Page 3 Specific OT resources by age or grade level

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May 11, 2020
  Here are a few useful tidbits!  
Is your child procrastinating?  Having trouble getting started with their work?  Here is a link with some suggestions and tips to help! https://www.theottoolbox.com/task-initiation-executive-functioning-strategies/?ck_subscriber_id=808398655
 
Here are some great fine motor suggestions to get those hands working and develop good grasp patterns! grades K-2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD86MGSBd8w
 
Remember to practice those animal walks (bear and crab) do them forwards, backwards and sideways!!  and get outside and play with balls!  throw, catch, aim at targets, kick.  
HAVE FUN
Mrs. B
 
 
 
Good Morning Parents, Caregivers and Teachers,
 
OT services are now being delivered synchronously to IEP students at all four elementary schools and Middle School. A school issued Chromebook,  laptop, and or smart phone with a Chrome App can be used for synchronous therapy sessions. Using Google Meet by way of Google Calendar, meeting days and times are established for students, with notifications sent out via Gmail to parents and students.   The notification contains the link to the meeting: just click on it and you will "arrive" at the meeting. Click "join" to join in.   If possible,  connect just prior to your scheduled time so that your child is ready to go.  As discussed by your therapists, keep the required OT materials nearby and ready to use.   
We look forward to connecting with your child and working with them through the use of synchronous technology, 
Mrs. Barbagallo OT

 

Week 5:

4/24/2020

The Zones of Regulation program is the tool we use to help children understand how they are feeling (emotions, energy level) and how they can regulate their emotions/energy level.  Dr. Alison Hales, an OT in our district made this video to introduce and start teaching the program.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nUxXJMgaKk   

4/20/2020

Find some toothpicks and  something they can stick into (styrofoam, cardboard, etc) and then give them some cheerios or fruit loops or whatever cereal is round with a hole! They can make a pattern (if there are different colors).  Count - tell them how many to put on each stick or just fill up each stick and work on those fine motor skills!  for the older kids, have them place the cereal on using tweezers!!  

 

Week 4:

4/17/2020

I attended a webinar and am attaching the power point for parents to look at.  It has some nice suggestions for home sensory diets, and setting up routines/schedules.  Please take a look and ask me any questions you may have!

https://schoolhealth.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#U0000000K0lZ/a/6f0000000NsN/80qtweup2xcFX4WYx9LP.IWtHrxVJFPiXfhLZLagrHY

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. B

4/14/2020

Sticks!!  after all of that wind there are sooo many sticks on the ground outside.  Lets go help mom and dad pick up the sticks in our yard.  After you have made a nice pile of sticks, what can you make with it?  Can you build a house for a rabbit?  can you make a ladder?  can you create a beautiful piece of art work?  try using rubber bands, string, glue, playdough, tape or paint.  Maybe you could make letters and numbers out of the sticks!  try spelling your name!  or spelling your sight words!  I want pictures!!!  Please show me what you make!

4/13/2020

Hide an object (toy, egg, treat) somewhere in a room or in the house.  Give verbal directions or hints to have them find it.  For instance if you hid it in the kitchen "Go to where I make my coffee".  Once in the kitchen you can either do hot/cold (hot when they are close, cold when they are far away) to give hints or for the older ones, given directions "take 2 steps to your left", move forward 3 steps, Reach out your right arm. etc.  This activity works on directionality, listening to directions, problem solving and scanning/visual discrimination.  Start out pretty easy and then make it harder!  

Week 3:

4/2/2020

Indoor easy course to make to work on body awareness, motor planning, controlled movement and strength

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/820007044633410231/

Have fun!

4/1/2020

Today's activity for ALL ages!  build your own obstacle course on your driveway with chalk!  Here is a picture just to get you going!  but be creative and come up with your own ideas.  You can balance on a line, follow a curvy wavy path, hop, jump, bear walk, crab walk...  and I want to see pictures!!

3/30/2020

Here are some activities you can do with a simple deck of cards!  clearly playing a game of cards is fun and works on turn taking, attention, following directions and some fine motor skills.  You can play memory, War, go fish.... here is a list of 12 simple card games to try!  https://www.kidspot.com.au/things-to-do/kids-games/indoor-play/snap-12-classic-card-games-to-teach-the-kids/news-story/1d153893aee53908749c1377c588928c

But other things can be done with cards to work on fine motor and visual motor skills.  Try building a house of cards!  or here is another list of activities with great therapeutic benefit.

https://www.theottoolbox.com/fine-motor-activities-playing-cards/?fbclid=IwAR0q8jWcv2pWz76jpf8_HeTGAJY7Golhafc5iDnAi6Vz0u5wUMj1ov9HTas&ck_subscriber_id=582700278

Have fun!  

