Top posts of 2014

First off, I'd like to express a HUGE thank you to everyone who stops by my little blog and shares in this journey with me. While I'm not always the most consistent blogger, I truly love the blogging community and enjoy all of the experiences and opportunities that this blog has given to me over the past three years.

So, let's get to it! This list is a bit of a "greatest hits of 2014" for my blog. If you are a new reader, this is a great place to start. For my faithful followers, maybe you'll find a post that slipped by you or that you forgot about. Enjoy!

Top Posts Written in 2014:

 

8.  OT Approved Toy: 7 Etsy Shops for OT Approved Toys | Apparently I'm not the only Etsy lover out there. Yay for shopping small!

7.  OT Student Corner: The Difference between COTA and OTR | I receive a lot of questions from students and prospective students, and this is one that comes up a lot! Based on the number of views, it's a very common question!

6.  Celebrating OT Month: Books Written by OTs | OTs are a creative bunch and I love highlighting their work. I did several roundups to celebrate OT Month in April, including this one on books. 

5.  Favorite Summer Activity: Ice Cube Painting | This was my contribution to a summer blog hop hosted by the Inspired Treehouse. A bit cold for this activity right now, so maybe pin it for next summer.

4.  Workplace Wednesday: Last Minute Cancellations | I didn't really write anything groundbreaking in this post, but this is clearly a problem that lots of OTs are interested in figuring out.

3.  Celebrating OT Month: 8 Awesome OT Blogs | I couldn't do this blogging thing without the awesome community of OT bloggers. I'm so happy that this was a popular post this year.

2.  #OTLifeHack |  In July, AOTA ran a social media campaign to showcase modifications that OTs use, aka OT Life Hacks. I was so excited about this that I dug out photos from my archives and put together a post of my favorite OT Life Hacks.

1.  Celebrating OT Month: Apps Developed by OTs | Like I said earlier, I love celebrating the work of OTs. I also love checking out new apps, so this was a great fit for me. And the readers loved it, too! This was my most popular post of the year!

Top App Reviews:

This year I got around to updating my iPad apps page (which continues to be the most popular page on my blog) and sharing more apps. Here are the top five app reviews of the year. Interestingly, these might also be my five favorite apps that I reviewed this year :)

5.  Visual Attention Therapy
4.  Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame
3.  Awesome Eats
2.  Drawnimal
1.  Rush Hour {+Chocolate Fix} from ThinkFun

Top Toy Posts:

My new toy page was a hit with the readers this holiday season. I really enjoyed sharing some of my favorite OT Approved Toys. Here are the ten most popular toy posts.

10. The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game
9.  Spot It
8.  Mr Potato Head
7.  Wooden knob puzzle
6.  Robot Face Race
5.  Musical book
4.  Wooden lacing beads 
3.  Design and Drill Socket to Me
2.  Plastic rings
1.  Pop-up toy

In My Therapy Bag:

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the bloggers who contributed to this series! This was really fun to put together and a hit among my readers. In case you missed any of them, I've got them all for you right here (in no particular order):

Margaret from Your Therapy Source | playground ball
Dr. Anne Zachry | buttons 
Lauren from The Inspired Treehouse | stepping stones
Christie from Mama OT | ping pong balls
Deborah from North Shore Pediatric Therapy | theraputty
Nancy from Miss Mancy | pop tubes
Cindy from Your Kid's OT | Earth paper
Liz from Brightsong | balls
Chanda from Pink Oatmeal | sidewalk chalk
Natalie from Beyond Basic Play | bubbles

Oldies, but Goodies:

Some of my most popular posts are from past years. I'm so happy to see that readers are enjoying digging into my archives (I should probably thank Pinterest for this). Here are some oldies that continue to be popular among readers.

5.  How to make an adapted board book.
4.  Ready to Print App
3.  How to make a slant board
2.  How to make a weighted pencil
1.  Tips for Teaching Shoe Tying 

 
Thank you again for your support! Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year!!

 

OT Approved Toy | Gravity Maze

Spoiler alert: I'm totally giving this game to my 10 year old nephew for Christmas. That's how much I love it!

