A Handwriting Without Tears training course was the first place that I heard, as a pediatric occupational therapist, how important correct paper placement (on a slight angle) really is when you teach children to write. Last week a mom who is also a licensed teacher reminded me. Her son is very bright but has more than…… Continue reading Teach Angled Paper Placement Early in Handwriting Instruction
Category: preschoolers
Teach Yoga Breathing To Calm Toddler Frustration
Toddlers live lives filled with drama, but can they really learn to do deep breathing to calm down? Yes, but you have to spin in so they can understand what to do and when to do it. You will have to demonstrate it and show that you do it too. Will you have to remind…… Continue reading Teach Yoga Breathing To Calm Toddler Frustration
Better Posture and More Legible Writing With A “Helper Hand”
What is it? Handwriting Without Tears (HWT), the handwriting instruction program, introduced me to the concept of the “helper hand”. The helper hand is a child’s non-dominant hand. I am a righty, so my left hand is my helper hand. Here is why it matters more than you (and your child’s teacher) think it does.…… Continue reading Better Posture and More Legible Writing With A “Helper Hand”
Low Tone and Toilet Training: Teaching Toddlers to Wipe
The parent that inspired my most popular post ever, Why Low Tone Creates More Toilet Training Struggles for Toddlers (And Parents!) , suggested that I write another about the most useful advice she says I ever offered her. Not the most glamorous topic, but teaching children to wipe their tushies is important.…… Continue reading Low Tone and Toilet Training: Teaching Toddlers to Wipe
Toddlers Too Young For Time Out Can Get Simple Consequences and Kind Ignoring
Children under 2 or special needs kids with cognitive and language skills under the 2 year-old level usually aren’t capable of understanding what a “time out” really is. It isn’t punishment, it is making a point that the behavior they just exhibited isn’t acceptable and that they need to take a break and cool off.…… Continue reading Toddlers Too Young For Time Out Can Get Simple Consequences and Kind Ignoring
Teach Spoon Grip By Making It Fun And Sharing a Laugh With Your Child
Whether you are teaching a younger child to grip a toddler spoon or teaching an older child to hold a spoon in the mature pattern, kids can resist practicing this important skill. I created a game that makes it really fun and builds a warm connection with your child. You share a laugh, and…… Continue reading Teach Spoon Grip By Making It Fun And Sharing a Laugh With Your Child
Preschoolers Can Welcome a New Baby With Help
Preschoolers look so grown up sometimes. When a new baby comes home, all that can change. They can have very strong responses to becoming an older sister or brother, and not all of their reactions are easy to decipher or deal with. Here are a few explanations for their responses and some suggestions to make…… Continue reading Preschoolers Can Welcome a New Baby With Help
Self-Regulation in Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder: Boost Skills By Creating Routines and Limits
Occupational therapists are routinely asked to help young children that have poor self-regulation or modulation skills. What do difficulties regulating alertness and arousal look like in a very little person? Big shifts in excitement/agitation over seemingly minor events, sleep that isn’t very deep or very long for their age, and difficulty switching between locations/activities. Often…… Continue reading Self-Regulation in Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder: Boost Skills By Creating Routines and Limits
Are Babies Addicted to White Noise? Yes….and No
White noise helps colicky newborns calm and sleep. It can help newborns develop essential self-calming skills in the first 3 months of life. It can help older babies tolerate teething and their first colds. It can even help babies transition to a shared bedroom with a toddler sibling. The magic of white noise is not…… Continue reading Are Babies Addicted to White Noise? Yes….and No
When Kids Climb Into Mom’s Bed at Night
I recently chatted with a single mom who works long hours. Her 5 year-old wakes in the middle of the night and climbs into her bed. She wanted some suggestions and some reassurance that the “snuggle time” they got (and the loss of sleep for both of them) wasn’t a bad idea. Her son’s behavior…… Continue reading When Kids Climb Into Mom’s Bed at Night
Why Low Muscle Tone Affects Pencil Grasp
Low muscle tone can cause a child to struggle with holding crayons and pencils. Those little fingers wrap around them, fold over them and sometimes ball up into a fist to hold a pencil. How a child holds a pencil does not automatically mean that his handwriting will be illegible, but it almost always makes…… Continue reading Why Low Muscle Tone Affects Pencil Grasp
Teaching Handwriting In Three Simple Stages
Parents and teachers are consistently surprised that there is a natural developmental progression in between scribbling and being a completely independent writer. Knowing the three stages of handwriting makes any writing lesson less frustrating for teachers as well as kids. Building skills rather than doing drills just works better! Stage One: An adult demonstrates how…… Continue reading Teaching Handwriting In Three Simple Stages
Is HWT Gray Block Paper All You Need?
