occupational therapy activities

Flexible Seating in the Classroom

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THese flexible seating in the classroom ideas are helpful to improve attention, focus, and learning in students.

It’s that time again when we are heading back into the school year. Teachers are getting into the classrooms and setting up room arrangements. School-based OTs are gearing up for the back-to-school chaos. When the thoughts of classroom organization and caseloads come into mind, flexible seating in the classroom ideas may not be the first thing you think of. Seating options may even be a part of a classroom sensory diet. But here’s the thing: Flexible seating ideas are always good to keep in mind! There are so many benefits to flexible seating arrangements. From DIY flexible seating ideas to types of seating ideas that can be used in classrooms…there is a lot to think about!

flexible seating in the classroom with out of the box ideas that kids will love for learning.

Flexible Seating Ideas for the CLassroom

There is so much to think about when it comes to accommodating to various seating needs. Positioning and specific student needs are just part of the puzzle. Facilitating learning while encouraging collaborations among students is important and the primary concern when it comes to out-of-the-box seating arrangements. Below, you will find various flexible seating for the classroom and information on the benefits of flexible seating ideas…as well as how to adapt to this classroom sensory strategy.

Things to consider about Flexible Seating

When considering flexible seating ideas for the classroom, there is a lot to think about. These considerations include a variety of needs including behavior, cognitive needs, physical abilities, posture, and more.

Many times therapists are consulted regarding specialized seating as a result of postural needs. In these cases, an individualized assessment may be warranted and aspects of seating should be analyzed before addressing specific seating needs:

Posture and seating needs may be a result of sensory issues such as physical limitations, weakness, range of motion as a result of tone issues or spasticity, sensory impairments,or other needs.

Physical limitation or deformities may impact seating posture and positioning. These may include posterior pelvic tilt, pelvic rotation, scoliosis, joint contractures, leg length discrepancies, head and neck positioning, extremity limitations, or other concerns. Each of these may impact learning and attention in the classroom.

When providing a new or novel seating option in the classroom, there are considerations to keep in mind as well. A flexible seating option may not be the primary classroom seating situation. In other words, it may be the best situation for the classroom learning to occur in traditional desks. Flexible seating in the classroom can be provided for supplemental learning, small groups, independent reading, or other similar activities.

In some cases, it’s important to consider optimal support in seating options including for those students with physical needs. As a result, some situations may not warrant a full classroom of flexible seating. Chairs and surfaces may not provide optimal postural alignment in order to provide adequate trunk support. Upper extremity mobility and positioning is important to consider if students will be using the seating arrangements for writing tasks. Additionally, considerations such as correct height/depth of the seat and the placement of both feet on the floor is needed for writing tasks.

Flexible seating in the classroom, ideas to help kids with sensory needs.

Benefits of Flexible Seating in the Classroom

A primary benefit of alternative seating options is the improvement to learning and attention that can occur. There may be several reasons that various seating options offer in the classroom.

  • Opportunities for Choices- Students may find that the ability to make a choice in their seating situations makes all the difference in learning and attention. Some students may really like the option to pick where they sit!
  • Something for Everyone- When there are several options for seating in the classroom, it can be one way to meet the needs of a whole classroom. Some teachers may find that kids change in their activity or attention levels throughout the day. When additional movement or proprioceptive input is needed, an alternative seating method may be just the ticket to learning.
  • Heavy Work Opportunities- Use of various flexible seating techniques in the classroom can offer occasional or scheduled use of flexible seating options can provide opportunities for heavy work input by moving desks, bean bag seats, or other seating set-ups as students or a specific team of students move furniture from determined positions. Don’t forget the sensory benefits of moving desks and chairs!
  • No Singling Out- When there are various flexible seating options in the classroom, no child is singled out. This is important for the child with sensory issues or self-regulation needs. Some students may need extra movement or heavy input to facilitate learning, and when the whole classroom has the option to choose a beanbag for reading time, the flexible seating methods are there for everyone…and no student feels singled out based on needs.

Flexible Seating Ideas for the Classroom

Now that we’ve covered considerations and a few benefits of flexible seating ideas, let’s cover some specifics! Below are alternative seating methods that may work in the classroom.

You’ll find a list of options for adding proprioceptive input to the seating system, as well as a large list of alternative seating ideas. Some of these are able to be purchased (Amazon affiliate links are included below). Other options are quite frugal or are DIY ideas. Have fun exploring and considering the flexible seating ideas!

Flexible seating and proprioception input

Sensory benefits play a big part of choosing the best flexible seating option. While some alternative seating options provide sensory input or feedback via the positioning, others provide heavy input by hugging the student. There are many ways to add weight that provides a calming benefit into seating ideas. Consider some of the options below in adding to a seating system:

Tips for adding proprioceptive input or weight to a alternative seating system:

  • Add a weighted lap pad
  • Try a therapy band or bungee cord to the chair legs
  • Use a body sock or fabric tube to the legs of the chair. Done in a non-restricting way, this tube can be a place to slide legs into while sitting in a regular chair
  • Bean bag for under/over the child
  • Computer lap desk over the child’s legs (Can be used as a writing station)
  • Homemade bean bags over legs or feet. Slide these into tube socks or knee-high socks and knot two socks together to create a weighted tube to drape over legs or the shoulders.
  • Under-the-table sling
  • Therapy swing in the classroom or outdoor space
  • Add velcro wrist weights to the inside of a 4 inch binder. Use the binder as a lap writing surface.
  • Encourage tummy time writing. (Write, draw, or read while lounging on bellies on the floor. Make this a fun reading experience by asking students to bring in a flashlight from home.)
  • Try a weighted fidget tool that can be used while seated at a desk.
  • Try some of the additions listed and described below.

Remember that finding an ideal seating system can require a lot of investigation and trial and error. Some students may benefit from one of the ideas listed here and others may require a mix of several options. Keep it individualized and remember to consult your child’s occupational therapists regarding seating ideas.

Flexible Seating Ideas

Bean bag chair is a flexible seating idea for the classroom

Bean Bag Chairs- Use these on the floor or at a low table. Consider lowering a table to 2-3 feet off the ground for a low writing and reading surface. Other times, bean bags can be used in small group work or for quiet reading. Consider using a bean bag as a cover for legs to provide heavy input through the legs. There are some inexpensive bean bag seat options available. There are also a few varieties of stuffed animal bean bag covers that create seats using old stuffed animals.

Stuffed Animal Bean Bag Seat- Ask around for stuffed animal donations from family and friends! This bean bag cover creates a bean bag seat using old stuffed animals as a seating option and can be adjusted as needed. Add more stuffed animals to fill the seat or take some out depending on the child’s sensory needs. This stuffed animal cover comes in a larger size that can be used as a lounger chair.