Mrs. B

 

Week 2:

 

3/23/2020

Here is one of my FAVORITE activities!!  and it is perfect for ALL ages.  Your assignment for today is to build a fort! 

Use couches, chairs, couch cushions, pillows, blankets, sheets-  be creative.  Have your child try to think it through and build!  Here is a link if you need some starting ideas. https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pillow-Fort 

The therapeutic benefits of building a fort include: creativity, lifting and moving objects, planning, spatial awareness, constructional praxis, bilateral hand use!  

Once the fort is built, turn off the lights and get some flashlights out.  This is SOO good for visual skills (tracking, visual closure, visual attention, pursuits etc!)  Try:

  1. flashlight tag, one of you is it and the others have to try and 'catch' your light with theirs
  2. draw a letter or number slowly with your flashlight and see if they can guess the letter/number- take turns
  3. follow the leader- keep their light directly behind yours, no matter where or what you do!
  4. create shadow puppets with their hands!
  5. create your own game!

Have a great time doing this!  I am sure your kids will love it!

Mrs. B

3/25/2020

Todays activity works on scanning, visual figure ground, perseverance and visual discrimination.  Again, placing this on a vertical surface will help with hand and wrist position, having them do this activity while lying on their stomach propped up on their arms works on back extension, shoulder stability and neck strengthening.  They can even do this activity on all 4's (quadraped) to really work those shoulder muscles!!  Change it up!  challenge those bodies and brains!

Here are a few printables.

https://i1.wp.com/www.papertraildesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/I-Spy-alphabet.jpg

https://i0.wp.com/www.papertraildesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/I-Spy-camping.jpg

https://www.123homeschool4me.com/animal-i-spy/

https://practicalwhimsyco.com/blogs/blog/superhero-i-spy-freebie?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=842558746_35677428_104907

Plenty more on Pinterest! 

Have fun!  --- Mrs. B 

3/27/2020

Here are some GREAT games and sensory activities to do outside.  Lots of fine motor and bilateral hand use tasks as well.  SO many to choose from.  Pick one to try today!  

https://www.theottoolbox.com/outdoor-sensory-diet-activities-for-backyard/?fbclid=IwAR2LWeKfXnH4QEOlfmmzefNwtTmpT_UQmgPQhoPu0BUqJaplDcR_GEo9pYI&ck_subscriber_id=582700278

I would LOVE to see some pictures of what you chose to try!

Mrs. B

 

 

Week 1:

3/16/2020

Welcome!  This week will be an adjustment and ALL children benefit from routines.  My first and most important suggestion is to make a schedule for your child to follow.  Putting it in a plastic sleeve would be great so they can use a dry erase marker to cross things off as they go; everyone likes to cross things off and feel accomplishment.  If your child does not read yet, use pictures!  Do not worry, stick figures are great!  A suggestion would be something like this:

8:15 Wake up

8:30 eat breakfast

9:00 math

9:25 go outside and run around the house 2 times

10:00 reading  etc......

    Please build in movement and exercise breaks.  encourage running, jumping, animal walks around the house (frog jumps, bear walks, crab walks)  In addition I highly recommend chores.  Build a few chores into the schedule!  Chores help develop  a sense of responsibility, organization and executive functioning skills.  Here are a few good links:

https://www.yourmodernfamily.com/age-appropriate-chores-for-kids/

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e0/50/45/e05045bed1607a0552dfbd3e20da77c1.jpg

https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/printable-age-by-age-chore-chart/

More suggestions and activities to come, have a great first day!

Mrs. B

3/17/2020

Happy St Patrick's Day!  

Today we will focus on fine motor activities!  the below 2 websites have wonderful hand exercises for all ages with objects you probably have around the house!  Please try and pick one or 2 a day to try out, they should be challenging but fun!  

https://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/hand-exercises-for-kids.html#GrossMotorHandStrength

https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2019/08/15/hand-strengthening/

In addition, since it is raining outside I will list some fun videos your child can exercise and move to!  these videos work on motor planning, strength and crossing midline!  Please pick the one that is age appropriate or skill appropriate for your child.

For pre-K- Kindergarten- Go Noodle has fun videos as does Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventures- I like this one because she often does movement to a book/story.

For grades 1-3  Learning Station videos are fun and get them up and moving to songs 

Grades 3-5 look into Kids 20 minute workout and kids work out for beginners.  

Have a great day!-     Mrs. B

3/19/2020

Happy First Day of Spring!!  

Today I have a BIG challenge!!  All ages can participate and this is a great family challenge so get ready to do it together!

This activity will really strengthen the core, shoulder and hand muscles and work on that motor planning!  I want video proof!!!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_YFkVSp34s

and for those who want to focus on those Abs !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LurCQ9XGkt0

Start out slow and work up to doing the entire song, you all can do it.  

Don't forget to keep doing those hand exercises (links listed on 3/17's post)

Mrs. B