sensory processing

So you are going to homeschool or distance learn...

This fall is leaving us all in a lurch. Whether it is distance learning or deciding to homeschool, there is a definite learning curve. While I do not have all of the answers, I do have some tips and tricks and some items I will recommend to make it go as smoothly as possible!

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  1. First, have a family meeting. This is a great opportunity to have a conversation about what the format is going to be and problem solve with your kids (even if they are very young) about what the ground rules are, expectations, and rewards! This helps create buy-in and make sure everyone is on the same page!

  2. Create a routine. It is helpful to have a consistent routine and rhythm to your days. There are some great ways to display this and what works for your family may take some trial and error…

Being organized also helps - set up a workspace that is clear and has minimal distractions. Here are some of my favorite tools to stay organized and inspire learning…

Be sure to check out this post on the benefits of a vertical surface!

3. Manipulatives! This is how young kids learn the best- by touching and feeling! I LOVE these magnetic letters from The Typeset Co. We make our schedule with these letters, make up stories, work on sight words… The options are endless!

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4. Use a timer! A visual timer helps kids immensely! I love these Time Timers to show time elapse. The animals are a fun visual for kids who are learning their numbers still! Sand timers are also great because they come in different increments of time.

5. Play games! There are so many fun math games you can play with just a deck of cards. Some of our other favorite games that sneak in letters and math are linked below!

6. Glue guns! One of our most used tools this summer has been a low-heat glue gun! My kids are obsessed and spend hours gluing recycled materials together to let their imagination go! This is great for infusing some STEAM learning into your days!

7. Writing notebooks. Hands-down, my favorite handwriting curriculum is Handwriting Without Tears. I’m particularly loving their new “Building Writers” notebook. The exercises are short yet use repetition to build motor memory. I also love having lined notebooks on hand to inspire free-writing, dictation, and a “yes” space for creative writing! Anything goes- no pressure- a space for kids to build positive experiences with writing.

8. Shaving Cream! And of course, as an OT, I am always seeking ways to have kiddos practice writing in tactile materials. That helps the brain create strong neural networks for motor memory and builds tactile processing and kinesthetic awareness. Shaving cream is a fun way to practice writing, math problems, spelling words, sight words.. you name it! Here are some fun trays that use different materials too…

These letter beads are super fun to practice fine motor skills AND words. Hide them in play dough or Theraputty and you have a great fine motor warm up before writing! It builds hand strength, the pincer grasp and webspace that we use for writing and is a novel way to incorporate letters into your child’s day! Speaking of play dough..

I consider play dough to be a “must-have” item for kids of all ages- not just preschool and kinder! It is great for older kids as well to practice writing math problems or spelling words- remember- the brain will build stronger neural networks this way!!

9. Writing Prompts. Another great way to get kids writing is using these fun dice to provide some writing prompts. You can also fill a jar with strips of paper that have writing prompts typed out for them to choose. Sticker Stories are also so fun- kids can place stickers on their paper and then use the stickers to prompt a story.

10. And speaking of writing- ensuring your kiddos are using the proper grip is essential. Why? When kids are able to use a mature grip on a writing instrument, it is more efficient, reduces fatigue, increases legibility, and builds their self confidence to write even more! Golf pencils are what I recommend for little developing hands preschool-2nd grade! After 2nd grade, kids should have the correct grip, hand strength, and motor memory developed to use standard pencils. Artist pencils are also very smooth and can help children with dysgraphia write more fluidly. This is a great option for kiddos who get frustrated with their writing or are very slow and laborious in their letter formation. Likewise, gel pens can be very beneficial as children get older, begin more intense note taking and begin to explore cursive writing.

I could go on and on with my favorite tools that not only facilitate learning but also make it fun. Please reach out if you have a particular challenge with your child as it relates to writing or sensory processing as you begin this adventure of learning at home. Oftentimes, the tips and tricks we have as OTs can be that missing link of the puzzle that leads to an “aha moment” for you and your child.

Do you have any favorite tools I didn’t list here? Leave a comment and let us all know!

After School Grumps

Here we are, in February, and you may be thinking, “why is my child so crabby after school?” I’m hoping to shed some light on this for you and give you some ideas to help those after school, evening hours.

