As part of our chores and executive function expose, here comes another FREEBIE! The School and Home Chores list can be yours by adding your email below. This downloadable worksheet is part of a series of free resources including: age-appropriate chores, chores and executive functioning skills, foresight in a task, sensory chores, and a task tracker.
While any time of year is perfect for initiating and instilling chores in our children, Summer is the easiest. Chores are always one of my top picks as the perfect Summer home program! You have more time in the summer for teaching, practicing, and focusing on specific skills. Build your chore list and practice during the summer holiday, making it a breeze once school starts again.
CHORES checkLIST
Once you have reviewed and understood age appropriate chores, begin by making a list of what you think your learner is capable of learning. Our free Chores List worksheet is a great visual aide.
You can use this sheet to write in lists of daily chores and then the child can check them off as they are completed. Hang it on a fridge or in the home and use it to track chores.
Getting kids involved in chores can be a lot of work. There is no doubt it is faster and easier to do it ourselves, but then we rob our young learners of the opportunity to learn real life skills, build independence, confidence, and learn to problem solve.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DOING CHORES?
I mentioned independence, confidence, and problem solving above. What other opportunities can you build by working on chores with your kids?
Build independence
Establish routines, which creates a sense of comfort and security
Become more responsible
Develop a sense of confidence (or improve their self-esteem)
Learn time management and/or organizational skills
Understand the importance of teamwork
Cope with frustration and delayed gratification
Develop resilience, so they can deal with the realities of life
HOW TO GET STARTED WITH A CHORES LIST
Sometimes getting started is the hardest part for both kids and adults! Having a plan or foresight in a task, can help. Here are a few pointers to get you started:
Start young…teach expectations early. Young children get excited about helping around the house. Build this sense of purpose early, to help keep the momentum when the tasks get harder or less fun. Starting while your learners are young can have a lasting impact.
Explain the purpose of chores…explain that everyone in the family has a role in maintaining the home. Everyone should contribute in some way. Help them see that dividing the work makes it easier for everyone and frees up more time for the fun stuff.
Begin small…start in small doses or chunks. Try backward or forward chaining. In backward chaining, teach your learner the last step of the task. You do all the items while they watch, then have them do the last part. This gives them a sense of finishing something. Forward chaining is the opposite. Have your learner do all the pieces they can, then you finish it for them. Start first with demonstration, moving on to cooperation, then independent work. Try mastery of one task before adding another.
Keep chores age appropriate… understand the unique needs and skills of your learners. Not all learners are going to fall in the exact range of the age-related chore list. If something is too difficult, it may cause defeat and can hurt their confidence, making it less likely they will want to do chores in the future.
Let your learner get involved…if your child has expressed an interest in something around the house, start there. Some kids love the heavy work of using the vacuum, or sorting toys.
How to use the free chores list
This chores list is simple and straight forward. The free printable may either be your jumping off point, or the resulting list, after chores have been established. Sometimes less is more. Limiting visual information can be helpful to making the important information stick out.
Make a list for each day of the week. In the “other tasks” section, you can add other jobs, or a reward tracking block. Everyone needs to work for something to stay motivated. As you make your chores list, you can add the everyday daily living tasks that are expected, such as brush teeth, shower, get dressed, etc. Then add the weekly chores to the list such as laundry, vacuuming, dusting, sorting toys, dusting, or whatever your learner can do.
Try laminating the chores checklist for ease of reuse.
Decorate the list in fun colors, or print it on colored paper
Younger learners may need picture symbols instead of phrases
HOW TO HELP KIDS BE SUCCESSFUL AT COMPLETING THEIR CHORES LIST
Starting your chore list and teaching the tasks is just the beginning. Here are some great tips for helping kids be successful:
Be clear about expectations. Kids cannot read between the lines, so don’t leave anything up for interpretation. Be clear and direct about the expectations. For example, asking a child to clean their room is vague. Be clear about what a clean room means. For example, put away clean clothes in drawers or their closet, place dirty clothes in their hamper, put books on their bookshelf, etc. Some kids may also benefit from having a chore chart or other visual reminder of what chores they are expected to complete and when they’re expected to complete them.
Create routines, and be consistent. If something is inconsistent, it’s hard for kids to understand the expectations, which can cause confusion or frustration. Try to be consistent when it comes to when and how chores are completed. For example, make the bed every morning and put dirty dishes in the dishwasher after meals.
Be a good role model. Kids are more likely to do something if they see us doing the same thing.
Try to have fun. It is normal for kids to dislike doing chores. Many grown-ups feel the same way! But simple things, like playing music, can make cleaning more enjoyable. Get creative by turning chores into games. Make sorting laundry into a basketball game by tossing lights and darks into separate laundry baskets, or set a timer and try to beat the buzzer (complete the chore before the timer goes off).
Encourage self-praise by asking kids how they feel when they complete their chores. Do they feel satisfied, accomplished, or proud? If giving praise, try to focus on their effort rather than the outcome. For example, instead of saying, “You’re doing a good job!” Try saying, “I notice that you’re working really hard to get that surface cleaned.”
ROADBLOCKS TO COMPLETING THE CHORES LIST
There will be roadblocks and setbacks as the chore list is designed and implemented. That is real life. Try and problem solve some of the road blocks.
It is normal for caregivers to get frustrated when the chores are not being done right, or kids are refusing to try. This is normal on both sides. Try and understand why they might be refusing, or not completing the tasks as instructed. Are they unsure of expectations? Is the chore developmentally appropriate? Do they have the focus to complete the chore? How are their executive functioning skills (problem solving, task initiation, self-reflection)? Is there something else going on entirely (sensory)?
Keep your expectations realistic. Understand that the chores are not likely to be done the way you do them. Except mediocracy. Pick your battles. Try and be patient, resisting the urge to jump in and help too soon.
Keep following the OT Toolbox for more free worksheets like this chores list to add to your resources.
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.
I am not sure how I feel about honey bees. The fat fluffy ones are kind of cute. You can buy honey bee themed everything out there. You might just forget their sting for a minute. Today, as part of our sensory bin series, we are focusing on the Honey Bee Sensory Bin. Despite the mess they make, therapists love sensory bins! They are a useful and creative way to address sensory stimulation as well as cognitive skills. Here at the OT Toolbox, we are offering a series of posts highlighting different sensory bins, including this cute Honey Bee Sensory Bin, along with activities to engage young learners.
A Honey Bee sensory bin is just one of thousands of options you can choose from. It is easy to make your own sensory bins. Add different activities to make it multi-dimensional. With a membership to the OT Toolbox, most of the materials are free or a minimal cost.
HONEY BEE SENSORY BIN
For the sake of this lesson, we can pretend I love honey bees! I am sure I would love making a honey bee sensory bin, as no live bees are used in the making of this activity.
Fun facts; Honeybees have five eyes: two compound eyes and three smaller ocelli. They use a special dance called the “waggle dance” to communicate the location and quality of food sources.
If you are new to sensory learning, it is important to understand what a sensory bin is, and what it can offer your learners. If you follow our posts, you have probably read about this topic, or are familiar with the popular sensory bin.
A sensory bin is a shallow container that combines filler material and various small odds and ends. You fill the bin with a filler material such as sand or rice, then add items from around the house such as spoons or measuring cups. Let your child explore the items and have fun playing. This great article on Sensory Base Fillers highlights the different options for bases and fillers.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A SENSORY BIN
The obvious answer is “to stimulate or desensitize the sense of touch.” Sensory bins are so more than just a tactile experience. There are just so many benefits of sensory play that you can facilitate using a sensory bin.
Improve fine motor skills: Digging, scooping and pouring, and stirring, can strengthen your child’s hand muscles and improve fine motor skills. Include oversized tweezers, spoons, and funnels to encourage your child to practice the type of grasping skills they will need to feed themselves and write.
Sensory exploration: this one is obvious, but other senses are stimulated in addition to touch. Vision, auditory, smell, and proprioception can be elicited using the honey bee sensory bin. Kids will enjoy running their hands through the filler material and watching what happens as they pour it out. Many materials you can put in a sensory bin provide a wonderful tactile sensation. You can vary the materials to make the tactile experience different textures. For those with tactile defensiveness, a sensory bin is a great tool.
Intellectual skills: while it may seem like they are just playing, this is the occupation of a child. Through play, children learn cognitive skills. They can learn about measurement using measuring cups, add letters and numbers for academic enhancement, or sort items.
Calming experience: for those without sensory aversion, playing in sensory material can be soothing. Use bins like the honey bee sensory bin to take a sensory break.
Language development: once the sensory system is satisfied, we often see a burst of language (verbal or non-verbal). Use this time to ask questions, talk about hidden objects, talk about more/less, what they see, and what they are doing.
Cooperative play: when two or more people play in the sensory bin, there are opportunities for cooperative play. Sharing, turn taking, and working together are good skills to learn.
WHAT AGE ARE SENSORY BINS GOOD FOR?
