Start rethinking those boring old occupational and physical therapy supplies! We’ve got 25 fun things to add to your therapy bag this year!
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It’s the beginning of a new school year and you open your therapy bag to get organized and inspired by taking a peek at your old trusty therapy materials…only when you open that faded, dusty old bag, you feel anything but inspired.
That same old ball, that sticky container of putty, those same worn out games. They’re almost enough to make you dread going back to the school year grind.
But don’t worry, dear therapists because friends don’t let friends use old, boring therapy materials. And we’re here to help!
Now don’t get us wrong. We’re suckers for finding fun and creative ways to play with old therapy standbys like scooters, therapy wedges, and balance beams. But we think a new school year calls for a few fun, new supplies. Here are some of our favorites:
Games
1 || Ned’s Head – This funny, yucky game is a kid’s sensory dream come true. Kids reach their hands in to feel around for the item pictured on their card.
2 || Tap It – Tap It can be used for promoting speed and agility and is tons of fun as kids race against the clock. You can set it up anywhere and it’s easy to throw in your bag and go! It includes four games in one!
3 || Elefun – This is one of our all-time favorite games for kids. They’ll love catching the little butterflies with their nets and you’ll love the hand eye coordination practice!
4 || Handwriting Games – Don’t miss this post about how to turn 10 classic games into fun handwriting activities for kids!
5 || Lucky Ducks Game – This game is sure to make a splash as kids try to match the ducks for colors and shapes as they “swim” around the motorized pond. Kids will learn color and shape recognition as they play along to the duck sounds. Change it up by putting numbers or movement activities on the bottom of each duck.
Toys
6 || Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Piggy Bank – With 10 colorful coins to drop into the Piggy Bank’s slot, and an open door for put-and-take play, it’s a toy with lots of exploration. Press piggy’s nose to hear musical responses and sing-along songs that teach colors, animal names and counting skills.
7 || Rocket Balloon – A bilateral coordination challenge with the ultimate reward. Use the included pump to blow up the balloon then let it fly! This is one of our kids’ all-time favorite therapy toys – we can’t recommend it enough!
8 || Barnyard Answer Buzzers – Silly sounds of “cock-a-doodle-doo,” “moo,” “neigh,” and “bark” get little ones giggling, just press to listen. Place these at the top of a flight of stairs or wheelbarrow walk to them. Tons of fun!
9 || Stomp Rocket – Run, jump and STOMP on the launch pad to shoot your rocket up to 100 feet in the air!
10 || Zoom Ball – Check out our 5 favorite ideas for playing with this kid favorite!
11 || Pig Popper – A fun and hilarious way to work on hand strengthening! Kids will love squeezing the popper to shoot out the little balls!
12 || Pool Noodles – There are a million fun ways to put these to use! Use them as giant drumsticks, have a kiddo hold onto one end while you pull her around on a scooter…get creative! Try this fun pool noodle idea to work on bilateral coordination skills!
13 || Hobby Horse – This is such a great way to get kids up and moving! Try a race with two friends, or jumping over hurdles!
14 || Balance Foam Pad – Another great balance challenge! Check out our favorite ways to play with this simple piece of equipment.
15 || Noisy Puzzles – Use them to motivate kids on a swing, in prone over a bolster or therapy ball, on the stairs, or even on a scooter!
16 || Fine Motor Activity Board – These beautiful wooden boards are a fun and engaging new way to work on fine motor skills and visual motor skills with kids. They come with a set of small wooden tongs for kids to use to place the colored pieces into the design – or kids can complete the activity using just their hands!
17 || Squigz – From heavy work to fine motor skills to visual motor skills and more, the possibilities for these “fun little suckers” are endless!
Cards & Books
18 || Fun Decks – Work on cognitive skills, reasoning, and language as you incorporate these cards into gross motor activities like relay races and more!
19 || Core Pilates for Kids – A great way to introduce kids to Pilates exercises that are great for all over strengthening. Kids will love following along with the colorful photographs.
20 || Fit Deck Exercise Cards – Use these cards to create fun exercise sequences, or just have kids choose one at a time for strengthening, coordination, and balance challenges.
21 || Yogarilla – The colorful illustrations in this fun yoga deck are motivating and fun for all kids. With over 110 activities, these cards are perfect for the classroom, therapy sessions, or even for using at home.
22 || Yoga Pretzel Deck – This deck is full of fun yoga poses that can help kids build strength, flexibility, balance, and focus. Again, the cards are perfect for using in the classroom, in the therapy room, or at home!
23 || Yoga for the Special Child – This is an awesome resource that includes a step-by-step system of yoga poses that is designed to promote cognitive and motor skills in children with disabilities.
24 || Kid Yoga Stories Books – If you don’t know our good friend Giselle Shardlow and her awesome yoga books for kids…it’s time to get acquainted! These books take kids on all kinds of adventures as they follow along and do various yoga poses to represent animals and other things in the story.
25 || ABCs of Movement – And last, but obviously not least, these awesome activity cards from Laurie Gombash (the creator of our Creative Pediatric Treatment Strategies webinar) are the perfect way to get kids moving while they learn the letters of the alphabet! Use them during circle time, one-on-one treatment sessions, or in small groups!
