming for some children, they can also be overstimulating for others. Overstimulation can cause anxiety, irritability, or difficulty with attention and focus.
  3. Fatigue: Prolonged use of a sensory swing can cause muscle fatigue or soreness, especially in children who have weak muscle tone or low endurance.
  4. Agitation or hyperactivity: Some children may become overly excited or hyperactive after using a sensory swing, which can make it difficult for them to transition to other activities or tasks.
  5. Risk-taking behavior: Children who become overly confident or adventurous on a sensory swing may engage in risky behavior, such as jumping off or swinging too high, which can lead to injuries.
  6. Increased dependence: Overuse of a sensory swing may cause a child to become overly reliant on the swing for sensory input or emotional regulation, which can interfere with their ability to develop coping skills or self-regulation strategies.

If you notice any of these symptoms or concerns with your child’s use of a sensory swing, it may be a sign of overuse or improper use. Consider reducing the amount of time your child spends on the swing, or consulting with a healthcare provider or occupational therapist for guidance on how to adjust or modify the use of the swing to better meet your child’s needs.

The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook
The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook

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

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

Regina Allen

Regina Parsons-Allen is a school-based certified occupational therapy assistant. She has a pediatrics practice area of emphasis from the NBCOT. She graduated from the OTA program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina with an A.A.S degree in occupational therapy assistant. She has been practicing occupational therapy in the same school district for 20 years. She loves her children, husband, OT, working with children and teaching Sunday school. She is passionate about engaging, empowering, and enabling children to reach their maximum potential in ALL of their occupations as well assuring them that God loves them!

Summer Occupational Therapy Activities

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Summer occupational therapy activities

Looking for summer occupational therapy activities to support skill building or developmental areas with a summer OT theme? Today, we have a spin on our traditional occupational therapy activities to bring you Summer occupational therapy strategies that can be used in summer sessions or in home programs for the summer.

Summer Occupational Therapy Activities

Summer OT activities may look a little different than previous years. In years past, therapists may have been gearing up for an end of another school year and a break from in-person OT sessions. In recent years, you may be seeing more pencil grasp needs, self-regulation needs, handwriting issues, and fine motor skill needs.

What hasn’t changed about the end of a school year is the carefree days of summer that are ahead. As an OT, I love the feeling of the start of summer. There is just something about back-to-the-basics play of summer. Running around the backyard, hopping on bikes, sidewalk chalk, sprinklers and water play…summer play is a goldmine of motor and sensory activities that can boost those underlying skills kids NEED.

Because of this, I wanted to put together a resource on summer occupational therapy activities that can be implemented today. These are strategies to use for your own child to boost development and challenge skills. These are ideas to use in teletherapy or in home programs. These are play ideas that help kids with the balance of screens and active play. Use the summer resources for parents, teachers, and therapists to develop underlying skills in very fun ways! These are AWESOME summer occupational therapy activities!

Let’s help kids struggling from a year of mega-screen overload meet the goals they need to thrive. Plus…take more time for you this summer by using done-for-you resources!

Occupational therapists can use these summer occupational therapy activities when planning OT home programs for for summer programs.

Summer Occupational Therapy Activities 

In many areas, schools are winding down for the year. You may have a few weeks or a few days left. The daily countdown of number of remaining school days is dwindling.

You might be wondering how to balance work-from home and making summer days count.

You might be wondering how to keep the kids busy this summer without breaking the bank.

You might be a clinician thinking about summer programming and need a few fresh ideas.

You might be thinking about summer plans and ways to encourage development in fun ways the whole family can enjoy.

You might be a therapist putting together summer home programs.

You might be a teacher who is READY for the final bell to ring this school year 🙂

I wanted to put together a list of resources for summer activities that can boost the skills kids need. The “summer slide” can happen in handwriting and other school-based therapy goal areas, too!

Summer Occupational Therapy Activity Ideas

Occupational therapy practitioners often use movement and sensory experiences in therapy sessions to challenge motor planning, motor skill development, and incorporate sensory motor activity through the primary occupation of childhood: PLAY.

Because of this, sensory motor rich activity is recommended as supplemental and everyday activity for kids of all ages to support development of skill growth. Many of the OT activity ideas listed below also support executive functioning skills, problem solving, and other cognitive aspects of functional tasks.

First, grab this summer sensory path printable packet. It’s a free sensory path printable with a summer theme. Use it in therapy clinics, home OT sessions, or in summer sensory camps!

Try adding these OT activities to your summer bucket list:

  • Make our 3 ingredient kinetic sand– Making kinetic sand offers heavy work through the hands as a self-regulation tool and offers a tactile sensory experience.
  • Make a kite craft to develop fine motor skills, visual motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and scissor skills.
  • Play TV tag (or one of these tag games)- Tag is a great gross motor activity to develop endurance, motor planning, coordination, balance, and visual motor skills while adding proprioceptive and vestibular input to regulate the system.
  • Make an ice cream craft to support hand strength and fine motor skills. This craft is great for developing scissor skills too.
  • Play sidewalk hopscotch– Use sidewalk chalk to draw a hopscotch board. Then play using rocks or bean bags. Hopscotch is a great tool to add heavy work, vestibular and proprioceptive input, and to challenge motor planning, balance, and other gross motor skills. Hopscotch is a way to teach skipping skills, too.
  • Paint rocks- This sensory experience challenges tactile input and offers a fine motor activity. Use finger paints or a paint brush to incorporate tool use and more fine motor work.
  • Wheelbarrow walk– This exercise is a heavy work exercise that helps kids with motor planning, movement, and endurance through play while adding heavy work. Use wheelbarrow walks in relay races or in obstacle courses.
  • Make a flower craft– Go on a nature walk as a motor and sensory experience. Then use the nature hunt findings to make a fine motor flower craft. There will be no two crafts alike with this fine motor activity.
  • Plant seeds- There are so many sensory benefits to gardening. Read more about sensory gardening with kids.
  • Wrap sticks in string- This simple activity is big on bilateral coordination, fine motor skills, precision, eye-hand coordination, and executive functioning skills. Go out in the yard and gather some small twigs. Then, tie a knot with the string and wrap around the stick. Switch out colors to make colorful designs and patterns. Can you cross different colored strings or yarn together to make a pretty wrapped stick? You can see how we wrapped craft sticks in string here.
  • Make lemonade- Making food with kids is a huge fine motor, sensory motor, and executive functioning tool to develop many skills with kids of all ages. Check out our cooking with kids page for tons more cooking ideas and recipes for kids as well as why each recipe supports development of skills.
  • Make a bug catcher– This fine motor activity is a huge hit with kids, and you can use the materials you have on hand. Just raid the recycle bin or grab some boxes and containers before they go into the trash can. Then, head outside to catch some bugs. This is a challenging activity that supports fine motor, visual motor, and sensory development.
  • Visit a playground- Playing at the playground has many sensory integration benefits and there are so many ways to use regular playground equipment to develop motor and sensory skill sin kids. If self-regulation is a challenge, then the playground is a wonderful summer haven for supporting specific needs.
  • Play tug of war- This heavy work game offers strengthening, balance, motor planning, and proprioceptive input that can be calming to support self-regulation needs.
  • Play in the sprinkler- A hallmark of hot summer days is playing in the hose or sprinkler. Children can practice putting on their swimming suit, applying sunscreen, and work on hopping, jumping, skipping, and moving through the sprinkler. And, don’t forget about involving the child in setting up and removing the sprinkler and hose, too. Pulling a hose is an opportunity for proprioceptive input that can be very calming.
  • Pick flowers- Go on a sensory nature walk with the family along a trail or in a park. Picking flowers supports development of visual perceptual skills, working memory, visual processing, fine motor, and self-regulation skills. Getting outside in nature can be a great overall activity that supports development and is a reset for the whole family.
  • Make lunch for your family- Develop fine motor skills, sensory experiences, executive functioning skills, and functional participation development by making lunch or dinner. Here are all of our cooking with kids recipes where you’ll find specific recipe ideas that support development, all from the perspective of an occupational therapist.
  • Chalk line obstacle course- Work on balance, motor planning, gross motor skill coordination through play using sidewalk chalk to create a driveway obstacle course. Can you hop on lily pads, tiptoe along a bridge, and animal walk on a wavy line?
  • Make DIY musical instruments- Making musical instruments are a fun way to build fine motor skills and address auditory processing skills too. Ideas include:
  • Climb a tree- Climbing on trees and limbs are a wonderful way to offer proprioceptive input, vestibular input, visual processing skills with depth perception, visual scanning, and eye-hand coordination. Holding on to a branch, pulling oneself up and over limbs, crossing midline, and bilateral coordination are developed through play. When finished, this is a powerful confidence booster!
  • Write a letter to a friend- (or a post card or email!)- Work on letter formation and other handwriting skills by writing a short letter or card to a friend this summer. It’s a very functional handwriting task that kids will be proud of!
  • Make a fairy garden- Use materials found around the home to support development of fine motor skills. The pretend play is a fun way to develop social emotional skills, too.
  • Wash the car (or a bike)- Support gross motor development by using a sponge, soapy water, and the hose to add proprioceptive input.
  • Watch and draw birds- Look for birds outdoors, in the yard, or from the windows. Address visual scanning, working memory, and pencil skills.
  • Go on a rainbow nature hunt- Use a piece of contact paper and find items of different colors of the rainbow to make a rainbow nature hunt craft. This is a great activity for fine motor, visual processing, and heavy work input.
  • Trace a friend with chalk on a driveway or sidewalk- Use sidewalk chalk to trace a friend on the driveway or sidewalk. This is a great activity to develop fine motor skills, and can support development of interoception by drawing internal organs and talking about how the body works inside and out!
  • Make bubble wands with pipe cleaners- use pipe cleaners and beads to develop fine motor skills to make a bubble wand. Then support oral motor skill development by blowing bubbles.
  • Play Red Rover- Lawn games like red Rover develop gross motor skills, visual motor skills, and executive functioning as well as adding proprioceptive and vestibular input.
  • Write the alphabet with chalk- Writing letters with sidewalk chalk supports the motor plan to create each letter and offers great proprioceptive feedback through kinesthetic learning. Writing letters with chalk or names and words can be a fun summer activity. Then spray the letters and words off with the hose or a spray bottle for more motor skill development!
  • Find shapes and images in the clouds- Look up to work on visual canning, memory, attention, and visual motor skill by finding shapes and outlines in the clouds.
  • Bake cookies
  • FInger paints
  • Fly a kite
  • Splash pad or water park
  • Write in a journal
  • Call a friend
  • Start a kickball game
  • Make leaf rubbings
  • Play hide and seek
  • Catch fireflies
  • Tie dye
  • Play cards
  • Build a fort
  • Have a sleepover
  • Play with glow bracelets at night in the yard
  • Read a book outside
  • Have a family game night
  • Draw self-portraits
  • Walk a pet

Need even more summer ideas?

