This baking soda and vinegar powered boat was such a fun way to build and explore movement powered by science. My kiddos and a niece and nephew built this boat using recycled materials, (a lot like we did last week with our evaporation experiment). This boat required a baking soda and vinegar reaction to power movement across water. It’s the perfect outdoor STEM fine motor activity!
Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Boat
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My kids LOVE baking soda and vinegar reaction STEM activities. They’ve tried a rocket and volcano so I knew they would love this boat activity.
This recycled boat was pretty easy to put together. We a recycled used Styrofoam egg carton to cut a triangular shape. To that, we taped a plastic lid. We used two small pieces of straws and taped them to the back of the boat and coming from the lid. With that, our boat was ready for power.
A tip for the boat construction: Be sure the straws are taped securely in the lid and parallel to the water surface. We used electrical tape for this job.
Next, fill the lid with baking soda. We have this HUGE bag of baking soda and love it. The quantity is perfect for experiments that kids want to do over and over again.
Carefully pour in vinegar and watch the boat sail across the water. We noticed that our first run was the best and we think it was because the straws were better positioned at the start of our STEM activity. We also tried aiming the straws down into the water and that seemed to help with powering movement, better too.
We did this boat activity in a tub outside, but want to try it in a larger area like a baby pool very soon. One of the kids said we should build a cruise ship and make it go with baking soda and vinegar. I’ll be sure to share how that project pans out 😉
This post is part of the 31 Days of Outdoor STEM series. Stop by and see all of the STEM fun!
Let us know if you make a baking soda and vinegar powered boat!
My kids have a love of fresh veggies. Every year, we dig up a little plot of dirt and plan out a garden. Any worms that are dug up are buried back into the freshly turned ground. (My kids also have a love of all things mud, and worms.)
After the garden is planned, we trek out to the garden supply store. We choose our veggies and flowers and (usually) squeeze too many plants into the space that we have. They love to help me plant, help pull weeds, and then eat the fresh veggies right from the garden.
How awesome is it to have kids WANT to eat fresh vegetables? They head over to the garden all day long and pop ripe (and sometimes not-ripe) cherry tomatoes right into their mouths.
Our garden has become a family project that lasts all season long.
So, of course we had to share our love of dirt and gardening (and worms) with some friends. With the winter behind us and the cold of this long slow start to Spring, we are SO ready to get outside and playing in nature. We knew a few of our friends were feeling the same way about wanting to do some outdoor activities, so a gardening group activity seemed like a great idea!
We decided to throw a Start a Garden play date, complete with craft time to make garden markers. Is there anything better than growing friendships just like a garden?
Garden Play Date Idea
I added all of these items into a laundry basket and headed outside to our porch. The big table was perfect for hosting lots of busy scooping and dirty hands as we prepped our containers. We added potting mix to the containers and then only had to gently press the Gro-ables Project into the dirt. This was the perfect project for a group of kids and even better for building memories of starting a garden together!
I loved that this group of friends got to learn together about gardening and had an experience of working together. Moms know that there is a lot to learn from something as small as a seed so it was fun to see the kids working together to dig and create as they planted. There was a real shared a joy as they planted the seed pods. I think one of the comments was, “This was really a lot of fun, Mom!” It was a hands-on play date that will be a lasting memory for all of the kids.
Tips for hosting a gardening play date:
Load all of the supplies up in an easy-to-carry bin like a laundry basket.
Work outside (there will be dirt everywhere!) on a large table or right in the garden.
Provide small plant starter pots for each child.
Make it simple! Use Miracle-Gro Gro-ables Project.
Allow each child to take their plant starter home in their own small pot.
Label the plant with a garden marker. Make garden markers together with the group of children. (See below for a fun garden marker idea!)
Write each child’s name on their pot. They can take home their seed starter container and transplant the plant into a garden.
The only thing we needed for our newly planted seeds were plant markers. We decided to make this craft part of the play date and it was a huge hit.
Easy Garden Marker Craft
To make these colorful garden markers, you’ll need just a few items:
Large craft sticks
Small colorful rubber bands
Plastic Beads (optional)
Fine Point Permanent Marker
Making these garden markers was a workout for the fine motor skills. We have an over abundance of these small rubber bands and decided that they would add a colorful pop to our garden markers. Grab one or two rubber bands and wrap them around one end of the craft stick. Double them up and wrap them around the craft stick a second time. Keep adding rubber bands until 2-3 inches of the craft stick is covered with rubber bands. Add another layer of rubber bands toward the bottom of the craft stick.
We stuck our garden markers into the potted plants with our Groables Project.