Use a duvet lounger as a flexible seating idea in school.

Duvet Lounger- Using the same concept of filling a bean bag with upcycled stuffed animals is the DIY version of using a duvet cover as a method to create a lounger seat. Fill a duvet cover with cushions, pillows, or stuffed animals and create a crash pad that can be used as a lounger seat for the classroom or home.

A t-stool is a great flexible seating idea for the classroom.
The Stability Tube Chair is a T-Stool seat for the classroom or home.

T-Stools- A T-stool is a common seat seen in classrooms. The stool allows students to wobble, move, and wiggle just as their bodies need, while reading, writing, learning, and listening! You’ll find a variety of T-Stools available: The Kore Wobble Chair is great for grades K-3 and provides a larger base of support. The Stabili-T Tool Tube provides less support but requires more core contraction and work, allowing for more movement. A T-Stool Single Leg stool offers more vestibular input given a much smaller base of support and an adjustable height option.

Single leg T-Stool offers a flexible seating option for classrooms.

Milk Crate with a Ball Inside– Going for a multi-option flexible seating arrangement in the classroom? Adding a large kickball or small therapy ball inside a milk crate is a great option for the frugal. This is one way to create several seats for a lower cost. Line the milk create up under a low table for a centers activity or small group.

A therapy ball makes a great flexible seating option in classrooms.

Therapy Ball– Another frugal means of offering opportunities for movement and sensory input in the classroom is using therapy balls. There are many options available on the market and in stores. Search for yoga balls or exercise balls to find the best prices, in many cases. Worried about them rolling away or becoming massive projectiles in the classroom? Make a “station” using a hula hoop as a base.

The peanut ball seat is a flexible seating idea for classrooms.

Peanut Seat- A different version of the therapy ball is the peanut ball seat. Kids can use these seats in a variety of ways, sitting or lying prone on the ball. The peanut ball allows for only unidirectional rolling so they can be easier to contain in the classroom setting when compared to a round therapy ball.

Use a sensory swing indoors or outdoors, a great alternative seating idea for the classroom

Sensory Swing- A sensory swing is a versatile seating option for reading, small group work, individual work, or a much-needed sensory break. We’ve tried and loved the Harkla Sensory Pod Swing for it’s cozy support and use as a calm-down space. The great thing about Harkla sensory swings is the easy-to install ability to place them in a classroom. We tried ours outdoors too, for an outdoor sensory swing option. Kids love the outdoor sensory swing in a shaded area such as under a patio deck or even hanging from a tree limb.

A portable laptop stand is a fun idea for flexible seating in the classroom.

Portable Laptop Stand- This portable laptop stand doesn’t need to be used for just laptops! Use it as a writing station or for a small reading center. I would love to see a DIY version of this…wonder if an awesome school janitor could whip one together using scrap materials? P.S. If you have one of these stands made…or you make one yourself…let me know! I would LOVE to see it!

Teachers can use a futon in the classroom as a flexible seating idea.

Futon- An easy way to incorporate flexible seating options in the classroom is to add a futon. You can grab one at a big box store or on Amazon and have it shipped directly to where you need it to go. The benefits of using a futon in the classroom are endless- A “job” can be to open the futon and replace pillows after quiet reading time, adding opportunities for heavy work. Add a few weighted throw pillows and a weighted lap blanket if it’s appropriate. Sometimes lounging during instruction may be just what is needed.

A scoop rocker chair is a great way to add flexible seating options to the classroom.

Scoop Rocker Chairs- Kids love these scoop rocker chairs! They are versatile in that they can be used at a lowered table or during circle time. The light-weight and handle make them easy to carry from class to class or to special classes, if needed. There is a special deal on Amazon offering a set of 6 scoop rocker chairs for $48 right now. Who knows how long that price will last!

Use a scooter board for seating needs in the classroom to add sensory input as part of a sensory diet at school.

Scooter Board- Have a scooter board in your car trunk (If you are a mobile therapist, this totally applies to you…) or in the physical education gym/supply closet at school? Scooter boards make awesome foot fidgets for when sitting at a desk. Kids can also use them during circle time. (Provide a hoola hoop boundary!) Or to sit on at a low table or when working in a small group. You can find them at great prices on Amazon!

Use a reading pillow or bed reading pillow as a flexible seating idea in the classroom.

Cushions or Pillows- Super easy to get, and at a very inexpensive cost, pillows and cushions are a fantastic way to create a cozy corner or crash area. Kids will love quiet reading time or group work when sitting on a pillow or cushion. Stalk your local resale shops for great prices. You can also ask parents to send in a small pillow or chair pad cushion (the kind you use on kitchen chairs) that can be used at desks for seated work. A reading pillow (the kind you typically use on a bed) works really well in a calm-down space, too.

Body Pillow- A body pillow can be an inexpensive way to add movement and positioning to the classroom or home. Add it to a futon or couch in the classroom or include it in a calm-down space.

Rocking Chair- An old-fashioned porch rocker is a wonderful addition to the classroom. There’s just something about rocking back and forth that brings back memories of quieting fussy babies during the night for this mama…but perhaps the calming effects of slow linear rocking can be just the thing to turn classroom fidgeting into focused learning. If the price tag of a traditional wooden rocking chair is a problem, consider adding a camp rocking chair or an upcycled nursery glider. You can find these baby nursing chairs on Facebook marketplace or in consignment shops for a great price.

Use a balance cushion as a flexible seating tool in the classroom.

Balance Cushion- Balance cushions can be used on a traditional desk seat or for floor seating. Adding this to your flexible seating line-up promotes an opportunity for attention and balance by adding movement to learning. Add more air or remove some from the cushion to provide more or less movement and stability required.

Use a beach chair as a cheap flexible seating option in classrooms.

Beach Chair- A beach chair is a super inexpensive way to add flexible seating options to a classroom. Set up an area with a few beach chairs for group activities or use them in circle time or morning meetings.

Use a camp chair as a cheap flexible seating idea for the classroom.

Camp Chair– A camp chair is another inexpensive option for alternative seating. The curved base provides a cozy and calming space for reading or listening to read alouds in the classroom or home. There are a lot of options on the market in the ways of camping chairs. From the basic camp chair to those with rockers, recliners, or loungers, the choice is yours based on needs in the classroom or home.

