Occupational Therapy Activities for Home Therapy does not

Occupational Therapy Activities for Home Therapy does not have to stop because schools out. Here are some ways to improve fine motor, visual motor, sensory, self-help, and more while at home! *Campbellsville Independent Schools- Occupational Therapy*

Make a Schedule and keep a Routine *It helps when kids know what to expect and what is expected of them.

Fine motor skills are necessary for every task that a child completes. From play, to handwriting, to managing clothing fasteners, and coloring; Fine Motor Skills are essential for a child’s development and ability to use their hands in small motor movements. Make a bin with small items to pick up using a clothespin, tongs from the kitchen, tweezers, etc. Fine Motor Skills F Painting using Q-tips or Fingertips String Beads

Trace name using stickers …More Fine Motor Activity Ideas Place pipe cleaners or straws in strainer Placing paper clips onto paper towel roll, paper plate, or paper and incorporate counting into task

Visual Motor Skills enable an individual to process information around them. The ability to observe, recognize, and use visual information about forms, shapes, figures, and objects makes up our visual motor abilities. Visual motor skills include a coordination of visual information that is perceived and processed with motor skills, including fine motor, gross motor, and sensory motor. Visual Perception Visual Motor Skills Figure Ground- ability to focus on one specific piece of information in a busy background. Visual Discrimination- ability to recognize details in visual images. Visual Memory- ability to store and retrieve previously experienced visual sensations. Visual Closure- ability to correctly perceive an object or word, even when it is partly hidden. Visual Scanning- ability to use vision to search in a systematic manner, such as top to bottom and left to right.

Play I Spy Game of Memory Uno Do a Puzzle Matching socks from a large pile …More Visual Motor Find the difference in two pictures Maze Dot to Dot Color by Number Name items in the house and their shape (Clock- circle, Table- rectangle) Recreate shape using toothpicks or Q-tips Connect 4 Bingo Playing with Legos or following pattern with Legos

Cutting *Supervision is recommended some children may require hand over hand assistance Cutting play dough Cut construction paper or card stock Trace items in the house and cut them out Cut straight, curved, zig zag, and simple shapes Draw lines or highlight and have child cut on the line

Play with play dough Make slime or putty using hands Intrensic Hand Strengthening Squeeze a squishy ball Push items in to tennis ball (buttons, beads, Pom poms) Locate beads in play dough/putty Use tongs and tweezers Spray bottle paint with washable paint

Therapy Putty Ingredients 1 bottle (4 oz) white school glue 1 ½ tsp baking soda Food color (gel works best) 1 tsp contact lens solution ½ cup corn starch Glitter (optional) Directions for DIY Therapy Putty Homemade Therapy Putty 1) Start by emptying the bottle of school glue into a bowl. 2) Add baking soda and mix thoroughly. 3) Add a drop of food color and mix again until combined. If you are adding glitter to your therapy putty, you’ll want to do that now. 4) Mix 1/2 cup of corn starch into your glue mixture 5) Add contact lens solution. Stir until it begins to separate from the sides of the bowl and stick together. 6) If mixture is still sticky, add a little more corn starch. 7) Knead your therapy putty together with your hands until it is all combined and is no longer sticky. 8) Play with your putty! You can hide beads or buttons in your putty. 9) Store your putty in a zip lock bag or an empty jar.

Pre-Writing

…More -writing Pre Strengthening the hands, palms of hand (arches) and fingers is very important for a child to develop writing skills. The strength of their core, shoulders, and neck muscles are all crucial and play an important role in their handwriting skills.

Bilateral Coordination * The ability to use both sides of the body at the same time in a controlled and organized manner. Jump rope Riding a bicycle Cutting Dribbling a ball Sweeping Vacuuming Hop Scotch Throw a ball at a target Throwing and catching a ball Scooping with one hand pouring into a cup with the other

Incorporate sensory breaks including heavy work into daily routine for improved attention, participation, and focus. Sensory Breaks

…More Sensory Breaks

Practice tying shoes Make a simple snack (peanut butter and crackers, PB and J) Self Help Load the dishwasher Practice telling time Wipe off table Doing dishes Sorting laundry

Practice letters in a variety of ways such as in shaving cream, sand, on the sidewalk with chalk. Have your child write a letter to friends, family, or favorite character Have them come up with silly sentences Handwriting Give them a topic and have them write a sentence Help your child remember to: Form letters top to bottom and left to right Leave space between words Keep the letters on the lines Keep “tall” letters tall, “small” letters small, and “fall” letters to fall (j, g, p, q, y)

http: //therapystreetforkids. com/ https: //www. theottoolbox. com/ https: //www. ot-mom-learning-activities. com/ Places to go for more ideas https: //www. typingclub. com/ https: //www. pinterest. com/ Watch shoe tying videos on You. Tube Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns by my work phone or email: (270) 789 -5850 Maridith. willett@cville. kyschools. us