I have long been a fan of ThinkFun Games, so when they recently reached out to me to see if I'd be interested in checking out one of their new games, I jumped on the opportunity! Gravity Maze is a solo play engineering-type game that challenges visual perceptual and visual spatial skills. I found just setting up the game to match the challenge cards to be a visual perceptual challenge! The challenge cards range from beginner to expert, and there are 60 challenges in total. The object of the game is to build a path with the towers, so that when the path is completed, the marble will drop from the start position to the target tower. This is a challenging and fun logic game.


Best for ages: 8 and up

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• visual perceptual
• visual spatial
• problem solving 

 

Other ThinkFun Games I love:

Like I said, I'm a fan of everything that ThinkFun makes, but some of my favorites are Rush Hour, Shape by Shape, and Bug Trails.

Did you know ThinkFun also has great apps for kids? You can check out a review I did of the Rush Hour and Chocolate Fix apps by clicking here. 

Where to buy:

You can find Gravity Maze at most stores that sell toys, including Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, and Target. You can also purchase Gravity Maze on Amazon.

For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Gravity Maze game from Think Fun in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for this post and all writing and opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Oball

Oballs are a favorite of pediatric therapists everywhere! The holes make them great for reaching and grasping, and as baby grows into a toddler, the oball is great for learning to throw and catch. Natalie, a pediatric physical therapist who blogs at Beyond Basic Play, loves the oball, too!
 
Best for ages: newborn - 2 years

Skills addressed: 

• reaching
• grasping
• hand eye coordination
• visual tracking
• auditory tracking

 

Where to buy:

Oballs can be found at most stores that sell baby toys. If you prefer, you can order them from Amazon.


For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page and for more toy ideas for babies, check out Holiday Gift Guide for Babies and Mama OT's 15 Toys for Baby's First Year.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Kanoodle

If you've followed my blog for any period of time, then you are probably aware that I frequently partner with Educational Insights to offer honest reviews of their toys that I feel have therapeutic value. What you might not know is that I was a fan of Educational Insight toys and games long before they ever reached out to me for a partnership. So now you know the backstory to how I came to be a partner with Educational Insights.


Today I'd like to share the very first game I ever purchased from Educational Insights: Kanoodle. Kanoodle is a visual perceptual, strategy game that is fun for kids and adults. If you like single person strategy games like Sudoku puzzles, then you'll probably enjoy Kanoodle. Kanoodle consists of 12 pieces of connected beads, each a different shape and color. Use the included puzzle book to choose from over 100 2D and 3D puzzles, ranging from easy to difficult. As shown in the photo above, the puzzle book will show you where to place some of the puzzle pieces, and then it's up to you to figure out how to fit in the remaining pieces!


Best for ages: 7 and up

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• visual perceptual
• visual spatial
• problem solving

Where to buy:

Purchase Kanoodle on Amazon or directly from Educational Insights.

For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon and Educational Insights are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Mancala

The OT in me loves mancala because it's such a fun way to develop in-hand manipulation skills.In short, in-hand manipulation is when you hold onto several items in your hand at one time and then move them out of your hand one at a time. That's exactly what you do with the beads in this simple, yet challenging strategy game!


Best for ages: 6 and up

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• in hand manipulation
• counting
• turn taking
• planning

Where to buy:

I bought my Mancala game at Target for less than $10. I think you can generally find it wherever toys are sold, or you can always purchase Mancala on Amazon.

For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon and Educational Insights are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Picture Perfect

Picture Perfect is another one of those toys that seems to be made for OT. Picture Perfect contains a plastic grid that is placed on top of a pattern. The plastic tiles must then be matched up to create a mosaic picture. This is a great way to challenge visual perceptual skills and eye hand coordination. You know what I like the most about Picture Perfect? Blank grids are included so kids can draw their own picture and then match up the tiles to create their own unique masterpiece.


Best for ages: 4-6 years

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• eye hand coordination
• visual perceptual
• color identification
• matching

Where to buy:

Purchase Picture Perfect on Amazon or directly from Educational Insights.

For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: This game was received complimentary of Educational Insights in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon and Educational Insights are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Set

I'm on a roll with the visual perceptual games this week (Shapes Up and Blokus if missed them). I thought I'd finish out the week with one of my favorite visual perceptual card games. In the game of Set, 12 cards are dealt, as shown above. Then everyone visually scans the cards for a "set" of three, linked by combinations of sameness or difference. Once you get the hang of it, it's not as complicated as it sounds.