Once they start to sprout seedlings, we’ll transfer them to the garden where we can watch the plants grow all summer long. We will move the garden markers to the garden, too and keep a close eye on our plants as we water and weed them.
Do you have any tips for growing plants with your kids? Tell us about them in the comments!
There is nothing like learning in the great outdoors. The breeze in your hair, the birds tweeting, and bugs getting involved in the outdoor classroom. Learning outside with the kids is a fun twist on the everyday math homework! We love to spend time outdoors. And, I love to sneak learning activities into our play. This Math Scavenger Hunt idea was a fun way to practice second grade math concepts like adding and subtracting two digit numbers. Our math rocks made this move and learn activity extra fun.
We’ve shared quite a few outdoor learning activities on the blog before. The favorite in our back yard was this pre-reading literacy activity. We even used a few of the same hiding places for today’s math activity.
Outdoor Math Activity for Kids
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To start with, we used rocks to create math manipulatives. These pebbles were collected from a trip to our camp this past summer and painting them was a fun way to recall summer memories. You can use rocks of any size or shape for this activity. Just be sure to use acrylic paint so that the color doesn’t flake off of the rock’s surface. I love this brand of acrylic paints for it’s price! We painted both sides of the rocks in different colors. You can paint your rocks all one color or mix it up a bit. We went for the colorful approach. For the numbers, I used a paint marker. Be sure to allow the paint to dry before writing on the numbers.
When the paints have all dried, you are ready to take these math rocks outside for learning and play!
Outdoor Learning Math Ideas
We played a few different games with our math rocks.
I hid a bunch of the rocks in a small area of our yard. I had my second grader search for two rocks at a time. When she brought them back, I asked her to add or subtract the numbers.
We used specific numbers in a small area of the yard. I named a large number and had her find two rocks that added up to that number. (We have enough rocks that we were able to number them 0-100 using both sides of the rocks, so this worked out easily.)
Using smaller numbers, I showed her two numbers. She had to go off and look for the missing number in a math subtraction equation.
How would you use these math rocks to play?
Looking for more outdoor learning ideas? Try some of these:
Spring is in the air and simple sensory activities make play time memorable. I wanted to share a place where all of our Spring sensory activities could be found in one place. These are easy ways to play while addressing sensory needs with tactile sensory play. Getting messy in the dirt or exploring the scents of the season will bring sensory play to the basics. And what mom doesn’t like to hear about simple play ideas that build skills? Here are some of our favorite sensory ways to play this season:
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Simple Spring Sensory Activities
This Easy Spring Water Sensory Bin will help with eye-hand coordination while adding a scented sensory experience. It’s easy set-up and easy clean-up, too!
This Spring Sensory Bag is mess-free and addresses visual percepetual skills like scanning, eye-hand coordination, and proprioception. We created our sensory bag with a bug theme, but this is an activity that can be modified to many different areas.
A Dandelion Sensory Bin is an easy way to explore texture and the sense of touch. It’s an easy set-up sensory activity that is sure to build memories. My kids are still talking about this activity from last Spring.
Grow a Sensory Garden and touch all of the senses as you create your garden. The best thing about a sensory garden is that it is a sensory goldmine that lasts throughout the summer and fall, too!
Get MORE Spring sensory activities with our Spring Occupational Therapy ebook. It’s loaded with easy sensory ideas and will keep your kids playing with the senses all season long!
This ice cube jump and smash is a great ice play activity with major sensory benefits. The heavy work built through smashing ice cubes or jumping on ice cubes is huge! Plus, kids love the novelty of this sensory motor activity. Let’s break this activity down…
Ice Cube Jump and Smash
We’ve been sharing some fun sensory play activities recently, part of our January Occupational Therapy calendar. The proprioception and vestibular activities linked up in the free calendar are sure to provide sensory experiences and input that will keep your child moving all winter long. Hey, you can do most of these activities in warmer weather too, so be sure to save this one for hot summer days!
This Ice Cube Proprioception Jump and Smash activity will provide movement and heavy work that can help with regulation of sensory seekers. Try making these bright and vividly colored ice cubes and playing with sensory input today!
The movement of jumping and hopping adds a vestibular activity component to this fun activity.
Proprioception Activity with Ice Cubes
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I used a couple of mini muffin tin to make colored ice cubes.
Fill the tins with water and then add one or two drops of liquid food coloring to each section. Kids love this activity and it is a real experiment of color mixing.
Use a toothpick to mix the colors and try to achieve various shades of color by mixing more or less food coloring.
Once the ice cubes are frozen, turn the muffin tin over in the sink and run warm water. The ice cubes will pop out after a moment.
Place the colored ice cubes in a bowl or on a large cutting board and take them outside. This is a messy activity and it will stain your floors, so take big precautions if you decide to do this one inside!