Stools- There are a lot of stool options out there. Using a stool in a flexible seating arrangement provides a variety of use for addressing various needs while making arranged seating easier to change out without much effort. Some ideas for stool use in the classroom include high-stools. These can be used at a high top table which also offers an opportunity for standing. They can be arranged into circle time or small groups while offering vestibular input. Other stool ideas include a small foot stools. These can be used at low tables, in circle time, in a small group circle, or at a low table. Try using them while writing on a paper hanging on a wall or at an easel for vertical writing, which offers more proprioceptive input and movement challenges. Stackable stools are still another option. These are great in place of traditional desk chairs in some cases. The great thing about using stools as part of an alternative seating system is that students can move and set up seating options, offering built-in heavy work.

Use a papasan chair in the classroom as a sensory seating idea for students.

Papasan Chair– A papasan chair or a lounger seat is great for the classroom. Quiet reading or group learning can be calm and focused with a supportive and cozy seat. You can find a great price on these chairs in big box stores or on Amazon.

A cube chair is a seating option that meets sensory needs in the classroom.

Cube Seat- This cube seat is an option that provides support for the back and trunk while containing and providing a boundary for seated activities. This cube seat option is nice because it can be used in one direction as a low seat and flipped over to allow for a higher height or for use as a table writing surface with visual blocks when visual attention is an issue.

Partially Inflated Beach Ball- Yes, it’s true. Grab a dollar store beach ball and blow it up just a little, so that the air in the beach ball provides a movable cushion. This seating system is appropriate for younger children, but it’s an option for testing out movement in the seat. You’ll find more about using a beach ball cushion in a previous The OT Toolbox blog post.

Cheap flexible seating ideas for the classroom include camp chairs, beach chairs, bean bags, and pillows.

More Flexible seating ideas

What are your best tricks and tips for adding movement to the classroom while meeting the needs of various students? Flexible seating in the classroom doesn’t need to be complicated. It doesn’t need to be expensive either! Stop back soon, because we’ll have a line-up of DIY flexible seating ideas coming your way very soon.

Some of the ideas listed above are very budget-friendly, especially if you are able to find items second-hand or by upcycling items. Other budget-friendly seating options include using a cardboard box, cushions, or stadium seats, for example. We’ll have more budget-friendly seating ideas for you coming up soon!

Budget-friendly flexible seating ideas include camp chairs, beach chairs, carpet spots, and more.

Choosing Wisely in Occupational Therapy

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Choosing Wisely in occupational therapy is easy given the training OTs receive in client-centered practice.

Choosing Wisely is a topic that is wise to discuss! Today, I’ve got some information to share on this initiative and ways to encourage Choosing Wisely in Occupational Therapy clinics and caseloads. Here, we’re chatting all things function and evidence…and from an occupational therapist with almost 20 years of experience, I wanted share why I believe that Choosing Wisely is the wisest option!

Choosing Wisely in occupational therapy discussion of initiative recommendations for occupational therapy professionals.

What is Choosing Wisely?

Choosing Wisely is an initiative of the ABIM Foundation (American Board of Internal Medicine) that seeks to promote conversations between clinicians and patients by helping patients choose health care options that are right for them. The Choosing Wisely initiative occurs across health professions, and aims to avoid treatments or interventions that are not supported by evidence, not a duplicate of other tests or procedures already received, free from harm, and truly necessary.

Many health care organizations have created recommendations that align with the goals of the Choosing Wisely initiative, and occupational therapy is one of those services that are participating. The occupational therapy profession is taking part in this initiative!

The occupational therapy profession is taking part in this initiative…and that’s a good thing! AOTA has created, along with practitioners in the field, a list of ways to “choose wisely” when it comes to best practice. These are ways to avoid unnecessary treatment interventions that are not guided by function. I love that these guidelines promote occupation…the foundation of our profession!

Read more about AOTA’s list of five things a practitioner should avoid, as well as how this list of how these recommendations were created.

Essentially, this initiative encourages use of evidence-based practices based on function and as a result of assessment of occupational performance. Client-centered practice is something we are trained in as occupational therapy professionals. Educating and advocating for this advancement sounds like a wise choice to me!

Occupational therapy’s Choosing Wisely Recommendations

Let’s take a closer look at the recommendations for occupational therapy practitioners according to Choosing Wisely standards:

Don’t provide intervention activities that are non-purposeful (e.g., cones, pegs, shoulder arc, arm bike).

From the perspective of an OT with close to two decades of experience, this guideline holds dear to my heart. How often have we seen in clinics or therapy rooms, the closets full of cones, pegs, stacking items, rings, and other motor activity tools? The OT closet can be a colorful place full of items like these! But when we step back and put on our occupational glasses, what exactly are we working towards with these tasks?

Occupational performance, or the activities that make up an individual’s lifestyle, span all aspects of a person’s environment. This is the basis for our profession. Using purposeful activities in our treatment sessions promote motivation and greater independence in personal goals.

I’ve been at fault in using rings/cones/pegs/etc. in my experience too. I think many of us have! But what if, before we reach for that stack of pegs, we filter our thoughts with an analysis of what we are trying to achieve with those pegs? What is the function? Probably not much!

When occupational therapists re-frame thinking to collaborate with the various people in a person’s environments, we can work together with parents, teachers, grandparents, teacher’s aides, and others to help our clients become more independent. Optimal outcomes occur when collaborations are guided by occupational performance.

Instead, as occupational therapists we are capable of digging deeper to address function and our client’s true personal goals. Now that is a a way to get off the hamster wheel of rotating non-purposeful activities from client to client and making a real difference! What a powerful and meaningful way to make a world of difference in our clients and potentially prevent burnout in ourselves as therapists!

2. Don’t provide sensory-based interventions to individual children or youth without documented assessment results of difficulties processing or integrating sensory information.

I think we’ve seen it before: Teachers in a classroom applying sensory strategies like chew-top pencils, weighted items, specialized paper, or other tools without consultation by the school-based OT. In schools with a sensory room, you may have seen paraprofessionals guiding students through sensory strategies, without so much as a consult from the OT. Maddening, isn’t it?

We’ve seen sensory-based interventions been applied by others without the documented assessment and it’s frustrating! What if, we as professionals stood up to this through advocacy and education? Taking a stand on how we hold ourselves to certain standards (completing an assessment of sensory needs AND documenting a plan to address needs) is the first step. Following through with documentation can be beneficial to so many: the child struggling with certain needs, the teacher or team member that benefits from education, and ourselves as we advance ourselves professionally.

3. Don’t use physical agent modalities (PAMs) without providing purposeful and occupation-based intervention activities.

Again, we come back to the function! Purposeful intervention strategies, driven by a desire to improve occupational performance fuels motivation and meaning to our client’s lives. How powerful is it to be a part of that in our client’s lives?

