The holiday season is upon us again, along with the hunt for the perfect stocking stuffers for our loved ones. If you are racking your brain for a great gift for your child, here are a few ideas for some OT themed treasures to add to your Christmas list this year.
Puzzles
Puzzles are a great way to work on visual-perceptual skills, fine motor skills, and problem solving ability. For young children, peg puzzles with an educational theme, such ABCs or shapes, are always a big hit, and for older kids, you can up the challenge by trying a multi-sided cube puzzle.
Sensory toys:
There are so many great toys out there that can provide your child with a rich sensory experience as well as hours of fun. Try sensory sand, water beads, slime, scented crayons or markers, lava lamps, or squishy fidget toys/stress balls. Be aware, though, that some children may have aversions to specific sensory stimuli. If you notice that your child is avoidant of or sensitive to certain sensory input, please consult with your OT professional.
Paper and pencil games:
Word searches and hidden picture puzzles are great for developing your child’s visual perceptual skills, paper mazes are good for visual scanning and pencil control, and sudoku is good for older children and teens for developing logic and problem solving skills.
Craft sets and building toys:
Craft sets (such as origami sets, beading kits, bracelet looms, etc.) and building toys (like interlocking blocks) are great for developing your child’s fine motor skills, ability to use both hands together together (bilateral coordination), and ability to follow multi-step written or picture directions.
Children’s yoga videos or yoga cards:
Yoga is a great activity for providing your child with regulating sensory input, increasing body and breath awareness, and increasing motor planning skills.
Bubbles:
Blowing bubbles is a great activity for increasing breath control and oral motor skills and awareness. You can add a visual motor coordination component by having your child catch the bubbles on the end of the bubble wand. Have a race to see who can catch the most bubbles without making them pop. You can add even more fun sensory input by using scented bubbles!
Playground toys:
Jump ropes, hula hoops, and scooters are great for working on motor planning skills and overall body awareness.
Happy holidays from all of us at Crawl, Walk, Jump, Run!
If you or a loved one is in need of Occupational Therapy, please call today at 586-323-2957 to set up your FREE 30 minute screening!
Written by: Elizabeth Horsch, COTAL