~Add these hula hoop activities to therapy sessions.

~Use sidewalk chalk to support fine motor skills.

~ Print off and send home this list of 100 things to do this Summer. It’s a therapist-approved list of Summer activities!

~Print off these Summer Writing Lists to work on handwriting skills.

~Grab some of the materials in The OT Toolbox Member’s Club. There is something for everyone and Summer themed activities to support all skill levels.

~ Do some or all of the activities listed here in this Sensory Summer Camp at Home plan. All of the activities and ideas are free and use items you probably already have.

~ Sneak in handwriting practice while traveling with these motivating and authentic ideas. HERE are a few MORE natural writing experiences for summer that keep those pencils moving.

~ Try some of the activities in this Summer Activity Guide designed to encourage play and creativity in activities for the whole family.

~ Practice the motor planning and fine motor skills needed for handwriting and with a sensory twist using the ideas outlined in this Sensory Handwriting Backyard Summer Camp.

~ Try these Backyard Vestibular Activities for Summer to encourage movement and sensory experiences right in the backyard.

~ Print off this June Occupational Therapy Calendar for ideas to last the whole month. (It’s from a couple of years back so the dates are off, but the activities still work!)

~ These no-prep, basically free summer activities won’t break the bank and boost the underlying skills kids NEED, in fun ways.

~ Use sidewalk chalk to boost fine motor skills.  

~Make a summer time capsule with the whole family and create memories that can be looked back on years from now.   

~Create a summer kick-off bucket filled with toys and items for months of sensory play.     

~The kids will love these frozen fruit kabob snacks. It’s a great alerting sensory snack that doubles as a healthy summer treat.

One tool to support Summer OT home programs, OT tutoring sessions, or occupational therapy summer camps is our Summer Occupational Therapy Activities Packet.

It’s a collection of 14 items that guide summer programming at home, at school, and in therapy sessions. The summer activities bundle covers handwriting, visual perceptual skills and visual motor skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, regulation, and more.

You’ll find ideas to use in virtual therapy sessions and to send home as home activities that build skills and power development with a fun, summer theme. Kids will love the Summer Spot It! game, the puzzles, handouts, and movement activities. Therapists will love the teletherapy slide deck and the easy, ready-to-go activities to slot into OT sessions. The packet is only $10.00 and can be used over and over again for every student/client!

Grab the Spring Occupational Therapy Activities Packet HERE.

NEW RESOURCE: The Summer Fine Motor Kit– This 90 page packet it specifically designed to build the motor skills kids have been limited in over the past year or so: handwriting, cutting with scissors, small motor manipulation, arch development and hand endurance, strength, pinch, and coloring. The Summer Fine Motor Kit includes different tools and materials than our other fine motor kits, but has some of the most-requested favorites in fun summer themes:

  • Summer Play Dough/Handwriting Mats (3 writing paper styles: single rule, double rule, and highlighted lines)
  • Lacing cards
  • Color and cut sensory bin cards
  • Sea Creature, Summer Play, & Summer Treats Silly Paths (great for pencil control and eye-hand coordination)
  • Tracing mazes/ Fine motor mazes
  • Symmetry drawing page
  • Fine Motor Flip Pages (flip a coin or small object and place them along a path)
  • Glue skills pages
  • Prewriting shapes sheets
  • Toothpick art activities
  • Pencil control worksheets/Fine motor placement paths
  • Scissor skills activities (simple and complex shapes)
  • Sensory bin cards

NEW RESOURCE: The Summer OT Bundle– Want to cover all your bases this summer? This bundle has everything you need for therapy planning, home programs, summer camps, Grandma’s house, or extended school year programs so you can just print and go. The bundle is $20 and includes:

The ideas listed above should help you create therapy home programs, and keep the kids loaded up on creative, open-ended, and movement-based PLAY that their little bodies NEED!

Use these summer occupational therapy activities when planning sensory activities, fine motor, and gross motor developmental ideas for kids.

Want to take summer play to the next level? Be sure to grab your copy of the Summer OT Activities Bundle!

Summer activities for kids

Alphabet Exercises for Kids

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Alphabet exercises for gross motor activities for kids with an alphabet theme

Exercise for kids is so important on many levels. Use these alphabet exercises to help build skills, and get the kids moving with an alphabet theme. Add this alphabet for kids activity to your list of gross motor coordination activities.

Why Use these Alphabet Exercises?

In therapy, we look to help children build their gross motor skills, core strength and endurance, body awareness, motor planning, and self-regulation skills. It is recognized that regular exercise can help defend against childhood mental health and behavioral disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

The consistent engagement in physical activity promotes overall health and wellness and provides a more grounded mindset for daily living and participation in life activities.

These alphabet exercises were actually created as a resource in 2020, when many children were working remotely. With all of the time that children spent completing school work as part of teletherapy activities, or even their increased time engaging with electronics at home, they needed encouragement to exercise or simply participate in physical activity during the day.

However, there is even more of a need for these alphabet exercise even though most students are back to traditional learning environments. Students are on screens more than ever before. The symptoms of too much screen time is evident. Additionally, therapists are seeing more of a need to address self-regulation challenges in schools and in homes.

That’s where this movement-based alphabet for kids comes in as a support activity.

Research tells us that outdoor play is essential. However, even going outside to play or engage in motor skills is a challenge for some children!