We as OTs can engage our clients in function while integrating physical agent modalities into meaningful and purposeful activity. It’s pulling out the OT lens to find the function! We as occupational therapy professionals are some of the most creative souls I know. Remaining true to the roots of our profession while incorporating modalities into interventions is just part of the puzzle!

4. Don’t use pulleys for individuals with a hemiplegic shoulder.

As pediatric OTs serving those in schools, clinics, homes, and early intervention environments, this recommendation may not always play into the day-to-day caseload. However, it all comes back to meaningful, purposeful, occupation-centered practice!

It may not be a pulley that we are contemplating in our intervention plans, but perhaps an aggressive resistive activity for the child with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It’s all about recognizing contraindications, being up-to-date on evidence-based recommendations, and best practice.

5. Don’t provide cognitive-based interventions (e.g., paper-and-pencil tasks, table-top tasks, cognitive training software) without direct application to occupational performance.

That coloring sheet, wordsearch, or “I Spy” paper? They may not be best practice when it comes to interventions for underlying needs. We are challenged as professionals to dig deeper and find the ability to address occupational performance through table-top activities and paper-and-pencil tasks. This is the basis for our profession. Using purposeful activities in our treatment sessions promote motivation and greater independence in personal goals.

Can we shift perspective to better assist clients in becoming actively engaged in their daily tasks? Occupational therapists are unique in that they have been trained to emphasize achievement of personal goals.

We strive to design treatment plans that are client centered, driven by the patient, and family/team centered. It’s our duty to be leaders in designing programming that is focused on function.

Are you Choosing Wisely as an OT?

It’s easy to fall back on cookie cutter interventions. However, it’s our duty to move beyond those routines and remember the roots of our profession. Some quick tips for applying the Choosing Wisely recommendations into practice can be found below.

  1. Focus on function. Identifying the factors that contribute to optimal function and addressing those needs in therapy.
  2. Discuss ideas with other therapists. Start conversations that filter out unnecessary interventions and encourage occupational performance and client-centered practice. Work with your colleagues to discuss the Choosing Wisely recommendations into your workplace.
  3. Advocate! Educating parents, teachers, administration, and others on the occupational therapy profession is always needed.
  4. Identify the factors that enable individuals with disabilities to perform self-care and other performance components in order to create systems that address these needs through activity-centered strategies. Always use that OT lens.
  5. Stay up-to-date on evidence. It’s the best way to identify best-practice techniques while implementing strategies geared toward function. These evidence-based practice appraisal sheets can help filter out information to define occupation-centered and client-appropriate evidence while guiding intervention.

What strategies to you have to add to these tips? Is Choosing Wisely a part of your daily practice? Add to the discussion in the comments below.

Choosing Wisely initiative in occupational therapy is easy to apply based on our background and training in occupation and client-centered practice.

References:

Carolyn M. Baum, Mary Law; Occupational Therapy Practice: Focusing on Occupational Performance. Am J Occup Ther 1997;51(4):277-288. doi: 10.5014/ajot.51.4.277.

Occupational performance. (n.d.) Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. (2003). Retrieved August 8 2019 from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/occupational+performance

Occupational Therapy Memes

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If there’s one thing that’s true, it’s that Occupational Therapists love to laugh. Maybe it’s the therapeutic use of self and the use of humor in therapy that allows us this ability. At any rate, we love occupational therapy memes! These OT memes are perfect to include with our occupational therapy month activities for occupational therapy month during April…or any time of year to celebrate the profession of occupational therapy!

Here, we’re sharing some new OT memes that we’ve been sharing over on our Facebook page. Use these to share your passion for the profession, spread knowledge about occupational therapy, and to have a quick laugh! Speaking of laughs, be sure to check out our occupational therapy jokes page!

Occupational Therapy Memes (That Therapists Love)

We’ve shared a few of these memes on Facebook and Twitter so far, and let’s just say, us OTs love to share our love for our profession! Some of our most popular occupational therapy memes include the ones below. Some are funny occupational therapy quotes and others are dedicated to the school-based therapist. Can you relate to any of these therapy memes?

Here are some sensory memes we’ve shared recently.

Pediatric therapists know the joy of having a clinic full of the fun stuff! Whether the gym-favorite is the ball pit or the game closet, there is a lot of fun happening in the occupational therapy gym! What is your favorite: the ball pit, shaving cream, or a specific toy?

OT meme

As an OT, there is just something about a clearance sign. If you are like me, you go on high-alert for potential therapy tools on the discount rack! During the end of summer, you might just find therapists scooping up all of the sidewalk chalk and bubbles…and those awesome Target dollar spot finds! There’s a reason why: OTs are skilled at using a toy or game in novel ways. A box of chalk can make it through an entire caseload…while working on everything from visual motor skills to gross motor strength and endurance…through the child’s primary occupation: play!

So, when you find a box of chalk on clearance, grab it up and watch the magic happen in the therapy room!

Occupational therapy meme

School-based OTs are some of the most efficient and busy therapists I know. From August through June, they are running from building to building (and district to district in some cases!), pulling luggage full of therapy supplies, and documenting well into the night sometimes. Don’t even mention IEP and Annual Review season! But one thing is for sure: when those summer months arrive, school-based OTs are free and loving life! Until summer school starts up!

This OT meme hit a funny bone for some therapists…Sunday nights for the school-based OTs on summer break mean just another summer day is coming, and not a case of the Mondays!

Self-care is essential for those in the healthcare field. Burnout is real! For some of us, coffee is just the right amount of self-care needed to jump into another day’s caseload! Therapist survival is a must…coffee helps!

School-based OTs and handwriting goals go hand-in-hand (pun intended!) So, after working in the field for a little while, therapists begin to notice a new superpower…the ability to read AND write upside down and backwards!

You know what I’m talking about…you’re sitting across from a student who is working on letter formation, letter spacing, line placement, and other aspects of functional handwriting. But, if you take the paper away from the student in order to correct or write words on the page, the student’s visual gaze is disrupted, attention falters, and you need to start over with orientation to the page, word, and letters. Not good.

So what happens? You develop the ability to write every upper case and lowercase letter from your position, sitting across from the child. You can write from the child’s left side to the child’s right side of the page, AND forming those letters from top to bottom, from the child’s perspective. Amazing!

You know you are an occupational therapist when analyzing pencil grasps in every coffee shop, bank, library, hotel desk, post office, DMV…everywhere! We have this additional sense called pencil grasp analysis! We just can’t help but notice bad pencil grasps everywhere.