Best for ages: 10 and up

Skills addressed: 

• bilateral coordination
• visual scanning
• visual perceptual

Where to buy:

I was lucky enough to get this game at a yard sale for 50 cents. If you're not as lucky, you can always purchase Set on Amazon.

For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Blokus

If you like Shapes Up, then you'll probably like Blokus. This is another strategic game that challenges visual perceptual skills. Blokus is very similar to Shapes Up, except in Blokus, all of the players are using the same game board. That adds an extra challenge, because now you have to watch out for other players blocking you! The game ends when all players are blocked from laying down any more pieces.


Best for ages: 7 and up

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• visual perceptual
• turn taking
• planning

Where to buy:

Purchase Blokus on Amazon.

For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Shapes Up

Shapes Up is a fun visual perceptual challenge. Roll the die, choose the piece shown, and place it on your game board. Shapes of the same color can only touch at corners, so you must think carefully, but quickly, as your time can run out. The first person to fill their board wins!


Best for ages: 7 and up

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• visual perceptual
• turn taking
• planning

Where to buy:

Purchase Shapes Up on Amazon or directly from Educational Insights.

For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: This game was received complimentary of Educational Insights in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon and Educational Insights are affiliate links. 

In My Therapy Bag | Dr. Anne Zachry

Today I'm happy to welcome Dr. Anne Zachry! Dr. Zachry is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience. Dr. Zachry has written for numerous online magazines, including Parents and Babble. Dr. Zachry has also published research in peer-reviewed journals, and has even published a book! Her book, Retro Baby, is a great resource for parents and professionals to help cut back on the use of baby gear and get back to the basics of play and development. She is truly an inspiration! Read on to find out a basic item that she always keeps in her therapy bag.

What's in my therapy bag?

Buttons! I always keep a small container of buttons handy in my therapy bag.

How do I use buttons in therapy?

Manipulating buttons is a great way to work the small muscles in the hand and improve eye hand coordination.

Picking up and placing buttons into a container requires in-hand manipulation skills. Imagine your hand is divided into two separate sides. The pinky and ring finger side is for stability. The thumb, index, and middle finger perform manipulation skills. It is important to be able to separate the two sides of the hand when it comes to fine motor skills.

As you can see in the photo below, I am stabilizing two coins using my pinky and ring fingers, yet I am still able to manipulate a quarter using my thumb, index, and middle finger.

In the following video, I am performing translation skills. When I pick up the buttons and bring them into my palm, this is called finger-to-palm translation. As I bring one button out to my fingertips at a time, while stabilizing the others in my palm, this is called palm-to-finger translation with stabilization. This is a great exercise for working on hand skills! A similar activity is to have your child put coins into a piggy bank. Another therapeutic activity is to stack coins or buttons.

Lastly, a fun visual perceptual activity is to draw patterns on a piece of paper and have the child place the buttons on the corresponding color or shape outline. This is also great for visual motor control and precision hand skills!

Connect with Dr. Anne Zachry:

Website: www.drannezachry.com

Blog: www.drzachryspedsottips.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Anne-Zachry

Twitter: @AnneZachry

Amazon: Retro Baby

Be sure to check out all of the other great posts in this series to find out what must-have items therapists have in their therapy bags!!

Do you have an item in your therapy bag that you'd like to share? I'd love for you to share it in an upcoming post! Just send me an email, AbbyPediatricOT {at} gmail {dot} com for more information. Open to all therapists! You don't have to be a blogger to participate!

 

OT Approved Toy | Cyber Monday

It's Cyber Monday! Are you looking for deals today? I don't know the low down on all the online deals, but I can hook you up with all sorts of gift guides from therapists (and parents!). How does that sound? Here we go:

Pink Oatmeal | Stocking Stuffers to Promote Motor Development. Chanda, a pediatric physical therapist put together a great list of stocking stuffers to promote motor skills. I also recommend that you check out Gifts for Baby that Promote Motor Development.

Mama OT | 10+ Toys and Games to Help Kids' Pencil Grasp without Using a Pencil. I love this list from Christie of Mama OT. This is full of toys and games that help develop the fine motor skills required for handwriting.

