Motor Planning Activities with Sidewalk Chalk

Motor planning is a skill that is needed for every action that we do!  The motor planning activities in this post are designed to promote motor movement development into play, using sidewalk chalk. These are the perfect activity for outdoor play with a sensory component.  Find more information about motor planning and how to incorporate motor development into play by checking out the tab above under occupational therapy.

Work on motor planning activities when outdoors using sidewalk chalk to address gross motor needs, core strengthening, and praxis.



What does motor planning look like? 

Let’s first talk about what you might see in the child with motor planning difficulties:
The child that moves as if they can’t figure out where to put their arms and legs.


The child who is frustrated with movements.


The child who bumps into other students in the classroom or in crowded hallways.


The child who falls or stumbles way too often for their age.


The child who can’t figure out how to perform tasks if they are holding an object.


The child who avoids sports because they can’t move fast enough to catch a ball or perform several tasks at once (catch, run, throw).


What is motor planning?” is a common question.  Motor planning involves problem solving, planning, and action related to movement.  This is a HUGE collection of skills and results in hugely different outward appearances in kids.  One child who struggles with motor planning can present totally different than another.


Motor Planning Activities with Chalk

These activities use sidewalk chalk to address motor planning and movement. Work on these activities on a small scale or a big scale.  That’s the benefit of using chalk- You can draw a small hopscotch board on a sidewalk step and use your fingers to “hop” through the course.  OR, you can create a gigantic hopscotch board in an empty parking lot and leap from square to square!

All of the activities listed below can be modified in size.  Think outside of the box of chalk so to speak!

Even drawing and creating the activities below involve motor planning.  In fact, motor planning is a huge part of handwriting.  Read more about motor planning and handwriting to see what I mean. 


Sidewalk Chalk Motor Planning Ideas

  • Hopscotch
  • 4 square
  • Balance Beam – Draw a line that involves lots of turns and bends!
  • Draw to the beat of music
  • Draw a game board – Think Monopoly, Candyland, Sorry, or Chutes and Ladders.
  • Draw a bowling alley
  • Draw a baseball field
  • Draw a ping pong table
  • Draw a bullseye – Throw pebbles or bean bags at the target
  • Draw a big road – Run or ride bikes/scooters on the road.
  • Draw a railroad track
  • Make a sidewalk maze
  • Obstacle courses- Use symbols to indicate “stop”, “jump”, and “turn around”, and arrows for directions.
Try using chalk to make a balance beam while working on motor planning skills. 

Work on motor planning activities when outdoors using sidewalk chalk to address gross motor needs, core strengthening, and praxis.

Outdoor Balance Beam Ideas

Balance beams are a great tool for addressing areas like vestibular sensory input, core strength, balance, visual motor skills, and attention.  Here are outdoor balance beams and balance beam ideas that don’t require a playground or fancy equipment. These balance beams for kids are helpful in building the skills needed for reading, writing, visual processing, sensory processing, self-regulation, and more. Read more about balance beams and how they sneak in so many skill areas in a post we wrote on how balance beams help with sensory needs.

Try these outdoor balance beam ideas to help kids work on sensory needs, vestibular sensory input, and gross motor skills like core strength and balance.





Recently, I shared ideas for indoor balance beams.  The indoor balance beam ideas are perfect for adding movement and core strengthening to those rainy days that keep the kids inside but the kids are bouncing off those very walls that keep them cozy and dry?  I wanted to share some outdoor balance beam ideas that you may not have thought of.


Add these resources to the ones you can find here under sensory diet vestibular activities to meet the sensory needs of all kids. 

Outdoor Balance Beam Ideas Kids Love

This post contains affiliate links.

You don’t need fancy equipment! Use sticks to make a balance beam.

Use 2x4x16 feet or 2x4x8 feet wooden planks to create a large-sized balance beam in the lawn or on the driveway.  Large pieces of wood can be found at hardware stores. Moving those large pieces is a workout for kids that can be calming with all of that proprioceptive input!


Not interested in moving big pieces of wood?  Try using rocks, patio pavers,  bricks.  


These glow-in-the-dark pebbles would be fun to create a low path at dusk!


Try chalk drawn on a driveway or sidewalk.  Make the balance beam lines bend and curve to really challenge balance.


Skip the chalk and make a balance beam with the cracks that are already in the sidewalk or driveway!


Use a jump rope or long rope to create a balance beam line.


Use sticks and twigs to make a balance beam in the grass.


Make a narrow balance beam using leaves or wildflowers like dandelions.


Create a balance beam with leaves.


Walk along a fallen log.


Use commercial versions of balance beams that are available, including a portable foam balance beam.  This would be perfect for outdoor obstacle courses.  