Occupational therapy meme

You’ve seen it before. Probably earlier today if it was a work day for you…that supply closet in the occupational therapy room that is absoluselty overflowing with therapy putty, games, toys, ride on toys, therapy balls, hula hoops, puzzles, art supplies, therapy band. The list goes on and on. And onto the floor sometimes!

The occupational therapy supply closet can be a place to find some old school items from years past! But the thing is, the OT will find a novel use for any item in that closet, and knock out some goals!

OT month. You know you are an OT when

What are some funny occupational therapy memes that you’ve seen?

Spring Occupational Therapy Activities Packet

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Spring occupational therapy activities

Looking for activities to add into therapy sessions, recommend in home programs, or to use in the classroom or home? You probably want ideas that promote developmental skills that kids need for effective and functional skills. That’s why I’ve put together the Spring Occupational Therapy Activities Packet! 


This time of year, one of our more popular products here on The OT Toolbox is our Spring Occupational Therapy packet. The best news is that, this packet has had a major upgrade from it’s previous collection of spring sensory activities.

Spring Occupational Therapy Activities for kids.



In the Spring OT packet, you’ll now find:

  • Spring Proprioceptive Activities
  • Spring Vestibular Activities
  • Spring Visual Processing Activities
  • Spring Tactile Processing Activities
  • Spring Olfactory Activities
  • Spring Auditory Processing Activities
  • Spring Oral Motor Activities
  • Spring Fine Motor Activities
  • Spring Gross Motor Activities
  • Spring Handwriting Practice Prompts
  • Spring Themed Brain Breaks
  • Occupational Therapy Homework Page
  • Client-Centered Worksheet
  • 5 pages of Visual Perceptual Skill Activities

All of the Spring activities include ideas to promote the various areas of sensory processing with a Spring-theme. There are ways to upgrade and downgrade the activities and each activities includes strategies to incorporate eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination, body scheme, oculomotor control, visual perception, fine and gross motor skills, and more.



It’s a really popular product on the site this time of year. I’ve doubled the size of this packet and added:

Spring Visual Perception Worksheets- Print these off and slide them into a page protector. Use them to work on visual perceptual skills like form discrimination, visual closure, figure ground, and visual processing skills like tracking, scanning, etc. Use manipulative items to work on fine motor skills with these worksheets such as play dough, slime, Wikki Stix, yarn, craft pom poms, or other items.

Spring Fine Motor and Gross Motor Activities- Add these ideas to therapy home programs to work on pencil grasp or core strength. Use these ideas in therapy warm-ups, or to add movement to a child’s day.

Spring Themed Brain Breaks- Cut up these cards and use them to add movement and motor skills into the classroom or home. It’s a great way to re-charge!

Spring Themed Handwriting Practice Prompts- There are two pages of writing prompts that are ONLY in list form. That means kids don’t need to write out sentences while working on letter formation, spacing and size. They can work on all of the handwriting skills they need in a short list that is interest-based, making it motivational for them. And, the list format is a quick way to sneak in handwriting practice!

OT Homework Sheet- Sometimes, it takes extra practice to make skills “stick”. When parents help in practicing therapy activities, it can make a difference in carryover. You’ll find a done-for-you OT homework sheet to use in weekly homework activities OR for use as a home exercise program!

Client-Centered Worksheet- When our kiddos have a voice in their therapy, carryover and goals can be more meaningful to them. Use this worksheet to come up with Spring activities that meet the needs of a child, while taking into considerations that child’s interests and strengths to make activities meaningful.

Sensory Activities and More- All of these extras were added to the already well-rounded Spring packet that includes activities designed around each of the sensory systems. You’ll find 13 pages of proprioception activities, vestibular activities, tactile activities, oral motor activities, etc. And, they include ideas to extend the activity to include eye-hand coordination, body scheme, oculomotor control, visual perception, coordination, and motor planning.

This Spring Packet has everything you need for the next three months!
You’ll also find several sheets listing tons of Spring activities designed to promote specific areas:

  • Spring Fine Motor Activities
  • Spring Gross Motor Activities
  • Spring Handwriting Practice Prompts
  • Spring Themed Brain Breaks
Use these activities as warm-ups to your therapy sessions, or add them to the homework page below to create a home program. 

Use this Spring Occupational Therapy Activities packet to come up with fresh activity ideas to promote fine motor skills, gross motor skills, balance, coordination, visual motor skills, sensory processing, and more.

The Best thing about the Spring Activity Packet:

One of my favorite parts of the Spring Occupational Therapy Packet is the therapist tool section:

  • Occupational Therapy Homework Page
  • Client-Centered Worksheet

These two sheets are perfect for the therapist looking to incorporate carryover of skills. Use the homework page to provide specific OT recommended activities to be completed at home. This is great for those sills that parents strive to see success in but need more practice time for achieving certain skill levels.

The Client-Centered Worksheet is a great way to incorporate the client’s specific interests and goals so that overarching goal areas and functional goals incorporate interests and personal strengths, achieving that “just right” level of skill.

CLICK HERE to grab the Spring Occupational Therapy Activity Packet for just $7.99.

Finally, included in the Packet are several sheets of visual perception activities. These are worksheets that can be used in so many ways! Laminate them or slide them into a page protector and use them over and over again with a variety of tools such as play dough balls (work those fine motor skills!), pain dabbers, craft pom poms, wikki stix, or dry erase markers. These sheets can be printed off once and used over and over again with the whole caseload, using them in different ways.

  • 5 pages of Visual Perceptual Skill Activities
I’m so excited to get this updated packet out to you. If you’re looking for ways to make therapy planning easy for the next few months, grab your copy here. 

This activity packet is 26 pages long and has everything you need to work on the skills kids are struggling with…with a Spring theme!

Here’s the link again to grab that packet.

Use this Spring Occupational Therapy Activities Packet to work on occupational therapy goals and functional skills with a spring theme.
Spring fine motor activities, spring gross motor skills, visual motor skills, handwriting, sensory processing, and strengthening are just some of the ways to use a spring theme in occupational therapy.
NOTE: This packet is not intended as treatment or intervention. It’s to be used as an educational resource and in conjunction with therapy plans as indicated by a child’s therapist following individualized evaluation. Activities should be completed under supervision by an adult.

31 Days of Occupational Therapy with Free Materials

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Use these free and recycled items to work on occupational therapy goals

Coming up with fun ideas for occupational therapy activities for interventions can easily become nerve-wracking! It’s easy to fall into a routine and use the same old cookie cutter activities in OT treatment sessions. Here, you will find a challenge designed to change that recipe for burnout! Below is a strategy to use out-of-the-box occupational therapy activities using free materials, or items you probably already have! 