This depends on your level of supervision. Toddlers under 18 months explore by putting everything in their mouth. I like to offer edible options for most of my sensory bins. Remember that while it may not taste great, dry rice/birdseed/couscous, and pasta are edible.
I like the idea of soaking chia seeds as a texture, or using cooked spaghetti. I just saw a cute idea for a sensory bin for infants. While they are practicing tummy time, fill a cookie sheet or shallow pan of water and/or bubbles for splashing.
I do not tend to leave my students of any age unattended in these sensory bins; if for no other reason than to contain the mess.
Safety Tips for Using Sensory Bins
Toddlers and preschoolers should always be supervised when using sensory bins to discourage them from eating the materials.
Here are some more safety tips for making sensory bins:
Don’t use items that pose a choking hazard, either as filler material or odds and ends.
All sensory bin materials should be nontoxic.
Use a tube to test if objects are a choking hazard, particularly if they’re round or elliptical in shape.
Don’t use raw kidney beans, since swallowing as few as four or five can cause severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Avoid use flour in your bin because it can be aspirated and affect breathing.
Only use sterilized sand such as the type sold as play sand.
Avoid using Styrofoam peanuts since they are a choking hazard.
First, print off the honey bee sensory bin letter cards from The OT Toolbox.
HOW TO MAKE A HONEY BEE SENSORY BIN
The supplies needed for the honey bee sensory bin are easy and inexpensive to find. Most of the items can be found at the dollar store or Amazon. Supply list:
Dry split peas- found at the dollar store or Amazon
Fake flower petals- found in the floral section at the craft store or Dollar store.
Honey bees- make your own with chenille stems (pipe cleaners) wound around a clothespin, wax paper wings, and googly eyes. We have an example of these bee clothes pin crafts here.
Sensory trays– Amazon has several to choose from. You could also use a foil serving dish, cafeteria tray, or a plastic bin. If you are on a tight budget, a shoe box, shipping container, or baking tray will do the trick.
Use the bees as sentence starters or research projects to encourage learning.
Show students fun facts about honey bees and have them copy them off the board (far point copying), or paper for near point copying skills.
You can encourage them by demonstrating how to scoop and pour and talking to them about what they are doing. You can encourage their literacy skills by talking to them while they are playing and hone their math skills by letting them measure and pour.
MEMBERship comes with great perks!
The best way to get all the resources available on the OT Toolbox is to become a member. This gives you access to the archives, and thousands of free resources. One of them is the honey bee or spring theme.
ADDITIONAL HONEY BEE SENSORY BIN ACTIVITIES
Put a small toy honey bee in an ice tray and freeze it, then add it to a water bin on a hot day.
Put your bin in an area that is easy to clean up or take it outside.
Fill a bin with shredded newspaper and hide plastic bees in it.
Create a whole lesson plan with your honey bee sensory bin as the starter. Use books, printables, gross motor games, and board games
For a wet texture, try shaving cream, water beads, jello, cornstarch/water, pudding
Do the just right challenge encouraging reluctant learners to try new things, or demonstrate the activity first
ADD TO YOUR HONEY BEE SENSORY BIN THEME
Purchase this great Honey Bee activities therapy kit to go along with your honey bee sensory bin. This honey bee therapy kit includes activities to work on visual perception, cutting, writing, gluing, letter recognition, handwriting, fine motor skills, dexterity, as well as growth mindset.
Bee Fall Game Enjoy a variety of ways to play with Bee Fall. From the classic “Keep the Bees Aloft” challenge to the focused “Queen Bee Protection” mode and the Rainbow Sticks balance game, Bee Fall offers multiple engaging variations for endless family fun.
Of course; this search is much easier is you become a member of the OT Toolbox. Once you become a member of the OT Toolbox, it is very simple to find resources, both current, and in the archives. Type in the skill, category, item, or idea you are looking for.
MORE FUN HONEY BEE FACTS
The honey bee is the only insect that produces food eaten by man.
A honey bee typically visits 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip.
A honey bee would have to fly around 90,000 miles, over three times around the globe, to make one pound of honey. It would take one ounce of honey to fuel her flight around the world.
The average honey bee will actually make only one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
A populous colony may contain 40,000 to 60,000 bees during the late spring or early summer.
Worker honey bees live for about 6-8 weeks in the spring or summer, but up to 6 months during the winter.
A new queen may mate with dozens of drones over a 1-2-day period.
The queen is constantly fed and groomed by attendant worker bees.
The queen lives for up to about 5 years. She is the busiest in the spring summer months, when the hive needs to build to its maximum strength, and lays up to 1500 eggs a day, which may equal her own weight.
MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PERKS
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.
Stay tuned for more posts featuring great sensory bin ideas. Upcoming: baseball, honey bee, beach ball, shapes, backpack, school, and more!
**Do not forget to sign up to be a member today to get easy access to all the resources you need to be an efficient and effective therapist.
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.
Mental health is something all of us need to be aware of. School based occupational therapy covers many basis simply because of the school-based occupations and functions that students in the school environment do on a daily basis. Mental health is one aspect that impact students from kindergarten through high school and it’s a consideration that school-based OTs need to keep in mind. In this blog post, we’re covering information and resources about mental health for students.
Mental Health for Students
The number of cases of mental illness continues to rise dramatically. Mental Health for students is a big topic to cover. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 7 children and teens worldwide experience a mental health condition. In the US, 49.5% of adolescents have a mental disorder, and 22.2% of those have severe impairment or distress. 1 in 7 children and teens worldwide experience a mental health condition. In the US, 49.5% of adolescents have a mental disorder, and 22.2% of those have severe impairment or distress.
Young people used to be relatively unscathed from psychological difficulties. It was believed children had no stress and nothing to worry about. According to a study posted by the American Psychological Association; In recent years, evidence reveals the contrary. The rate of individuals reporting symptoms consistent with major depression in the last 12 months increased 52 percent in adolescents from 2005 to 2017 (from 8.7 percent to 13.2 percent) and 63 percent in young adults age 18 to 25 from 2009 to 2017 (from 8.1 percent to 13.2 percent).
There was also a 71 percent increase in young adults experiencing serious psychological distress in the previous 30 days from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.7 percent to 13.1 percent). The rate of young adults with suicidal thoughts or other suicide-related outcomes increased 47 percent from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.0 percent to 10.3 percent).
There was no significant increase in the percentage of older adults experiencing depression or psychological distress during corresponding time periods. The researchers even saw a slight decline in psychological distress in individuals over 65.
How can we care for the mental health for students? We can start by looking at what we believe causes, or exacerbates mental illness.
WHAT CAUSES MENTAL health issues IN STUDENTS?
What has changed in the past fifty years to cause an increase in stress and disability? People always ask me if there is an increase, or are we just noticing and diagnosing more? I believe both is true. We are noticing and diagnosing every twitch, however, there are definitively more people struggling now. 50 years ago there was a stigma to acknowledging mental health issues.
The diagnostic criteria for diagnosing has changed during the past couple of decades.
To provide mental health for students, we first need to unravel how they are getting to this point. Take a look at the wellness wheel. Basically this wheel has a spoke with different areas and components that make us each who we are. Every person’s wellness wheel will be different, and that’s ok! The variances make us who we are. However, the outer ring has underlying components that impact each of us.
You’ll see spokes on the wellness wheel for emotional, intellectual, spiritual, physical, occupational, and social. If one of these spokes are deflated, or deficient, we might see mental health issues like stress, anxiety, worries, or even harsher results.
Environmental impacts on mental health
We can also take a look at how environmental considerations impact mental health. These issues compound on our students because they might have something at home that they bring with them to school, emotionally. They might experience different things at home and then think about it at school. It’s a trauma response in some cases. In other cases, it might not seem like not getting enough sleep or a nutritious diet effects mental health, but it does. And we see that overflow at school when our students are under stress of keeping up with their peers, socializing, stressing out about grades or physical performance, or any other aspect of the school day.
Here are some environmental considerations that impact mental health in students:
Diet impacts mental health. People eat horribly now. Everything is processed, full of colored dyes and preservatives, or artificial ingredients. Efforts are being made in schools to add some healthy choices, but kids are not picking fruit and vegetables. Schools also realize students need to eat something, so they opt to offer popular choices like sugary cereal, Pop Tarts, Doritos, pizza, bread sticks, and French fries. I cringe when I see what parents pack for their kid’s daily snack. It takes work to make your children eat and enjoy healthy food. I would rather eat a Pop Tart than carrots. There have been correlations between colored dyes and attention problems.
Exercise and mental health (or lack of exercise). Schools make efforts to send students outside for recess, but they can not make them play. If the weather is slightly off, they stay indoors and watch movies. Parents are not sending their children outside to play all day, or taking them to the park. We have students come to our school program at age four, and have no idea how to play on a playground. Heavy work organizes the sensory and central nervous system. This impacts brain function.
