Simplifed and effecient use of your time for OT progress notes with check boxes for skills: Adaptive equipment ADL Assistive technology Fine/motor Work habits Sensory Visual perceptual and comments. Then, use a key for Min, Mod or Max assistance the child needs that you simply circle to acknowledge the level of assist needed. Simply copy or print more pages as needed. The second page allows more space for writing as needed. I use this for school based OT sessions but could be used in video visits, home or private practice, too. Sorry this is a hard copy and not editable at this time.
This blog post on handwriting tricks from November 2016 has been updated to include more handwriting tips and tricks that school based OT professionals use every day. You’ll also have a handwriting email series and free handwriting handouts available in this blog post that you’ll want to grab. Handwriting Tips Handouts Handwriting is a struggle ... Read more
This shoe tying activity uses an egg carton to teach shoe tying skills to kids. Includes shoe tying tips to teach kids to tie their shoes.
How to make a calm down kit or box for kids plus a free printable list of calming tools and things to put in your child's kit
Learn how OTPs should be using both a biomechanical frame of reference & occupation based techniques, to help our patients achieve their optimal outcomes.
Looking to pass the NBCOT on your first try? Be sure to check out these tried and true methods and resources to get that passing score!
Visual perceptual activities, copy the pattern skills worksheet for occupational therapy, helps kids to sense brain, eyes and daily activities, Free Printable PDF.
This sweetie's desk had been consistently stuffed with notebooks, folders, crumpled papers, broken pencils, index cards looking for their friends..... So, last Friday we introduced a pull-out drawer, made from a leftover box top in the school's copy room. To suit the small opening of her desk, we folded over each side of the box top, stapled it, and covered the very top edges with masking tape. We even took the extra precaution of making sure each staple was fully closed so no sharp edges would potentially scratch her skin as she pulled out the "drawer." This morning the top of her desk was pretty jumbled, but her pull-out drawer still looked organized.
Snipping paper is an important first stage of cutting with scissors, and one that paves the way for scissor skills in kids.
This pediatric occupational therapy activity box is a fun way to store and sort occupational therapy supplies for kids in schools, in home occupational therapy services, or for the school-based OT who travels from building to building. Pediatric occupational therapy activities and tools can be be used as an occupational therapy activity tool too! Read ... Read more
Quiet bins are a tool that can be used in the classroom or at home. Many people use quiet bins as a way to hold an organized fine motor activities, visual motor activities, and other activities for kids. Many times teachers are looking for a center activity that can be used with a small group ... Read more
Stunning Arch Trellis Maximizes Growing Space & Garden Beauty Function & Fashion: Maximize growing space & visual appeal Versatile & Sturdy Support: Grow cucumbers, squash, clematis & more! Grow Above & Beyond: Fits over the top of our 2' x 8' planters or between for a walk-under arch or tunnel Super Easy to Install: Fits seamlessly into our Lifetime corners Unlock the full potential of your Vermont-made elevated planter box or raised bed by adding this trellising arch to it. Tall enough to grow tomatoes underneath, you can plant all your favorite herbs and veggies in the center and robust climbing plants at the sides. Or make a walk-through arch by placing it between two planter boxes or raised beds. Easy to install: just pop the corner caps off your elevated planter or raised bed and slide the trellis feet in. Maximize growing space, giving vining veggies and flowers more room to ripen and bloom, while providing a protected growing space underneath for your favorite herbs and tender greens. To grow even more under your 48" H arch, add a 12" Arch Extension to bump your arch 60" above the height of your raised bed corners. See all compatible planters and raised beds to find your perfect pairing!
