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Recess Sensory Diet Activities
Here, we’ll discuss how to make a recess sensory diet for school. Kids are spending less time playing outdoors. From after-school schedules to two working parents, to unsafe conditions, to increased digital screen time, to less outdoor recess time…there is just less time for kids to get outside and PLAY! Teachers and school based…
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Sensory Diet Activities at the Playground
The outdoors is a goldmine for play! Kids can be creative, build healthy bodies, and develop the skills that they NEED through playing outdoors. For the child who requires a sensory diet, the outdoors is a goldmine for acquiring the right kind of sensory input. The activities below are those sensory diet activities that can…
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Bird Play Dough Mat Thank You
Thank you for grabbing our Bird Play Dough Mat! You should have an email in your inbox right now with a link to access the file. Did you find this page accidentally and want to know what the fuss is about? Go to our outer space play dough mat page to get your free bird play…
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The OT Toolbox Contributor Author Spotlight-Regina
Meet Regina! 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…
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Zipper Pull Craft
When kids are learning to manage a zipper, it can be frustrating if fine motor skills or visual motor skills are delayed. Even children who are developing fine motor and visual motor skill work at an age-appropriate level can have difficulty with using a zipper. When kids learn to zipper up a coat or jacket,…
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DIY Fidget Tool Zipper Pull
This DIY Fidget Tool is a good one to add to your therapy toolbox! A fidget tool attached to a zipper pull can be helpful for kids who struggle with wiggles, over or under responsiveness to sensory input, those who have worries or sensory challenges on the school bus or while out in the community.…
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Outdoor Sensory Diet Activities for Playing in the Woods
Kids just don’t get much time to play outdoors anymore. We talked about the impact that reduced outdoor play has to do with sensory processing needs in kids in our recent Outdoor Sensory Diet Activities post. We chatted about the benefits of outdoor play in a typically developing child as well as those with sensory…
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Sensory Diet Activities at the Beach
Whether you live at the beach or just travel to the beach for an annual family trip, it can be overwhelming for a child with sensory needs to cope with the sensory input that a trip to the beach can cause. The beach has so many sights, sounds, scents, and textures that can be used…
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Ice Cream Play Dough Mat Thank You
Thank you for grabbing the Ice Cream Play Dough Mat! You should have an email in your inbox right now with a link to access the file. The email also includes some instructions and the “why” behind play dough mats like this one. There is a lot of development going on when a little one…
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Skills Kids Need for Handwriting
If you are following The OT Toolbox, then you know I love handwriting. While it’s true that OTs are not “handwriting teachers”, it’s the underlying skills that go into handwriting that have a special place in my heart. As therapists, we are specialists in development, motor skills, visual processing, self-awareness, spatial concepts, kinesiology, sensory…