Other ideas include: Make a portable roll-up balance beam using a yoga mat cut into strips (easily add it to your therapy bag!) and balance pods.

Try these outdoor balance beam ideas to help kids work on sensory needs, vestibular sensory input, and gross motor skills like core strength and balance.



What ideas do you have for outdoor balance beams? 

Kinesthetic Learning Activities for Outside

Taking the learning outside can make a big difference.  As the weather warms up, it can be hard to keep the attention in the classroom.  The birds are chirping, trees are blossoming, and the muddy lawns are calling!  So, when kids want to be nothing more than outside playing, how do you keep them focused and learning?  Try taking the learning outside!  These kinesthetic learning activities are perfect for the outside play this time of year and all year long.  Add some movement and outdoor play and facts are sure to stick when kids are out of the classroom and outdoors!


Try these kinesthetic learning activities for outside to help kids who need to move while learning.




Kinesthetic Learning Activities for Outside

I recently shared a post on tactile learning with a sight word sensory tray. I talked a little bit about kinesthetic learning and how some kids just seek tactile input in their learning.  Tactile learners and kinesthetic learners are a lot alike.  Kinesthetic learners need to move their bodies, manipulate materials, and really interact with learning materials.  These children tend to fidget, wiggle, slouch, or get up out of their seats when in the classroom setting.  This site has a lot of great information on kinesthetic learning. 


Try taking the learning outside to really get some space and movement into the learning experiences.  You could try these activities when practicing math facts, spelling words, vocabulary, memorization, or many other areas.  


Outdoor Learning Activities that Use Kinesthetic Movement

  • Balance Beam Adventure-  Use a jump rope or a board to create a balance beam maze on a driveway or sidewalk.  With sidewalk chalk, draw fish in a pond.  Kids can walk on the balance beam without falling into the “water”.  When they are on the balance beam, ask kids to hop while stating facts or other learning tasks.  Try a bean bag toss game when on the balance beam.  Kids can toss a bean bag into a target while spelling words.
  • No Peeking Simon Says- Play Simon Says outside in the backyard.  This version requires kids to keep their eyes closed when they perform the actions.  As they play, ask them questions.  You might ask them to touch their nose for “true” facts or to touch their shoulders for “false” facts.  Get creative with movement and learning with this one!
  • Backyard maze- Create a maze in the backyard by placing obstacles around the lawn.  Kids can look at the simple maze and then walk with their eyes closed as another person “guides” them with verbal directions around the obstacles.  Set up stations around the obstacle course where they need to answer questions.  This can be as simple as a printed out sheet of questions.  They just may recall the answers later by thinking about where they were in the obstacle course when they learned about those facts!
       This pre-reading obstacle course is perfect for kinesthetic learners. 
  • Backyard Yoga- Try yoga in the outdoors with kid-friendly yoga games like found in this book.  Try having your child close their eyes during yoga moves to incorporate position of body in space.  Add deep breath spelling or math facts while breathing in and out for several counts.
  • Hopscotch Math-  Practice math facts like addition or multiplication with a hopscotch game on the driveway.
  • Sidewalk Chalk Learning- Kids can use sidewalk chalk in so many ways!  Write out spelling words.  Do math homework on the driveway.  Write out vocabulary words.  Use patio pads or bricks to work on perimeter, area, or geometry.  What would you add?
  • Take a Walk-  Go on a stroll while reviewing information.  What a great way to learn in nature!
Try some of these outdoor lawn games with the kids. 

How can you add learning and movement to the backyard to better serve your kinesthetic learners?

outside activities for kinesthetic learning for kids

How to incorporate sensory and motor play into playing outside

Sensory diet activities can be specific to sensory system like these vestibular sensory diet activities. Sensory activities can be prescribed according to need along with environment in order to maximize sensory input within a child’s day such as within the school day. Using authentic sensory input within the child’s environment plays into the whole child that we must understand when focusing on any goal toward improved functional independence. 

Many sensory diet activities can naturally be found outdoors. In fact, outdoor sensory diet activities are a fun way to encourage sensory input in a child’s environment and without fancy therapy equipment or tools. 

It’s a fact that 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…kids just get less natural play in the outdoors. Some therapists have connected the dots between less outdoor play and increased sensory struggles and attention difficulties in learning. 

Knowing this, it can be powerful to have a list of outdoor sensory diet activities that can be recommended as therapy home programing and family activities that meet underlying needs.

That’s where the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and Sensory Challenge Cards come into play.

They are a FREE printable resource that encourages sensory diet strategies in the outdoors. In the printable packet, there are 90 outdoor sensory diet activities, 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities, 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards. They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.