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Your child has been “on” all day at school. They must follow the group plan, exhibit immense self regulation, navigate social situations, follow multi-step instructions requiring intense executive functioning, and possibly even cope with feelings that creep into their heads that they are not good at something, someone does not like them, friends leaving them out… there is a whole host of events that happen in their school day that they must deal with. It is really no wonder that at the end of the day your child may take it all out on you. Finally, someone they love and feel safe with and they can unload that weight they carried through the day.

There are days when we, as adults, come home and just want to sit on the couch or read a magazine, have a snack and have everyone leave us alone. *Usually* adults are able to express this in a pleasant way, but children need to develop that skill and depending on their age or how their day went, they may not have the language to express this without being just plain, old grumpy. What we can do as adults, is give them the strategies to do so as well as help them check in with themselves to advocate for what they need.

From an occupational therapist lens, this means helping them (and us) recognize the sensations in our body. Are they hungry? Sometimes, your child may not even be able to tell you they are hungry because they are so beyond the point of tired, drained, mentally fatigued, AND hungry so having a snack ready for them is key. Be sure you have a variety of food groups covered as well as textures that way you are filling their sensory needs as well- crunchy/ chewy/ maybe cold or hot too. Smoothies are a great way to get some quality nutrients as well as some deep proprioceptive input as they suck it through a straw.

Think of crunchy snacks like carrot sticks, veggie straws, popcorn, apple slices with various dipping options. Chewy snacks like turkey or beef jerky, salami, mini bagels with cream cheese and fruit leather also provide a lot of sensory feedback!

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Aside from snacks providing sensory input, if your child loves to dig consider sitting outside with them and their snack and bringing out a sand bucket and shovel. Provide a sensory bin that they can scoop and pour. Sometimes, just sitting with them in silence while they find the FLOW of the activity allows them to decompress and the words to tell you about their day may also begin to flow out.

Depending on your tolerance for sensory bins here are some of my favorites! Remember, there are great non-edible options like corks or shredded paper, ice, or cracked corn and bird seed that can then be repurposed as bird feeders!

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If your child has homework, a great way to get them ready for sitting down yet again is to give them an opportunity to move around or build with Legos and infuse that into the homework with breaks. I also love using play dough for the younger school-age child (even up to 3rd grade) for math and cursive because not only is it fun to write in play dough, but the tactile and kinesthetic feedback will help the brain remember the math fact/ spelling word/ or motion of cursive! Give it a try! Use manipulatives in the dough for math skills!

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Some of our other favorite after-school activities aside from just open-ended play time at home, is watercolor painting, having this Buddha Board out for some calming water painting, placing a bucket of water and some brushes outside to paint the walls with water, swinging, and playing on the wobbel board!

So tell me, what do you do to help your child after school? What do YOU as an adult like to do to decompress at the end of the day? It is so individualized and recognizing that in our child while we help them understand what their body needs will pay dividends as they grow!

Vacation is over, school is back in session....

Our winter break was lovely and full of lazy days at home and movie watching. Now we are ready for some structure and embracing a routine. One of the ways I like to create some structure is to have an activity for the morning before school for my 4 year old or after school for my 6 year old. This seems to help ease the transition back home. I put some music on, we may or may not chat, a snack is served and the kids can go at an activity that is set out for them. Sensory activities can be a great way to help kids decompress, they may invite some more chatter because kids become engrossed in the feeling and relax, or they may just focus on the sensations and find their zen. So if you are looking for a little activity that can also be a nice transition to bath time afterwards, this one is for you….

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I have for you Snow Paint! It feels marvelous and is an open-ended way to explore writing, drawing shapes, or add in some figurines who are “playing in the snow” and you have some imaginative play. Have a towel ready for hand washing or transition straight to the bath afterwards. Heck, you could even do this in the bathtub if your drain can handle washing down the snow…

Snow Paint Recipe

1 cup white flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water

Mix everything together and place on a tray!

I love these trays:

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Encourage using their pointer finger to trace letters or shapes, talk to them about the feel of the snow paint, add in some sparkly glitter for a snowy effect and some figurines for some open-ended play! Join in the fun and watch what happens as you spend this time transitioning home from school. Maybe just sit together without asking any questions. My hope is that it is relaxing for both of you!