 

Occupational Therapy Activities

 

Below is a series I ran one October, in which I challenged myself to write 31 days of posts about my profession: Occupational Therapy!  You will find 31 days of Occupational Therapy with free materials provides treatment activities, tips, tools, and ideas for many developmental, sensory, fine motor, gross motor, and visual perceptual areas. 

I’ve bumped up the OT activities, though, to add more ideas to build fine motor skills or work on development, all with free items.

The best news is that these ideas are going to be creative fun that kids will love and (almost) all free.  The therapeutic modalities that I’ve outlined will provide you will a resource for frugal treatment of many Occupational Therapy goal areas.  

I strive to create crafts and activities that use mostly free items that are found around my home in the play and learning that we do here.  


Use these free and recycled items to work on occupational therapy goals

Occupational Therapy Activities with Free Materials

Scroll through the activities below for fun ways to work on development. But first, let’s discuss a few items you may want to have in your therapy toolbox. These are recycled items and household materials that can be used in various ways.

They are open-ended items to use in fine motor work, or in textured sensory play. Use the items to work on hand strength, scissor skills, motor planning, or other occupational therapy goal areas. 

Here are some free and recycled items to stock your therapy toolbox:

  • Cardboard
  • Cupcake liners
  • Sandpaper
  • Cardstock
  • Construction paper
  • Tissue paper
  • Index cards
  • Cookie cutters
  • Nuts and bolts
  • Plastic sandwich bags
  • Paper cups
  • Newspaper
  • Buttons
  • Tape
  • Craft sticks (popsicle sticks)
  • Craft pom poms or cotton balls
  • Recycled egg carton
  • Bread ties
  • String
  • Glue
  • Recycled bottle caps
  • Cardboard tubes
  • Rubber bands
  • Small containers
  • Crayons
  • Recycled bottles

occupational therapy items to add to your therapy bag

What would you add to this list?

Occupational Therapy treatment tips and tools for pediatrics and school-based therapy using mostly free or inexpensive materials and items you can find around the home. Great resource and many ideas here!
 
Affiliate links are included in this post.
 
You can see a previous activity challenge, based on learning in the 31 days of learning with mostly free items challenge. I’m hoping that this series is just as helpful!
 

If you’ve been to this blog before, you might know that I’m an Occupational Therapist by trade, and love sharing helpful tips, tools and strategies that meet a variety of needs. It’s my hope that this OT Challenge will be an idea-generator for you!

More Occupational Therapy Activities

A few more resources on the site may be helpful for you. Below are some of our free courses, printable packets, and email courses that can be used in your practice. Let me know if there is another topic you are looking for information on. I would love to help out!


This Visual Processing Lab is an email series that delivers tons of content and information right into your email inbox. Expect to learn tons on visual perception, visual motor integration, and what that looks like in our kiddos who struggle with handwriting and eye-hand coordination. This email series is totally free! Join the lab here.

This visual processing lab is a series for occupational therapists looking for occupational therapy activities based on visual processing needs.



This Executive Function Mini-Course is a free email course on everything executive functioning. You will learn about executive functioning skills, how they develop, and what executive functioning challenges look like in our kids at home and at school. You’ll gain helpful tips that can be implemented right away. It’s a goldmine for any parent, teacher, or occupational therapist!


Take the Executive Function Mini-Course here. 

This executive function course is a helpful tool for occupational therapists, parents, or teachers working with kids on executive functioning skills.

 

Occupational Therapy Activity Ideas



In this Occupational Therapy with free materials series, you will find many of my favorite occupational therapy treatment activities for many developmental difficulties in pediatrics, all using items that you probably already have at home.  

The nice thing about this series is that you don’t have to be receiving OT services or have a diagnosis of anything to benefit from these 31 days of tips and tools.  Many, MANY kids out there are working on shoe tying. Or writing on the lines.  Or many other developmental areas.  All of the activities will be low-cost and inexpensive.


Here is a little video that we created based on this series. It’s my hope that the activities below hit on the needs you have on your caseload!

It is my hope that you will find the ideas shared here in the next 31 days to be helpful and and a valuable resource.  AND, not only will the tricks and tips use mostly free or low-cost items, I will also have lists of my recommendations for toys and tools that can help with each area.  

This is going to be a great month …but fun! Use these activities to guide interventions, using out-of-the-box ideas, while working on goal areas your clients need.


And now, without further ado:

31 Days of Occupational Therapy with Free Materials

 
 
https://www.theottoolbox.com/2015/10/visual-tracking-tips-and-tools-for.html  
 
 
 
 
 
Day 9 Sensory Letter Formation
 
Motor Planning Fine Motor Maze hand strengthening activity
 
 
 
 
Scooping and pouring fine motor and hand dominance with beads
 

Day 22 The Benefits of Coloring

Day 23 Clothes Pin Exercises and Pinch Grasp Types

Day 24 Homemade Pegboard Activities

Day 25 Creative Scissor Skills Practice

 
Neat Pincer Grasp Fine Motor Activity Buttoning Tips and Tricks
 
 

Day 30 Gross Grasp with Recycled Containers

Day 31 Finger Isolation Fingerprint Activities

 
Did you LOVE this series as much as I did?  Here are MORE ways to work on Occupational Therapy using mostly free or inexpensive materials:  
 
Try a few inexpensive treatment tools like kid-friendly tongs and tweezers.  They can be used in so many different ways.  A set of simple supplies can be tools for many different OT treatment goals.
 
 
 
 

 Sensory Processing and handwritinghttps://www.theottoolbox.com/2015/11/benefits-of-playing-with-stickers-occupational-therapy.html What is motor planning activity for kids
 
Sensory Processing and Handwriting
 
Benefits of Stickers in Occupational Therapy
 
What is Motor Planning? Activity for kids
 
 
 

 

   
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
Free letter building printables Sight word crayon rubbing activity
 
 
 
 

Even MORE great pages you where you will find tons of Occupational Therapy treatment ideas and info that can be incorporated into simple play at home, using frugal (mostly free) items that you already have:   Sensory Play IdeasVisual Perceptual SkillsFine Motor Skills

Occupational Therapy treatment tips and tools for pediatrics and school-based therapy using mostly free or inexpensive materials and items you can find around the home. Great resource and many ideas here!
Occupational Therapy treatment ideas using free materials

Love these ideas shared in this series?  Try some of these: 

Occupational Therapy Activities for Scissor Skills

There are many scissor skills resources on the website. Some of our favorite ways to support use of scissors include:

Occupational Therapy Activities for Fine Motor Skills

Building fine motor skills in occupational therapy sessions occur typically in each therapy session. Here are more fun ways to build these essential skills:

 

Occupational Therapy Activities for Handwriting

We have many handwriting strategies here on the website. Some of our favorite ways to develop handwriting skills in OT include:

Working on fine motor skills, visual perception, visual motor skills, sensory tolerance, handwriting, or scissor skills? Our Fine Motor Kits cover all of these areas and more.