Genetics and mental health– There is definitely a genetic component to what is plaguing our young people. This goes for all types of genetic diagnoses. For example, the rate of autism was one in ten thousand thirty years ago. It is now less than one in 40. When interviewing parents, more often than not, one of the parents admits to anxiety, depression, mental illness, ADHD, or some other ailment. When there is a diagnosis or undiagnosed challenges that students experience, there can be mental health issues also occurring, simply because of the challenges that neurodiversity brings in various settings and environments.
Technology and mental health– People rave about technological advancements, but they do not spend enough time assessing the damage it is doing. The magnetic waves emanating off technology is harmful. There is a relatively new term, Virtual Autism, on the rise. Post–Digital Nannying Autism Syndrome (PDNAS) in another term used for virtual autism. Check out my post on Virtual Autism for more insight. Children with autism are prone to anxiety ,obsessive-compulsive traits, social anxiety. Screen time is associated with increased risk for OCD and social anxiety, while contributing to high arousal and poor coping skills. Serotonin regulation and amygdala changes have been implicated in screen time.
Social media and mental health– Everything seems to be public knowledge. Rumors spread like wildfire. Bullying and harassment continue to rise. There is a lot of pressure to live up to the expectations of friends and celebrities on social media. People unknowingly skew their social media feeds. They post only the great things happening, or fill their feed with unhappy thoughts depending on their mood. My Facebook feed looks like one vacation after another. I have had friends facing divorce, that came as a surprise to everyone, solely based on their social media profile. While this can be a great way for people to connect, it causes anxiety and stress at the same time.
Internet accessibility and mental health– Information is just a button away. We used to have to wait to talk to a doctor; now we can Google our symptoms. This helps people stay informed, but also has the potential to cause undue worry. Because everything is just a touch away, we do not have to wait for anything, or exhibit impulse control. Young people have access to inappropriate content that they are not mature enough to understand, or find themselves addicted to gambling, pornography, shopping, or diagnosing all their friends with illness.
People are not talking (or listening) – This is a big one but not something that we think of right away. Conversations consist of video clips, memes, and text messages. That is not adequate conversation for processing feelings and information. Non face to face communication can be misinterpreted. Parents and teachers are busy. They are not sitting down talking with children and really listening to what is being expressed. In addition, children are not building the social skills to know how to talk about their feelings. If you read about teen crime or suicide, there is often something caregivers missed because they were not paying attention.
Pressure to succeed and the mental health issues that result– A grade of 70 or a C is an average grade. When did people decide a C was below average, and only A’s were acceptable? There is a ton of pressure for students to make all A’s, whether they are in fact A students or not. Teachers are blamed if they are not giving out enough 100’s on papers. If your friends around you are all getting great grades, and you are average, it can feel like a failure. My daughter hung out with gifted students. The norm in her social life was to be above average. When she, or her peers were not perfect, there was an uptick in anxiety and negative coping.
WHEW, THAT IS A LOT GOING ON
The list above is only the tip of the iceberg. None of those theories occurs in isolation. Many students are affected by several factors at once. This can be a double or triple whammy to their fragile mental health. I have sleepless nights thinking about the damage we are doing to our young people. I am afraid we are not going to turn the clocks back to a simpler time, but continue to cause more difficulties for children. What do we do? We put a small band aid on a gaping wound.
HOW DO WE HELP IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH FOR STUDENTS?
Mental health promotion and prevention interventions aim tostrengthen an individual’s capacity to regulate emotions, enhance alternatives to risk-taking behaviours, build resilience for managing difficult situations and adversity, and promote supportive social environments and social networks.
There are some factors like genetics that we are not able to readily change. We can however, change many of the other factors. It starts by providing a better environment and foundation for our kids. Parents can start this at home. As therapists, provide education to families on the importance of diet, exercise, and a good sleep routine.
Limit technology – The Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two not be exposed to screens at all, 2–5-year-olds less than one hour per day, and older children be limited to two hours a day. Therapists can be mindful of adding technology to treatment sessions. Yes, children will work better for an iPad, but there has to be a better way. It’s a must to balance screentime for kids and teens. This screen time checklist is a good way to get started.
Limit or be vigilant about social media presence. Parents hate to have to watch their kids Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook feeds. It feels like an invasion of privacy to be looking over their shoulder, or snooping on emails and text messages. As a therapist, be vigilant to what your students have access to.
Normalize appropriate grades. Emphasize appropriate expectations for students. Not all students can achieve great grades, but rather they should be pushed to their potential and demonstrate good effort. Encourage children that the most important measure of success is effort.
Talk with your kids. Start by teaching them to express themselves, either through words or pictures. Mental health for students starts by talking and listening. Practice listening. Children will often open up in therapy sessions (OT, PT, speech) because we have helped them with self-regulation, and they are in their just right zone. We take the time work with them one on one, or in small groups. We put a significant amount of pressure on ourselves to provide jam packed treatment sessions. This is a great work ethic, but make sure there is time for talking and listening. I will often get much further in OT sessions with a student, than if they go to traditional counseling.
Educate on mental health. Start talking to school administration, teachers, parents, and other community members. Make them aware of the challenges facing our students. I wish more parents had parenting classes, and pediatricians were more vigilant. OTs often build a great rapport with parents and other support people. We become trusted members of the team. Use this trust to provide support and education to families.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN STUDENTS ALREADY HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS, and we are beyond prevention?
Sometimes, despite all our efforts, students still suffer with mental illness. We need to be hyper vigilant with these students. After removing and monitoring potential hazards, we need to offer support. Support comes in teaching coping skills. Students often lack the skills to deal with adversity. Not only do they not have the skills to talk about their feelings, but they do not have the mechanisms for dealing with them.
This is a heavy burden and conversation. It is easy to get bogged down in all that effects our young people. Like I mentioned, I lose sleep over this. I try to remind myself to do what I can, and help one person at a time. I try and practice what I preach (although I could eat better and shop less). Try and be an advocate for change, even if it only effects the mental health of a couple of students.
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.
Let’s face it, the heart candy and chocolates are already in the stores and children are already anticipating the consumption of all the sweet treats they are going get. Some children have even begun to plan their Valentine’s gifts and handouts for their friends and family. Add these heart crafts to your Valentine’s Day occupational therapy activities!
One of our newest heart crafts is this free Valentine’s Day Hat Template. Kids can color, cut, and assemble the heart hat in OT sessions, in the classroom, or at home. This printable heart hat makes a great craft during February, but it doubles as a skill-builder: Use it to work on fine motor skills, hand strength, scissor skills, eye-hand coordination, executive functioning skills, and more.
Heart Crafts for Occupational Therapy
Whether it is a pink, red, or purple heart, OT practitioners simply love crafts that incorporate a variety of skills and give the flexibility for each step to be modified, so as to upgrade or downgrade as needed, to allow all children to engage in the craft making process while achieving some level of success.
You’ll find heart craft creations that range from easy to more complex, making them accessible by younger or novice learners that have fewer hand skills, or more advanced learners that need more skill advancement and require increased time to complete.
There are numerous enjoyable heart craft ideas in this post. If you need something sweet to jazz up your therapy session, classroom, or at-home theme, this post is right where you need to be. Read on and get ideas that don’t include tasty sweets, but do include all the sweetness of the Valentines holiday!
Wearable Heart Crafts:
These fun, festive heart crafts can include wearable jewelry, ornaments, or provide a source of Valentine’s Day gifts. They will encourage separation of the two sides of the hand, in-hand manipulation, precision grasp, and arch development, making them purposeful and productive.
Heart Keychain Craft– Make a batch of salt dough and create a heart keychain. This is a great multi-step activity for learners to develop executive functioning skills.
These paper crafts include folding, painting, cutting, pasting, weaving, and writing.
All of these actions will help your learner of most any age and skill level to work on bilateral hand use, eye-hand coordination, scissor grasp, hand dominance, delicate touch, grasp patterns, and visual motor skills.
Another easy heart craft for preschoolers is to simply cut out paper hearts and then fold the paper in half. You can also reverse the steps and first fold paper in half and then cut along lines to make a heart. Then unfold the paper.
Foam Crafts:
These foam crafts are not only cute, but they help learners develop skills such as proper scissor grasp, cutting skills, rotational manipulation, sequencing, and precision skills.
Once complete, some provide a functional use in the end – a bookmark!
Cardboard is a material that develops hand strength, pincer grasp, bilateral coordination, hand dominance, stability, and eye-hand coordination. Some of the crafts listed will provide opportunity for lacing, wrapping, poking, cutting, and tearing, all of which give hand skill development a real challenge.
These fun cardboard crafts will allow focus on a variety of skills while being highly engaging and rewarding.
While these food inspired heart crafts, do use food as a medium, these festive food crafts will include only decorations and a few ideas for a way to feed the birds.
Learners will work on building precision grasp, gross grasp, bilateral coordination, and eye hand coordination skills.
