Resources
Activity Ideas
At Power Play Pediatric Therapy, we are committed to supporting your child's development during and outside therapy sessions. We provide valuable resources to help you reinforce skills and promote growth at home and in the community.
Fine Motor Skills
Developing fine motor skills is essential for handwriting, dressing, and using utensils. Here are some activities and tips to enhance your child's fine motor skills:
Play Dough: Playing with play dough helps strengthen hand muscles and improve agility. Encourage your child to roll, squeeze, and shape the dough.
Pincer Grasp Activities: Picking up small objects like beads or buttons helps develop the pincer grasp. Use tweezers or tongs to make it more challenging. Beads in theraputty always excites children!
Cutting Practice: Provide child-safe scissors and paper for cutting practice. Start with snipping, then simple straight lines and gradually progress to more complex shapes.
Coloring: Color with broken crayons or crayon rocks to naturally promote and build your childs tolerance to a mature 3 finger (tripod) grasp.
Cut & paste crafts: A fun and engaging way to strengthen your child’s fine motor skills by improving visual motor coordination, scissor control, and finger dexterity. These activities also build the muscle strength needed for writing and other daily tasks.
Gross Motor Skills
Improving gross motor skills is essential for physical activities like running, jumping, and playing sports. Here are some exercises and strategies to enhance gross motor skills:
Obstacle Courses: Transform your living room or backyard into a fun-filled obstacle course. For an exciting gross motor skills workout, include crawling under tables, jumping over pillows, and balancing on a tape line.
Ball Games: Playing catch, kicking, or dribbling a basketball helps develop coordination and strength. Adjust the difficulty based on your child's skill level.
Animal Walks: Encourage your child to move like different animals. Bear crawls, crab walks, and frog jumps are fun ways to improve strength and coordination.
Dance Parties: Put on some music and have a dance party. Dancing is a great way to improve balance, rhythm, and coordination.
Sensory Processing Skills
Managing sensory processing challenges can help your child better respond to sensory stimuli. Here are some strategies to support sensory processing:
Heavy work: Kids have lots of energy. Proprioceptive activities help kids feel calm and regulated. Try activities like animal walks (bear crawls, frog hops) and jumping from the couch to the floor onto pillows. Bonus points if you make an obstacle course!
Sensory Bins: Create sensory bins with different materials, such as rice, beans, or sand. Encourage your child to explore the textures with their hands and don't be afraid to get messy!
Weighted Blankets: Weighted blankets can provide calming deep pressure input. Use them during quiet time or before bed to help your child relax.
Swinging: Swinging provides vestibular input that can help regulate sensory processing. Use a swing set or a hammock chair for a soothing experience.
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Self-Care (ADL) Skills
Boosting independence in daily living activities (ADLs) is crucial for your child's development. Here are some techniques to enhance self-care skills:
Dressing Practice: Encourage your child to practice dressing themselves. Break down the steps and provide prompts as needed. Start with simple tasks like putting on socks or a hat.
Handwashing Routine: Create a handwashing routine with visual cues. Use a step-by-step chart to guide your child through the process.
Toothbrushing Skills: Teach proper toothbrushing techniques using a timer and a mirror. Use a visual schedule to reinforce the routine.
Mealtime Independence: Encourage your child to use utensils and feed themselves. Provide adapted utensils if needed to support their independence.
Self-Regulation, Social and Play Skills
Enhancing regulation, social and play skills can help your child interact more effectively with peers and adults. Here are some activities and strategies to support self-regulation, social and play skills:
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Turn-Taking Games: Play games that require turn-taking, such as board games or card games. Encourage your child to wait their turn and follow the rules. Cooperative games like 'Hoot Owl Hoot' is a great place to start for young kids.
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Role-Playing: Role-playing different social scenarios can help your child practice appropriate social interactions. Use dolls or action figures to act out various situations.
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Group Activities: Encourage your child to participate in group activities, such as team sports or group projects. This helps develop cooperation and teamwork.
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Self-Control games: Red Light Green Light, freeze dance, or Simon Says are a few games to help children with emotions, behavior and motor skills. It requires children to control their impulses and they'll have fun while doing it!
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Calming Strategies: Teach your child calming strategies, such as deep breathing, listening to calming music, relax in dim lighting or using a fidget toy. Practice these techniques regularly. Remember, children learn from models and you are a big part of that! Co-regulation is important.