Check out the seasonal Fine Motor Kits that kids love:

Letters Fine Motor Kit
Kit de motricidad fina de verano
Summer Fine Motor Kit
Outer Space Fine Motor Kit
Space Fine Motor Kit
Spring fine motor kit
Valentines Day fine motor kit
winter fine motor kit
Winter Fine Motor Kit

Or, grab one of our themed Fine Motor Kits to target skills with fun themes:

Want access to all of these kits…and more being added each month? Join The OT Toolbox Member’s Club!

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

KidKraft Train Table Review Trundle Drawers Gift for Kids

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We own a KidKraft Train Table with Trundle Drawers and wanted to review it’s versatility for creative play and learning.  A train table is a key tool in therapy and learning in the home and classroom, to boost many skills.  We love to come up with frugal ways to encourage development of the child.  Using a train table is just one way to do this by using what you’ve got in the home as a multi-purpose item for therapy, play, learning, and exploration!



We’ve joined 31 other bloggers in a gift review blog hop to discover and explore more about each blogger’s must-have items.  


Sensory strategies that are motivating can be a big help for some kids. Try these train themed sensory activity ideas 

Use a train table in therapy, sensory play, fine motor development, learning, crafts at home and at school.

This post contains affiliate links.  See our full disclosure here.

We LOVE our KidKraft Train Table.  With it’s trundle drawers, we have lots of storage for trains, pretend play animals, blocks, and even sensory play items.  We use our train table almost every day in some type of play and wanted to review the KidKraft train table and share our fun ideas that make this big ticket item a great deal for versatile play for kids.


The KidKraft train table is the perfect size for play from all sides.  Many train tables are on the smaller side, but this one is huge!  It’s perfect for lots of kids to get at the pretend play fun from all sides.  The table has a small lip to the edge to prevent trains from rolling over the sides of the table top.  We’ve used this edge to contain not only trains, but marbles, water beads, art supplies, and beads.  The train table is easy to assemble and move.  We’ve moved our KidKraft Train Table around so many times and it is still very sturdy and in great shape.


Besides the trundle drawers for amazing storage (these drawers are HUGE!), our favorite feature is the reversable table surface.  One side has a great landscaped scene with road, parking lot, water, and grassy area for pretend play with trains and cars.  The other side of our surface is all white.  This is perfect for creative play at it’s finest.  Our model is older and it seems like the newer models may have a different color on the reversed side.  It would be fun to paint one side of the surface with a solid color, or chalkboard paint, or attach a Lego surface for a DIY Lego table or glue a large sheet of felt to the surface for a DIY felt table.

The height of the table is perfect for children to kneel, sit, or stand around. Adults can get right up to the table and sit on the floor with their legs under the table and stretched out, comfortable and ready for playing!


How to use a train table in therapy and at home for development.






Using a KidKraft Train Table for Creative Play

We love using our train table in creative play.  

Using a Train Table for Sensory Play:

Use the train table for sensory play with water beads, magnetic letters, play dough activities, baby sensory play, or by creating a real-life “I Spy” game.  One thing to note about our train table–the surface wipes down really well.  I wouldn’t saturate it with gak or water in sensory play, but you could play with moon dough or other wipe-able sensory activities.  I use spay-able cleanser or magic erasers to clean the white surface of our train table all the time.

Using a Train Table for a Craft Center:

The size and surface of the train table is perfect for kids crafts.  The surface of this large table is perfect for spreading out supplies, craft activities, and even allowing friends to join in on crafty fun!  We’ve used our train table in so many art creation activities.

Using a Train Table for  Fine Motor Development:

We love to spread out a bunch of magazines and a few pairs of scissors to get busy on scissor skill activities.  This large area is a great way to create and play with fine motor activities while exploring many skill sets on the train table surface.  Kids can gather around the sides of the train table and play with all kinds of  fine motor activities, like in-hand manipulation play while being sure that the lip of the sides will not allow little pieces to flip over onto the floor.


Using a Train Table in Small World Imagination Play:

Oh, we definitely use our train table for trains, cars, and small world pretend play.  Free imagination play is often times the most fun!  Besides using just trains on the train table, pull in small worlds to encourage  and develop language and imagination with play dough, or with pieces like glass gems, small plastic animals, rocks, or more.  Your imagination is the limit!  We use those giant  trundle drawers for storing all of the pieces to imagination play.

The size and height of the KidKraft Train Table allows for a perfect surface for party activities like play crafts, and snacks.  


Do you have a train table? How do you use it in play? Let us know on our Facebook page or the comments below.



Stop by the other bloggers in this series to see their gift item reviews by visiting Lalymom’s Wishlist Reviewed!


                         Train Table review for gifts. Use a train table for so much ore than just train play: fine motor station, craft table, small world surface, art area. We use our train table every day!

More gift ideas you may be interested in: 



Baked Cotton Balls Ten Apples Up On Top Activity

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This Ten Apples Up on Top activity was a huge hit with my kids, because they love the book, so making baked cotton ball apples was a fun way to play through the book. And as a pediatric OT, I loved the fine motor and heavy work input that was an added benefit. You can add this to apple activities that you are doing in occupational therapy sessions or at home. These baked cotton ball apples would be a great addition to our apple pie sensory bin, and they would be fun for hands-on play with our Fine Motor Therapy Kit for visual motor, handwriting, and fine motor play.

Here’s what we did…

Ten Apples Up on Top Activity

Did you ever do an activity with the kids that was such a hit, that the kids ask to re-do the activity over and over and over again?  This one is it for us.  There is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t hear about our smashing apples activity. Especially if we happen to see a hammer.  Oh, this baked cotton ball activity was a fun one for us! 
 
We’ve never made baked cotton balls before, but have had the idea bubbling for a while.  When we heard that the Preschool Book Club‘s book for this week would be Ten Apples Up on Top, we knew it would have to be an apple themed baked cotton ball activity.  We even made these waaaay before all of the other book activities in the second series of books.  
 
Like back in June.  If you’ve never made baked cotton balls before, this is a MUST-DO activity!
 
 
 
This post contains affiliate links.  


How to make Baked Cotton Balls

Are you familiar with baked cotton balls? This sensory tool is a DIY sensory material that kids love, and for so many great reasons. Actually, mixing up and making the baked cotton balls is as much of a therapy task as playing with them!