Here’s a little more information about the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards
  • 90 outdoor sensory diet activities
  • 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities
  • 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards
  • They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input. 
  • Research tells us that outdoor play improves attention and provides an ideal environment for a calm and alert state, perfect for integration of sensory input.
  • Outdoor play provides input from all the senses, allows for movement in all planes, and provides a variety of strengthening components including eccentric, concentric, and isometric muscle contractions. 
  • Great tool for parents, teachers, AND therapists!


Be sure to grab the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and use them with a child (or adult) with sensory processing needs!

Outdoor sensory diet activity cards for parents, teachers, and therapists of children with sensory processing needs.

December Sensory Processing Activities

These December Sensory Processing Activities are designed to provide sensory opportunities, Christmas themed sensory prompts, accommodations to holiday activities, and sensory challenges with a Christmas and winter theme.  For more Christmas themed developmental activities for Occupational Therapists, parents, and teachers, grab try this free Christmas Occupational Therapy activities printable calendar.


 
December Sensory Processing Activities
 
December is a time of holiday fun,
hustle, and bustle.  Families have added
activities, winter parties, and distant family to visit.  This time of year brings with it unusual holiday
songs and bells, lights, different foods to smell and taste, and crowded
stores.  For the child with sensory processing concerns, it can be a very difficult time.  



The holiday rush brings with it, added and unusual sounds, sights, smells, visitors, scratchy holiday sweaters, and schedule changes. The holiday season can be downright debilitating for the child with sensory challenges. 
 
The time leading up to Christmas
can be a month-long time of sensory overload for children with sensory
issues.  It can be confusing for sensory
systems!  The overwhelming feelings of
sensory uncertainty can add a whole new meaning to holiday stress.  This time of year, when even the most intentional
parents and teachers can still cause over-stimulation or under-stimulation to
the child who is already struggling with sensory issues. 
 
There can be a need for additional calming
sensory input or changes to sensory diet, additional modifications, and added
sensory down-time.  



When it comes to preparing for the holidays and all the adjustments it brings, a plan can help. An understanding of the sensory system and how the senses are processed can help parents, teachers, and caregivers to cope with the added sensory stress for children with sensory issues.


Having a kit of ideas and coping strategies can be a helpful tool to prepare the child with sensory processing difficulties for the holiday season. 


A list of sensory activities that can be added to the day…WITH a holiday theme can make all the difference in creating a holiday that the whole family will remember, all while keeping the sensory systems in mind. 


Below, you’ll see a packet of sensory activities that has been on this site for a little over two years. This packet of Christmas Sensory Activities are bound to help families of those with sensory processing challenges to thrive this holiday season. 


There are coping strategies for dealing with all of the added and new sensory input. 


There are activity challenges that hit on the big sensory systems, allowing for calming or stimulating sensory input with a Christmas theme. 


There are Christmas and holiday themed activities that can be incorporated into an established or new sensory diet, making a valuable tool for the child who is overwhelmed or underwhelmed by all that the holidays bring.


Read more about what’s included in the Christmas Sensory Processing Activity Packet…



Included in the Christmas Sensory Processing Activity Packet:


  • Each of the sensory systems are addressed in the 31 sensory activities.


  • There is a detailed description of the sensory system and sensory processing included in this packet.


  • Information is included on sensory diets and how they are needed during the holiday season. Sensory activities with a holiday theme can be added to sensory diets depending on individual sensory needs. 
 
  • Sensory challenges and modifications that can be added into daily routines this time of year.


  • A comprehensive list of sensory coping strategies is included for handling holiday stress and over- or under-responsiveness related to holiday travel, holiday visitors, and changes in routines over the Christmas season.

ON SALE for 25% OFF NOVEMBER 24-27, 2017! Just click the link to access the reduced price of $3.75!

 
Add these activities to your
therapy plans this month.  The activity list
is perfect for passing on to parents as a home program.  Parents and teachers can use these activities
as part of an individualized plan that meets the child’s needs. 
 
The activities are
outlined in an easy to follow therapy plan, however as parents and therapists
know, a day that involves children does not always go as planned.  The activities can be shifted around to suit
the needs of the child and the family.  



Does this sound like a resource that might help your client, child, or student? If the holidays make you want to curl up in a blanket because of the added stress and sensory challenges, this might just be the tool for you and your family! 

Fall Visual Processing Sensory Activities

Use fall activities to work on visual processing needs with fall visual processing sensory activities.

Visual Processing can result in overactive sensitivity to sights or an under-responsiveness to all that the eye sees.  During Fall, there are many more colors and visual sights that can be a sense of interest to children with sensory processing disorders.  A simple walk in the yard is much different during the Fall months when leaves are changing or there are more sticks and acorns to navigate on the lawn.  For the child who has sensory processing concerns, using the sense of sight can be a calming or alerting tool.  Try these fall visual processing sensory activities this Fall.

