1. Swim – great strengthening and deep pressure sensory input
2. Climb – a tree, monkey bars, ladder, playground equipment - helps your arms and hands get STRONG!
3. Practice handwriting – 5 to 10 minutes a day of quality practice is all it takes. Write a note to a family member, make a grocery list, write out the lyrics to your favorite song, etc. Mix up practice with sidewalk chalk, sand, shaving cream, finger paint, water on dry fence or chalkboard, playdoh, etc.
4. With a more relaxed summer schedule, take the time to practice self care independence. Dress yourself, practice buttoning, snapping, zipping, shoetying. Make your own drinks, snacks, meals. Help your family cook something to share, and then clean up together too. Open all your own snack and drink packages. Learn how to do something you haven’t before like make the bed, do the laundry, sweep the floor, use a new kitchen utensil, etc.
5. Take advantage of the nice weather and do messy sensory play outdoors where it is easy to clean up and hose off. (The bathtub works great too if the weather interferes.) Ideas: sandbox, mudpies, shaving cream, finger paint, pudding, playdoh, silly putty, clay, gak, flarp, oobleck, moon dough, cloud dough, flubber, tubs of dry rice, beans, corn, shredded paper, water beads, water with bubbles, etc.
Other fun ideas that will help you reach your OT goals:
Have a happy, healthy and safe summer!
2. Climb – a tree, monkey bars, ladder, playground equipment - helps your arms and hands get STRONG!
3. Practice handwriting – 5 to 10 minutes a day of quality practice is all it takes. Write a note to a family member, make a grocery list, write out the lyrics to your favorite song, etc. Mix up practice with sidewalk chalk, sand, shaving cream, finger paint, water on dry fence or chalkboard, playdoh, etc.
4. With a more relaxed summer schedule, take the time to practice self care independence. Dress yourself, practice buttoning, snapping, zipping, shoetying. Make your own drinks, snacks, meals. Help your family cook something to share, and then clean up together too. Open all your own snack and drink packages. Learn how to do something you haven’t before like make the bed, do the laundry, sweep the floor, use a new kitchen utensil, etc.
5. Take advantage of the nice weather and do messy sensory play outdoors where it is easy to clean up and hose off. (The bathtub works great too if the weather interferes.) Ideas: sandbox, mudpies, shaving cream, finger paint, pudding, playdoh, silly putty, clay, gak, flarp, oobleck, moon dough, cloud dough, flubber, tubs of dry rice, beans, corn, shredded paper, water beads, water with bubbles, etc.
Other fun ideas that will help you reach your OT goals:
- Jump on a trampoline, ride a bike
- Practice sports skills like toss/catch, t-ball or wiffle ball, basketball, kicking a ball, tennis or paddle ball, yoga moves, calisthenics like situps and pushups and jumping jacks
- Yard games like Simon Says, Red Light/Green Light, hopscotch, jump rope, follow the leader, hokey pokey, hot potato, croquet, yard bowling, beanbag toss, horseshoes, wheelbarrow walk, beach ball play, badminton
- Do yard work and garden – lots of great strengthening and sensory input
- Flashlight tag or flashlight follow-the-leader, or turn out lights and draw/write something on ceiling for child to guess
- I-spy around the room/yard/etc, can have them roll up a paper for a telescope
- Do animal walks – walk like a bear, monkey, frog, dog, cat, snake, etc.
- Blow bubbles and pop them
- Finger plays like itsy bitsy spider, Head/Shoulders/Knees/Toes, 5 little monkeys, etc.
- Use a spray bottle, sponges, squirt toys, eye dropper, etc. to water plants or with water play in yard or bath to help strengthen hand muscles.
- Improve grasp and dexterity by playing with, sorting or eating tiny objects using tongs, tweezers, chopsticks, or string beads, twist on nuts/bolts, flip and stack pennies, play jacks, spin tops
- Write, draw, paint on vertical surfaces like an easel, tub wall, mirror, glass door
- Color with crayons broken into thirds to strengthen hand muscles
- Puzzles, dot to dots, mazes, letter or word searches, maps and directions, scavenger hunts
- Build indoor and outdoor obstacle courses
- Perfection, Memory, Concentration, Simon, Hokey Pokey, Blink, Guess Who, Operation, Connect 4, Pictionary, Mr. Potato Head, games with flipping or tweezers
- Where’s Waldo, Spot the difference, Hidden Pictures, Bingo
- Practice scissor skills with crafts
- Practice typing with correct finger placement – Dance Mat typing is a fun, free online game that works on keyboarding
Have a happy, healthy and safe summer!