 
First read Ten Apples Up On Top! by Dr. Seuss.  This is such a fun book for counting and playing along with the story.
 
 
How to make baked cotton balls:
 
  1. Begin by mixing together one cup of flour and one cup of water.  This is a great activity for the kids.  Scooping, stirring, direction following, sneak tasting (my kids aren’t the only ones who go crazy for flour, right!??).
  2. Pour in a bunch of red food coloring.  We typically go with Wilton gel colors for all of our dying activities, but I knew I wanted a really deep red color.  It seems like red coloring requires SO much dye to get a good shade of red.  I ended up using a bottle from the dollar store and used about half of the bottle of food dye.  This was maybe 20 drops?  Add enough to get a nice red color.
  3. Mix in the food coloring.
 
 
4. Now is the cotton ball part.  Grab up your stash of cotton balls.
 
 
5. Mix them around to coat all of the cotton balls.  
 
 
6. Place a layer of aluminum foil on a baking tray and place the cotton balls on the tray for baking.  I used two forks to pick up the coated cotton balls and was able to let excess flour coating drip off before placing the cotton balls onto the foil.
 
You’ll want to let as much excess drip off before putting them on the sheet to avoid the sharp edges and flat bottom once the cotton balls bake.
 
7. Pop the baking sheet into the oven for around 60 minutes at 300 degrees F.
 
 
While the cotton balls are baking, snip up the leaves and stems for the apples.  We used brown pipe cleaners and green crafting foam.
 
 
When the apples are done, pull them out of the oven and let them cool for a bit. They will be nice and hard.  You’ll need to snip the bottom edges of the apples to remove any sharp edges that dripped to the base before baking.
 
To attach the leaves and stems, lay the leaves on the apple top and poke the pipe cleaner through the foam sheet and into the cotton ball.  The kids were able to help with this part, but assisting with stem attachment did not allow this mama to take any pictures 😉
 
 
Our crop of apples were ready for playing with!
 
 
We followed along with the book as we read to stack up apples one by one.  What a great way to learn and play with math facts, counting, number order, and simple adding.  Little Guy LOVED this activity.
 
 
 
 
We got to hammering the cotton balls and this was the really fun part!  The baked cotton balls have a hard outer edge that allow for a satisfying crunch when smashed, and a squishy, cottony center.  What a fun way to explore and play.
 
We used a plastic hammer, but any hammer would do.
 
 
In fact, fists work just as well for smashing.
 
 
 
We had a smashing afternoon.
 

 

The remains of our cotton ball smashing reminded us of this page in the book.  Be sure to let us know if you make baked cotton balls!  We would love to hear about your experience with this sensory and fine motor activity!
 
Stop by the other Preschool Book Club bloggers to see their takes on Ten Apples Up On Top!
 
 
Sensory Bag from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails | Relay Race from Homegrown Friends | Play Dough Activity from Buggy and Buddy
 
 

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

N is for Napkin Newt Craft

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We love making cute crafts and our dining room wall can attest for that.  There’s a nice gallery of kid art going on on all four walls (and the ceiling, too!) and this cute newt craft is sure to make the wall!  


We’re joining bloggers from all over in the 31 days of ABCs series hosted by All Done Monkey.   Each day, a blogger has been publishing a blog post based on a letter.  We’re up next with N and our napkin newt.  
N is for Napkin and Newt! Make a napkin newt with the kids. So cute!

Newt Craft:

To make your newt, you’ll need a few supplies.  We used napkins, googly eyes, paint dab markers, glue, and red card stock.  We received the googly eyes and paint dab markers from www.craftprojectideas.com.  



Start by drawing a simple newt shape on the napkin.  I used a marker, but a pen would work, too.

If you have a bunch of newts to make for a preschool class or siblings, stack up a few sheets of napkins.  Grab your sharpest scissors and cut out the newts.  This is a job for a parent, but an older child could cut this complex shape.  Hold the napkins together tightly as you cut around the toes.
We liked how our napkin newt’s texture looked like scales.
Next, use your paint dab markers to dab on spots.  We went with different colors, and each child made their newt differently.

It was fun to see my daughter’s personalities coming out in their craftiness.  Big Sister was deliberate and colorful with her painting.  

Baby Girl painted in typical Baby Girl fashion…fast and furious and with STYLE!

Next, glue on googly eyes.
These newts are almost done.  We talked about the letter N and how Newt and Napkin both start with “N”.  We said a bunch of other words that start with “n” as we crafted.
Snip tongues from the red card stock and glue to the back of the newts.  Super cute newt!
Paint Dabber Newt Craft.



Let us know if you make this craft.  We would love to see your version!  Stop by our Facebook page and tell us all about it.

Apple Math Counting and Adding Activity

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We love using math concepts that are learned in school into playful activities at home.  Learning through play is a great way to strengthen concepts learned in the classroom.  We used apples to count, add, and learn one day, all in the great outdoors!
Be sure to use our free count and color worksheet for more fine motor math through play.

Kindergarten and Preschool students will enjoy this math activity using apples or other objects with chalk. One to one correspondence, dice math, counting


Apple math activity for Kindergartners and Preschoolers

 
This post contains affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through these links, we receive a small percentage in payment at no cost to you.

We used Sidewalk Chalk and a
dice for this activity.  I took the kids outside to the sidewalk one afternoon and drew a bunch of apple shapes.  We were ready to play.


Note–you could also draw any shape for this activity: pumpkins, smiley faces, geometric shapes, simple houses…any thing would work.

To play the game, I had the kids roll the dice.  They had to count the dots on the dice, or simply look at the dots to determine how many dots there were.  Big Sister did a lot of dice activities last year in Kindergarten so she was able to glance at the dice and know how many dots there were.  Little Guy counted the dots.  This is a great early math skill for preschool aged kids.

Once they counted the dots on the dice, I had them color in the same number of apples to correspond to the number of dots.  

We used the squares of our sidewalk to wok on Kindergarten math concepts that Big Sister learned towards the end of her school year.  Some of the squares had two apples drawn on them, and others had four or more.


This was a great opportunity to review addition. 



She added the apples to make the total match the number of dots on the dice. 


Little Guy counted along with Big Sister to count the total number of apples filled in.

Coloring in the apples with the chalk requires use of the small muscles of the hand.  The sidewalk surface is resistive and the area they colored in was small.  This required precision to stay in the lines.  Not to mention, coloring in all of those apples really strengthened the hands!


This was such a fun way to review old math areas for the new first grader and introduce new math concepts to the preschooler. Like this math activity?  Try a few of these ideas: