Everyday Therapy - The Potential Ability Group (TPAG)

July 9th, 2019Jemma LooyestynActivities & Ideas, Motor Skills

The beauty of Occupational Therapy is its versatility. You would be surprised by the magnitude of everyday household items that can be used to help work on various areas of development, including, but not limited to, fine motor skills (dexterity, grip, object manipulation), gross motor skills (strength, coordination, motor planning), executive functioning skills and social skills.

So, say goodbye to super expensive, fancy therapy tools and hello to everyday household items that can help achieve the same therapy results!

From the kitchen

Zip lock bags

Practising to open and close these zip lock bags is a skill in itself. To make it more fun, why not try putting in some shampoo, conditioner, hair gel or dishwashing liquid in the bag (making sure its locked up tight- may be a good idea to put tape over it to avoid the liquid spilling out) and practice drawing shapes or writing letters with their finger or a Q tip. This will assist in developing fine motor skills like pinching, gripping and manipulating objects with their fingers.

Bowls, spoons, whisks, spatulas, forks, egg beaters, cookie cutters, pans, etc

Let your child assist you in cooking a meal, make slime or pretend dirt, use old items to make mud pies or let them run wild with their imagination. This is great for multiple reasons, including; fine and gross motor skills (using both hands together, stirring, carrying things), creativity, executive functioning skills (planning, problem solving and sequencing) and social skills if work with a friend or parent.

Plastic cups

Try making a cup tower to bowling them over to work on hand eye coordination and balance. Take it one step further by trying hands free cup tower making by tying four bits of string to a rubber band. Work as a team to pull the strings to open and close the rubber band over your cup. This is great for practising following instructions and opening up communication.

Straws

Can be used to blow bubbles, make straw towers or be used to blow a ping pong ball or marble through a maze. They can also be bent in half to make small tweezers for picking up light items like scrunched up tissues or pom poms. Great for developing strength and dexterity within the hand/fingers. Straw towers are great for building resilience and patience also.

Peeling fruit

Being involved with food preparation support endless skills including fine motor, social skills, thinking and planning skills.

Spaghetti

Dry spaghetti can be used to create towers with some sticky tape or messy marshmallows to work on your problem solving skills. You can also put some dry spaghetti into playdough and thread items on to it, such as fruit loops or beads, to work on fine motor skills.

From the backyard

Sticks, flowers, leaves, dirt, sand, shells or any other natural item you can find in your backyard, local park or beach.

These can be used to work on fine motor skills by sorting through different natural objects and using them to make a nature’s masterpiece! (e.g. a collage, drawing in the dirt or sand, mandala making, building something). Let your child’s imagination run wild by playing outside!

Grab a ball (I know you have one)

Try various ball games like tunnel ball, throwing and catching, piggy in the middle, bowling. This will help develop skills like coordination, balance and strength.

From the bathroom

Shaving foam fun

Practising handwriting or drawing in shaving foam or play a game of noughts and crosses or hangman. This is great for learning letter formation!

Q tips

Can be used to write letters on the floor to practise letter formation. These can also be used as a paint brush in art to work on grasp.

Tissue boxes

Old tissue boxes are great for expanding children’s creativity through free construction play. You can also put holes in them and thread through some ribbon, string or shoes laces to practise tying shoelaces. The same can also be achieved through egg cartons.

Toilet paper rolls

You can use these to make characters to role play different skills your child may be having difficulty with. For instance, asking a friend to play, using the toilet or explaining strategies to try when starting to feel angry. You can also use the kids toys to act out these situations/ strategies too.

From the living room

Chairs, tables and blankets

Push the chairs and tables together, grab some blankets and create a cubby house- making and playing in the cubby house works on problem solving, creativity, social skills (working collaboratively as a team, giving and listening to instructions), fine motor skills (tying up sheets, using a peg to clip sheets in place) and gross motor skills through climbing, crawling, strength through moving chairs and tables, just to name a few.

Cushions, blankets and pillows

Create an indoor obstacle course! They can climb over, jump, hop and crawl their way through the course to develop things like their coordination, motor planning, balance and ability to follow instructions.

From the laundry

Pegs

Use pegs to hang up items on string, or use as tweezers to pick up items like pom poms. This will aid in developing the strength and dexterity in the little muscles within the hands.

Yarn/thread

Can be used for threading beads to work on fine motor skills like dexterity, grasp and motor control.

From the office (or kids pencil case):

Sticky notes

Can be used for boundless social skills games like charades and celebrity heads.

Paper clips

Can be used to make bracelets or chains to assist in developing dexterity and small object manipulation.

Paper

Make paper hats, paper planes, paint or draw a picture on one and cut it up to make your own individualised jigsaw puzzle.

From your pocket

Smart phone

Video modelling is a great way to build kids insight into their skills. This works especially when practising social skills. For instance, (with your child’s permission) film a conversation with them or play a family board game. Afterwards watch the video together pointing out strengths and areas to improve on. This can also help with learning how to tie shoelaces, or how to do a star jump, etc.

Spare change

Can be used to for pretend play like shops, developing your child’s social skills (like greetings, asking for help) and broaden their understanding of money and how it works. Flipping coins with your fingers, rolling coins along the ground, or stacking them are also examples of fine motor activities that can be tried with your spare change.

Keys

Make beautiful music with your child jingling those keys - make your own jingle! This may assist in developing self-confidence and creativity! Trace your keys or rub crayons over them and explore the patterns it makes, this can assist in developing skills like sequencing, problem solving and pre-writing skills.

Be inspired to have a go at these activities with your kids today with the items already in your home! There’s nothing stopping you! Don’t forget to have a chat to your friendly The Potential Ability Group Occupational Therapist for more great ideas too!