We kept the ice cubes on the cutting board and used a hammer to smash the colored ice cubes.
This activity was a huge hit with my preschooler. She loved lining up the hammer and smashing the ice cubes into chunks.
Using the hammer is heavy work for a child and she needed to use two hands to hold and use the hammer, but she was able to smash the ice easily.
While smashing ice cubes, my daughter remembered a similar proprioception and strengthening activity we did last year using peanut shells. It’s another messy, yet fun activity that is worth trying!
Be sure to clean up any ice pieces before they melt because the liquid food coloring will dye any surface. You may want to do this activity in the grass. NOTE: For a mess-free option, use liquid watercolors to dye the water. The colors will wash away with soap and water.
Related Read: Find out more about proprioception here.
Ice Cube Jumping
Get the kids moving with this outdoor vestibular activity. Take the ice cubes outside and place them in the grass. Be sure to keep them away from sidewalks and driveways because the food dye will stain the surface until the rain and weather has cleared the dye away!
Kids can jump on or over the ice cubes. Ask them to jump up high with both knees bent. For other vestibular challenges, have the child side jump or skip over and around the ice cubes.
Be sure to stop over and see the January Calendar for more sensory activities to do with the kids this winter! You can get it and all of our free resources by joining our newsletter subscriber list, found in the upper corner of this website.
This ice wobble disk is another one of our favorite ice play activities. My kids LOVED this sensory activity. While we did this one outside on a winter day, it would be fun during the hot Summer, too.
You know how there are just some things you show your kids that are instant hits? A surprise trip to an amusement park or ice cream for dinner will instantly bring on on the cheers and be one of those days that kids remember long after the awesome day has passed. This Wobble Balance Ice Disc is one of those things.
Add sensory play to the outdoors with this vestibular activity.
We’ve been sharing fun proprioception and sensory ideas recently for winter play and therapy ideas on our January Occupational Therapy calendar. This ice balance tool is on the calendar and is a balance activity that you really need to try.
Wobble Disc for fidgeting, balance, and core muscle strength
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Wobble cushions
come in many shapes and sizes. There are seat cushions that help with attention and fidgeting while seated, balance boards
for vestibular input, and therapy balls
that can provide proprioceptive input. All of these tools are capable of helping kids with sensory needs. A balance disc or wedge provides feedback to a child’s body, allowing them to get their “wiggles” out. They are challenged to make minute corrections to their core body to compensate for movements of the unstable surface. This is a great way to work on balance and core muscle strength deficits that are often seen in children with sensory needs.
Ice balance wobble disc
This was a cold weather activity, although it could be a big hit in the hot summer weather. You could also re-create the experience in a bathtub or baby pool brought into the indoors. Freeze a disk of water in a large plastic bowl. You want the frozen ice cube to be large enough for your child to sit on and thick enough that it doesn’t break when your child sits and stands on it. A large plastic popcorn bowl works well for creating an ice disk. Simply fill the bottom with water and place into the freezer (or outside if it’s cold enough!)
When the water has frozen, run warm water over the outside of the bowl to remove the ice. Then, take it outside for sitting on. Place a folded dishtowel on the ice and have your child sit on the flat surface. They can hold onto the edge of the disc with the towel protecting their hands from the cold ice. Your child can balance and spin on a hard surface like a sidewalk. The snowy balance disk makes a great ice sled, too. If you are doing this activity indoors, bring a baby pool into the house and spin and wobble in the pool.
Wobble Disc for Proprioceptive Input
Sitting or standing on an unstable surface like a wobble disc is a great way to provide proprioceptive input. Ask the child to sit on the ice disc and balance themselves as you hold their hands. You can pull the child along a flat surface to provide proprioceptive input through their arms. Then, ask the child to push themselves along using their legs. They can pull their legs forward or push themselves backwards to incorporate difference muscle groups. For a greater challenge, have the child stand on the disk, holding onto your arms for support. This strengthening activity challenges balance while providing proprioception through the arms and upper body.
Wobble Disc for Vestibular Input
Have the child sit on the ice disc as they are pushed along on a flat surface like a porch or driveway. Have another child push the child on their low back to get proprioceptive input to the pushing child. Practice balancing back and forth in a seated position for more vestibular input.
How to incorporate sensory play into playing outside
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.
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!
Last month, we created a calendar of Occupational Therapy ideas using a Christmas theme. It was such a hit among our readers (that’s you!), that I decided to create a monthly version of sensory integration activities. Be sure to read our blog post on Ayres Sensory Integration for more information on this theory.
What’s better is that these SI activities are geared to turn therapy into play. Children of all ages can participate in their Occupational Therapy goal areas with themed activities while working on proprioceptive and vestibular input. These activities are designed to address gross motor, fine motor, and visual perceptual skills through January’s winter theme of snow, snowballs, snowflakes, and ice.
Occupational Therapists are skilled at turning therapy into play in order to make goals of therapy fun. Kids can work on areas they need to develop with fun and playful winter activities. You’ll find many recommendations for winter play with a focus on sensory integration.
Be sure to stop back each month for a calendar of Occupational Therapy and playful activities!
NOTE: These activities are meant to be a resource. No child is alike and so no therapy regime is alike. Please contact you physician and Occupational Therapist for individualized evaluation and treatment. These activities are designed to provide creative treatment ideas only.
I’ve tried to keep many of the vestibular and proprioceptive activities the same or similarly themed for each day.
The links below will show ways to work on vestibular and proprioceptive activities and has descriptions on how to work on each area with the day’s theme. Many children have specific proprioception or vestibular needs. Other children benefit from a combination of these treatment areas. The activities linked below show ways to hit these areas in a combination or separately.
I’ve included other resources with each linked activity as well, so be sure to check out each activity for proprioception and vestibular therapy ideas. Make sensory integration fun by turning therapy into play!
These calendars are meant to provide a general plan for daily vestibular and proprioceptive input. We all have best intentions when it comes to our day’s schedule and sometimes life challenges our plan for the day. No problem! You can easily switch activities with another day’s activity and adjust activities according to your family’s needs.
Just a small amount of proprioception and vestibular activity are enough to help with regulating a child’s sensory needs.
One activity each day should be effective for most children, so add these themed activities to the sensory diets you’ve got in place to turn therapy into play this winter. HOWEVER, all children should be assessed by an Occupational Therapist to assess individual needs and abilities.
January Winter Calendar: Proprioception Activities turning therapy into play
Proprioception Activities with a Winter Theme:
The proprioceptive system involves receptors in joints and muscles that tell our body how much effort to put into a task. The system allows us to know how to move and use our bodies in response to stimulation from the environment. Children with proprioceptive difficulties may bump into other children, break pencils when writing because they press too hard, show “no fear”, crash into objects, appear uncoordinated, appear lazy, chew clothing/pencils/anything, among other signs.
Proprioceptive input can be achieved through heavy work activities that adjust the child’s level of arousal and “wake up” or calm the body’s system. Activities that involve pushing, pulling, jumping, blowing, squeezing, pinching, throwing, skipping, crawling, and lifting can be achieved through play.
1. Heavy Work Sled Pull- For a proprioceptive work activity, load a sled up with books (or another child!) Pulling a loaded sled is a heavy work activity that is calming to the sensory system. Try pushing the sled with arms or legs, too. Take the sled outside and pull it on snowy slopes for added resistive work.
4. Snowball Stomp-Stomping with the legs is a great way to incorporate proprioception into the lower extremities. Make snowballs and STOMP on them for a fun and playful heavy work activity. Don’t have snow? Try makingbaked cotton ballsand stomp on them. Have you ever made baked cotton balls? It is a super sensory and creative way to work on so many fine motor skills. Simply coat cotton balls in a flour/water mixture and bake them until hared. They will have a hard shell that is perfect for pulling, tearing, and stomping on. Read more about making baked cotton ballshere.
5. Polar Bear Igloo- Get into the polar bear theme and build a polar bear igloo using couch cushions. Cover your cushion igloo fort with a white blanket to make an igloo. Pulling heavy couch cushions to build a fort is a great whole body proprioceptive workout. This heavy work activity is calming, but the warm igloo will be an even more calming area to relax and organize a child’s body.
6. Paint Snowflakes- Create masking tape resist snowflakes with tape and blue paint. Pinch and peel the tape from the roll and stick it into a snowflake shape on white paper. Now add a dab of blue paint onto the paper. Use a heavy cardboard box to smash the paint on the snowflake. Moving a box full of books is a proprioceptive activity that provides heavy work to the whole body.
7. Build a snowman- Rolling snow into a snowman is a great proprioception activity. If you don’t have snow, use several blankets to fold and roll into snowman-ish balls. Lift those blanket balls to build a snowman indoors. You’ll probably need to prop your blanket snowman against a wall to keep him standing.
8. Blanket Bundle- Lay a blanket out on the floor. Roll the child up in a blanket, burrito style. Now roll them back and forth on the floor. This works best on a carpeted floor. Add extra blanket layers and pillows for more proprioceptive input.