Love That Max | Holiday Gifts and Toys for Kids with Special Needs: 2014. Ellen is the mother of a child with cerebral palsy and she always puts together a great holiday gift guide based on her personal experience, recommendations from other parents, and therapist recommended toys. Be sure to check out her gift guides from previous years, too!

Starfish Therapies | Toys, Toys, Toys! Stacy is a pediatric physical therapist and she has put together a great list of toys that will help promote gross and fine motor skills.

OT Mommy Needs Her Coffee | What's on Your List? An occupational therapist and mama to boys shares her picks for this holiday season.

The Inspired Treehouse | Gift Guide: Promoting Healthy Development in Kids. The ladies at The Inspired Treehouse put together a list of therapist approved toys to promote fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and sensory processing skills.

Mac&Toys | 2014 Holiday Gift Guide. Each year, Meghan, a pediatric occupational therapist, puts together the ultimate gift guide. This year was no different. Oh, and she writes about toys all year long, so her blog is always a good place to check when shopping for toys.

Golden Reflections Blog | 5 Tips for Buying Gifts for Children with Special Needs. Tips from an occupational therapist.

Sugar Aunts | Toys to Help with Scissor Skills Gift Guide. I love this round up of gifts from an occupational therapist with toys that help promote scissor skills. Also be sure to check out Toys to Help with Learning to Get Dressed and Toys to Improve Pencil Grasp.

Two Cyber Monday sales I do know about:

Therapy Fun Zone | All Therapy Fun Zone products are 15% off. This is a great time to stock up on great digital downloads!

Educational Insights | 15% off educational toys using promo code FRIEND15 through December 31. I'm not sure if they're having additional Cyber Monday deals, but I would be a bit surprised if they're not.

**Links to Therapy Fun Zone and Educational Insights are affiliate links.

Also, be sure to check out my Toy Page for more great ideas!
 

OT Approved Toy | 7 Etsy shops for OT Approved Toys

One of my favorite way to support small businesses (other than local businesses) is to shop on Etsy. I can find something handmade (often customized!), have it mailed to my door, AND support small businesses, all at the same time! Can't beat that! In honor of Small Business Saturday, I'd like to share a few of my favorite Etsy shops.

Here are seven great Etsy shops with OT approved toys:

1. Imagination Kids | This shop features a variety of hand made wooden toys. OT Approved: Wooden Rainbow Stacker, Inchworm Push Toy, Wooden Vegetable Play Food.
2. Beeps Peeps | This shop sells hand sewn items for toys for babies and toddlers. OT Approved: On-the-go Car Mat, On-the-go Train Mat, and Customized Soft Storybook.
3. CakeInTheMorn | This shop features Montessori toys, felt stories, and flannel boards. OT Approved: Fabric Marble Maze.
4. MASProductionArts | This shop features Montessori and Waldorf inspired travel toys. OT Approved: Color Sorting Toys, and I-Spy Seek and Find Bottle.
5. JanetR Designs | This shop features I-Spy Bags and sensory gifts: OT Approved: I-Spy Bag.
6. Little Sapling Toys | This shop features a huge variety of wooden toys for kids. OT Approved: Peg Puzzle, Wooden Lacing Toy, Wood Baby Teether, Wooden Toy Car, Wooden Baby Rattle.
7. apple n amos | This shop features eco friendly Waldorf and Montessori wooden toys. OT Approved: Wooden Ring Stacker, Classic Cup N Ball Game.

Bonus shop: 

Can Do Kiddo | As I mentioned in my post earlier today, Rachel Coley is a pediatric occupational therapist who has used her knowledge as both a new mom and an occupational therapist to create activity play mat quilts for babies. These quilts are awesome and would make a great gift for the new mom or baby in your life!

Update: The Inspired Treehouse put together a similar list with their favorite Etsy shops. Be sure to head over to their blog and check it out!


Do you have any favorite Etsy shops that you would add to this list? Please share in the comments below!
 

OT Approved Toy | Small Business Saturday

Over the past month, I've been sharing some of my favorite toys. While I do stand by all of the toys that I have shared, they tend to be toys that are from big-box retailers (but be sure to check your local toy store, they might be there too!). Today, in honor of Small Business Saturday, I'd like to share a few OT approved toys that come from small businesses. Some of them are even toys created by occupational therapists! Double win!

