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Quick and Easy Middle School Brain Breaks
Middle school brain breaks are an important part of the day that is often missed. In the middle school setting, we have kids that are moving from a primary grade setting into more responsibilities when it comes to curriculum. The bigger expectations for middle school students can lead to difficulties with organization, challenges with schedule and social and emotional difficulties. These are…
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Activity Analysis
Oh, the activity analysis. If you’re an OT practitioner you know exactly what we’re talking about. If you’re not, let us enlighten you with this blog post. Occupational therapy and activity analysis go hand in hand and the process of breaking down a functional task into components and underlying factors is a skill that is…
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Theories of Play
Occupational therapy practitioners study the theories of play extensively in their occupational therapy programs, and there is a reason why. Play is the occupation of a child. Therapy models are based on play. It is the foundation for occupational therapy treatment. In order to truly understand and appreciate the value of play, it is important to understand the different theories of stages…
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What Do Pediatric Occupational Therapists Do?
Pediatric occupational therapy (OT) is a branch of occupational therapy that focuses on helping children with various physical, cognitive, and developmental disabilities or delays to perform daily activities and tasks. Pediatric OTs and OTAs support children of all ages, from infants to adolescents, but also the families, caregivers, and, in the school-based occupational therapy environment,…
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Transition Services
When learners are young, first starting kindergarten, it seems hard to imagine they will ever require transition services following graduation from high school. Time flies, and before you know it, they are getting ready to graduate. However, for students to move from the school system and special education services into adult services, there is a ton of preparation involved in transitioning out of high…
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Transitions for Children
This blog discusses transitions for children, including specific strategies to make transitions easier. When young children struggle with transitioning between activities, stopping a preferred task, and beginning a non-preferred activity, a transition struggle can occur. It’s important to support children with smooth transitions, including knowing how to encourage listening. We have also included some fun…
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Metacognitive Skills
The term, “metacognitive skills” sounds and feels lofty, and beyond our scope of practice, however once it is broken down, it makes sense. This post hopes to demystify Metacognitive Skills, understand the meaning, and explain the relationship metacognition has to executive function. Metacognitive Skills “The function of metacognition and self-reflection is to make meaning. The creation of meaning is at the heart of…
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Ping Pong Bounce Game
This ping pong bounce game is a fun way to build skills in eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, visual scanning, visual tracking, and more. We used a fun DIY ping pong bounce game to work on reading fluency but you could use this activity for any multisensory learning. Ping Pong Bounce Game A…
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Granola Superfood Recipe
This granola superfood recipe is a staple in our house. It’s one of the occupational therapy recipes we love to make with kids as a life skill cooking tool, but it’s also got superfood powers (more than you may think when you think of granola as a superfood…) We’re talking about the calming benefits of…
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105 Creative Painting Ideas
This list of 105 creative painting ideas is a fun way to build skills through creative art. We’ve pulled together creative painting to support child development through creation play! Whether you are looking for painting ideas for toddlers, preschoolers, for the classroom, or for the occupational therapy clinic, these creative paint activities will get your brain ticking with ideas to support creative expression, emotions, sensory play, fine motor skills,…