9. Indoor Skiing- Coming soon! (I promise!)
10. Snow Angels- Snow angels are an excellent way to provide proprioceptive input! Pushing snow or heavy blankets with the arms and legs is a powerful proprioception activity for kids. You’re providing heavy work input to the legs and arms as they abduct and adduct. Don’t have snow to make snow angels outside? No problem! Incorporate proprioceptive work into this activity by using heavy blankets on a carpeted floor.
11. Snowman Soda Dough- Soda Dough is a fun activity that provides proprioception to the small muscles of the hands as the child rolls small snowmen. You can find the recipe here.
12. Cut Icicles– Cut multiple layers of paper to create indoor icicles while providing proprioception to the hands.
13. Boot Dash {link coming soon!}
14. Snowshoe Walk {link coming soon!}
15. Polar Bear Crawl- Animal walks are a great way to incorporate proprioception into play. Show your child how to crawl like a polar bear on hands and knees. This position is a great way to provide proprioceptive input to the shoulder girdle and hips. Add a heavy blanket or towel over your child’s back for additional deep pressure.
16. Build a Snow Maze- If you’ve got snow in your area, this snow maze activity is a fun way to add heavy work to play. (My kids are still talking about our snow maze!) If you haven’t had snow in your area, build a maze using rolled an piled blankets, pillows, and couch cushions. Move the items around to construct a maze right in your living room.
17. Skate on Thin Ice {link coming soon!}
18. Snowy Walk- Just walking around in snow is a proprioception activity in itself! Enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of a snowy day during an outdoor winter nature walk.
19. Snow Bin- Create a proprioception sensory snow bin with resistive materials like rice or homemade proprioception dough. Add scoops, cookie cutters, and plastic utensils to work on proprioception to the hands and arms. Push glass gems, beads, or other small items into the dough for more play.
20. Dance Party- Get the kids moving with a winter dance party! Add a proprioception component to your snowy winter dance party by adding wall push ups, floor push ups, and push-pull movements.
21. Hole Punch Ice Drops- Punching holes with a paper hole punch is an excellent way to provide proprioceptive input to the hands. Use this activity as a fine motor or handwriting warm up activity to wake up the muscles of the hands. use white paper to punch mini snowflakes and ice droplets. You can scatter these on blue paper covered in glue to create a snowy scene.
22. Snowman Squash- {link coming soon!}
23. Snowball Roll- For this activity, you’ll need masking tape, cotton balls, and a straw. Tape out a line across the floor. Use the straw to blow the snowman snowballs (the cotton balls) along the line while crawling. Adding the straw provides proprioceptive and oral motor input, too. Consider more ways to add proprioception to this activity: Have your child sit on a scooter as the adult pulls the child along with a towel. Another child can push a child’s back as they scoot along the line. Have the child sit on a square of cardboard and move their way along the line using their feet. Roll a weighted ball along the line.
24. Snowman Says- Play “Simon Says” with a winter theme by calling it “Snowman Says”! Add proprioception directions to the game like calling out:
Animal Walks
Wall Push Ups
Tug of War with a blanket
Jumping
Hugs
Stomping
25. Shovel Snow- Shoveling snow is a great way to provide proprioception to the whole body. If you’ve ever shoveled snow, then you know it gets all of the muscles moving…even muscles you didn’t know you had. And the sore body for the next two days keep reminding you! Have your child shovel small scoops of snow to clear a sidewalk. They can help out in the neighborhood by shoveling neighbor’s walks, too. If you are lacking in the real snow department in your area, take the shovel indoors. Use a clean shovel to scoop and move piles of towels, small toys, or even shredded paper.
26. Snow Bucket Brigade- Fill buckets with snow and create a bucket brigade with neighbor hood kids. Use all of that snow to build a snow fort. If you don’t have snow in your area, make an indoor bucket brigade using bean bags, toys, balls, or other small items. Children can dump the buckets’ contents into an empty laundry basket. Pouring the weighted buckets is a great rhythmic and calming activity.
28. Snow Pile Jump- Use outdoor snow to create a pile of snow. Jump into the snow with both feet. Show the child how to try to land on their back or on their side. They can also jump into the snow with one foot or two, or on their knees. No snow in your area? No problem! Create a snowy pile using bed pillows, couch pillows, or foam and cover it with a thing blanket or bed sheet. Jump into the “snow pile” from a trampoline. Use both feet, one feet, and knees to jump.
29. Snow Plow Push- For this activity, use a large cardboard box. Play snow plow by turning the box or laundry basket on it’s side and have the child push the basket around the room, pushing on all fours. They can scoop up balls or other items, including heavier items like pillows for heavy proprioceptive work.
31. Snowboard Balance- Create a homemade balance board like this one for proprioceptive and gross motor input. OR, make an ice wobble disc!
