I grew up on a farm and I can’t think of a day when I didn’t hear my mom say, “Girls, there is a load of laundry to hang out”. I didn’t often have the luxury of sitting around for hours watching Saturday morning cartoons. There was work to be done! Now I can appreciate that some of that work can be made into fun gross motor and fine motor activities for kids that are beneficial too! WHAT YOU'LL NEED: A clothesline or piece of string, clothespins, clothing items or doll clothes. WHAT TO DO: String a piece of rope or a Dollar Store clothesline between two trees or even two chairs if you ... Read More about FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES: HANGING OUT THE WASH
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FUN ON THE FARM: GAMES AND ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Looking for games and activities for kids related to the farm? Check out a few of our favorites: 1 Yoga Yingo: Developed by a pediatric occupational therapist, Yoga Yingo games are played like Bingo. The sets contain 12 game boards, a set of pose cards (all farm themed!), and instructions for modifying the poses based on skill level. 2 Haba On the Farm Threading Game: Farm themed beads with laces that are easy for little fingers to manage. Follow the same patterns and sequences shown on the picture cards, or encourage kids to make their own! 3 Melissa & Doug Farm Maze Wooden ... Read More about FUN ON THE FARM: GAMES AND ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
SENSORY ACTIVITIES: HANDS ON FARM EXPLORATION
If you want a child to come away from an experience with a memory of it, then let them touch it. There are so many ways children learn...by seeing, hearing, smelling, moving, and by touching. In a world where our kids so frequently hear, “don’t touch that,” this tactile sensory activities allow them to do what they are meant to do….EXPLORE WITH THEIR HANDS! The farm offers so many great tactile experiences, why not bring them right to the kids? These hands on activities can last for a day, or for a whole week! WHAT YOU'LL NEED: Large storage bin with lid, items of your choice from options ... Read More about SENSORY ACTIVITIES: HANDS ON FARM EXPLORATION
FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES: ANT FARM
Ok, so maybe ants aren’t the first thing you imagine when thinking of life on the farm. But, you'll find them crawling all over the crops and animals, constantly in motion attempting to bring a morsel of food back into their own farmhouse in the ground. This activity is simple and repetitive. Repetitive crafts and fine motor skill activities for kids can be very calming and organizing...when I did this with my kids, there was not a peep heard because they were focusing so hard on their work! This would be great to add to your stash of preschool or kindergarten activities. WHAT YOU'LL ... Read More about FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES: ANT FARM
FARM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS: A FARM FRESH FEAST
Today, we're moving on to our next theme for the fall: Fun on the Farm! I am a Montessori lover. I don’t work in a Montessori school, but the therapist in me jumps for joy whenever I see posts about Practical Life Activities for kids on awesome Montessori-inspired blogs like Twodaloo (one of our favorites...check out her post about Building Language In the Kitchen - so great!). Practical Life Activities are designed “to help the child gain control in the coordination of his movement, and help the child to gain independence and adapt to his society.”* Sounds like OT to me! My kids at home ... Read More about FARM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS: A FARM FRESH FEAST
FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES: STORYBOOK DRAWING
Sometimes, listening to my 5-year-old chatter away with her friends can be exhausting :) but I simply love how much they have to say and how imaginative they are when telling stories. Cooperative fine motor activities let them work together to build their own collaborative creative masterpieces. WHAT YOU'LL NEED: White paper, colored pencils or crayons WHAT TO DO: Start with a blank piece of paper and some colored pencils or crayons, and let the story begin! Instruct one child to draw a picture of an object on the paper. Give suggestions such as a person, flower, animal, sun, or house. The ... Read More about FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES: STORYBOOK DRAWING
COOPERATIVE LEARNING GAMES FOR KIDS: BLIND PLAY
How many times have you told your child to “turn on his listening ears?” Well, this activity makes learning to listen fun as children explore their environments together. The only catch is - one friend is blindfolded! You'll definitely want to add this activity to your arsenal of learning games for kids! Looking for another fun way to play with a blindfold? Check out this blindfolded drawing actvity! WHAT YOU WILL NEED: Blindfold, balls, basket, or any additional objects to incorporate into the game WHAT TO DO: Designate a clear, safe space for this activity and be sure to have an adult ... Read More about COOPERATIVE LEARNING GAMES FOR KIDS: BLIND PLAY
GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITIES: CREATE YOUR OWN ROLLER COASTER
Gross Motor Development Activity: Create Your Own Roller Coaster Ride Ok, lets have some fun today! In my career as an OT (and also as a mom who encourages her kids to explore anything and everything), I have never come across a child who does not like to move! Sometimes the simplest gross motor activities can be the most fun. So find some kids and a sheet, and lets go! WHAT YOU'LL NEED: Sheet (any size) WHAT DO DO: Spread a sheet (any size) on a wood or tile floor, or outside on the grass. Instruct one child to sit cross-legged on the sheet and grasp the the edges on either side of ... Read More about GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITIES: CREATE YOUR OWN ROLLER COASTER