Rachel Coley, of CanDoKiddo, is a pediatric occupational therapist and she has used her knowledge as a new mom and OT to create activity play mat quilts for babies. These play mats feature 45 creative play activities to promote development during the first four months of life. Great for the new babies or soon-to-be parents in your life!

Tonya Cooley, of Therapy Fun Zone, is also a pediatric occupational therapist has created a fun Munchy Ball Game. This game helps develop fine motor skills and would make a great stocking stuffer! Great for ages 4-6.

Together, Nicole M. Sergent, a pediatric physical therapist, and Lacy Morise, a speech language pathologist, created a set of child development cards called 1-2-3 Just Play With Me. This set of 75 cards provides information about developmental milestones, as well as activities to help develop skills in children ages 0-3. This would make a great gift for the new parent in your life!

Shasta Kearns Moore is a mother to twins, one of which has cerebral palsy. She noticed that her boys loved simple books, but got bored of reading the same books over and over, so she created her own! The reason her book is OT approved is because it is all black and white. Her book, Dark & Light, is full of simple, high contrast images, which babies love to look at!

OT Approved Toy | Morphology

You guys, I'm not going to lie. This game is hard! Morphology is a bit different from the other toys and games I have been sharing, in the sense that it doesn't have a direct motor component (although it does require fine motor skills to manipulate the pieces). What I really love about this game is the creativity and flexible thinking required. In this team game, one person is chosen to be the "morphologist." That person must "morph" the game pieces into the word on the card, and the teammates have one minute to guess the word. There are both "easy" and "hard" words to choose from, as well as a clue. Can you guess what the pieces in the picture above are?


Best for ages: 10 and up

Side note: I once played this game with a group of freshman that I was running a Social Thinking group with, and they complained about playing a "Junior" version of a game. I told them that I am waaaay older than them, and I play the Junior version of the game myself. After one round, they all agreed that Junior was the way to go :) It appears that Morphology Games has since re-released this game, and it looks like the original Morphology Junior is now being sold simply as Morphology. Probably because this game is challenging enough as it is.

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• turn taking
• cooperative play
• executive functions (initiating, planning, sequencing, recall)

Where to buy:

Purchase Morphology on Amazon.

For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: This game was received complimentary of Morphology Games in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions and writing are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Frida's Fruit Fiesta Game

Yesterday I shared The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game and today I'm back with another educational toy with tongs. (Remember? OT's love tongs!) In this game, there are three spinners, which really just adds to the fun (and provides more opportunities for visual scanning!). Use the Frida Tongs to pick up a letter that matches a letter from your spin and place it on the corresponding letter on your card. First to to get four fruit bowls in a row wins!

Best for ages: 4-6 years

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• visual scanning
• letter identification
• turn taking
• cooperative play

 

Similar games: 

Here are some more fun games from Educational Insights that work on similar skills and have tongs! Have I mentioned that I love preschool boardgames with tongs?
Frankie's Food Truck Fiasco Game - Seriously? A food truck game? What's not to love about that?
Shelby's Snack Shack Game - For the dog lovers out there!
The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game - The original Educational Insights board game with tongs!

 

Where to buy:

Purchase Frida's Fruit Fiesta Game on Amazon or directly from Educational Insights.

For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: This game was received complimentary of Educational Insights in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon and Educational Insights are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game

Educational Insights consistently knocks it out of the park with their games. Like so many of their games, The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game not only has great artwork, but also works on fine motor skills. Yay! OT's love tongs for developing fine motor skills and strengthening the muscles of little hands and guess what? This game includes a squirrel that is actually tongs!! The concept of this game is similar to Hi Ho Cherry-O, but the players use the squirrel tongs to pick up the little acorns and place on their logs. Be the first to fill your log with acorns and you win!

Best for ages: 3-5 years

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• color identification
• matching
• counting
• turn taking
• cooperative play

If you love this game, you might also like The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Card Game. I haven't seen the game myself, but I hear speech language pathologists love it!

Where to buy:

Purchase The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game on Amazon or directly from Educational Insights.