HWT Gray Block paper does so many amazing things all at once to help a young child learn to write. I had to take the Handwriting Without Tears assessment class twice to really understand why it works. All you have to do is read this blog post. This paper is intended for children that write…… Continue reading Is HWT Gray Block Paper All You Need?
Toddler Demands? Give it in Fantasy!
When a toddler wants pizza for dinner every night or to stay home and play on the iPad instead of going to school, you have to decide what to say. Your basic choices are: ridicule: “That’s silly! “I’d like a fancy car, but this is reality.” reason and clever repackaging: “If you want to grow…… Continue reading Toddler Demands? Give it in Fantasy!
Develop Pincer Grasp With Ziploc Bags
Toddlers love snacks. OTs love refining a child’s grasp. Mash the two together and you get….the Ziploc snack bag. Try serving a tiny portion of your child’s fave crunchy snack in a small bag that has a zipper closure and watch their fingertip control take off! Here are the important points to make this safe…… Continue reading Develop Pincer Grasp With Ziploc Bags
Toddlers and Holiday Decorations: Another Approach to “Don’t Touch That!”
I watched a toddler laugh in unbridled glee yesterday, amazed at the garland and lights draped on his staircase. You don’t get more holiday cheer than that sound! He wanted to touch every nutcracker and every candle. I had to think on my feet when answering his grandmother’s question: “How do I get him to…… Continue reading Toddlers and Holiday Decorations: Another Approach to “Don’t Touch That!”
Sensory Differences and Holiday Events: Simple Life Hacks for Happy Memories
Kids with sensory sensitivities may need some assistance to enjoy the holiday season. Here are some simple ways to make it merry and bright for all! Select your holiday celebrations with the spatial, sound, and visual complexities in mind. Many children are completely overwhelmed with large spaces (auditoriums, church halls, etc.) and the multi-sensory experience…… Continue reading Sensory Differences and Holiday Events: Simple Life Hacks for Happy Memories
Low Muscle Tone and Dressing: Easy Solutions to Teach Independence
When a child says “I do it myself” most adults are thrilled. Kids with low muscle tone want to do things like the big kids too, including dressing themselves, but they often end up in a tangle of sleeves or twisted pant legs. Here are a few suggestions to make learning to get dressed and…… Continue reading Low Muscle Tone and Dressing: Easy Solutions to Teach Independence
Stretch Your Toddler’s Patience The Easy Way, Starting Today!
I spent some time yesterday with the mother of a spirited toddler who pointed out that even though she saw that The Happiest Toddler on the Block technique of patience stretching works, she found it hard to be cheerful and upbeat after hours of her son’s whining and hanging on her legs. At the end…… Continue reading Stretch Your Toddler’s Patience The Easy Way, Starting Today!
Defiant Kids Can Change With Dr. Kazdin’s Simple Plans
Dr. Alan Kazdin wrote “The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child” in 2008. His follow-up book, “The Everyday Parent Toolkit” came later. He is the director of the Yale Parenting Center, and he has seen some hardcore kids. You do not get the feeling that he has treated a lot of children younger…… Continue reading Defiant Kids Can Change With Dr. Kazdin’s Simple Plans