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3 Outdoor Summer Activities That Will Improve Fine Motor Skills

Here are three outdoor summer activities that help develop fine motor skills. They require no paper, pencils, or electronic devices! Plan each activity for a different summer day.

 

1. Paintless Painting

You will need:

A beach pail and a small, clean paint brush (about 3 inches wide, the kind used for indoor trim.)

Directions:

• Fill the pail about ¾ full of clean water
• Let your child “paint” on the back side of your house, garage, or shed.
• The up-and-down and side-to-side motions will help your child strengthen muscles needed for drawing, printing, and other fine motor tasks. Children love to see the “paint” disappear as it dries. This activity keeps young children productively occupied for a long time!

2. Big Chalk, Big Pictures

You will need:

Thick sidewalk chalk (available at Wal-Mart, Dollar Stores, etc.)

Directions:

• Let your child draw and write on the driveway, sidewalk, or patio. Encourage big pictures, letters and/or words. (For example, a “Welcome Home” message to a returning family member.) Their art will last until the next rainstorm!

3. Shaving Cream Art

You will need:

• A can of shaving cream and an old tray or cookie sheet

Directions:

• Once outside, fill the tray or cookie sheet with shaving cream (add food coloring for more fun!)
• Let your child draw using their finger, or a small Popsicle stick. They can draw pictures, write their name, practice capital and lowercase letters, or write words in the shaving cream. Your child can erase by smoothing a hand slightly over the cream.
• Clean up is easy with the hose or a bucket of water.
Take advantage of the good summer weather and let your child learn while playing outside!

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Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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