Making exercise a fun playtime activity is the best way to help a child build skills while benefiting their health and wellness and keeping weight in check.  

Exercise can build confidence and self-esteem, helping a child to feel better about themselves and increasing their overall happiness.

Alphabet Exercises

One way to engage children in activity is with a structured therapy band exercise program, however, occupational therapy home programs can be creative and use out-of-the-box ideas like this ABC theme exercise activity.

For a printable PDF version of this alphabet exercise page, scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address.

These letter exercises are also available in an interactive Google slide deck where students can move parts of the slide as they complete each letter activity. Click here to access that ABC exercises slide deck.

Alphabet exercises for indoor gross motor activities for kids

Alphabet Gross Motor ACTIVITIES

Would you like a playful way to engage a child or children in therapy exercises or in a home exercise program?

How about trying this fun ABC’s of Exercise activity page? There are many ways to use these alphabet exercise letters in learning and occupational therapy activities guided by individual goals.

  • Children can either spell words or even their names to engage in the physical activity which accompanies each letter.
  • Use some homework spelling words and perform the exercises related to them! Wow…homework AND exercise!
  • Another easier way to play is by placing either A through Z foam letters, Bananagrams, or Scrabble tiles into a bag or basket and then have the child pull one letter out at a  time and match it to the corresponding letter on the ABC’s of Exercise chart to perform the exercise listed.
  • Work through the child’s name for an individualized exercise program.
  • Add the letter gross motor activities to a letter of the week learning program.

Don’t have foam letters or board game letter tiles?  No worries, just grab some puzzle pieces, folded pieces of paper, beans or craft sticks and write the letters on them!

Toss any of these into a bag or basket and pick one…easy and cheap!  You can also incorporate some handwriting with this activity too by having them write each exercise letter or a word beginning with that letter after they complete the exercise.

The best part about this activity page is that it is open-ended so you (or they) get to determine how many to perform of each exercise and how many exercise letters to perform.

In addition to being open-ended, this activity page provides a wonderful opportunity for teaching students exercises which can later be used when the child is feeling heightened and needing some self-regulation intervention tools.

Use the activity sheet as an inclusion tool for a whole class activity, small group or individual therapy session, or even as a supplement to a motor pathway in the school building! Have the child do the activity that spells their name when using it as part of a motor pathway in school!

The following list are the exercises and their descriptions which are utilized in the ABC’s of Exercise resource:

ABC Exercises:

A is for arm rolls gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Arm rolls – Have child lift arms out from their sides and rotate arms in small circular patterns, first forward and then backward.

B is for butterfly legs gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Butterfly legs– Have child sit on the floor with legs flexed and bottom of feet touching. Then have them flap their legs up and down to resemble the wings of a butterfly.

C is for crab walk gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Crab walk – Have child sit on the floor, lean back on their arms and lift their body up with their legs and arms to walk along the floor resembling the walk of a crab.

D is for duck walk gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Duck walk – Have child squat down and walk on the floor while squatted resembling the walk of a duck. Add having them bend their arms up to make them look like duck wings.

E is for elephant trunk swing gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Elephant trunk swing – Have child stand up and lean forward with arms extended and fingers linked together. Once this position is achieved, have child sway their arms left and right resembling an elephant’s trunk.

F is for frog jumps gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Frog hops – Have child squat down on the floor with their arms in front of them and have them leap forward as far as possible resembling a jumping frog. Do this repeatedly.

G is for giant leaps gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Giant tape lines – Place tape lines on the floor to work on jumping from line to line or complete giant jumps by attempting to jump as far as possible from a standing position.

H is for high knees gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

High knees – Have child lift alternating knees up to hands for tapping and while marching around the room. Have them lift knees as high as possible.

I is for incline climb gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Incline climb – Have child climb up a slide, long wedge or hillside or toss the couch cushion or even the bed mattress in the floor and make a ramp. If all else fails, just use the stairs!

J is for jumping jacks gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

 Jumping jacks – Have child start by standing with arms out to their sides and legs together then have them jump while spreading their legs and feet apart and arms up and over their head. Follow with bringing arms back to sides and legs and feet back together.

K is for knee squats gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

 Knee squats – Have child start with standing up and then squatting to floor and back up again, repeatedly.

L is for lunges gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

 Lunges – Have child step forward with one leg and lower their hips until both knees are bent, then push back up to starting position. Alternate legs.

M is for mega jumps gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

 Mega jumps – Have child jump from a higher level to the floor, either from a chair, sofa, steps, etc. or they could also simply try to jump as far as possible forward and then try to jump farther each time to beat their last distance.

N is for neck rolls gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

 Neck rolls – Have child stand or sit to roll their neck and head in a circular pattern from left to right and from right to left.

O is for overhead stretch gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Overhead stretches – Have child reach up overhead, link fingers together (a great finger strength exercise) and stretch arms up as high as possible. Add standing on tiptoes to make it really high. 

P is for push ups gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Push-ups – Have child lie on the floor and push their body up with their hands and arms. If a regular push-up is too difficult, complete knee push-ups by simply weight bearing on flexed knees while completing push-ups rather than trying to weight bear on toes.

Q is for quad stretches gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Quad stretches – Have child perform, sit to stands and stand to sits, while sitting in a chair. Do this repeatedly.

R is for run in place gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Run in place – Have child run in place for a specific amount of time such as while counting to 20.