These tin foil crafts are unique in appearance, but also help build maker grasp, fine motor control, and tool pressure. If the child tears off their own piece of foil from the roll and wraps the foil themselves, they will also be working on bilateral coordination and touch pressure.
Older or more advanced learners can be presented with the opportunity to use a glue gun (always use caution with these as even the cold glue guns get hot at the tip). Learners can display their own creativity with these crafts.
In The Valentine’s Day Kit offered by the OT Toolbox, you will find printable heart activities and craft materials. Just download, print, and start building skills. This pack is a great tool for developing a variety of fine motor skills for Valentine’s day or all year round!
We hope you enjoyed all of the crafts included in this round-up of ideas and that you have found exactly what you are looking for to help the learners in your life enjoy Valentines day and celebrate the LOVE of this season!
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!
Grab a copy of the Valentine’s Day Fine Motor Kit for fine motor and visual motor activities with a heart and Valentine theme.
If you are a school-based OT or on a team along with school based occupational therapy professionals, you’ve probably heard this conversation before. We’re talking about what to do to support students that have tried everything when it comes to handwriting interventions. At a certain point, after we’ve exhausted all attempts with handwriting modifications and accommodations and the student STILL can not functionally and efficiently write in a legible manner, we need to move to technology as a mode of communication.
This topic comes up a lot! First and foremost, therapists aim to teach skills using least restrictive or adaptive methods. We only add tools, adaptations, or modifications when traditional methods of writing do not work.
Moving from Handwriting to Technology as a Modification
After 25+ years as a school based OT, I’ve seen a lot of students that have “tried it all” when it comes to handwriting. At the end of the day, function is priority. We need the students to participate in their learning environment. There have been many cases where the OT recommendation is to move to assistive technology as a form of communication.
There are times when our adaptations and modifications do not work to create written work. At this point, we can explore some assistive technology to use when handwriting is not an option.
In this post we will explore what tools, programs and assistive technology to try when handwriting interventions have been exhausted.
This can be a huge transition for some students but also one that is exactly the type of support that helps them efficiently and effectively learn in the classroom setting.
Taking pen to paper is a form of written expression that has been around for thousands of years. The first language is believed to have been in 3200 BC in Mesopotamia. People made impressions in clay tablets to communicate, using a stylus. Fast forward to modern day, and we are still using some sort of stylus or tool to communicate.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to communicate via handwriting. Whether they have a physical or cognitive disability, something is preventing them from being able to effectively use handwriting. This is when we start to explore assistive technology to use when handwriting is not an option.
It’s part of the occupational therapy scope of practice for school based OT in many cases because getting the student set up with effective technology helps them participate in the school day. We can then move to a consultative basis.
How to Use Oral Communication as Assistive technology
Fortunately, there are many other ways to communicate when handwriting is not an option. More and more assistive technology is being invented to aide in augmentative communication. Check out this post on Types of Communication.
When looking at spoken language, there are many ways to express ourselves other than verbal words:
Verbal communication can be used to dictate words and thoughts
Nonverbal communication may include gestures, body language, eye gaze, proximity, or appearance
Sign language is another form of nonverbal communication
Non-verbal communication in a digital world is becoming more important than ever. Electronic devices combine written communication, pictures, and symbols. There are several types of assistive technology devices that are used for non-verbal communication. These range from low tech output such as a read aloud book or choice board, to a dynamic machine with layers of words and phrases. These can be accessed by tapping on the screen/board, or through eye gaze technology.
Remember that OT has a role in using AAC in therapy and in the functional settings.
ACC (augmentative and alternative communication) devices in therapy can be simple or complex. They might include cut out pictures or symbols that are laminated and velcro’d to a strip. Or they might include higher technology.
There is no-tech AAC which is using hands or gestures in sign language or by indicating or gesturing needs and wants. In these instances, OT might not be involved as much in the communication aspect, other than knowing how the student communicates so we can support them in our OT sessions (if occurring).
Then there is low-tech AAC which would include a picture exchange board (PECS). When this is the case, OT could very well be utilized. I’ve worked with students who are new to PECS and who are very familiar with the system. I’ve supported students who have changing tone and need adaptations to use their PECS board, both a non-digital style with just laminated cards, and a speech-generating tablet type of device.
Then, there is a level above that. You might also see speech generating devices. These can include pictures, keyboards, word prediction, etc.
For all of these levels of AAC, we as OT professionals might help the student with visual scanning, visual tracking, visual attention, focusing skills, and other visual motor skills. We could also work on the physical components: finger isolation, tone, wrist extension and stability so they can point to and touch the picture, touch pressure, graded resistance so they can pull their hand or finger away from the picture after pressing it, and so many other aspects of using the device.
How to Use Written Communication as Assistive technology
You’ve probably seen this situation before: A student comes onto the OT caseload as a kindergartener. They struggle with letter formation, line use, letter size, and spacing. Then in first and second grade, they continue to struggle with these areas. They may make some small improvements, but requirements increase, paper line size decreases, and handwriting speed expectations increase. Then in second or third grade, cursive is introduced. There are now more motor plans in mind. The challenges with writing requirements, length of written work, speed, etc. continue in fourth and fifth grade. Then middle school arrives. Suddenly, we have this student that has tried everything in the therapy toolbox and they still struggle with illegible work. What do we do now?
This situation happens more often than you might think. There’s the carryover piece, which is a HUGE part of legible writing success. We need these kiddos to practice the skills they are learning in an OT session at home.
So when we have this situation, the occupational therapy provider on the IEP team might suggest that for functional participation sake, it’s time to move onto technology as a means of written communication.
Now, that doesn’t mean that this student will no longer use a pencil or pen, ever again. That’s not the case at all! What we usually mean is that for classwork, we’ll suggest supports like Word documents or Google docs over writing a paragraph on paper. We might screenshot a worksheet onto a tablet and use a stylus to write on the digital version of the worksheet. (There are apps for that!)
When traditional forms of writing have been exhausted, assistive technology can be used. This can range from low to high tech options:
A name stamp (Amazon affiliate link)- This simple self-inking stamp can generate a name or other pieces of information, if your learner is able to push down on the stamp. Just being able to sign one’s name opens doors for communication.
Dictation- This is one of the easiest ways to facilitate functional communication. Many tests and other assignments can be dictated orally to a scribe. Teachers or other caregivers can write down what the learner communicates verbally. The transcriber needs to make sure they write exactly what is dictated without interjecting their edit or opinion. To take it a step further, you can use the dictation tool on Word or Google docs as a way to have the student use modification independently. Read on for more information on software for this skill…
Software for dictation – there is software built into many computer systems that can transcribe dictated information into written communication. The learner needs to be able to read what is written and correct it for errors. Amazon has a speech to text program. Some others include Apple Dictation, Dragon by Nuance, or Google Docs voice typing.
Predictive text is an input technology that facilitates typing on a device by suggesting words the user may wish to insert in a text field. Predictions are based on the context of other words in the message and the first letters typed. A lot of devices can have this set up right in the settings. The user simply taps on a word instead of typing it out on a computer keyboard or mobile device’s keyboard. Predictive text can significantly speed up the input process. This can be used on Apple or Android phones, as well as Google G Board, Apple QuickType, or Typewise. Again the user needs to be able to read in order to select the predictive text option or correct errors.
Text to speech is like a read aloud book or screen reader. This is useful in written communication as the text to speech can read what is written so the user can check for errors.
Traditional typing is a quick and effective tool for written communication. This can be done via a traditional keyboard and screen, or with adaptive features. There are endless combinations of assistive technology, using different types of keyboards and mice.
Assistive technology paired with typing or computer work is another means of communication. There is such a diverse amount of assistive technology to use when handwriting is not an option. People with physical difficulties can use a head movement or eye gaze tracking device for output. While this can be labor intensive, it is satisfying to be independent.
Adaptive Computer Mouse – Users with limited finger dexterity can use a special joystick controller to navigate the computer screen. There is a large trackball mouse, a graphic stylus, a foot mouse, different sized mouse, or a touchscreen option.
Users with vision/hearing loss, motor, or cognitive impairment can use assistive technology also. Computers can read aloud for those with visual impairment and add closed captions for users with hearing loss.
NOT ALL ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY NEEDS TO BE ADVANCED
Many of the adaptations involve computers. This is the most straightforward option. A computer does not have to be the only option. Some people do not have the resources or desire to use advanced technology. Picture symbols can serve as a simple way to communicate. Students tap on the picture to represent a word. You can create a binder with words and pictures, a Velcro board, or picture exchange system. These can be single words or common phrases.
Types of Keyboards that can help with typing
There are different types of keyboards we can consider, too.
These are found on Amazon, so it’s not too difficult of a set-up or hard to access them…
small keyboards– these can be used for just one handed typing or range of motion challenges.
ergonomic keyboards– We use these for a variety of needs including tone or range of motion needs.
separate numeric keypads– This is something we might use for students that struggle with visual overwhelm or have attention needs.
early learning keyboards– This one is nice because the letters are color-coded by vowels and consonants. It also uses lower case letters which is helpful for younger leaners.