Check out our free Fall Sensory Activities booklet. It’s full of family-friendly sensory activities that celebrate the season through sensory experiences covering all of the senses. The activities in this free booklet are a fun way to encourage motor movement and development through fall activities. Scroll to the bottom of this blog post to grab your copy!


Fall Visual Processing Sensory Activities with a fall or harvest theme.

 

 

Adding visual sensory activities to vestibular or proprioception activities can have a great affect on children with sensory processing disorders.  Check out our Fall Proprioception Activities and Fall Vestibular Activities or find all of the ideas in one place in our Fall Harvest Sensory calendar.

Fall Visual Processing Sensory Activities

1.     Leaf Lay– Head outdoors on a bright and sunny fall day.  Look for trees with brightly colored leaves and lay down on the ground under the tree.  Kids can look up at the leaves as the sun shines through the colored leaves.  Ask kids to notice branches in the leaves.  Address deep breathing and slow counting for a calming sensory experience.  Use this opportunity to discuss events that lead up to feelings of fear or anxiety related to the senses.

2.     Color Assessment– Use a magnifying glass to explore the colors of leaves, tree trunks, and nature finds while out on a nature hunt.  Kids can look for each color of the rainbow in a scavenger hunt type of activity.  This fall activity builds visual scanning needed for reading and writing.
 
3.     Pumpkin Seed Colors– Use dry seeds from a pumpkin to create colorful seeds using liquid food coloring or liquid water colors.  While these seeds won’t be edible, they are great for creative play!  Use the seeds to sort, manipulate, and create in Fall themed learning and play or artwork.
 
 
4.     Fall Maze– Many farms or community events host a corn or hay maze this time of year.  Walking through a maze is a visual processing experience that kids can use to develop directionality needs.  You can create your own backyard version of a fall maze using fallen leaves or a trail of sticks from trees.


 

Fall Visual Processing Sensory Activities with a fall or harvest theme.

Fall Sensory Activities

Work on visual processing skills this Fall AND address all areas of sensory needs while experiencing all that the Fall season has to offer! Grab your free copy of the Fall Sensory Experiences Booklet to create sensory diet activities that meet the needs of individuals in a Fall-themed way! Enter your email address below and you will find the Fall Sensory Experiences Booklet delivered right to your inbox. Enjoy!

Harvest Theme October Sensory Calendar

This month’s Occupational Therapy calendar explores the season’s finest with a Harvest theme.  If you’ve missed this years’ series of calendars, you can check out last month’s calendar for activities that will keep your child occupied with sensory play and experiences well into this month.


Each month, I’ve been sharing creative and seasonal sensory experiences that address sensory needs based on each of the senses.  I try to come up with activities that can be modified to address multiple developmental areas such as fine motor skills, visual motor integration, gross motor coordination and balance, and functional skills.


This month’s calendar is perfect for Sensory Awareness month! 

Harvest themed October sensory calendar for occupational therapy ideas

 

 

October brings with it all things falling leaves and pumpkin spice everything, and it is definitely a sensory-filled month!  This month’s activity calendar is full of sensory activities that will challenge the senses.  You will find activities based on all seven senses and are fun ways to involve the whole family in indoor and outdoor play.  Print out your free calendar, read through the activities and get ready to play!


For more info on the activities below, grab your Harvest Sensory Booklet (It’s a freebie, too! Scroll below to grab your copy.)


Use these harvest themed ideas in sensory diets to address sensory needs.  These are creative ways to experience all that Fall has to offer with the whole family.



Take the challenge.  Encourage and experience sensory play every day this month.


Print your Fall Sensory Activities workbook and calendar and join us in daily sensory play. 

Harvest themed October sensory calendar for occupational therapy ideas

October Occupational Therapy Calendar Sensory Activities

Grab your Fall Sensory Activities booklet to build Fall harvest themed activities into your child’s sensory diet with activities the whole family can enjoy.

Get yours!



This is a great way to challenge the senses and take part in our Sensory Processing Month sensory challenge! 

Simply add one sensory activity to every day.  These can be simple ideas that the whole family can do.  Need ideas? Grab your sensory activity booklet.   


What’s in the Fall Sensory Activities booklet?

Fall Proprioception Sensory Activities
 
6 creative proprioception activities!
 
Fall Vestibular Sensory Activities
 
4 creative vestibular ideas for indoor or outdoor!
 
Fall Tactile Sensory Activities
 
4 tactile sensory experiences!
 
Fall Visual Sensory Activities
 
4 ways to incorporate the sense of sight into fall play!
 
Fall Auditory Sensory Activities
 
4 Fall auditory processing ideas!
 
Fall Olfactory Sensory Activities
 
5 ways to encourage and use scent in sensory processing!
 
