Starting kindergarten is so exciting for most kids, but learning to write can be challenging for those children that have fASD, SPD, fine motor or visual-motor issues. Even though fewer and fewer teachers know how to teach handwriting well, it is still a necessary skill for young children. Learning Without Tears has developed an…… Continue reading KickStart Kindergarten: Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten Writing The Easy Way!
Category: kindergarten
Three Ways To Reduce W-Sitting (And Why It Matters)
Children who sit on the floor with their thighs rolled inward and their calves rotated out to the sides are told that they are “W-sitting”. Parents are told to reposition their kids immediately. There are even garments like Hip Helpers that make it nearly impossible to sit in this manner. Some therapists get practically apoplectic…… Continue reading Three Ways To Reduce W-Sitting (And Why It Matters)
Is Your Gifted Child A Troublemaker?
Gifted and talented children are frequently leaders in their schools and communities. They often have advanced language skills and display an early and intense sense of humor. Gifted children can be the funny, outgoing, energetic kids who have deep empathy and abundant warmth. Wondering if your young child might be gifted? Read How To Spot A…… Continue reading Is Your Gifted Child A Troublemaker?
Picking The Best Bikes, Scooters, Etc. For Kids With Low Tone and Hypermobility
Welcome to the world of faster (and faster) movement! After mastering walking and possibly running, kids are often eager to jump on a ride-on toy and get moving. If a child has had motor delays and has had to wait to develop the strength and balance needed to use a bike, they may be a…… Continue reading Picking The Best Bikes, Scooters, Etc. For Kids With Low Tone and Hypermobility
Is Compulsive Gaming A Disorder…Or A Symptom?
The WHO has recently classified compulsive gaming a mental illness. I am not so sure. What I do believe is that doing anything compulsively is a big problem for developing brains. Is your child heading in the direction of using gaming or web surfing to deal with issues such as social anxiety or poor executive…… Continue reading Is Compulsive Gaming A Disorder…Or A Symptom?
The Hypermobile Hand: More Than A Strength Problem
I just received another referral for a kid with “weak’ hands. His mom wants private OT services. This is how she describes her son: Can’t hold a pencil correctly. Can’t make a dark enough mark on paper when he writes or colors. His mom says he has a solid grip on an object…… Continue reading The Hypermobile Hand: More Than A Strength Problem
When Should You Begin To Teach Handwriting? (You May be Surprised!)
Many formal handwriting programs begin at 4 years of age. Handwriting Without Tears, Fundations, and others begin with children tracing letters and quickly progress to writing. But the foundational skills for handwriting actually begin early. Before your child’s first birthday. Yes, that early. And, believe it or not, that is when you could be teaching…… Continue reading When Should You Begin To Teach Handwriting? (You May be Surprised!)
Help Your Child Develop Self-Regulation With Happiest Toddler On The Block
Children start learning self-regulation early. Most kids eventually become reasonably skilled at it, given some help from loving adults. The problem is they don’t learn it quickly. Self-regulation takes a long time to become established in the slowly-developing brain of a young child. While you are scooping up the puddle of Jell-O that used…… Continue reading Help Your Child Develop Self-Regulation With Happiest Toddler On The Block
Use The Fast Food Rule For Better Attunement With Your Child
What’s attunement? The physical and emotional connection that a healthy parent makes with their upset child that brings them both back into a calm and balanced state. Why is it important? Because without attunement you don’t have healthy attachment, and attachment is the foundation for a healthy emotional and interpersonal life. Attunement and attachment are…… Continue reading Use The Fast Food Rule For Better Attunement With Your Child
Which Improves Pencil Grasp Best: A Pencil Grip Or A Thicker Pencil?
As a pediatric occupational therapist, I am often asked to weigh in on this debate. Not often enough, it seems, based on the pencils I see being used by kids who are struggling to write. There are a lot of kids out there using pencils with wonky grasp patterns because no one…… Continue reading Which Improves Pencil Grasp Best: A Pencil Grip Or A Thicker Pencil?