S is for snake slither gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Snake slither – Have child lie on their stomach and move their body forward trying to keep as much of their body in contact with the floor as possible, similar to an army crawl.

T is for toe touches gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Toe touches – Have child stand and bend over to touch their toes with their fingers and back up to standing. Do this repeatedly.

U is for under over maze gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Under/over laser maze – Create a laser maze with use of tape, string, or streamers in the hallway and have child go under and over to move through it. Or have them crawl under tables and over furniture to achieve under/over.

V is for vertical wall taps gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

 Vertical wall taps – Have child stand beside a wall and jump to tap the wall attempting to beat their last height touched with each jump.

W is for windmills gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Windmills – Have child stand with arms and legs out to the sides. Have them bend over to touch right fingertips to left toes and back up to standing and then bend to touch left fingertips to right toes and back up to standing.

X is for x marks the spot gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

X-marks the spot exercise – Have child cross over legs and feet and cross over arms and hands while jumping to create X patterns with extremities. Or complete ‘X’ cross crawls to work on cross-lateral activity of extremities.

Y is for yoga gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Yoga poses – Have child pick a yoga pose to complete, such as cat pose, cobra pose, or shark pose.

Z is for zig zag run gross motor activity part of an abc exercise for kids

Zig-zag run – Use small obstacles to create a zig zag course or simply attempt to run a zig zag pattern.

With home learning, indoor activities, and social distancing upon us, this exercise activity page will help meet the needs of your child so they can get in their daily exercise while also releasing some extra “cooped up” energy!

Alphabet gross motor exercises for kids

FREE Alphabet Exercise PDF

Enter your email address below to access this free ABC PDF to add heavy work, core strength, movement, and gross motor skills with an alphabet theme. Use the printable alphabet exercise PDF as a poster for learning letters through movement.

Best of all this alphabet for kids activity supports learning through play!

Get a free ABC Exercise PDF

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    Resources:

    Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Editors: Harold W. Kohl, III and Heather D. Cook. Authors: Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment; Food and Nutrition Board; Institute of Medicine. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013 Oct 30.

    This post was written by contributor author, Regina Parsons-Allen.

    Hula Hoop Activities

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    hula hoop activities

    A hula hoop is a great old-school toy and specific hula hoop activities can be used to not only build strength, coordination, balance, and motor planning, but can be used in other areas such as learning, sensory, and visual motor, as well as gross motor coordination. Hula hoops are versatile and inexpensive, while being colorful and attractive, to spark the interest and motivation of children. There are a wide array of hula hoop activities that can be done, in addition to the traditional method.

    hula hoop activities for therapy and gross motor development

    Hula hoop Activities are great!

    Hula hoops can be used indoors or outdoors and with children and adults of all ages. That’s right all ages. In addition to the conventional manner, there are several imaginative and thoughtful hula hoop activities that are fun and safe for all!  

    Hula hoops are cheap and easy to find. If you don’t have, or can’t find a hula hoop that’s okay, you can make your own hula hoop! The directions are included in this post. People can decorate it however they wish, making it a special craft activity too. 

    Take a look at some fun, creative hula hoop activity ideas to get kids up and active, and a little ‘hoopy’ this season! 

    The hula hoop games and activities below are great for outdoor lawn games this summer, but they can be included in indoor therapy obstacle courses or games to get kids moving!

    Gross Motor hula hoop games:

    • The Floor is Lava Games– These are fun games for home on a rainy day. Use a hula hoop as a “safe island” when playing is game. They work on jumping, leaping, hopping, rolling, and crashing.
    • Hula Hoop Jumps – provide heavy work input through the core and gross motor muscle groups, to improve regulation, and body awareness. 
    • Rabbit Hole – is a cooperative gross motor group activity that helps to teach the concept of personal space, using a hula hoop, and safety cones.  This is a great way to teach about personal bubbles.
    • Hula Hoop Run activities – use several hula hoops positioned out on the ground, or floor to create a “tire run” pathway for kids to hop, jump, or leap through. There are several pattern ideas included, which will address gross motor coordination, balance, and agility while having fun too!
    • Hula Hoop Pass – Grab some friends and a hula hoop! Children hold hands while standing in a line or a circle, while working to move the hula hoop around the group, stepping in and out of it, ducking through it, while holding hands. This works to shift the hoop to the next person, until it makes it from the first, to the last person within the group. This is an incredible coordination and motor planning activity that helps to build group cooperation and teamwork.
    • Don’t Jiggle the Spiders! Much like our spider obstacle maze, you can wrap yarn around a hula hoop and thread spider rings through the string. Then, children can move the hoop as a hand-held obstacle course has a fun way to have children work on balance and body control as they work to move through the spider web, designed on a hula hoop, and try not to ‘jiggle the spiders’ while doing so. 
    • Basket of Toys- Here is a fun twist on the traditional toy scavenger hunt. In this game, you scatter small toys or water balloons and hula hoops on the ground. Children work to move the toys and balloons using their feet to their specific hula hoop. What happens if they pop a balloon while kicking? They must visit the Toy Master (and adult or a specific player) and complete a motor task to earn another balloon. A fun way to work on gross motor skills, motor control, and eye-foot coordination. 
    • Hula Blockers is a fun hula hoop game in which each player stands in their own hoop tossing a bean bag into another player’s hoop, while simultaneously attempting to defend their own hula hoop space, blocking another player’s bean bags from landing in their space.

    Add these Gross Motor Coordination Activities for more fun. Or check out these Gross Motor Toys for some fun games.