Fall Gustatory Sensory Activities
 
4 Fall taste activities!
 
 
Harvest themed October sensory calendar for occupational therapy ideas

 

Harvest themed October sensory calendar for occupational therapy ideas
 
Are you excited to take the sensory challenge this October? Join us with the activities in your Fall Sensory Activities book today!

 

Looking for more ways to explore all things sensory this month?

How to incorporate sensory play into playing outside in the fall


It’s a fact that 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…kids just get less natural play in the outdoors. Therapists have connected the dots between less outdoor play and increased sensory struggles and attention difficulties in learning. 

 

 
Knowing this, it can be powerful to have a list of outdoor sensory diet activities that can be recommended as therapy home programing and family activities that meet underlying needs.
 
That’s where the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and Sensory Challenge Cards come into play.
 
They are a printable resource that encourages sensory diet strategies in the outdoors. In the printable packet, there are 90 outdoor sensory diet activities, 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities, 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards. They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.
 
Here’s a little more information about the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards
  • 90 outdoor sensory diet activities
  • 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities
  • 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards
  • They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input. 
  • Research tells us that outdoor play improves attention and provides an ideal environment for a calm and alert state, perfect for integration of sensory input.
  • Outdoor play provides input from all the senses, allows for movement in all planes, and provides a variety of strengthening components including eccentric, concentric, and isometric muscle contractions. 
  • Great tool for parents, teachers, AND therapists!
Be sure to grab the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and use them with a child (or adult) with sensory processing needs!
 
 
 

 

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    September Occupational Therapy Activities Calendar

    How are we heading into September and back to the routines of Fall already? This month’s September Occupational Therapy activities calendar is full of creative activities designed to build developmental skills through therapeutic activities based around a Fall theme.  This month’s Occupational Therapy calendar is perfect for Occupational Therapists’ who are planning for the month in the clinic or in the school-based OT setting.


    You’ll want to check out last month’s calendar for tons of Back-to-School Occupational Therapy recommendations including using sensory strategies in the classroom.


    September Occupational Therapy activities and ideas for Fall themed treatment ideas to use with kids in the classroom, home, or clinic setting.

    This post contains affiliate links.


    September Occupational Therapy Activities 



    Grab your September FREE Printable calendar here.


    Here are all of the creative ways to build skills this month:


    1. Cutting Leaves– Use Fall leaves (or leaves that haven’t yet turned colors) to work on fine motor skills including scissor skills, bilateral coordination, and eye-hand coordination.


    2. Leaf Balance Beam–  Use real leaves or artificial leaves for indoors to create a balance beam to work on many skills with a vestibular challenge.


    3. Scarecrow Scissor Skills– Create a scarecrow craft while working on scissor skills and eye-hand coordination. We worked on math with this activity, but you could modify it to meet any learning concept.


    4. Leaf Hole Punch– This fine motor activity build hand strength and adds proprioceptive input for calming.


    5. Fall Fine Motor Activities– Use these fine motor activities to build strength, eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination, and tool use.


    6. Apple Picking– Find a local orchard to pick, climb, bend, toss, and carry buckets of apples.  Don’t have an orchard nearby? Create a pretend play scenario using bean bags for apples.  This is an awesome core and whole body strengthening and proprioception activity for Fall.


    7. Farm Animal Walks– Brainstorm animals from the farm and practice animal walks across the room while incorporating gross motor skills, bilateral coordination, motor planning, and proprioceptive nput into the activity. This is a great brain break activity.


    8. Lacing Leaves– Work on fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, and eye-hand coordination with this leaf lacing activity.


    9. Leaf Jump– Use artificial leaves or real leaves to create a hopscotch-type gross motor game.  Position leaves on the floor or lawn so that kids need to hop and jump from one to another. To add an educational component to this one, write letters or numbers on the leaves.  Jumping provides movement and proprioception input that may help with attention in the classroom when used as a brain break. 


    10. Peel Corn– Husking corn is a great fine motor activity for kids during the Fall season or all summer long!  Peeling the husks and corn silk requires a neat pincer grasp and encourages tactile sensory exploration.


    11. Chopping Apples– Use apples from your apple picking day (Day 6 above) to create a cooking experience.  Cooking with Kids is a great way to build sensory experiences, fine motor development, and cognitive tasks such as direction following and problem solving.  Choose a recipe with your kids that the whole family will like.  Try this Apple Dumpling Recipe.  For kids that are working on fine motor skills, this child safety knife kit is great for kitchen tasks.  TIP: Cut the apple slices into strips before presenting them to your child.  Peeling the apple will make this task easier.