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Some Tips for the Sensory Seeker

Last week I wrote about some ways that you can observe whether your child is a sensory seeker or a sensory avoider. Now, I’ll provide some activities and tips you can try at home and school for the sensory seeker. While the child who seeks sensory input might constantly be seeking movement to gather sensory information from the environment, it is also important to teach this child strategies to calm. There are some environments in which moving just isn’t an option. Let’s start there…

How to help the sensory seeker find calm…

  • teach deep breathing- a balloon is helpful for a visual- describe how the tummy fills up with air and then we let it out of our nose or mouth. Teaching the child to count their breath, trace an 8 on their hand (for the school-age child who can make an 8), blow a feather off of their hand, use essential oils to encourage taking deep inhalations (this may take trying out different scents with your child to find out which they like and which they don’t)

  • create a mindfulness jar- you can read more about it in my previous blog post about self-regulation

  • try a weighted lap pad (you can DIY it- fill a stuffed animal with rice or beans by taking some of the stuffing out and replacing it then stitching it up really well) when the child needs to sit on the rug at school or in the car. If you are trying this, or any strategy, it may take a couple of times, even a hand-full of times to introduce it, for the child to understand that it is a tool, not a toy, not something to throw in the classroom…

  • try a fidget toy for the class at circle time. Again, many teachers might say, “this will be distracting.” The first time, yes it will be. That can be the entire lesson on the carpet- how to sit with a fidget toy. But then each day, it will be less and less of a distracting element and a valuable tool to help the sensory seeker sit without bothering their neighbor, picking at the carpet, pulling on their shoelace. When used as a whole-class approach, the children who need it the most will not feel singled out

My favorite fidget tool is even a smooth rock or those glass vase fillers that the children can rub with their fingers- they are so calming!

Activities for the Sensory Seeker at Home…

Before heading off to school, help your child get ready for their school day with a list to help organize the morning and keep them guided. This can be in the form of “job cards” that they move from one envelope to the next once they’ve done their job with bonus points for “beating the timer” once they have finished the task, run to move their card and run to the next task! Part of their morning “job” should be getting some movement like jumping on the trampoline either for a few minutes- have them do sight words or math problems while jumping and you have just done some brain work and homework! Check! You can also have them jump for shorter increments in between their “jobs.” Figure out what works for your morning routine.

You can also have your child do animal walks to get from one room in the house to another- crab walk, bear walk, walk like a penguin, hop like a bunny. For everyone to get moving, try wheel barrow walks… mom or dad get their workout in too!

When your kiddo comes home from school, it might be very challenging for the sensory seeker to sit down and do their homework right away. Have a crunchy snack to provide some oral sensory input then get moving. Go outside and swing, play a quick game of tag, get on the trampoline again.. then try the list again for the evening routine!

Activities for the Sensory Seeker at School….

My favorite activities for the sensory seeker at school are heavy work jobs. This means that they may carry the basket of lunch boxes with a partner (if the school has the kids place them in a central basket), help the teacher pass out papers, carry books to their peers in the classroom, think anything that might give their body more pressure and provide some of that calming sensory input. Wearing their backpack to school and when you pick them up (rather than mom or dad carrying it) can be a great way to get some of that pressure in as they transition to or from school.

Movement activities also help the sensory seeker. Many schools use a program called Go Noodle to get kids moving. Having the class do desk push-ups as a quick movement break, reach up and touch their toes a few times… these quick movement breaks can re-center the sensory seeker. The child may seem more aroused after moving but this is the perfect time then to introduce those calming strategies- deep breathing, mindfulness jars, some yoga stretches.

These are my favorite yoga cards for kids- just a few of these cards can be a great way to calm kiddos or give them the extra movement they need on a rainy day lunch or recess.

Teaching the sensory seeker to ask for a water break when they need to move or a bathroom break can help educate them about their sensory system and sensory needs. Some teachers may complain that this child is always up out of their seat, sharpening their pencil, getting water, asking to go to the bathroom. This tells you a lot about their sensory needs so developing a method for them to meet these needs without disrupting the class is key. It could be moving their desk to the back of the classroom so that they can stand at their desk. We offer these options for adults, so why not kids?! Have clipboards as an option- movement does not always mean that the child is not listening, rather they need to move to listen!

Educating teachers about these strategies can help the sensory seekers in their classroom be more attentive and participatory rather than disruptive.

Here are some of my go-to books for sensory activities and information…

So tell me, what strategies do you find helpful at home and in the classroom for your child?