HOW TO GET HELP FOR finding ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Much of what therapists and other professionals do for people with special needs is trial and error. Because we are all human, there is not one answer or solution that fits everyone’s needs. I have used a lot of trial and error during my career.
There are times when something seemed like such a great adaptation, but the kid would not use it. Often, one solution was not good enough, I needed multiple layers of adaptations.
Some school districts have specialized therapists for assistive technology. Our district has an OT who is a certified AT specialist. She knows all the new software, products, and different options available. Because this is all she does, she is able to spend a considerable amount of time with our students, problem solving their needs.
In the community there are different organizations to help people with different needs. There are organizations for the blind, deaf, physically disabled, autistic, and more. Also, there are companies specializing in assistive technology that you can contact to do an evaluation.
What I love about being an OT is not having to say, “I can’t fix that.” There is usually some work around, or adaptation I can figure out if I keep trying. My advices is to keep looking, experimenting, asking, and trying to find solutions.
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.
Here at the OT Toolbox we write about many topics that include “how to” suggestions. One of the suggestions we often recommend is Backward Chaining. There have been several people asking recently about Backward Chaining. In this post, we will review or highlight what “chaining” is, the difference between backward and forward chaining, and explore some usable examples to include in your treatment. As seasoned therapists, we may forget that terms like “backward chaining” were once foreign to us also.
The good news, you are most likely doing some sort of chaining with your learners, but do not realize that is what it is called, or have not given it specific thought. For clinical documentation, as well as treatment, it is effective to understand what techniques you are using.
WHAT IS BACKWARD CHAINING?
Let us start with chaining. What is chaining? When teaching/learning a task that involves a series of steps, it is useful for them to be performed in a certain order. Chaining can help break a complex task into a sequence of simpler steps which are learned one step at a time. When using the chaining method, you can teach each step in sequence, or in isolation.
In occupational therapy, we’re working with kids in therapy on functional tasks…and that might be ADLs or IADLs. Chaining strategies can be used in every one of these tasks.
We use task analysis to break down and define the series of steps needed to finish a task. For the task to get started, or continue, we use stimuli such as a gesture, or a spoken word. Check out this post on Prompting to better understand all the types of physical and verbal gestures we use to elicit a response.
There are three types of chaining:
Backward chaining
Forward chaining
Total task chaining
Each achieves the same result, task completion, but are taught differently. Read on to find out possible reasons to use backward versus forward chaining.
Let’s go over backward chaining in OT sessions to start:
BACKWARD CHAINING in Learning New Tasks
Backward chaining involves learning/mastering the steps in a task chain from the end to the beginning. The instructor (parent, therapist, caregiver, teacher) guides and works with the learner through all the steps of the sequence, leaving the last step for the learner to do on their own. They are praised for their efforts and accomplishments. Once this last step has been mastered. The instructor helps with all the steps except the final two, which the learner does on their own.
The learner continues mastering the steps from the final to beginning steps. They are not learning the task backward, as they continue to work with their therapist from the beginning of the task. In backward chaining, they are showing mastery of the last steps first.
An example of this might be shoe tying. You guide your learner through all the steps of shoe tying, having them pull the two bunny ears tight at the end to complete the task. After they have mastered this step, you can back up to the step right before this, and emphasize this in your teaching. They are still watching and participating with the beginning steps to understand the process, but are performing the end steps independently first.
WHAT IS FORWARD CHAINING?
Forward chaining involves the same task analysis as backward chaining. Whether forward or backward chaining, it is important to break the task down into chunks to better understand the steps to teaching it.
With forward chaining, the instructor (parent, therapist, caregiver, teacher) begins with the first step in the task, prompting the learner to initiate the task themselves. The instructor then helps the learner through all the following steps until completion. Once the learner is proficient at step number one, the instructor will leave steps one and two for them to perform on their own.
You might see forward chaining when brushing teeth. Perhaps your learner starts by getting the toothpaste out of the drawer.
Another task you see this is in baking cookies. We tend to teach our children to measure and pour the ingredients before mixing, pouring onto the tray, or putting them into the oven. After they can measure and pour the ingredients, they can learn to mix them with a spoon or their hands. This progresses until the learner is able to fully bake cookies on their own.
What About TOTAL TASK CHAINING?
Total task chaining is teaching a task step by step, having your learner do the whole task with you, or learn it all at the same time. For some children, this is too complex of a learning style. They often get overwhelmed and shut down halfway through. Teachers and parents often use this style.
Examples of total task chaining to teach a skill:
One example of total task chaining that comes to mind is doing laundry. We teach about using the washing machine as a step of the task, but usually, we walk through the whole process. It can be hard for kids with attention or working memory challenges to remember what to do first when putting their clothes into the washing machine!
Another example of total task chaining in teaching a skill is in handwashing. The whole task is usually taught at once in sequence. With forward chaining your learner would turn on the water as the first part of their task. In backward chaining they can turn off the water or dry their hands, however you do your task analysis.
WHEN TO USE FORWARD VERSUS BACKWARD CHAINING
When we work with students, how do we know which strategy is best: forward chaining, backward chaining, or total task chaining?
Think about how you teach tasks. My guess is that you vary your method based on the learner, the complexity of the task, and learning style. We often do this reflexively without giving it too much forethought. The issue caregivers usually have is, offering too much support, jumping in too soon to help, or helping well beyond mastery.
Backward chaining works well when you want your learner to experience that sense of accomplishment. We have all seen their excitement when they pull the final loops on their shoe laces, or take a bite of something they created. Even though they did not do the task independently, it felt like it, as they finished it.
Forward chaining, on the other hand, is effective when your learner can benefit from mastering all the steps in sequential order. This type of chaining also works to help grab your learner’s attention at the beginning of the task when they are most engaged. Forward chaining is recommended if the child can successfully complete more steps at the start of the behavior chain. It has the advantage of using behavior momentum, as the 1st step is often the simplest, easiest step. Think again about shoe tying. Learners are usually engaged in the first task, then lose interest or sight of the task after the first couple of steps.
Whichever method you choose, the outcome can still be the same. Independence and mastery. This is going to vary with each task and learner. It may be trial and error also, to determine what method works best.
WHAT ABOUT CHAINING WHEN MASTERY IS NOT THE GOAL?
When we imagine that a learner might never have the capability of doing a task independently, it is still important to teach the task to their ability. Many successful adults can not cook independently, but can gather ingredients, mix them together, and help in the kitchen.
This concept is difficult for many caregivers to accept. Why should they spend time and energy working on bathing if their child is never going to be independent? One of the key components of development is autonomy. Learners can take pride in what they are able to do for themselves. While this takes more effort on the caregiver’s part, it is part of being an effective and responsible instructor.
The second reason for continuing to strive for mastery is, that you can never be one hundred percent certain your learner is not going to exceed your expectations. Many parents can tell you they never thought their child could learn to read, get dressed, or feed themselves.
BACKWARD CHAINING EXAMPLES
The best ways to use backward chaining in teaching skills is to take a task and break it down into steps. Then, work through the steps in reverse. The more times you go through the steps, the more trials the child gets of the first steps of the task.
So, if we were teaching a child to put on a shirt, we would first break down it down into steps, with the finals step being emphasized first. Example of steps for putting on a t-shirt.
Break the tasks down into steps:
Lay the shirt front side down on the bed/table with the bottom edge facing your body
Pick up the shirt and place it over your head
Push one arm through the sleeve
Push the other arm through the sleeve
Pull the shirt down.
During the backward chain, you would do all the steps for your learner up until “pull the shirt down.” Teach/instruct your learner to pull their shirt down. After this has been mastered, you can teach your learner to push their arm through the sleeve.
When analyzing your task, you can add or subtract details that encompass the task. Does the task include getting the shirt? How about turning it right side out, or smoothing it out?
It is difficult to know when a task begins and ends. Make this part of your task analysis. You can always teach the basics of a task, then add more details once it is mastered.
Then, you can do this process over and over again for any skill you are teaching the child to do!
OTHER RESOURCES FOR CHAINING
Activity Analysis – an activity analysis is a process of breaking an activity down into its individual steps and its detailed subparts while examining all its components with each activity being evaluated skillfully to determine its therapeutic value.
Hopefully after reading this post, you did a sigh of relief that you have been using these techniques all along! We often teach by trial and error or instinct. This is a good start, but you can be more efficient and effective with a little forethought and planning. Trying anything new is difficult, but once you try it a few times, it will get easier and more efficient.
Be sure to stop over to The OT Toolbox Membership in January, because we’ll have chaining tools and activities to support life skills coming soon!
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.