    12. Pumpkin Sensory Bin–  Create a pumpkin sensory bin to build fine motor skills in a tactile sensory play activity.


    13. Turn over dirt in the garden– This time of year, the garden is winding down.  Use the cooler temperatures as an excuse to get the garden ready for next year’s harvest.  Show kids how to pull weeds, pull out garden stakes, and turn over dirt to “put the garden to bed”.  If you haven’t created a Sensory Garden, start planning next years for a season of sensory input in the backyard.


    14. Apple Tree Balance Beam– Make an indoor apple tree balance beam to address motor planning and balance with an apple theme. This is a great activity for building core strength.


    15. Fall Sensory Bin– Create an apple sensory bin using materials you probably have in and around your home.  This Build An Apple Tree Sensory Bin encourages eye hand coordination and fine motor skills with tactile sensory play.


    16. Apple Washing– Head to the nearest Farmer’s Market or grocery store and fill a basket with apples.  Wash them off in a sink of water using a fruit and veggie brush. Scrubbing with the brush encourages proprioceptive input while promoting precision to not push too hard to clean the fruit. 


    17. Football Toss–  Grab a football and get ready for Fall sporty fun.  Use the football to toss, kick, and even roll the ball to a friend or parent.  Encourage your child to get into different positions to throw the ball.  Some ideas are: standing, sitting, throwing over a shoulder, tossing between the legs, head down and rolling upside down, and laying on belly.


    18. Autumn Art Projects– Get into an creative mode with autumn-inspired art projects.  Encourage tool use, direction following, problem solving, and creative process with sensory and autumn art. 


    19. Leaf Trace– Find leaves from outside.  Place them on a piece of paper and trace the outline with a crayon or pencil.  This activity requires bilateral coordination, motor planning, eye-hand coordination, and visual perception in order to trace around the leaves.  Try doing this activity standing at an easel or chalkboard to encourage upper extremity strengthening and stabilization or while lying on the floor to center and organize.


    20. Farmer in the Dell– Doing action rhymes like the Farmer in the Dell (perfect for Fall and before trips to the farm!) are an excellent way to work on so many skills: Fine and Gross Motor, Social/Emotional Development, Speech and Language, Spatial Concepts, Attention Span, and Behaviors.  Read more about each of these areas and more here


    21. Fall Tactile Table– Set up a tactile sensory play experience with Fall’s colors and textures.  This is a great activity for toddlers.


    22. Pillow Jump–  One easy way to encourage movement and sensory input while indoors is by using couch cushions.  Set up cushions across the floor for jumping, hopping, and squashing for proprioceptive input.  Make this a Fall activity by adding a football for target practice at the pillows.  Try encouraging hopping and jumping from pillow to pillow while holding a football for more of a balance and core body workout as the hands are holding onto the football.  Grade the activity by spacing pillows out more or moving them closer together.


    23. Make applesauce–  Encourage more cooking with kids by using apples to mix up a batch of homemade applesauce.  Use a hand-held food chopper to chop up apples while encouraging proprioceptive input and strengthening.  Use a kitchen mallet to work more proprioceptive input into food prep.  Adding ingredients like cinnamon is an excellent olfactory sensory activity. 


    24. Apple Smash Baked Cotton Balls– Sneak proprioceptive input and eye-hand coordination into this FUN apple themed smashing activity.  The kids will love this one!


    25. Scarecrow Says– Encourage crossing midline, range of motion, motor planning, eye-hand coordination, and direction following with vestibular sensory input in a “Simon Says” type of game.  The Scarecrow can be Simon and promote motor movements of all kinds.


    26. Wheelbarrow Push– This is a fun activity for building balance, core body strength and upper body strength as well as visual perceptual skills.  Use a real wheelbarrow to push and pull fall leaves.  For kids who need assistance, parents or an adult can stand behind the child and help them push the wheelbarrow.  Don’t have a wheelbarrow? No problem.  Make a cardboard wheelbarrow and cart small items around the house.


    27. Catch Falling Leaves–  If you live in an area where leaves are falling from the trees, use nature in therapy!  Try to catch leaves as they fall or try hitting them with a racket or catching with a net.  If you don’t have one of those items, use a bucket or basket to try to catch the falling leaves. This activity encourages gross motor skills and visual perception along with motor planning.  If you don’t have falling leaves in your area, try making tissue paper leaves and dropping them from a high spot to your child for them to catch.


    28. Autumn Gross Motor Play– Try gross motor activities with an Autumn theme for building strength and core strength. 


    29. Jump in Leaves– Make a pile of leaves and JUMP for proprioceptive input.  Don’t have fallen leaves?  Make a pile of blankets and pillows for an indoor, pretend play version of this active gross motor activity.


