Body Awareness, or proprioception, is the sense of self-movement and knowing where one’s body is in space. It is important for motor planning and coordination, and helps in moving through space and navigating around objects or people in the environment. Children with poor body awareness may: Have difficulty learning or imitating new movements Have difficulty with gross motor skills Be …
The summer has passed and now your children may be getting bored of the same toys they have been using. Are you looking for a new fun toy for your kid that is also therapeutic?? Then the ZOOM BALL is the toy for you! I love to use the Zoom Ball with kids and they love it too! You can …
Balance is key from infancy through childhood and even into adulthood. Good balance is required during sitting, standing, walking, transitions between various positions, during play and sports skills. Your child needs good balance to enhance their safety and prevent falls that may lead to injury. When you think of balance you may think of standing on 1 foot or walking …
Have you ever found yourself asking, “Why does my child have so much difficulty learning sight words ?” or, “Why does my child read the word correctly on one page and then read it incorrectly on the next?” The answer may lie in what is known as orthographic mapping. Orthographic mapping explains how we learn to read words by sight, …
As children grow and develop, they begin to learn to do more and more tasks by themselves. Practicing to complete self-care tasks on their own will help them to gain more confidence in trying new tasks, build their sense of self-esteem, and give them a feeling of pride in their own independence! While completing self-care tasks, children are working hard …
Core (trunk) strength and stability is crucial to provide a solid base of support for your child’s body to allow their arms and hands to move freely and perform precisely. Without adequate core strength, a child may have a difficult time maintaining an upright seated position with appropriate postural control. This may lead to easier fatigue when sitting at a …
Handwriting is a great way to help your child develop fine motor skills as well as provide them with a multi-sensory opportunity while learning. Handwriting helps with strengthening your child’s hands, improving their fine motor precision and accuracy, as well as improving their visual-motor and hand-eye coordination skills. Handwriting is a multi-sensory activity that involves visually tracking what they are …
As a school-based occupational therapist, I work on fine motor skills with students on a daily basis. In the preschool setting, I frequently educate staff and parents on how to develop scissor skills. In order to cut with scissors a child requires foundational skills. They will need to have good postural control, shoulder and arm stability, coordination, hand strength, and …
The 2019 – 2020 school year started out normal; however, the ending was unexpected. The start of the 2020 – 2021 school year is going to look different and who knows if we will end the same way as it starts! The last 6 months have negatively impacted Ohio’s parents and children. For months we were quarantined to our homes …
With the weather so hot, most families are trying to cool down by going to their local pool or lake, swimming in the backyard, or playing with water toys! But did you know there is a therapeutic benefit when kids swim? Swimming and playing with water toys have an impact on gross motor, fine motor, sensory, and cognitive skills. Water …