Time management is an executive functioning skill that we address all the time in occupational therapy sessions. Even when we aren’t specifically addressing “time management goals”, I find myself working on this essential organization and attention skill! Oh, and by the way, time management doesn’t just mean doing multiple tasks at once. Although that’s something we need to address below…but what we mean when we say time management is actually managing your time effectively, even for one task at a time. This is huge when it comes to completing life skills tasks, planning and prioritization skills, and basically just doing things throughout the day.
Let’s go deeper into this cognitive skill!
Understanding Time Management Challenges in Executive Functioning
“Time is what we want most, but use the worst. ”William Penn. Effective time management is the executive function skill that we strive for, but eludes many of us. I read that no one cleans a house faster than someone having unexpected company!
Is there a “right way” to manage time? Is the goal to get the task finished on time, whether you procrastinate until the last moment, or evenly space out the job? There is a case for both sides.
In this article we will explore what time management means, and develop some effective strategies to better manage your time. You’ll find some ideas and strategies to use with occupational therapy clients that struggle with executive functioning skills.
Below, you’ll find a section titled, Six Key Elements of Effective Time Management. You’ll notice that each of these elements is an executive functioning skill. That’s because these skills and elements are all related. When we work on executive functioning skills in occupational therapy sessions, we definitely address the time management piece in order to help our therapy clients get things done, stay on task, keep track of time, and manage the time they have to do the thing that they are working on. This is a huge life skill!
Part of it is that we need to stop and think throughout our tasks. It requires impulse control to use this ability during daily tasks.
Time management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time to complete a task.
Traditionally, I think we referred to time management and multi-tasking as kind of the same thing. In this way, it’s more of juggling two or more tasks and managing that time. I think that since my college days, the ability to multi-task effectively complete more than one task at the same time, and to complete it well has been debunked. I remember when it was recommended to write your ability to multi-task on your resume. We all know we have to juggle more than one client, their needs (follow up with family, write a letter of recommendation for AT, print off that home program…) at the same time? Not easy!
Or have you ever tried listening to a podcast and texting at the same time? You end up blocking out the auditory input while thinking out the text that you are writing. Doing two things at once typically doesn’t work out the way that you home, which is to get things done faster.
We need to manage our time all day long. We use this skill to get up in the morning and get ready for our day in the time we have before we need to leave the house. We need time management in our routines and to follow schedules. We use time management to complete projects or homework assignments. Basically, this life skill is a cognitive skill we use under the surface all day long!
Our resource, the Time Management Cards help to work on this skill in actionable ways. It makes practicing this skill into a game that carries over to daily life.
Get time management right, and you’ll end up working smarter, not harder, to get more done in less time, even when time is tight and pressures are high. The highest achievers manage their time exceptionally well. The website Mind Tools has some resources available to work on learning effective time management.
“Only 12% of people have a dedicated time management system, a recent Timewatch survey shows. Despite the alarmingly low numbers, many people believe that proper time management reduces stress, increases productivity, and brings more focus and confidence at work. Still we tend to lose a lot of time on unnecessary things, a minute here, ten minutes there, and we end up with an entire wasted day on meaningless tasks. Learning how to manage our time is a skill that requires constant work. So, to use time in the best way possible, it’s important to come up with a system and schedule that makes us use our time more efficiently” Milojevek, 2023.
“Better three hours too soon, than a minute too late” – William Shakespeare.
Is this your philosophy? Many people believe it is far better to be early than late. But three hours? That does not seem like effective time management. Better to be productive than show up three hours early and just sit around.
Effective time management is about managing time. It is neither showing up three hours early or one minute late. It is about knowing the skills to show up on time, or to get things done in a given time frame.
Developing Routine and Structure: Time Management Tips for OTs
One of the first stumbling blocks to time management is task initiation. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. “You may delay, but time will not.” — Benjamin Franklin.
Some people are great at time management, while others struggle to be productive. Here is a great example. I love writing these blog posts, but I often do not manage my time effectively to get them done right away. I sit in front of the computer, check Facebook, shop a little on Amazon, take a brief nap, take the dog out, get a snack and twelve other things before finally settling down. They get done on time, but I would be much more efficient if I sat down and concentrated right away.
This scenario reminds me of the book (Amazon affiliate link), If you Give a Mouse a Cookieby Laura Numeroff. In this cute series, the little mouse starts a task, then gets distracted by ten more activities before circling back around to get that cookie. (I think we need a version of “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie” for therapy providers…!)
Again, this begs the question, as long as you finish the task on time, does it matter how you get there?
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” — Abraham Lincoln. I feel this. I know my deadline, but often spend the first ¾ of it fooling around.
Occupational therapy practitioners (and Speech Therapy and Physical Therapy professionals as well), know the need of time management. When you have 6 evals to write up, 30 notes, and you have 30 minutes to do it, the math just does not add up. This is where therapy burnout comes in, big time.
Caregiver burnout is the same way. It’s hard to do the day to day thing (work, caring for children, cooking, cleaning, activities) AND caring for an older parent or another individual that requires hands-on care. There’s just not enough time in the day to get it all done and that’s where we feel the burnout.
“TIME WILL NOT SLOW DOWN WHEN SOMETHING UNPLEASANT LIES AHEAD” - HARRY POTTER
SIX KEY ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT
As mentioned above, executive functioning skills is time management and time management is executive functioning skills. Look at the elements of time management listed below and you’ll see what I mean by this.
“You’ve got to know what you want. This is central to acting on your intentions. When you know what you want, you realize that all there is left then is time management. You’ll manage your time to achieve your goals because you clearly know what you’re trying to achieve in your life.” — Patch Adams
Prioritization – identify which tasks are most important and give them more focus
Planning – think ahead to what needs to be done so you can be more efficient and not waste time.
Goal setting – set SMART goals to create a sense of accountability. Breaking down goals into actionable steps is a big part of this.
Focus, aka Attention – Attention to the task at hand is a huge part of this. Basically, avoid multitasking and distractions (like scrolling TikTok, Facebook, and Amazon) “The irony of multitasking is that it’s exhausting: when you’re doing two or three things simultaneously, you use more energy than the sum of energy required to do each task independently. You’re also cheating yourself because you’re not doing anything excellently.” — Twyla Tharp
Organization – Organization of time and activity means we might group similar tasks together to avoid overlapping. Think of it as body mechanics for your brain! When we talk about time management, organization also refers to keeping items in their designated place, like a student keeping all of the school materials in the backpack so they don’t have to gather up books, pencils, tablet, and other materials in the morning. It also means the backpack is kept in a spot where they know where it will be in the morning.
Self-Control (impulse control)- teaching kids impulse control is a big part of this. “Time management requires self-discipline, self-mastery, and self-control more than anything else.” — Brian Tracy
Each of these factors help us to use the time we have effectively. For our students, this means they use the 10 minutes they have to get out the door in the morning to catch the school bus and still manage to put on their shoes, find their backpack, fill their water bottle, and walk out the door.
Next, let’s cover exactly how to work on time management skills in occupational therapy, during activities that also target other OT goals like problem solving skills.
Helping Clients with Executive Functioning Issues Develop Time Management Skills
There are practical tips for Occupational Therapy providers to use to help clients with teaching time awareness and time management skills.
There are great resources out there to learn to manage time effectively:
Time Management Task Cards – These Time Management Task Cards are an effective way to talk about tasks, break them down into measurable chunks, and understand the pitfalls that prevent them from getting finished on time.
Executive Functioning Skills – teaching planning and prioritization. Planning and prioritizing tasks is a big concern for many kids (and adults) who struggle. These skill areas are essential for initiating tasks and following through with projects.
WHY SHOULD YOU PRACTICE TIME MANAGEMENT?
With better-managed time, we can satisfy all our responsibilities, work demands, and goals. Most importantly, we reduce the risk of feeling overwhelmed by stress, feeling like a failure, and other poor psychological wellbeing issues (Aeon & Aguinis, 2017).
“You’ve got to know what you want. This is central to acting on your intentions. When you know what you want, you realize that all there is left then is time management. You’ll manage your time to achieve your goals because you clearly know what you’re trying to achieve in your life.” — Patch Adams
Helping Students with Executive Functioning Issues Improve Time Use
Everyone has to start somewhere when learning to manage their time. This includes our students and young people. The fact is that executive functioning development is a long progression that isn’t completed until adulthood. But, development starts from a young age. Rather than nagging and reminding, empower people to manage their own time.
Preschoolers can learn about time in days, weeks, months of the year. They can practice waiting and taking turns. Teach Time to Kids is a great article to get started.
Young children need to learn the consequences of wasting time or poor time management.
Teach organization skills. If you know where all your stuff is, you will find less time looking for it, and more time getting to work.
Use a timer – sometimes people lose track of time. A timer can remind them how much time is left.
Setting alarms can also help keep people on track.
Write reminders. Using the timer app on a phone or tablet is good for this.
Make visual schedules and to do lists. Kids can move one item from the “to do” pile to the “done” pile.
Make a checklist for morning, after school, and nighttime. Include things like feeding the pet, making lunch, etc.
