Tag Archives: preschoolers

Coming Soon: “One Thing” Thursday

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I’m excited to announce the newest addition to the MamaOT blog!:

“One Thing” Thursday

MamaOT

Every Thursday, I will feature one quick tip that you can implement to help improve some aspect of your child’s development. I will keep it as focused as possible so it’s short, sweet, and easy to use. The age range addressed will vary from week to week, so there will be something for everyone throughout the month.

Cool? Let me give you the back story real quick:

As a pediatric occupational therapist, I do my best to give my little clients’ parents ideas for how they can carryover their child’s therapeutic program throughout the rest of the week. Though it’s tempting to give them a bunch of ideas so they can leave their child’s session armed and ready to go for the next several days, I find it’s often more effective to only suggest ONE THING. Sometimes that ONE THING is very specific (e.g., give him a deep massage with lotion after bath time every night). Sometimes it’s pretty broad (e.g., find opportunities to engage her in fine motor activities that will continue to encourage development of her pincer grasp). And, yes, I’ve even referred a parent to Pinterest before for sensory and fine motor play ideas via Kid Blogger Network. God bless Pinterest.

Anyway…

I have found that giving families more than ONE THING to do each week can be overwhelming and impractical and, more often than not, families are less likely to carryover therapist suggestions when they are given too many ideas to choose from, no matter how fun or great they are. And, honestly, sometimes it’s even difficult for parents to try out that ONE THING. Factors such as limited time, space, energy, or finances can get in the way, and it’s totally understandable. I’m a parent. I get it. Raising a family is tough work. That’s why I try to keep it simple.

Similarly, I want to provide tips and tricks on this blog that are practical and easy to use. Sometimes a list of five or ten things is great. But other times ONE THING is enough.

That’s why I’m creating “One Thing” Thursday.

Be sure to stop by for next week’s first installment of “One Thing” Thursday. I’ll give you a clue…it’s about babies.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to the blog or followed MamaOT on Twitter or Facebook, now’s your chance! You don’t want to miss out on all the great tips and tricks you can use for those crazy, quirky, sweet, special children in your life.

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Four Ways to Play Connect Four

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connect four

Connect Four is a great game that can be played in so many different ways if you’re willing to think outside the box. Here are four different ways you and your kids can play Connect Four in order to mix things up and promote their development!

1. Use play dough. Push the Connect Four coins into a mound of play dough (or even hide them inside a big ball of home made play dough) so those little fingers really have to pinch and work to pull them out before placing them in the game slots. Great for fine motor strengthening.

2. Use dry rice. You can hide the Connect Four coins in a container filled with dry rice but really any similar dry substance will do, such as dry beans, pasta, or quinoa. This challenges kids’ tactile processing skills as they must use their feelers to locate and secure the pieces. Create an added challenge by doing this one with eyes closed!

3. Use a pattern. This one takes a little more prep but can be a really fun way to allow kids to play Connect Four on their own or create “levels” of challenge for kids who are into that. Arrange Connect Four coins in different patterns and then take a picture of each one (you can print out the pictures or just keep them on your smart phone or digital camera, or you can even draw them on a piece of paper). Kids must then make an exact copy of that pattern in order to pass the level and if you’ve planned it out well, they’ll be able to advance through the levels as they complete patterns that become more and more difficult. This is a great way to work on skills related to math and writing such as pattern recognition and copying a model.

4. Use one hand. For kids who are a little older or who have slightly more advanced hand skills, up the ante by challenging them to hold several Connect Four coins in their hand at one time. Then as they take their turn, they must “slide” one coin up from their palm to their fingertips in order to use it while the rest stay tucked away in their palm. This can be a real challenge and is great for developing hand muscles and in-hand manipulation skills that can help with tasks such as coloring, writing, and buttoning.

So there you have it. Hope you have as much fun playing Connect Four as I do.

What are some other ways you can play Connect Four? 

