I recently received a letter asking about activities to work on beginning letter identification and uppercase/lowercase matching. As with any concept I work on with Andrew, I begin by providing him with very basic activities and build according to what he needs. This is one of my favorite ways to approach this and lots of other skills. Note: Remember that these station activities are not meant to be long, drawn out projects that take all afternoon for your child to complete. They have short … [Read more...] about Building Letter Recognition – Sensory Bin Letter Hunt
Sensory
Jelly Beans Tweezing
I was at our grocery store and found these different colors of Easter grass. I purchased them not for our Easter baskets but rather to use in My Obstacle Course along with tweezers or tongs for fine motor skill building. While Andrew’s handwriting is really improving, we still need to build his pencil grasping muscles and tweezers are a great tool to use for this. Since Easter is just around the corner and I like to use things that are thematic and seasonal, I bought some jelly beans to … [Read more...] about Jelly Beans Tweezing
Stir Up Some Fun With Spring Colored Whisks!
I found these colored whisks at Target and besides being perfect for using in a spring themed My Obstacle Course, I realized they would be perfect for building a skill I was working on with Andrew. If At First It Doesn't Work, Try Something Different I had introduced a stirring activity with him (stirring frosting with a spoon) and realized that it was too challenging for him because he didn't have the hand muscle strength to dig in and move it around. I thought that these whisks would be … [Read more...] about Stir Up Some Fun With Spring Colored Whisks!
St. Patrick’s Hat “Search and Find”
I got this idea from a game that Andrew’s class had been playing called "Ned’s Head." The idea for this and the "Ned’s Head" game comes from using the sense of touch to locate or identify an object. (Here is a google link to show what I'm talking about.) Last year I found this St. Patrick’s Day themed hat in the dollar section of Target (I was just there today and they still have them!). When I bought it, I didn't know what I would do with it but I knew it would come in handy for something. … [Read more...] about St. Patrick’s Hat “Search and Find”
No “Ick” Finger Painting
Finger Painting! A wonderful, soothing activity to express creativity with cold, wet paint on a blank canvas of white paper - for some that is. For others, it is definitely a non-preferred, "avoid if possible" activity. Why is this? Some people, especially those with sensory sensitivities, do not like getting things on their skin. There is something about the feeling of something that doesn't belong there that they cannot stand. When I imagine a child like that finger painting, I see them … [Read more...] about No “Ick” Finger Painting
Make Your Own Tunnel
Andrew began getting OT (occupational therapy) services this year and it has made such a big difference for him. I would sit in the waiting room and listen to the laughter coming from the kids and the therapists - what a fun job!! One day they had me come back and Andrew was creeping and crawling through this stretchy tunnel and when he would get to the end he would come out with this huge smile on his face. I love anything that gets him creeping and crawling and when I saw that smile, I knew … [Read more...] about Make Your Own Tunnel