Teach kids to set priorities. What are the “must do activities” versus the “want to tasks”? This does not mean always focusing on the must do tasks, but mixing it up to get things done.
Work on estimating time – teach kids to guesstimate how long they think it will take to finish something. You can check back to see if they were accurate.
Plan for long term assignments. My husband teaches college students. I can’t tell you the number of times a student asks for an extension because they are sick, or something happens the day before an assignment is due. He constantly has to remind them they have known about the assignment for at least a week. A (Amazon affiliate link) large desk calendar is a great way to map out the month.
Make a list and cross things off as they are completed.
Try a brain dump.
Pick the top three most important things that need to get done in a day and work on those things first.
Reward yourself and take breaks. Do small parts of the task and then take a short break. Remember to set a timer for the break so you know when to get back to the task.
One of my new favorite go to sites is Teachers Pay Teachers. This site is full of inexpensive or free activities made by regular people like you and I. I find that the people who create these activities are in the trenches, so they know what works. This site did not disappoint in the search for time management activities.
Doing chores is a great way to get kids started on managing their time.
Strategies for Teaching Kids to Manage Time and Stay on Task in Therapy
Occupational therapy sessions are great place to work on the time management strategies in a low-pressure environment. We can help our students and clients to carryover these skills to the real world. They can then self-assess how they did and keep building the skills!
Some of the best strategies for teaching kids to manage time in occupational therapy is to use the strategies we listed above in a small task like a craft or another meaningful functional task. After all, that’s what OT is!
So, working on time management skills when doing a craft in a 30 minute OT session might look like this:
Make a checklist- As an OT, I LOVE using checklists in therapy! You can write down the steps of doing the craft and have the child check off each item. Basically, this creates a clear sequence for the craft (e.g., gather supplies, cut, color, assemble). Then, you’ll want to repeat this checklist routine in future sessions to help kids anticipate each step and stay organized. The benefit is that the checklist offers familiarity and helps with the transition between tasks, making it easier to stay on task throughout the activity.
Use a visual timer- Set up a visual timer to show the entire time allotted for the craft and consider segmenting it by steps (e.g., 5 minutes for cutting, 5 minutes for gluing). Explain that each step has a time frame and let the child check the timer to see how much time remains. This provides a visual cue to keep pace and helps prevent lingering too long on any one part.
Use a time estimation games– This is a good strategy, because it really carries over to functional tasks like getting ready for the day. Ask the child how long they think each part of the craft (e.g., cutting shapes or coloring) will take. Have them write down their guess. Then, after they complete each step of the craft, compare their estimate with the actual time spent. This teaches them to realistically gauge time while adding a fun, game-like element to the session. Kids love this!
Practice self-monitoring skills– I like to use a self-assessment checklist that has bullet points like, I’m on track with time. Encourage the child to pause every few minutes to evaluate their progress with questions like, “Are we on track?” or “Do we need to speed up to finish in time?” You can also set a timer to go off to pause and self-assess. Practicing these self-checks helps build self-awareness and accountability during the activity. It’s another skill that really carries over to functional tasks, especially ones that might have big distraction opportunities, like that phone that is asking for you to open up TikTok. Some kids have a lot of trouble with self awareness, so if that’s a problem, it can help to play some self awareness games to build that skill.
Teach prioritization for multi-step crafts– This is another great skill to develop. You’ll want to help the child so they can explain which parts are essential to complete first (e.g., cutting before gluing). By guiding them through this prioritization, you help them see the importance of task order and staying focused on key elements, especially for crafts with multiple steps.
Reward on-time completion– One of the best parts of completing an OT checklist in a therapy session is the reward activity! Kids love to reach the end of a visual schedule that has their favorite regulating activity (great for heading back to the classroom). This might be something like using the therapy swing or other sensory activity. Basically, you want to help them to celebrate finishing each step within the allotted time. If you don’t want to do an actual activity as the reward, you can offer verbal praise, or add a star to a progress chart. The therapeutic benefit is that you are helping them to reinforce the benefits of staying on task and how completing steps on time lets them enjoy their final product. This strategy helps to boost their confidence in time management!
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” — William James
I hope these ideas helped to support time management skills in building the executive functioning skills needed for completing daily tasks. Whether you are using these time management strategies in therapy sessions or in the classroom or home, they should really help!
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.
The Impulse Control Journal…a printable resource for helping kids strategize executive functioning skill development. When saying “calm down” just isn’t enough…
When a child is easily “triggered” and seems to melt down at any sign of loud noises or excitement…
When you need help or a starting point to teach kids self-regulation strategies…
When you are struggling to motivate or redirect a child without causing a meltdown…
When you’re struggling to help kids explore their emotions, develop self-regulation and coping skills, manage and reflect on their emotions, identify their emotions, and more as they grow…
Grab the Impulse Control Journal to build organizational strategies, planning, prioritization, habits, and mindset in kids.
Every fall when I am unpacking my supplies for the school year, I find the hole punches and smile. Teachers detest hole punchers used by children because of all the snowflakes that end up all over their classroom. As an OT I see the fine motor value of making, picking up, and using all the little punches. Talk about dexterity! If you have some rusty hole punchers, dust them off and revitalize this awesome tool. Today’s post focuses on hole punch activities.
The nice thing about using a simple fine motor task like hole punch tasks is that you can make it as easy or as complicated as needed. The picture has folded paper and hole punched along each fold. This is a great fine motor task!
HOLE PUNCHer TOOLS for Crafts
Before diving into hole punch activities, let’s take a look at the tool first. Hole punchers have evolved over the years, and include some great options! Of course, you have the standard tried and true (Amazon affiliate link) metal puncher. If you have a varied caseload like me, not all of your learners have the hand size or strength to manage this large puncher. For those kiddos, there are many different options (Amazon affiliate links):
Soft Handled Puncher – this puncher is very similar to the standard metal puncher, but comes with a padded grip for easier use
EZ Squeeze Punch – requires 50% less force than traditional hole punch. Can easily punch through 10 sheets of paper. This is a great punch for those learners with poor grip strength or weak hands. It is not great for small hands. This puncher is quite large to get small hands around.
Mini Hole Punch – I love this little gadget. It not only requires less force, but is smaller to get tiny hands around.
Single hole puncher – this guy claims to be able to punch through 20 sheets of paper at once with minimal force. I have not tried this one, but it is next on my list
Swingline Easy Hole Punch – the Swingline puncher boasts a 15 sheet capacity and less pressure needed. This works but is very heavy and large
2 Inch Reach Puncher – this puncher has a longer reach than traditional punchers, for getting further into the paper. May cause less frustration?
I love to use them in crafts and activities where kids can tally off items on a list, use to match letters or numbers, or create small holes as part of a craft. Using the right sized hole puncher is key to success for our little ones who may have hand weakness.
decorative hole punchers for Therapy
Decorative Punch – the style of this punch is different from the others. This style requires you to put the punch down on a stable surface and push the button with fingers or the palm of the hand. It works on different muscle groups than traditional punchers, but still has great usefulness. This hole punch is a great way to target finger isolation.
Not a fan of Amazon? The above are just examples of the types of hole punchers available for purchase. You can find tons of other styles on websites such as Temu, Shein, Target, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Office Depot and more.
There are many benefits of using hole punch activities in occupational therapy.
THE BENEFITS OF HOLE PUNCH ACTIVITIES
I know you are ready to get to the activities, but it is very important to understand the “why” when selecting activities. This helps you select appropriate activities and streamline your therapy sessions to best meet the needs of your learners.
Children have notoriously developed poor hand strength during the past decade. We blame the pandemic, but it started well before we were hit by COVID-19. Electronics play a big role in decreased hand strength. Not only this, but lack of exercise, playground time, heavy work, chores, arts and crafts, and hands on activities have contributed to weak hands.
Check out this post on Grip Strength activities to get you started. From there, click on Finger Strength Exercises. What did you notice in the picture for “Grip Strength Activities”? That little grip strength trainer was highlighted. What does it remind you of? The hole puncher!! I bet your students would be more motivated by making tons of little hole punches, than using a traditional grip strength trainer. I know mine do. We actually have a hand gripper workout post that you can apply to a hole puncher. It’s basically the same muscle set and has a fun and functional component when you use the hole punchers in place of a hand gripper.
The number one thing to remember is that a hole puncher is great for building grip strength. It also works on:
Bilateral coordination – two hands are generally needed for hole punching activities. What better way to work on coordinating both sides of the body
Eye hand coordination – it takes a lot of coordination to line the little punch tool on the exact item to be punched
Arch development – using a hole punch helps develop these important muscles that are used for handwriting, cutting with scissors, and fine motor precision
Graded movements– You need to know how hard to squeeze a hole punch to puncture the paper.
Neat pincer grasp (or fine motor precision) – once you create all the little paper shapes, picking them up requires fine motor precision and builds pinch strength
HOLE PUNCHERS ACTIVITIES
There are endless possibilities for using hole punchers. Every time I look, I find more cute things. Not only can you use the punchers for hand strengthening fun, you can use the little circles of paper to create fun things.