    30. Fall Nature Walk– Go outside and explore the season.  Climb trees, hike, wade in streams as the Fall weather creates sensory experiences. Talk with your child about the scents, textures, and sounds of the outdoors.  Crunch leaves in your hand and under your feet. Pick up and collect items like acorns, pine cones, horse chestnuts, and leaves.  

    September Occupational Therapy activities and ideas for Fall themed treatment ideas to use with kids in the classroom, home, or clinic setting.

    Fun Things to Do in Pittsburgh


    I stepped into the backyard.  There were hockey sticks strewn about the driveway, shoes in the grass (must they ALWAYS take off their shoes when they are outside??), and a baby doll stroller hanging from a tree.  


    The kids are on summer vacation and our lawn shows it.

    Hack the summer with these best kids activities and play spaces in Pittsburgh, information about the Chick-Fil-A One app.



    Besides the toy tornado that has hit the yard, Summer is good to my kids.  They’ve got neighborhood friends to play with at the drop of a hat (a hat which most likely lands in the lawn with the rest of the kids’ possessions), are hitting the pool every other day, and are just enjoying the carefree days of summer!


    But sometimes, a mom gets tired of removing toy baby strollers from tree branches.


    Sometimes we need to get out of the house and go on some summer adventures. 



    I was excited when I had the chance to meet up with some of my closest friends for a playdate at the park. The kids could run around and get their energy out on the playground while us Moms (and one Dad) chatted all things Summer.  Like, how to keep the kids active and having fun while creating a summer of memories with the whole family.


    We chatted about ways to Hack the Summer and get out of the toy-nado funk and into local Summer fun.  What better way to make the most of summer than to build summer memories in our city?  We  came up with a few fun ideas to visit and places to play in Pittsburgh as a family. 


    Here’s what we came up with:

    Best Pittsburgh Summer Play Places for Kids and Families

    Best Ways to Cool Off in Pittsburgh On a Hot Day: 

    Pittsburgh’s Water Steps- The North Side’s fountain is a place to
    cool down on a hot day. Kids can wear water shoes and get right into the water
    feature while enjoying a great view of the city’s skyline.

    The water fountain in the South Side Works just calls out to kids!
    They can run through the water on a hot day. There is free live music on
    weekends for the whole family to enjoy.

    Mellon Park’s spray park is a fun way to cool off that doesn’t
    involve swimming.  Pack a picnic lunch and eat it on the large lawn.

    Fall Run Park in Shaler (North Hills) is a mile long hike along a
    rocky creek that is perfect for kids of all ages.  Kids (and adults!) can
    play in the creek and will find a beautiful large waterfall at the end of the
    hike.


    Best Parks in Pittsburgh:

    Blue Slide Park in Frick park is a unique playground with it’s
    cement slide. Bring a piece of cardboard to slide down the slide that is
    built right into the hillslide or play on the multi-level playground.

    Squall Run Playground in Fox Chapel has two playground areas that
    are great for different ages.  Kids love to play in the sand volleyball
    court too, so bring your sand toys!

    Highland Park’s Super Playground is a huge wooden playground with
    passages, play features, and a castle-like appearance.


    Best Indoor Activities in Pittsburgh (for rainy or super hot days): 

    Shaler Library has the best children’s librarians and programming
    for kids.  People come from all over to attend story times, STEM
    activities, hands-on learning programs, and interactive themed activities.
    There is something for everyone and something happening every day.

    Sorgels Orchards has a great play area and mom can pick up a
    couple of groceries in the market after play time.  They have great ice
    cream for a treat, too!

     

    While we chatted about things to do in Pittsburgh this summer, we had a great lunch from Chick-fil-A and got to talk about Chick-fil-A’s new app called Chick-fil-A One.  It’s a GREAT app for busy parents who have kids in tow as they try to grab a meal.  We’ve shared our love of Chick-fil-A before and how the restaurant is perfect for busy families who NEED to get out and enjoy a meal while creating memories.   Chick-fil-A has taken ease for families a step further with their new app!


    Look at all it can do: 


    Easy cookie pop recipe for kids and families
    Easy cookie pop snack idea for kids
    When we were done with lunch and play, our crazy crew headed home with full bellies and memories of a fun day with friends.  
     
    We had some leftover Chick-fil-A cookies that were perfect for making these cookie pops.  It was easy to cut up the cookies into quarters and pop lollipop sticks into the cookie pieces.  Take these cookie pops to one of the play spaces we’ve shared above or one of your favorite local places while you “Hack the Summer” and avoid the chaos of toy baby stroller in trees.

    Playground Therapy

    Ultimate guide to the playground

    Whether in the school environment or accessing playgrounds in the community, it is important to discuss playground therapy as a tool for building skills. Therapy playground strategies can support development in many different areas. Here, we’ll cover how to incorporate the playground in therapy sessions, as well as playground equipment. 

