When Kids Can’t Control Loud Voices
How can you help kids who struggle with controlling their loud voices? This speech language pathologist has some ideas! This post contains affiliate links. Read more. As a speech therapist, there’s nothing I love more than a student who is engaged and excited to participate! However, some friends can get a little too lively for the occasion. If you’ve ever wondered how to support children who tend to speak using loud voices – kids who struggle with regulating [Continue Reading]
Activities to Beat the End of the Year Blues!
These fun activities will help you beat the end of the year blues! We are hearing over and over in the schools where we work… The teachers are tired. The therapy team is bored. And the kids are DONE! But there are still plenty of school days left to fill with meaningful activities that address IEP goals and that keep kids engaged and learning in the classroom. We thought it would be fun to give you some inspired activity [Continue Reading]
Why Kids’ Hands Aren’t as Strong as They Used to Be
Many kids these days don’t have the hand strength they need to complete simple everyday tasks. *This post contains affiliate links. Read more. One of the most common reasons kids get referred for occupational therapy evaluations is because they’re showing one or more of the red flags indicating that they have weak hands. Teachers or parents notice that a child is struggling with scissor skills, clothing fasteners, or pencil grasp and they call on me for suggestions and support. [Continue Reading]
Hand Strengthening Through Everyday Play
Check out some of our favorite ideas to build hand strength through everyday play! Strong hands are an important component of developmental skill building for all kids! Think about all of the functional tasks that kids use their hands for on a daily basis: opening doors, turning on faucets, buttoning clothing, holding and controlling a pencil… Pediatric occupational therapists spend all kinds of therapeutic time creating and implementing programs designed to improve a child’s hand strength. And, at The Inspired [Continue Reading]
How to Tell if Your Child Has Weak Hands
Use these red flags to help identify kids who have weak hands, and then you can introduce fun and playful activities geared toward building hand strength! When I first meet a student in my school-based OT practice, the first thing I ask the child is if they know what OT is. Most often, the answer is no, so over the years, I’ve developed a super simple way to explain what an occupational therapist does in the school setting: I ask [Continue Reading]
Why Weight Bearing Matters for Kids
Weight bearing activities are critical in the progression of developmental skills for kids! What Does Weight Bearing Mean? Weight bearing involves the use of muscles against gravity. In this type of activity, muscle groups work together to support the bones as the body holds a position such as standing, propping up on your elbows in a prone position to play a game, or doing a downward dog in yoga. Why is Weight Bearing Important? Positions like these promote bone [Continue Reading]
Printable Activities for Kids: Seed Collections
We love fun and simple printable activities for kids. These seed collection printables are the perfect way to say hello to spring! I’ll admit it. I don’t have much of a green thumb. I’ve killed more houseplants than I care to remember and last year our vegetable garden yielded a whopping six cherry tomatoes – and that was it. Luckily, there is still lots of fun to be had with seeds, leaves and flowers outside of the garden with all [Continue Reading]
Picnic Ideas: 10 Fun Picnic Blanket Games
Looking for fun picnic ideas for kids? These 10 Picnic Blanket Games are perfect for keeping kids entertained and active! How many times do you pull out your picnic blanket each summer? At my house, that same blanket comes out for ball games, fireworks, playdates at the park, sleepovers under the stars… and for picnics, of course! Here are some fun and easy picnic ideas for kids that will turn that well-loved blanket into more than just something to sit on – and they’re [Continue Reading]