Looking for fun pumpkin activities for kids? This fun activity is great for building fine motor skills with a fun fall theme! This post contains affiliate links. Read more. Pumpkin Activities: Pick a Pumpkin! Lately I’ve been looking around for new pumpkin activities to try with my kids at school to work on developing their fine motor skills. So many of the kids I see for occupational therapy struggle with fine motor coordination, grasping skills, and in hand manipulation skills, [Continue Reading]
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY: BEST APPS FOR KIDS
You probably already know how we feel about free play, recess, and the importance of unstructured motor experiences and sensory exploration for kids. So it might come as a bit of a surprise that I’m about write a post about screen time. But I can’t help sharing some of the the best apps for kids that I use to promote fine motor and visual motor skills and more! While we will always be huge advocates for active, unstructured play for kids, there is [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]
Christmas Crafts for Kids: Yarn Wrapped Ornaments
Looking for easy Christmas crafts for kids? These simple yarn wrapped ornaments are the perfect make and take for this year’s classroom holiday party! This post contains affiliate links. Read more. We’re getting in the Christmas spirit around here! The tree went up this weekend, shopping is underway, Christmas cards are ordered – and I’m loving every minute! The best part of this season for me is that it gives me an extra excuse to craft! Art and craft activities [Continue Reading]
Halloween Fine Motor Activities: Vampire Teeth
Looking for fun Halloween fine motor activities? You’ve come to the right place! *This post contains affiliate links. Read more. We’re all about using simple Halloween manipulatives to create fun and spooky activities for kids. And we’re willing to bet that you’ve never thought of using this old classic Halloween prop for some Halloween fine motor fun! WHAT YOU’LL NEED: –Plastic vampire fangs -Halloween sensory bin (e.g. dried black beans and plastic spiders) or craft items (spider rings, skeletons, etc.) [Continue Reading]
Halloween Activities for Kids: 3 Fun Ways to Spin a Web
Just in time for Halloween, we’ve teamed up to create 3 fun Halloween activities for kids that will challenge fine and gross motor skills while keeping little ones occupied for hours! Fine Motor Challenge What you’ll need -chairs -yarn -fake spiders or other Halloween trinkets What to do Position two chairs a few feet apart with backs facing each other. Tie the end of a ball of yarn to one of the rungs of the chair and start weaving and wrapping [Continue Reading]
Fine Motor Activities for Preschoolers
Fine motor activities for preschoolers are so much fun because kids have slightly longer attention spans and can be more independent than our younger toddler friends. This post contains affiliate links. Read more. The preschool years are jam-packed with fine motor skill development as kids refine their grasping skills, develop more precise coordination, and get ready for “big kid” activities like handwriting. I love to bring fun fine motor activities like the ones below into the preschool classrooms where I work, introducing them during [Continue Reading]
Fine Motor Skills Activities for 2 and 3-Year-Olds
These fine motor skills activities are great for helping 2 and 3-year-olds develop hand strength, coordination, and manipulation skills. By 2 or 3 years of age, kids’ fine motor skills have developed to the point where they can engage in all kinds of play activities and functional tasks that let them get a little taste of independence. And the more they’re exposed to fun fine motor skills activities, the more developed their skills will become. Laying the foundation now is essential for the [Continue Reading]
2 and 3-Year-Old Milestones
Learn more about what to expect for 2-year-old milestones and 3-year-old milestones. For kids ages 2 and 3, it’s all about play! After conquering those milestones of toddler development, by ages 2 to3 kids become increasingly independent and are able to engage in play activities for longer periods of time without needing so much guidance. And when they are playing, they are learning! The learning is happening not only in their minds, but also in their bodies. Coordination, balance, and motor planning skills [Continue Reading]