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Activity Ideas for Kids: “No Time for Flash Cards”

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Last week I asked you to tell me what ages and topics you wanted to learn more about here on MamaOT.com. I learned that many of you are looking for play and activity ideas for your little ones. To be honest, there are TONS of blogs out there (it’s overwhelming, really) that offer a multitude of ideas for creative crafts and activities for kids. And since MamaOT is a “Tips and Tricks” blog that sometimes features activity ideas (rather than focusing on them exclusively), I thought I’d share some helpful resources for those of you looking for a creative boost. I’ve decided to devote this entire week (how lucky are you?!) to telling you about some fantastic resources out there on the world wide web that have already put together fun lists of things to do with kids of all ages!

The first website you should check out is called No Time for Flash Cards: Learning and Play for Babies, Toddlers, and Kids. It can be accessed at www.notimeforflashcards.com.

No Time for Flash Cards (or NTFFC for short) is a fun blog that features tons of activity ideas for babies, toddlers, and kids. It has been around since 2008 and is run by a teacher/mom who loves to help other parents. You can search for activities based on:

  • AGE — infant, toddler (1-3), preschool (3-5), school-age (5+), big kid and parents (8+)
  • CRAFT — by theme and by age
  • ACTIVITY TYPE — cooking, fine motor, gross motor, math, pretend play, science, sensory, and songs

The philosophy of NTFFC is to make learning fun at home and in school…without the flashcards!

As a pediatric occupational therapist, I think the NTFFC blog is a great place to start for those who are looking for activity ideas that will engage kids’ brains and bodies without making them feel like they’re being “drilled”. The blog’s writers have backgrounds in literature, education, and crafting, so those are the kinds of ideas you’ll encounter. Though it’s not a site geared specifically toward reaching developmental milestones or sharing how to playfully work toward specific age-appropriate skills (such as fine motor milestones or handwriting development), I think you’ll find the ideas on NTFFC useful and practical, especially the page that outlines basic must-have craft supplies.

Here are some examples of activities featured on NTFFC (click on title for link to activity):

I hope you’ll stop by No Time for Flash Cards and try out some of the many fun ideas it has in store for you. Hopefully you’ll discover some new favorites. Let me know what you think of it!

Tomorrow I will be sharing another website I like that is filled with hundreds (maybe even THOUSANDS) of activity ideas for parents and kids to do together. Be sure to come back to check it out or, better yet, subscribe to MamaOT so you don’t miss out on future posts. See you tomorrow!

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MamaOT’s Makeover!

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It’s only been one month since the official launch of MamaOT and, already, exciting changes are coming. To those of you who have read, shared, linked to, or subscribed to this blog: THANK YOU! from the bottom of my heart. Thanks also to those of you who have commented, called, emailed, or Facebook messaged me to tell me how much you love the posts on MamaOT (you know who you are). This blog is for all of you!

You may have noticed MamaOT has undergone a bit of a makeover in the past few days. Well, I have two big announcements to make. Are you ready?

(drum roll, please…)

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER ONE:

MamaOT is now on Facebook and Twitter!

To get MamaOT in your Facebook news feed, click the “Like” button on the right-hand side of the Home screen, or go to www.facebook.com/MamaOTblog and click “Like”. This will give you additional access to helpful tips and tricks, as well as links to articles and other resources related to kid-life.

To follow MamaOT on Twitter, click the “Follow @mamaotblog” button on the right-hand side of your screen or click here.

You can still subscribe to MamaOT via email or Google Reader and follow on Pinterest, so what are you waiting for???

Okay, I know that was really exciting. Take a moment to collect yourself. Alright. Ready for MamaOT’s second big announcement? Here we go!

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER TWO:

For those of you who aren’t into the whole social media frenzy (or who just want good information, plain and simple), I’ve added a brand new page to the blog just for you!

“Recommended resources“ is MamaOT’s newest page and is all about, well, resources I recommend. It’s an ever-growing list with alphabetized categories covering everything from pregnancy to activity ideas for little ones to autism to feeding/speech-language skills to…well, I guess you’ll just have to hop on over and check it out for yourself, won’t you? Don’t see what you’re looking for? Leave a comment on the new page or send an email to mamaotblog [at] gmail [dot] com to let me know and I’ll see what I can dig up.

I hope you enjoy these two new additions to MamaOT and, hey, if they make you love the blog more than you already did, would you mind doing me a favor and taking a moment to subscribe or share this blog with someone who you think would love it, too? The more the merrier.

Thanks for reading!

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