Punch holes in leaves – how cute is this? All ou need are leaves from outside. You can even make a caterpillar with a leaf. Have students punch holes or bites through the leaf. Doing a lesson on the Very Hungry Caterpillar? This cute punch card lets students punch through all the foods the caterpillar munched. Here is another activity to cut the shapes, punch holes, and string them on a green chenille stem
Letters, numbers, shapes – work on selecting and identifying items by using the hole puncher. Learners can punch holes that match the letter they are looking for.
Lacing cards – use hole punchers to create lacing cards. Punch through cardstock or laminated cards to make them more durable. Here are more DIY lacing cards that you can make with a hole punch.
Hole punch strips – This one is easy to make- Just cut a strip of paper and punch holes along the paper. We have a lot of printables that are themed hole punch strips inside The OT Toolbox. They are great to add to a busy box or to create task boxes for independent work.
Hole punch cards- We have a few different types of hole punch cards. I love this seasonal hole punch bundle.
Alphabet punch game – Inside The OT Toolbox Membership Club, we also have hole punch worksheets that are basically cards with all the letters of the alphabet. Call out letters Bingo style, and have students find and punch the correct letter. Here’s one example with a back-to-school themed hole punch card activity.
Another type of activity with a hole punch is our Life Skills hole punch cards. Users can punch off activities as they do them.
Stick hole punch dots on contact paper – substitute hole punches for the stickers you would place on a paper. There are a ton of sticker dot and dot marker pages that are super fun. Use these pages with a hole puncher to create a multi-sensory activity. Punch circles out of colored paper. Glue the little circles to your dot art pages instead of stickers and dot markers. You can shrink the pages to match the size of your hole punches.
Fish bubbles – use a preprinted fish page. The hole punches can be bubbles around the fish
Christmas tree or string of lights – punch out lots of colored circles. Glue them onto a pre made or drawn tree. Use the same colored punches for making a string of lights
Sprinkles – I love ice cream! Use your colored punches to make ice cream sprinkles on your pictures.
Medical pictures – do a health lesson plan on germs. Use your punches to make measles, chicken pox, or a rash. Read books on germs, do writing assignments, and count chicken pox
Vacuum/sweeping skills – practice these important household chores by sprinkling paper punches all over the floor. This is a great way to learn
Create stickers – use the shaped punchers and sticker paper to make fun shaped stickers
Make a sensory bin – create tons of hole punches and fill a sensory bin with them. This is a great use for scrap paper.
Every activity we do can be adapted somehow to meet the different needs of each learner. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. I mentioned the different types of punchers above to meet the needs of physically different learners. What about meeting the emotional or mental needs of your learners? Try and find ways to motivate your learners by enticing them with their unique desires.
Vary the type of paper you use – glitter, sand paper, cardstock, tissue paper, crepe paper, cardboard, magazines and more
Change the theme – got a kid who loves trains? Use the puncher to make a train track. Make a lacing card to connect trains together.
Use a hole punch activity to match the lesson plan for the week. You can vary the hole punch tasks to match each lesson plan. Add one for each letter, color, number, season, holiday, shape, or other theme
Multiple levels of students – have one set of students make hole punches for another group to stick them onto paper
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THESE POSTS
I love these posts because not only do they give you ideas, they give ME ideas as I write. I am super excited about these new ideas I discovered or created while researching this topic. Fall is in full swing here in the southern US. What better time to make apple trees, fall leaves, and maybe a hungry caterpillar or two.
Here are more activities using just one item…do you have these materials in your therapy toolbox?
Happy punching, and don’t forget to thank your teachers for allowing you to make messes in their classrooms.
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.
Following directions can mean a lot of things. Following commands, making something, or getting somewhere. Today we are going to focus on directional concepts. Directionality is the ability to understand and use information related to direction and space. This includes understanding concepts like left/right, up/down, in front of/behind, above/below, inside/outside, etc. Thankfully, we are not going to cover things like, “turn west out of the parking lot,” because no one understands that anyway. There is a relationship to body awareness and proprioception at stake here, too.
The reason we need to worry about this in therapy sessions is that the a spatial relations concepts are very important to functional tasks.
We will take a look at following directions, direction signs and words, body in space to find your way and activities to help enhance directional concepts.
What are DIRECTIONAL CONCEPTS
You may have recently seen our post on left right discrimination. Directional concepts take it one step further.
Not only do you need to know left from right, but behind, in front, before, after, beside, inside, and dozens more. Coincidentally, many of the directional words are prepositions (or many prepositions are directional words). These are spatial relations words like:
over/under
left/right
above/below
east/west
in front/behind
near/far
These words are important to direction following.
Popular singer Jack Hartman has a catchy preposition song. There are lots of songs about directional concepts on youtube if that is your preferred method of teaching.
In occupational therapy, we use play to support development of skills. It’s an easy tool to help kids understand spatial relations concepts.
How to Work on Directional Concepts Through Play
Occupational therapy and play go hand in hand. It is the primary role of the child, after all. Luckily, we can use play as a tool to support development of skills like directional concepts at any age.
The best way to learn is by doing. Getting kids up and moving is a great way to teach directional concepts. Kids can memorize prepositions and direction words all day long, but they will learn faster by engaging in movement activities.
Use a stuffed animal or toys for following directions – ask students to put their bear on the table, behind the plant, below a chair, etc.
Body movement – kids can work on directionality by following commands. Say things like jump on the bed, jump off the bed, go around the trash can, crawl under the table. As they move their body, your learners will make a connection with the word and action
Obstacle course – create a course in your clinic/class/home for learners to follow. Give verbal, picture, or demonstration instructions. They can be: go around the table, then under the chair, then over the yellow mat, through the tunnel, up the slide, etc.
Simon Says – this classic game is all about giving and following directions. Simon says touch your left hand to your right ear. Travel west across the room (just kidding). Put your left leg in front of you. Directions can be as simple or complex as your learners can handle
Relay races – these can combine obstacle courses and Simon Says commands all in one
Hula hoop games – use a hula hoop as a prop for following directions. Put one foot in the hoop. Put the hoop over your head. Stand behind the hoop
Hokey Pokey – this classic song is a great practice for in/out, left/right, and body parts
Line dance songs – the Cha Cha Slide, Cupid Shuffle, and several other line dance songs combine several different directions in the song. These fast paced songs not only get kids moving, but they learn to follow directions while having fun
Teaching directional concepts is important for kids.
MORE WAYS TO TEACH DIRECTIONAL CONCEPTS
Beyond getting up and moving, here are some tricks to teaching directional concepts:
Teach in opposites – we already reviewed left and right, but how about up/down, on/off, in front/behind, before/after
Use visual cues – pictures help learners associate an action with words. Look at books, picture cards, signs, or videos.
Positional songs – singing helps language development, increase memory, and understand concepts. Help your young learners master positional/directional words with these circle time songs that your students will love! This resource is packed with simple, memorable songs (set to childhood tunes you probably already know) that will capture the attention of your students and keep them engaged and learning. You’ll find headers, posters, and printables, too, to help you teach the important early childhood topic of spatial relations!
Task boxes – simple task boxes are a great visual hands-on method of teaching concepts. Make laminated cards and use clothespins or clips to match the concept with the word.
Interactive books are another great way to teach directional concepts.
Chunking – teach in small chunks instead of lots of concepts all at once. For example, maybe one week you work on up and down, incorporating many activities for these two words in isolation.
Barrier games – this is a great concept for learning directional concepts. Students can work in pairs, or you can have an adult work with each learner. Students sit across from each other with a barrier between them. Each player has the same items. The students take turns giving the other player very specific directions (per ability level) on how to arrange the materials in front of them. The goal of the game is to have all the players’ materials look the same at the end of the activity.
Mental Blox (Amazon affiliate link)- this is a great game. One of the sub games in it is giving and following directions. Instead of students copying the card, give them directions to make their design without seeing the card. Then they can try and teach the concepts to you or another student.
Writing on a vertical surface or slant board – I recently wrote a post on the benefits of writing on a vertical surface. One of them was understanding concepts of up and down better. If you think about it, “up” makes more sense on a wall than a flat piece of paper
Another tool to have in your therapy toolbox is a variety of movement and spatial relations worksheets like we have inside The OT Toolbox membership club.
WORKSHEETS AND PAPER PENCIL GAME FOR DIRECTIONAL CONCEPTS
A great way to round off your lessons on directional concepts and following directions, is to put pencil to paper. Writing things down can help with muscle memory and understanding.
After all this research, I am inspired into adding new activities to my toolbox. I have a better understanding of what directional concepts mean, and how to facilitate learning. I still need someone to explain what “turn west out of the parking lot means.”
It’s important to recognize that when we tell our students a direction, there might be directional challenges at play that impact functioning skills.
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.