    Sensory hula hoop actitivies:

    • Hula Hoop Mobile – here is a fun visually stimulating idea for children with visual impairments, or other challenges, that might benefit from a colorful hanging mobile that has texture, sound, weight, and visual appeal. It can be used for individual play, or as a group activity.
    • Sensory Hula Hoop Video – need a fun sensory tool for babies? Then this Sensory Hula Hoop video might be a fun DIY for you! It includes a variety of visually stimulating materials as well, as texture and sound. It can be placed flat on the floor to encourage tummy time, or hung above a baby lying supine, to encourage reach and exploration. Note: Always choose baby-safe materials to prevent injury. 
    • Baby and Toddler Tummy Time Activity- Another spin on the sensory hula hoop activity, is to attach baby rattles and baby toys around the circle, then have babies start with tummy time in the center of the hoop. This is a great tool for adding novel activities to tummy time. The circular positioning of the toys around the hoop encourages babies to reach, visually scan, roll, and pivot on the upper body, as they move and stretch to reach, and engage with different toys. 
    • Hula Hoop Canopy – If you’re feeling really ambitious you can create a Hula Hoop Canopy with lights and sheer curtains. It makes a great addition to a calming corner.
    • Hula Hoop Tunnel Activity – Make a tunnel with several hula hoops and you can even add scarves or longer strips of streamers for children to move through making it a gross motor AND sensory experience in one!

    Eye-Hand Coordination hula hoop games:

    • Hula Hoop Web – use masking tape to create a Hula Hoop Web in the hoop. Have children toss cotton balls or pom-pom balls to stick to the web.

    • Hula Hoop Target – Hang a hula hoop from the ceiling or a tree, and you have an instant target for ball tossing.
    • Hula Hoop Bullseyes- Lay different-sized hula hoops on the ground, creating a bulls-eye target. Place numbers inside the hoop to create targets, to score points when tossing a bean bag.
    • Place safety cones on the ground for children to toss a hoola hoop around the cones, to score points. 
    • Hula Hoop Basketball – Hang a few hula hoops from a basketball goal for young children to have their Hula Hoop Goal for ball play. A great way to have younger kiddos enjoy their own skill level of basketball. 
    • Flight School – Create this fun game by having children fold paper airplanes, then try to fly them through hula hoops that are hung from the ceiling. Include children of all ages with this fun activity, as you can hang the hula hoops at different heights to accommodate any skill level.  Another way to play when hanging the hoops at different heights, would be to use a point system, and score points based on the different heights of the hoops.  

    Learning games with a hula hoop: 

    • Around the Clock hula hoop activity is a fun way to work on time with kiddos in the classroom, during therapy, and at home! 
    • Hula Hoop Zones Activity- Use red, yellow, green, and blue hoops to work on the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum in the classroom and during therapy. Read more on this activity.
    • Find and Rhyme game is a great way to work on rhyming with young children! All you need are some hula hoops, and plastic plates. It’s similar to a scavenger hunt for words. Here is an explanation.
    • Personal space – Need to help children understand personal space? The use of a hula hoop is the perfect tool! They can sit or stand inside of it, to help them visualize their own personal space, and the space of others. I’ve seen them used while sitting at a table during snack time to help children understand their personal space.

    make your own hoop

    Here are the instructions for Making a Hula Hoop. They include a brief explanation of the three most common types of tubing people use to create one. If you think you need more detailed instructions for creating a hula hoop, take a look at How to Make Your Own Hula Hoop, and see how they designed their hoop using irrigation tubing. 

    Want another fun idea for creating a hula hoop? I found this Snap Together Hula Hoop (affiliate link) that children can work on building before using!  This type of hoop makes it easy to transport and adds another element of motor skills while building and deconstructing.

    more outdoor fun

    Outdoor Lawn Games

    There’s only one last thing to say about hula hoops, remember to join in the fun yourself and enjoy some screen-free playtime with kiddos! 

    Want to add this resource to your therapy toolbox so you can help kids thrive? Enter your email into the form below to access this printable tool.

    This resource is just one of the many tools available in The OT Toolbox Member’s Club. Each month, members get instant access to downloadable activities, handouts, worksheets, and printable tools to support development. Members can log into their dashboard and access all of our free downloads in one place. Plus, you’ll find exclusive materials and premium level materials.

    Level 1 members gain instant access to all of the downloads available on the site, without enter your email each time PLUS exclusive new resources each month.

    Level 2 members get access to all of our downloads, exclusive new resources each month, PLUS additional, premium content each month: therapy kits, screening tools, games, therapy packets, and much more. AND, level 2 members get ad-free content across the entire OT Toolbox website.

    Join the Member’s Club today!

    Regina Allen

    Regina Parsons-Allen is a school-based certified occupational therapy assistant. She has a pediatrics practice area of emphasis from the NBCOT. She graduated from the OTA program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina with an A.A.S degree in occupational therapy assistant. She has been practicing occupational therapy in the same school district for 20 years. She loves her children, husband, OT, working with children and teaching Sunday school. She is passionate about engaging, empowering, and enabling children to reach their maximum potential in ALL of their occupations as well assuring them that God loves them!

    Number Formation Roads

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    number formation playmats

    Today we have a fun free number formation activity for you…printable number playmats! These number formation roads are a great way to work on practicing numbers with hands on play while building strength, dexterity, and fine motor skills. Print them off, use them to drive cars along the number shaped roads, or laminate and us as free printable number playdough mats. The options are limitless!

    number formation road playmats for kids to learn number formation through multisensory play.