January Winter Calendar: Vestibular Activities turning therapy into play
Vestibular Activities with a Winter Theme:
The vestibular system involves the body’s ability to adjust and move in space based on organs within our inner ears. Problems with vestibular integration may exhibit by difficulty with balance, or a gravitationally insecure child.
You may see a child who craves movement, can’t sit still, seeks excessive movements, or is hyperactive. They might have trouble planning movements, crossing midline, or difficulties with reading and writing. Vestibular activities can be completed in therapy goals through play:
1. Sled Rides- Have your child ride a sled while sitting up, laying flat on their belly, an laying on their back. Pull your child around a yard covered in snow, down gentle slopes, and up small hills. The changes in grade challenges the vestibular system. Don’t have snow? Bring this activity indoors! A plastic sled works great on carpeted floors. Pull your child as they sit/lay in all positions. Add a bit of bumpy terrain by building a “ramp” with couch cushions and a blanket. Don’t forget to spin the sled for circular spinning motions.
2. Snowflake Toss- Use an inflated balloon to toss and hit from above and the sides. Encourage your child to extend their head and neck back to see a high “snowflake” and down low as they hit the low tosses. Bending, reaching overhead, and swooping side to side allow vestibular motions with a playful function.
4. Snowball Spin- Curl up like a snowball and get ready to spin! Use a large piece of cardboard for fun break-dancing, snowman-style! Show your child how to turn and move on the cardboard and slide in all directions and planes. For a challenge, draw or paint snowflakes on the cardboard. These are targets for hands and feet and provide a visual motor planning, visual tracking, hand-eye coordination, and crossing midline components! You can number the snowflakes to incorporate more skills. This is an activity that is sure to inspire smiles!
5. Polar Bear Roll- Lay on the floor and roll like a polar bear (log roll style). Use pillows to create obstacles and bumpy targets. Put items on both sides of the room and transfer the objects by only rolling. Rolling is an organizing activity for children.
6. Upside Down Snowflake Paint- Place a large sheet of butcher paper or newspaper on the floor. Have your child hang over a large therapy ball or ottoman to paint on the paper. You can also push dining room chairs together to create a place to hang. Try turning the child over so they are laying on their back and painting overhead with an extended head and neck. When your snowflake paintings have dried, hang them on the ceiling to encourage more neck and head extension as you gaze up at your snowy work of art! TIP: Try this snowflake stamping art activity to incorporate fine motor skills.
7. Bounce a Snowman- Bouncing a ball is rhythmic and calming. Bounce three different sized balls (the snowman’s bottom, middle, and head). Bounce the balls one at a time, then try to bounce two balls at once to encourage bilateral hand coordination. Add ping pong balls (the snowman’s eyes and buttons!) for a challenge. THEN, change the vestibular input by sitting on the balls and bouncing the child or showing them how to bounce up and down. A large therapy ball works well for this activity but other options include blow up beach balls, rubber balls, and kick balls.
8. Blanket Roll-Roll the child up in a blanket on the floor. Roll the child back and forth the whole way across the floor. Be aware of overstimulation and be sure to only do this activity for 10 rolls before taking a break. Now pull the blanket’s end so that the child is moving in the direction of their feet or head. Try pulling the child as they lay on their belly and then on their back.
9. Indoor Skiing-Coming Soon (I promise!)
10. Snow Angels– Cover a hard floor with a bed sheet. Ask the child to lay on the blanket and do snow angels. The thin sheet on a hard floor will provide little resistive feedback (which is what you want if you are working on proprioception activities!) Do angels while standing and while laying on a large therapy ball or over an ottoman, too.
11. Snowman Hop Scotch- Draw a snowman on a sidewalk or driveway. If it has recently snowed, draw a snowman in the snow with a stick. If the temperatures are too cold to play outdoors, draw a snowman on a large sheet of cardboard or create a snowman on the floor using masking tape. No matter where you make your snowman hop scotch board, don’t stop at just three circles! Make your snowman as high as you like! Play hop scotch with the snowman shape for jumping and hopping vestibular input. For a challenge, draw buttons on each circle. Children can count the number of buttons as they play hopscotch.
15. Polar Bear Crawl- Crawl on all fours like a polar bear. Add throw pillows and a body pillow, as well as rolled blankets to add a balance course. Ask them to hang their head down low as they crawl, then stand up on their knees like a polar bear. Changes in head position is calming and organizing for the vestibular systems integration of sensory input.
16. Snow Maze Obstacle Course- If you’ve got snow outside, build logs of snow for climbing over, walking along, and rolling over. Pile up a lump of snow for climbing on and sliding down. Get creative with building piles of snow and showing your child how to slide, drop, swoop, jump, roll, and crawl around, over, and through. Kids can position themselves in all planes for a variety of vestibular input. If you haven’t got snow in your area, create an indoor snow maze. use pillows and blankets to make “snow piles”.
