Nothing ruins the fun of scribbling like the frustration of discovering that clothes, skin and walls are also covered with “creativity”. It is important to teach children that we color only on specific surfaces, but messes will happen on the path to full comprehension and compliance. Crayola has just about solved this problem…… Continue reading Color Wonder Paper Will Boost Creativity and Save Your Walls
Category: toy/equipment review
Lakeshore Paper Strips Make Summer Writing Practice Easy and Fun!
These paper strips, both the short (shown) and the long versions, are great for summer writing practice. Here are a few handwriting tips to make writing on these strips really fun: They have two different sides; use both of them. There is a single baseline side which can be much less confusing for the…… Continue reading Lakeshore Paper Strips Make Summer Writing Practice Easy and Fun!
How To Pick The Best Potty Seat For Toilet Training A Child With Low Tone
Kids with low tone benefit significantly from supportive seating for eating, playing, and yes, toileting. Picking the right training potty can make all the difference for them, and their parents. My new favorites for smaller children (smaller than the average 3-4 year-old) are the Little Colorado Potty Chair and the Fisher Price Custom Comfort Potty… Continue reading How To Pick The Best Potty Seat For Toilet Training A Child With Low Tone
Great Mechanical Pencils Can Improve Your Child’s Handwriting Skills
These pencils help students with the following handwriting issues: They use too much force while writing, and the pencil tips break frequently. They need more tactile information to achieve and keep a mature pencil grasp. They rarely notice that they need to sharpen their pencil to improve legibility. Getting up to sharpen a pencil distracts…… Continue reading Great Mechanical Pencils Can Improve Your Child’s Handwriting Skills
Best Preemie Toy? Try An O-Ball Toy For Easy Grasping And Playing
Preemies often wait a long time to start playing. NICU life isn’t about fun, it is about survival. Once your preemie is home, you will want to get the party started. If she has a weak grasp or isn’t coordinated enough to easily hold every rattle and toy that you got for your shower,…… Continue reading Best Preemie Toy? Try An O-Ball Toy For Easy Grasping And Playing
Plus Plus Toy Review: This Toy Can Make Your Child Turn Off The Tablet
I got a box of mini PlusPlus building pieces as a gift from a client. Her son is apparently addicted. He was totally occupied with them for their entire vacation plane ride earlier this year. The entire ride. These toys from Denmark come in midi (medium size) and mini sizes. They are intended for…… Continue reading Plus Plus Toy Review: This Toy Can Make Your Child Turn Off The Tablet
Homeschooling? Make Learning to Write Easy for Everyone
Handwriting is a skill that powers the development of language and literacy, as well as math skills. This is an important early foundation skill. Keyboarding does not replace writing at any age. If you doubt me, gather up all your pencils and pens for a day or two. See what happens. If they are truthful,…… Continue reading Homeschooling? Make Learning to Write Easy for Everyone
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?
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
Preschool Pencils That Develop Hand Control (and with tips that won’t constantly break!)
Most preschoolers with older siblings are aware that the “big kids” use pencils for their homework. Just like the fight to avoid the booster seat, older toddlers and preschoolers aspire to the next stage of development. The problem with using #2 pencils before kindergarten? Many children do not have the required small muscle strength and…… Continue reading Preschool Pencils That Develop Hand Control (and with tips that won’t constantly break!)
Lakeshore’s Rubbing Plates Build Hand Strength and Coordination While Having Fun!
This simple activity uses just paper ( I use the back of scrap paper to be mindful of the environment), a crayon and Lakeshore’s rubbing plates. I included a sample photo of the number plates, but the letter plates are used in exactly the same manner. Such an easy activity, and yet it builds sensory-motor…… Continue reading Lakeshore’s Rubbing Plates Build Hand Strength and Coordination While Having Fun!
The Pencil Grip That Strengthens Your Child’s Fingers As They Write.
Pencil grips are frequently recommended but mostly ineffective in improving pencil grasp. They are often placed at the wrong part of the pencil for best use, or quickly and repeatedly lost like mittens. I wrote a post on how to decide if you need a grip for a child Should Your Child Use A…… Continue reading The Pencil Grip That Strengthens Your Child’s Fingers As They Write.
Teaching Pencil Grasp Can Start with Edison Chopsticks
I love these Edison training chopsticks. You could eat your lunch with them, but you could also pick up little toys and game pieces. Every preschooler that I work with that has difficulty with controlling their pencil has fun with these chopsticks. They have no idea that my goal is to get their finger strength…… Continue reading Teaching Pencil Grasp Can Start with Edison Chopsticks
Lakeshore Scissors for Toddlers That Only Cut the Paper, Not the Toddler
Lakeshore Learning sells their own brand of plastic safety scissors, and I like then so much that I wouldn’t recommend any other brand for children under 4. Toddlers are just too curious about how scissors work and too excited to listen to safety precautions. These scissors mean that they can develop solid hand skills earlier…… Continue reading Lakeshore Scissors for Toddlers That Only Cut the Paper, Not the Toddler
LEGO Duplo My First Car Creations: Putting Together Cars, Building Hand Coordination
UPDATE: LEGO has changed a few things, including the name of this toy. It used to be “Combine and Create”. The new version is really great as well. They have added some fun pieces with more graphics. The piece that could morph from dump truck to tanker trunk is gone, and the dump truck piece…… Continue reading LEGO Duplo My First Car Creations: Putting Together Cars, Building Hand Coordination
Move n’ Sit Cushions Can Also Be Stand n’ Balance Cushions
The trusty Move n’ Sit cushion that a generation of kids with sensory seeking or postural instability issues have used on their chairs can also be a great upright surface for toddlers with the same issues! Here is a two year-old client on his favorite piece of equipment. He calls it his “bumpies”, and loves…… Continue reading Move n’ Sit Cushions Can Also Be Stand n’ Balance Cushions
Start Teaching Pencil Grasp Early With Fingertip Feeding Games
Many preschoolers have difficulty holding a pencil. Some teachers and occupational therapists don’t even suggest pencil use until kindergarten. And the developmental progression is slowing down to reflect the limited amount of time children under 3 are getting to refine their pinch and manipulation skills that create the foundation of pencil grasp. Standardized testing may…… Continue reading Start Teaching Pencil Grasp Early With Fingertip Feeding Games
When Should Your Child Use a Stylus on an iPad?
Earlier I wrote a post on the App Crayon stylus to develop pencil grasp in preschoolers. But should all preschoolers and even toddlers use a stylus? The issue is more complicated than you might think. The App Crayon is still my favorite stylus for older toddlers. The triangular shape and the boldly colored, non-slip grasping…… Continue reading When Should Your Child Use a Stylus on an iPad?