    Number Playmats

    Cars are so motivating!  They are not just for boys either.  My girls used cars and trucks in imaginary play, to transport Barbies and action figures to the mall, playground, or to Barbie’s friends house.  It is often necessary to use motivators in enticing young learners to do difficult work. The same way adults work for a paycheck, children work for motivators, prizes, incentives, and other rewards.

    There are so many ways to use toys in occupational therapy, and these play mats are just one way to work on the skill of forming numbers. Learning letters and numbers is difficult, especially when it comes to writing them. 

    These Number Road Play Mats are a motivating activity to address number recognition and formation.

    Why are learners so resistant to writing, coloring, and cutting?

    1. These tasks are difficult.  It is difficult to keep finding motivation to do something hard.
    2. Most of the learners we work with are not good at these tasks, that is why they are getting therapy or other help.  Again it is difficult to stay motivated doing activities you are not good at. 
    3. Visual motor tasks are not predictable.  Puzzles are predictable.  There is only one way a puzzle can go together.  Cutting and coloring are not predictable. It is difficult for a new learner to make exactly the correct strokes on paper, cut on the lines, or glue items in the correct position.  Despite the correct amount of effort, sometimes the eyes/hands/body have different plans.  
    4. It is hard to want to keep trying when failure happens more than success.

    NUMBER FORMATION ROAD PLAYMATS

    How fun are these number formation play mats?  They are not only fun, but functional. People learn by doing. Kinesthetic awareness is the body learning a movement by doing it. 

    We can do many activities without having to see what we are doing, such as walking, riding a bicycle, or texting. Written expression is the same. It is possible to learn to write without great kinesthetic awareness, but it is more laborious, less fluid, and slower. 

    The number road playmats use kinesthetic awareness to teach the body to “feel” the movement of the letters. 

    How to use the Number Road Play Mats

    There are so many hands-on, multisensory ways to work on number formation with road playmats. These can be used over and over again, really establishing a motor plan and muscle memory for forming numbers correctly.

    Amazon affiliate links are included below.

    1. Have learners color, cut, and glue the cars onto craft sticks (popsicle sticks, tongue depressors), then trace around the number roads in the designated sequence. Learners can custom make their cars to fit their style (don’t forget the glitter!).  This adds a coloring, cutting, and gluing element.
    2. Design and color/cut/glue/laminate these ahead of time to make it more of a kinesthetic than fine motor task.  It still involves some visual motor skills, but not as many.
    3. After moving their cars through the paths, have learners use a marker to draw inside the number road playmat paths.  Progress to copying the numbers, when learners are ready to move forward.
    4. Teach learners to put words to their actions.  Examples: seven, “across and down”, nine, “a circle around then a long stick down”.  Use whatever language describes the visual image for your learners. 
    5. Use toy cars to zoom around the numbers!
    6. Find  mini traffic cones (affiliate link), small erasers, pom poms, pennies, gummy bears, or other items, and put them on the roads to build fine motor skills.
    7. Form the numbers on the number formation play mats out of playdough, Wikki Stix (affiliate link), Theraputty, or string. We love Wikkistix activities and these number roads are a great way to build the visual motor skills needed for writing numbers.
    8. Laminate the pages, then spread shaving cream over them and have learners use their fingers to draw the numbers or zoom their cars through them.  This turns it into a multisensory task.
    9. Swap the cars for another picture such as an ice cream truck, bug, puppy, or other motivating object.

    How we learn

    There are four different types of learning styles. Not everyone learns the same.

    • Some people are visual learners, they need to see to process the information. For these learners, visual processing skills are strong. 
    • Others are auditory learners, preferring to hear directions verbally to understand. For these learners auditory processing skills are strong.
    • There are kinesthetic learners, who want to have hands-on experience, to be able to learn.
    • Others are more academic, needing to read and write about what they are learning. 

    It is possible to be one, or all of the above.

    For this reason, it is advantageous to have a multimodal approach, or a multisensory learning approach. 

    Provide visual, sensory, hands on, auditory, and gross motor experiences to enhance learning. The number playmat can provide instruction through all four learning styles depending on the presentation. Be mindful of the learning preferences of your students, working them into your instruction.  What is your preferred learning style?

    Other great number activities 

    It would be rare for a learner to be able to write all their numbers from just this one printable number formation play mat.  As always, the OT Toolbox is full of great resources to build your toolbox.

    Check them out! 

    Are you a member of the OT Toolbox yet?  

    Want to add this resource to your therapy toolbox so you can help kids thrive? Enter your email into the form below to access this printable tool.

    This resource is just one of the many tools available in The OT Toolbox Member’s Club. Each month, members get instant access to downloadable activities, handouts, worksheets, and printable tools to support development. Members can log into their dashboard and access all of our free downloads in one place. Plus, you’ll find exclusive materials and premium level materials.

    Level 1 members gain instant access to all of the downloads available on the site, without enter your email each time PLUS exclusive new resources each month.

    Level 2 members get access to all of our downloads, exclusive new resources each month, PLUS additional, premium content each month: therapy kits, screening tools, games, therapy packets, and much more. AND, level 2 members get ad-free content across the entire OT Toolbox website.

    Join the Member’s Club today!

    FREE Number Formation Road Play Mats

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      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.