19. Snow Slide- Use a large sheet of cardboard to create a snowy slide on the steps. You can also pile up a few couch cushions and pillows to create a ramp for sliding. If you’ve got snow outdoors, cardboard makes a great sled! Try sliding while sitting, laying, and spinning for more vestibular play.
20. Snow Dance Party- Turn up the music and spin, twirl, shake, stretch, jump, and sway to the music. Play music listening games like Freeze Dance. Turn the music off and everyone needs to freeze in the position that they are in. Try dancing with scarves and hoola hoops for more movements.
Other Winter Dance ideas:
Spin and twirl around a frozen lake
Pick up “ice cube” cotton balls and leap across the room to another “ice cube” as kids collect the ice cubes.
Frozen Bottom: dance to music and someone stops the music. When the music stops, everyone drops to the floor and sits on their bottom.
Winter Clothes Dance- Everyone dances until someone stops the music. When the music stops, everyone grabs an article of winter clothing and puts it on. You can have available a sweater, scarf, mittens, hat, earmuffs, coats, etc.
21. Snowflake Pillow Pull- Cut snowflakes from a small square of felt. Pin these to a body pillow. Children must lay on the body pillow, holding onto the snowflakes. An adult can pull the body pillow around the room as the child hugs the pillow. An alternate activity is to have the child sit on a a snowflake on the pillow as they hold on to the sides. Being pulled around on a moving seat is a calming vestibular activity for kids.
22. Snowman Squash- {link coming soon!}
23. Snowman Roll- Do somersaults along the floor. Tape a line of masking tape on the floor and have your child somersault along the line. Use the line to roll balls across the room, using ping pong balls and larger balls. Use a wheeled scooter to roll along the line. Scoot along the tape with the scooter while blowing a cotton ball “snowman” with a straw.
24. “Snowman Says”- Simon says with a snowman theme is a fun way to incorporate vestibular and proprioceptive input and adding the components of your child’s needs into a playful game.
Try some of these Snowman Says movements: Vestibular: Twirl your arms. Bend at the waist and reach between your legs. Jump Hop Skip Roll Dance Spin Somersault
25. Shovel Tumbles- Use a sandbox shovel to toss a ping pong ball “snowball” into a target such as a bucket or an empty laundry basket. For added vestibular input, add a tumbling movement to the activity as the child tries to keep the ball in the shovel while they tumble.
26. Snowy Wobble Jump- You can up the vestibular input by placing a mini trampoline on the wobbly cushion base. Jump on the trampoline or jump off of the trampoline. Put a cushion or pillow on the trampoline and jump on that.
27. Upside Down Frozen Writing- Encourage head tilt and alternate planes by writing while hanging over a chair or stack of couch cushions. Writing in the prone position puts the hands at a more optimal writing position than hanging from supine.
28. Snow Pile Jump- Use outdoor snow to create a pile of snow. Jump into the snow with both feet. Show the child how to try to land on their back or on their side. They can also jump into the snow with one foot or two, or on their knees. No snow in your area? No problem! Create a snowy pile using bed pillows, couch pillows, or foam and cover it with a thing blanket or bed sheet. Jump into the “snow pile” from a trampoline. Use both feet, one feet, and knees to jump.
29. Snow Plow Push- For this vestibular activity, use a large cardboard box. The child can climb into the box and an adult can pull them around. Take the cardboard outside on a snowy hill. If you don’t have a cardboard box large enough to hold your child, use a laundry basket. Play snow plow by turning the box or laundry basket on it’s side and have the child push the basket around the room, pushing on all fours.
I am an early bird (make that a caffeinated early bird). I wake up early and get things done. Before kids, it was household things, an early morning run before work, or just reading. After four kids, I am still waking up early, but productive tasks are not being checked from my to-do list. Now, those early mornings are spent changing diapers, fixing breakfast, wiping spills, getting kids dressed, wiping more spills, snuggling sleepy babies, wiping spills… The tasks may have changed from a few years ago, but the morning is still a time of productive (and some days, not-so-productive) work. This job called Motherhood is a tough one that is repetitive, thankless, but oh so important. Through it all those early mornings were and now REALLY are fueled by coffee.
So, when this mama is running all day long chasing kids, breaking up arguments, and wiping up all of those spills (WHY do kids spill so many things??!!) and the early mornings lead into sleepy afternoons, I need a mini-break. It is so exhausting when the kids are in that tired/hungry/bored time around 4:00 pm. It can be easy to let the exhaustion get to you. Sure, you can throw on a movie or encourage a little rest time, but with four kids, someone always needs something. I can’t recall a moment when all four kids napped at the same time. I’m not one of the lucky moms whose three year old and four year old still nap. They just. keep. going. Quiet time in their rooms turn into a little someone yelling or pounding on the door about a dire emergency. Or a spill.