Similar games: 

Here are some more fun games from Educational Insights that work on similar skills and have tongs! Have I mentioned that I love preschool boardgames with tongs?
Frankie's Food Truck Fiasco Game - Seriously? A food truck game? What's not to love about that?
Shelby's Snack Shack Game - For the dog lovers out there!
Frida's Fruit Fiesta Game - Tongs and letter identification. Yes!


For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: This game was received complimentary of Educational Insights in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon and Educational Insights are affiliate links. 

In My Therapy Bag | Lauren from The Inspired Treehouse

Today I am so excited to welcome Lauren from The Inspired Treehouse! Lauren is a pediatric physical therapist and is part of the amazing trio that makes up The Inspired Treehouse, an educational blog packed full of great child development tips from pediatric physical and occupational therapists. Read on to see what Lauren has in her therapy bag and then be sure to hop on over to their blog for more great tips!

What's in my therapy bag?

 

My therapy bag is a huge abyss of toys that the kiddos I work with dig through with a vengeance the minute I set it down. One of the most popular toys in that bag is my set of Stepping Stones. This simple toy is perfect for tackling all kinds of developmental skills - teaching balance and coordination while providing sensory feedback in the form of proprioceptive and auditory stimulation (they are filled with air and make a great little gushing noise when you step on them).   I use them the traditional way -- encouraging kids to step on them -- and I mix it up and use them in ways that are certainly unintended but definitely beneficial for child development!  I also have a set of Flip Flop Faces that get thrown in the mix of stepping stones too!

How I use stepping stones in therapy:

 

The Stepping Stones come in a set of 6 and can be used in a million ways to create all kinds of great gross motor activities.  Here are some ideas:

-You can space them out to create a path that your child can walk on through their very own “garden”.  If your child is smaller, be sure to put them closer together to make it easier to get from stone to stone.  Place your garden objects randomly on the ground along this path and have your child try to pick them up as she goes! The challenge for the child is to stay on those stepping stones as she walks and as she squats down to pick up the objects.  When I do this in therapy sessions, I tell the kids to pretend that there is a river that they are trying to cross.  If they fall off, their feet will get all wet!  Every child LOVES this challenge!

-Walk without shoes to make this a bit easier — greater proprioceptive input!  :)

-If walking across the path is too difficult for your child, have the child try standing on two stones — one foot on each.  Just balancing here may be difficult enough to start!  When that gets easier, try playing catch with him while he’s balancing on his two stones!

-Space the stones even farther apart for a greater challenge or put them in a curvy line instead of straight.

-Place objects between the stones that your child would have to step over before getting to the next stone for an added dose of motor planning, balance, and coordination practice.

-These stones are numbered so mix up the numbers and ask your child to hand you 5 flowers or 3 sticks…whatever corresponds to the numbered stone they are standing on.

-Need some friendly competition and have a few kiddos around?  Have each child try to stand on one foot on a stone.  Who can do this the longest without falling off?

-Need a creative way to use stepping stones without really stepping on them?   Your kiddos can use them as bowls to catch a tossed beanbag or walk with them on their head to encourage good posture!

Your child will probably come up with a few ways of her own to play with these super fun “stones”.  If so, please let us know what they are…we may be able to add them to the tricks in our therapy bag!  :)

Connect with The Inspired Treehouse:

Website: www.theinspiredtreehouse.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/inspired.treehouse
Instagram: www.instagram.com/insptreehouse
Twitter: www.twitter.com/inspiredtree
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/inspiredtreehou/
Google+: www.plus.google.com/u/0/+Theinspiredtreehouse/posts

Be sure to check out all of the other great posts in this series to find out what must-have items therapists have in their therapy bags.

Do you have an item in your therapy bag that you'd like to share? I'd love for you to share it in an upcoming post! Just send me an email, AbbyPediatricOT {at} gmail {dot} com for more information. Open to all therapists! You don't have to be a blogger to participate!

OT Approved Toy | Mega Bloks

I LOVE building toys! They are great for pretend play, as well as for developing fine motor skills. I especially like Mega Bloks because the size and ease of connecting the blocks is great for a first building block set. I use these when babies are first learning the concept of pulling apart and pushing together. They are also great for practicing releasing objects into a container. As kids get older, you can sort by size or color for more educational activities.

 
Best for ages: 1 - 4 years

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• grasping/releasing
• bilateral coordination 
• pretend play 
• eye hand coordination

 

If your kids are a bit older:

I recommend Lego Duplo Blocks for ages 3 -5 and traditional Lego Blocks for ages 5 and up.