      NOTE*The term, “learner” is used throughout this post for readability and inclusion. This information is relevant for students, patients, clients, preschoolers, kids/children of all ages and stages or whomever could benefit from these resources. The term “they” is used instead of he/she to be inclusive.

      trucks therapy kit
      Trucks and Vehicles Therapy Kit

      Powerful Action Rhymes and Nursery Rhymes with Actions

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      nursery rhymes with actions

      Kids love finger plays and action rhymes.  You know the ones, right?  Here, we’re sharing nursery rhymes with actions that support development including gross motor coordination, bilateral coordination, and body awareness. These movement and rhyme phrases and songs that fill every childhood, preschool classroom, and library story time are a classic  part of childhood. 

      Rhymes with action movements inspire rhythm and rhyming skills, but there is more than that: They are engaging, fun, and repetitive ways to work on motor development.

      These nursery rhyme actions are great additions to nursery rhyme crafts!

      nursery rhymes with actions


      But, did you know that action rhymes help with childhood development? Childhood development and action rhymes go hand-in-hand so to speak.  Kids learn and grow by moving and repeating and then independently saying and singing rhymes that many kids could sing along to.  

      What are some ways that childhood development and action rhymes help a child grow?

      Action rhymes are a great way to address skills such as:

      Use these creative and powerful nursery rhymes with actions to develop skills in OT sessions.




      This post contains affiliate links.




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

      What are action rhymes?

      Action rhymes are movement songs or nursery rhymes with movement.  

      They might be gross motor activities like “I’m a Little Teapot” or “Duck, Duck, Goose”. Or, they might be a fine motor activity like “Eensy Weensy Spider” or “Where is Thumbkin”.  

      There are so many nursery rhymes with actions out there that preschool classrooms are using or even making up to suit their needs, but one thing is common with all action rhymes; They have sing-song phrases and involve movement.  

      Fine Motor Action Rhymes:

      1. Where is Thumbkin?
      2. Creep Them, Creep Them
      3. Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee
      4. 5 in the Bed
      5. Eensy Weensy Spider

      Gross Motor Action Rhymes:

      1. Wheels on the Bus
      2. I’m a Little Teapot
      3. Duck, Duck, Goose
      4. Farmer in the Dell
      5. If You’re Happy and You Know It
      6. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
      7. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
      8. 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
      9. Grand Old Duke of York

      How to use nursery rhymes with actions to build childhood development?
      Action rhymes and finger plays are perfect for the 18-24 month age range and the preschool years when so much development is occurring.  

      Consider all the ways a toddler or preschooler are developing: fine and gross motor skills, language, cognitive, social-emotional…these years are full of natural progression with development going through the roof!

      Childhood Development and Action Rhymes

      There are so many ways that nursery rhymes with actions help to build childhood development in a healthy way:

      • Fine Motor Skills– Use the fingers and hands to build dexterity, eye-hand coordination, and finger isolation through movement. Encourage kids to follow along with the fine motor action rhymes listed above to improve dexterity and fine motor control.
      • Gross Motor Skills– Using the trunk, legs, and shoulders builds strength in the limbs and core muscle strength needed for attention and focus. Read more developing core strength through movement rhymes here.
      • Social/Emotional Development– Striving for independence, asserting ones independence, engaging with peers, and an emerging awareness of ones own body and a sense of awareness of others is developing and growing in the toddler and preschool years.  Action rhymes in a group setting promote all of these areas. Encourage kids to connect with other children and adults by pairing up kids to perform action rhymes in small groups of kids.
      • Speech and Language Development– The toddler and preschool age sets are flourishing in language skills.  There is a huge opportunity for developing and building skills through repetitive action rhymes.  Children can be encouraged to develop these skills when encouraged to participate in verbal exchanges.  Further promote communication skills by asking questions about the rhymes.
      • Spatial Concepts– Important for awareness of ones self and position in space, as well as in visual motor integration tasks like handwriting, action rhymes allow children to explore position in space through movement. Encourage development and understanding of front/back, over/under, top/bottom, etc. Try this action rhyme trick: when a spatial term is mentioned in an action rhyme, try pointing in the direction instead of saying the words or phrases.
      • Attention Span– Action rhymes allow kids to focus for a period of time on a teacher as well as peers individual and group action rhyme activities. Encourage longer attention by increasing time spent singing action rhymes. Lead into a group activity with action rhymes or use them as a tool to take a break during seated tasks or classroom activities that require focus and attention. 
      • Cognitive Development– Using action rhymes, children are introduced to concepts such as numbers, colors, shapes, sizes, names, letters, and more. Concrete concepts of the toddler and preschool years can be enhanced to more abstract ideas through cognitive development using sensori-motor components of action rhymes.  Movement and learning are very well connected and action rhymes add a sing-song rhyming component as well. Additionally, concepts such as patterning, sequencing, and cause-effect are addressed through action rhymes.
      • Self-Concept– Action rhymes provide an opportunity to learn about body parts. Encourage kids to learn about their body parts with action rhymes like, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
      • Behavior Development– Action rhymes promote movement and an appropriate opportunity for students to get wiggles and fidgets out in a classroom setting.  Following the rhyme actions, kids can discover how they can move their body in purposeful ways.
      Use these creative and powerful ideas to boost and build childhood development with action rhymes and finger plays with toddler and preschool kids in the classroom, home, or Occupational Therapy clinic.

        What are some favorite action rhymes in your classroom, home, or clinic?  

      More movement and development ideas you will love: 

      The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook
      The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook

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

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

      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.