    You’ll also want to dive into specifics about sensory integration at the playground and balance at the playground. Another resource that is helpful for some individuals is our article on sensory diets at the playground.

    Playground therapy

    The playground offers a unique environment for building skills. There is so much development and therapeutic growth that can happen in an environment like a playground. 

    Let’s take a look at the various areas of development that can be targeted through play on a playground:

    This skillset is powerful and it’s all through the power of play!

    Playground Therapy Equipment

    With it’s slides and swings, surroundings, slope, surfaces, and colors, no two playgrounds are exactly alike. Just as all playgrounds are different, the childhood development that can occur using the equipment at a playground is vast.

    Some important playground therapy equipment include:

    • Slides
    • Swings (regular, disk, tire swing, platform swing, etc.)
    • ​Balance beams
    • Stairs
    • Climbing wall
    • Climbing platform
    • Foam sensory stations
    • Wheelchair access
    • Ladders
    • Climbing areas
    • Monkey bars
    • Ramps
    • Auditory input stations
    • Fine motor areas
    • Musical areas
    • Cognitive skill areas

    All of these spaces on the playground can be used through free play to support development. It’s through the occupation of play that children of all abilities develop. 

    Creative play including pretend play and interaction with peers on the playground can promote development on a typical weekend trip to the park, or during recess time on the playground. Occupational therapy practitioners uniquely promote functional performance and play is both the therapy tool as well as the target for development. 

    Using playground equipment in therapy goals can also be used to support a variety of diagnoses. 

    Not only that, but a playground is a supportive and community friendly space that allows caregivers to carryover recommendations in a shared and accessible space. 

    The playground offers a unique environment.  There is so much development and therapeutic growth that can happen in an environment like a playground.  With it’s slides and swings, surroundings, slope, surfaces, and colors, no two playgrounds are exactly alike.  Just as all playgrounds are different, the childhood development that can occur using the equipment at a playground is vast.  
     
     

    Ultimate Guide to the Playground

     
     
    The links below will guide you through childhood development of capabilities at the playground, the fine motor development that can occur at a park, gross motor requirements for safety and independence, sensory therapy strategies that can be done at the playground, modification ideas, playground games for extending therapy, rules to break for developing progress, social skills that occur at the playground, and visual skill development that can develop at a playground.
     
    This is literally your ultimate guide to the playground! 

    Playground Development

    When playing on the playground, so many skills develop. We covered this in our resource on sensory play using playground equipment because motor skills and movement are intrinsically connected to sensory skills, meaning sensory-motor! You’ll love this resource on developmental progression of playground skills.

     Fine Motor Skills are also developed at the playground, through use of slides, swings, and other items. We know that development progresses from gross motor to fine motor and proximally to distally, but did you know the true value of climbing, sliding, balancing, and using those playground tools? Check out this blog post for more information on fine motor skills at the playground.
     

    Modifying Playground Equipment for Development

    Neighborhood parks, school playgrounds, and even natural play areas (hiking trails, beaches, state parks, forests, and the backyard) are in every community. What a resource we have within minutes from every home! But, when it comes to playground equipment, not all are created equal. 

    Sometimes, we need to adjust our plans or activities at the park or playground. And that’s ok! A swing may not be developmentally appropriate for every individual. A climbing device or elevated play area may not work for the needs of every individual. What we can do, however, is adjust or modify the equipment we do have access to. 

    This way, we can use the resources available as best we can while promoting developmental progression and achievement of individual goals. That is exactly what we do as occupational therapy professionals! 

    Check out this blog on modifying playground equipment. It’s a great tool to add to your therapy toolbox!

    • This blog post includes utilizing playground equipment to support visual processing skills on the playground
    • This blog post has social skills activities while at the park or playground

    Playground Games

    As occupational therapists, we harness the environment and address any factors that impact functional participation. This includes using our primary occupations. For kids, that primary occupation is PLAY! 
     
    By incorporating gross motor games, scavenger hunts, I Spy, and other games, the playground becomes a place to practice through play in so many aspects of child development.
     
    Kids play at school at the playground, and they play 
    What a resource for families and therapists!
     
    The ultimate guide to kids on the playground, including fine motor, gross motor, visual skill, and social skill development, sensory integration therapy, modifications, and more.
     
     
     
    The ultimate guide to kids on the playground, including fine motor, gross motor, visual skill, and social skill development, sensory integration therapy, modifications, and more.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
                   
     

    Try these outdoor play ideas:

     Rainbow Writing Handwriting Practice | Winter Letters Outside  | Letters on the Garage Door | Alphabetical Order Golf Tee Hammering