Today’s post is the second part of a short series spotlighting clever uses for visual schedules in the church setting. In yesterday’s post, we showed how one special needs ministry uti…
Lookee, lookee, lookee, I've got something to Show and Tell! See what I stumbled upon! A new, safer, pokey pin tool! More like a pokey pin pen, though it doesn't start out as such. In the hands of teachers and students they become a great pinning page tool, one that is much safer than the push pins which are usually used. First of all, you need to know what pokey pin activities are. Sometimes they are called poke-a-page or pinning pages, as well as pokey pins. They are printables of pictures, words, or numbers, drawn with a dotted line. Kids usually use a push pin to poke a hole in each dot, creating a pretty cool image of micro dots of light when the paper is placed on a window– sort of like a constellation in the night sky. It is a satisfying sensory experience to poke those holes, and it provides great practice for fine muscle control, too. Here is a pinning page from From the Pond. There is a link below. The problem for me was that I worried about my kiddos using push pins. I have EXCELLENT classroom behaviors 100% of the time... well, 90%... well... most of the time. But even the most responsible kids in the most well run classroom can get a bit mad annoyed with each other from time to time, and all it would take would be one little impulsive swipe with a push pin in hand and Yowee! A lot of damage could be done to people and things. So only on very rare and highly supervised occasions have we done pokey pin sheets... until NOW! They look like pens but they have tips like this– See those little balls on the tips? They are much blunter than push pins tips, yet they go right through the paper. And they have nice handles, too– it's like holding a regular pen. You can even put a pencil grip on it for your kiddos who need it. They are actually manicurists' tools. I think they use them to marbleize polish on nails and place little gems. Don't even ask me how I stumbled upon them. I'm not a glamour nail kinda girl– I get a pedi two or three times a year, but my shopping does take me on mysterious, meandering paths sometimes. We use them at the table with a carpet square underneath like this. Or on our tummies on the floor carpet like this. Our school OT says the tummy style provides particularly good fine muscle practice. And it provides a nice movement break as well. The kids really like doing pokey pins this way. Usually the directions for doing pinning pages say to use two pieces of paper– one with the image copied on it, and then a black piece of construction paper, paper clipped under the first. The holes of light do show up better on the window when the paper is dark. I can't stand wasting two pieces of paper, however, so sometimes I just copy the pinning picture on a regular piece of white or colored paper. Do you know about colored paper place mats? They are colored on one side and white on the other. They have all sorts of uses for teachers... like when you do folded paper projects. They are bigger than 8.5 x 11, but when you trim them down to standard copy paper size they will go through the copier. I can copy the pinning image on the white side, and then when it is done the kids can turn it over to have black. Also, the copier ink even shows up on the dark side, so you can run it that way as well. I've used both black and dark blue with great success. With their scalloped edges I have also used them to mat kids artwork. They come in 100 page packages for about five dollars at stores like Gorden Food Service. They are useful to have around just so you can experiment with a new type of paper. Paper placemats that are colored on one side and white on the other are another useful type of paper to have around the classroom. It was a very gray, cloudy day when I had the camera out, so I took this picture on our light table. You can sort of get the idea what pinning pages are all about. The "go" didn't come out too well in the picture, but they look better on a window. And here is some more REALLY good news– these tools are quite inexpensive. Over time they have fluctuated in price on Amazon from $2 to $5 for the set. I stopped by our local beauty supply store to see if they carried similar tools, and they carry what seems to be the very same item. They cost about ten dollars though, considerably more than on Amazon. If you are in a big hurry then maybe shopping local would be a good idea, but otherwise, click on the Amazon affiliate paid link below to see them. Pokey pin downloadables are available on TPT, of course. I especially like Mel's from From the Pond and Krissy's from Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business. You can find them by clicking below. I hope you find these new tools useful and you and your students have lots of fun and learning with pinning pages. I would really appreciate it if you'd Pin this idea for me! I think other teachers would be especially happy to find pokey pin pens. Now be sure to check out all the other fun Show and Tells on Forever in Fifth Grade's Linky Party. Thanks Stephanie! Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!
Parent advocates will learn about early intervention and autism and early signs of autism and interventions to support development.
These visual tracking tips and tools will help kids with skills like reading, writing, and other learning tasks. Visual tracking is a visual mobility skill.
Prepare your special education classroom for the first two weeks with tips on organization, assessments, IEP goals, routines, and classroom expectations.
This interview with ICU Occupational Therapist Abby Lefkove, OTR/L, takes a deep dive into what it's like to work as an OT in the ICU.
How to hold scissors correctly, developing scissor skills, improving hand strength through cutting and fine motor activities
These cross crawl exercises and activities support movement and self-regulation needs. Check out the cross crawls for all ages (birth-adult).
Looking for occupational therapy activities using free or household materials? This list of OT activities supports development of OT goals.
Grab 20+ free pencil control worksheets and target this fine motor and visual motor skill that improves handwriting legibility and precision.
Kids who have big feelings can be really hard to calm down. The reason is usually because they haven't developed self-regulation. Free Refrigerator Sheet!
Yaaay, I'm back! Sure enough, I was able to sign in with a different email address (the hubby's, who I made an author of this blog), an...
Check out this list of 5 simple occupational therapy assessments to use with adults or older adults in settings such as SNF and home health.
Discover 100 Sensory Strategies to Increase Focus and Attention in the Classroom When it comes to understanding the sensory children in your classroom there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but if you take a moment to tell me a little bit about your situation, I'll be able to share my '100 Sensory Strategies for the Classroom' designed specifically for YOU (absolutely FREE) via email. (Almost all of these work great for the home too!) Click the button below to get started now and we'll send you your guide straight to your inbox! YES! I Want My FREE '100 Classroom Sensory Strategies'
The arches of the hand support precision and mobility in fine motor tasks. Discover arch development and activities to refine hand arches.
Sensory Stations and sensory paths are valuable therapy tools for self regulation, understand sensory needs, while having fun.
Use these brain breaks, or movement breaks, as a mental shifts using input from the proprioceptive, vestibular, and visual systems.
These pincer grasp activities support development of the precision skills and dexterity skills needed for fine motor skills.
Wondering what is visual scanning? Use these occupational therapy resources to work on visual scanning skills in kids.