Where to buy:

Mega Bloks can an typically be found anywhere that toys are sold. You can also find a wide selection on Amazon.



For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Play-Doh

I LOVE Play-Doh! I use Play-Doh nearly every day in my therapy sessions because I'm able to address so many different skills with it. Oh, and the kids love it, too! The original Play-Doh comes in a variety of colors, or you can make your own! I personally like to make my own so I can customize the color and even the scent for an extra sensory component. Once you have your Play-Doh, then the fun begins! Grab a few things from your kitchen and start playing! A rolling pin, some cookie cutters, and even toothpicks are a great place to start! OT's also love to use Play-Doh to teach scissor skills. For even more ideas, this post is full of homemade playdough recipes and lots of fun activities.

 
Best for ages: 2 - 6 years

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• hand strength
• grasping
• bilateral coordination 
• sensory exploration
• pretend play

 

Where to buy:

Play-doh can an typically be found anywhere that toys are sold. You can also find a wide selection of colors and accessories on Amazon. Or, you can go with my personal favorite, and make your own!


For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | 12 piece puzzle

I LOVE these 12-piece puzzles from Melissa and Doug! They are a great way to introduce interlocking puzzles to preschool age kids. Twelve pieces seems to be just the right number for it to be a challenge, but not too much of a challenge. In the OT world we call that the just-right fit. I have this set of vehicle puzzles, and they are a hit among boys and girls. Another thing that I really like about these puzzles is that the back of the puzzle pieces are labeled with a shape. It helps keep the puzzles organized, and also adds another educational factor: sorting!

 
Best for ages: 3-6 years

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• hand eye coordination
• visual perceptual
• sorting
• matching

 

Where to buy:

Michaels carries Melissa and Doug products and they frequently have 40% off coupons available on their website! That's how I purchased mine! Michaels in-store selection can be better than their online, but it really varies by location. You can also find a wide selection of 12-piece puzzles by Melissa and Doug on Amazon.

For younger kids interested in puzzles, smaller peg puzzles are great for 2-3 year-olds developing a pincer grasp, and larger knob puzzles make a great first puzzle for babies!


For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Wooden Knob Puzzle

Puzzles with wooden knobs make great first puzzles for babies. The knobs are easy for little hands to grasp and the shapes are often larger than other puzzles, making it easier to place the puzzle pieces in the puzzle. I personally love Melissa and Doug products, although I've noticed the Amazon reviews have been going down a bit (quality issues maybe?). With that said, I have this geometric puzzle from Melissa and Doug, and I love it! I love that it works on basic colors and shapes, in addition to developing fine motor skills!

 
Best for ages: 12 - 24 months

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• grasping
• hand eye coordination
• visual perceptual
• matching

 

Where to buy:

Michaels carries Melissa and Doug products and they frequently have 40% off coupons available on their website! Michaels in-store selection can be better than their online, but it really varies by location. You can also find a wide selection of knob puzzles on Amazon.

For older kids interested in puzzles, smaller peg puzzles are great for 2-3 year old kids developing a pincer grasp, and these 12-piece puzzles are great for preschoolers!


For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. 

OT Approved Toy | Design and Drill Socket to Me

I've written about Design and Drill Socket to Me before and for the record, six months later, kids still love this toy! This is such a simple toy that when I first opened the box, I thought, "wait? that's it?" Yes, it's just four shapes (robot, boat, rocket, car), a bunch of bolts, and a wrench. And it's simplicity is what makes it so awesome! Seriously, I cannot tell you how much the kids I work with love this toy. I think the Design and Drill Socket to Me would also be great for a preschool or kindergarten fine motor station. Is there a teacher in your life that a needs a gift this holiday season? This might be a great addition to their classroom!

Best for ages: 3-5 years

Skills addressed: 

• fine motor
• bilateral coordination
• color identification
• sorting
• matching
• counting

 

Where to buy:

Purchase Design and Drill Socket to Me on Amazon or directly from Educational Insights.


For more OT Approved Toys, be sure to stop by my Toy Page.

Disclosure: This game was received complimentary of Educational Insights in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Links to Amazon and Educational Insights are affiliate links.