OXO for Kids: Great Tableware For Older Kids With Sensory and Motor Issues
Does your child knock over her milk on a daily basis? Do utensils seem to fly out of your son’s hands? I treat kids with hypermobility, coordination and praxis issues, sensory discrimination limitations, etc.; they can all benefit from this terrific line of cups, dinnerware and utensils. Yes, OXO, the same people that sell you…… Continue reading OXO for Kids: Great Tableware For Older Kids With Sensory and Motor Issues
Parenting Researchers: Check Your Privilege
Zero-To-Three just ran this summary on their Facebook page MIT language study and I felt so sad. For everyone. For the umpteenth time in the past few years, I am in the awkward position of agreeing with “experts” that kids learn language skills best with face-to-face interaction that expands language, but I also appreciate why some…… Continue reading Parenting Researchers: Check Your Privilege
How To Talk So Your Gifted Child Will Listen
I have written a few posts about identifying giftedness in very young children ( Your Bossy Baby or Toddler May Be Gifted. Really. Here Are The Signs You Are Missing! , How To Help Your Gifted Child Handle Frustration and How To Spot A Gifted Child In Your Preschool Class (Or Your Living Room!) ) but I want…… Continue reading How To Talk So Your Gifted Child Will Listen
Have More Fun When You Use Drawing To Develop Pre-Writing Skills
Why should learning to write mean a pile of boring worksheets? It shouldn’t! This week, try teaching your preschooler to draw fun shapes that mirror correct letter formation, start/sequence and connections, and watch their handwriting skills take off! Why draw? Because some kids need more practice, avoid writing due to fear of failure, or…… Continue reading Have More Fun When You Use Drawing To Develop Pre-Writing Skills
Automoblox: For the Discriminating Preschool Gearhead
These cars and trucks are so well crafted and have such sophisticated styling that they even impress adults. They certainly have made me a big fan! Automoblox are small vehicles that your 3-6 year-old child assembles by themselves or with some initial help. They have small pieces, so they are not for children…… Continue reading Automoblox: For the Discriminating Preschool Gearhead
Holidays Hints For Sensitive Kids
The stores are full, your inbox is too, and you are wondering how to handle your sensitive child’s reactions to family and school events. You are not alone. Everyone knows about the “holiday blues”, where our dreams and expectations come up against real life: awkward family relationships, conflicting demands on our time and finances, etc.…… Continue reading Holidays Hints For Sensitive Kids
Make Handwriting Fun While Getting Ready For The New School Year
Here in the US, kids are getting ready to go back to school. And most of them haven’t been writing much in the last 6-8 weeks. At the kindergarten level, some children will have forgotten any lowercase letters they knew in the spring. At the 1-2 grade levels, it is not uncommon for kids to…… Continue reading Make Handwriting Fun While Getting Ready For The New School Year
Problems With Handwriting? You Need The Best Eraser
A good eraser can make a frustrated child more willing to fix writing errors. A bad eraser confirms their failure as a writer. Occupational therapists in some schools hand out HWT pencils and a variety of pencil grips like candy, but many forget about how important it is for kids to erase mistakes…… Continue reading Problems With Handwriting? You Need The Best Eraser
Taping The Paper To The Table For Your Child? Stop!
Many young children between 2 and 5, especially children with low muscle tone or postural instability, will struggle with bilateral control. In preschool, one way to notice this is to see the paper sliding around the table while a child colors. The common response of teachers (and parents) is to tape the paper down. Oops!…… Continue reading Taping The Paper To The Table For Your Child? Stop!
Prevent the Summer Slide in Handwriting By Making It Fun To Write
“The Summer Slide” is the phenomenon of losing academic skills during summer vacation. With the exception of the children who insist on you buying them workbooks and those that read a book a day by choice, all summer long, summer slide will happen to most children. Here are some strategies to limit it’s effect on…… Continue reading Prevent the Summer Slide in Handwriting By Making It Fun To Write