I can’t keep going full steam without a mini-rest. Some days are HARD to pull it together and be the patient, kind, loving, peaceful, joyful mom that the kids need. Moms need time-outs too! We’ve got some ideas to keep the kids busy for five minutes while mom gets a break (and a little caffeinated pep to keep you going through dinner). Grab a cup of iced coffee, give the kids a quick activity in their rooms, and re-fresh yourselves. Ignore the spills for a minute and take a deep breath. You’ve got this!
I am SO excited to share my love of afternoon mini-break time and iced coffee with you. I was able to try Folgers® Iced CaféTMCoffee Drink Concentrates. They are a new line of concentrated coffee, sweetener, and flavor that are all conveniently combined in a portable package. Moms need convenience when it comes to getting a few moments to herself so the quick prep makes it a winner for me! I loved that I can add the concentrates quickly into an ice cold glass of milk and enjoy a little pick-me-up to beat the afternoon fatigue. What makes them even better is that no sugar or preservatives are added to the portable squeeze bottles. I have been loving all of the available flavors (Original Latte, Vanilla Latte, Caramel Macchiato and Hazelnut Latte) but the Caramel Macchiato iced coffee in a cute glass mug and a straw makes my min-break seem even more luxurious. The kids know that the sight of coffee in the afternoon is a mom-only drink by now so for at least 5 minutes, the spills should be at a minimum. “Should” being the key word.
Grab Make Summer Fridays even cooler with new Folgers® Iced CaféTMCoffee Drink Concentrates and a little me time (even if it is only for five minutes!) while the kids are busy:
5 minute activities for kids who don’t do quiet time:
Grab a stack of books and a timer. Have your child read or look at pictures for five minutes. When the timer goes off, join your child and read together.
Hand your child a box of sidewalk chalk and a baby doll or pretend figure. Encourage your child to draw a picture with the chalk and place the baby doll or figure into the sidewalk art. Watch from the side for 5 minutes as you sip your iced coffee.
Set up a healthy snack.
Pull out a piece of paper and a fun pen. Ask your child to draw a picture or write a letter to someone special. A grandparent, neighbor, cousin, or friend would love to receive mail! After five minutes, join your child and help them address their mail.
Spread out a stack of easy puzzles. Kids need to do all of the puzzles in the stack before they are done with their mini-quiet time. When they are done, join them and do the puzzles in reverse by taking the pieces out and building them on the table. For silly giggles, do the puzzles in slow motion and at super speed together!
Pull out bubbles and head outside. Grab your iced coffee and just watch the excitement. Let the bubble spills happen. And they will. Just watch the giggles and the fun. Then grab a bubble wand and join in on the fun!
Summer is upon us. For me, I am at home with my four kids and playing, (trying) to stay on top of the laundry, feeding constantly hungry mouths, planning hikes and park visits, scheduling play dates, visiting the library, and trying to keep this little blog business afloat. The kids do a great job of unstructured free play and come up with some pretty wild imaginative ideas. They are playing school, cops, library, and pirates on almost a daily basis. Then there is the daily coloring and TV tag in the yard that keeps the kids creating and moving. We also find ourselves pulling our hair out with bickering kids, whining, and boredom. A little inspiration in EASY and basically free activities for the kids is needed sometimes. Use this list of essentially Free Summer Fun Activities for those times when the kids need a little encouragement to create, play, and get along. Because we all know that sometimes distraction can change a sour attitude into smiling happy kids!
You’ll also be interested in our new Summer Occupational Therapy Activities Packet. It’s a collection of 14 items that guide summer programming at home, at school, and in therapy sessions. The summer activities bundle covers handwriting, visual perceptual skills and visual motor skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, regulation, and more.
You’ll find ideas to use in virtual therapy sessions and to send home as home activities that build skills and power development with a fun, summer theme. Kids will love the Summer Spot It! game, the puzzles, handouts, and movement activities. Therapists will love the teletherapy slide deck and the easy, ready-to-go activities to slot into OT sessions. The packet is only $10.00 and can be used over and over again for every student/client!
Play Pizza Tag: one person is “it” and chases the others. Players run from “it” and can stay safe from being tagged by naming pizza toppings and touching the ground.
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to make colored ice cubes. 
to each section. Kids love this activity and it is a real experiment of color mixing. 
to dye the water. The colors will wash away with soap and water.
