Holiday Themed Visual Perceptual Activity Packet

December 5, 2017October 2, 2019Leave a comment

FREEBIE: 5 PAGE HOLIDAY THEMED VISUAL PERCEPTUAL ACTIVITY PACKET

FREE FOR SUBSCRIBERS!

Don’t you just love the holidays?

I do. Especially at school with the kids. There are so many fun things going on: concerts, holiday boutique, holiday parties, Secret Santas, and all kinds of jolliness.

Sometimes it can be hard to keep those kids engaged, though. They are overstimulated from all the music, busy decorations, sweet treatments and holiday excitement.

At times like this, I love to have some fun activities or worksheets to do with the kids on my OT caseload. This year, I’m focusing on visual perceptual skills.

I’ve created a Holiday Themed Visual-Perceptual Activities packet that I can use with all of my kids – from my Kindergarteners to my Middle Schoolers. Some of the activities are very simple, while others are pretty tough.

All of the pages are black and white – because coloring is great fine motor work! To work on shoulder stability, have the kids do these worksheets on a vertical surface or while laying on their tummy!

My Free Holiday Themed Visual Perceptual Activities packet works on the following skills:

Visual Discrimination: This is the ability to notice and compare the features of an item to match or distinguish it from another item; distinguishing a P from an R, matching shapes to complete a puzzle, etc.

Visual Figure Ground: This is the ability to find something in a busy background; finding the red crayon in a messy supply box, or finding the milk in a packed fridge, as well as finding a bit of specific text on a busy printed page.

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How To Help A Child That Uses Too Much Pressure When Writing

April 15, 2017April 30, 20182 Comments

Many children use too much pressure when writing. Read on for OT tricks to conquer this problem!

“He breaks pencils like crazy, and then wastes 5 minutes each time to go sharpen it! Why is he pressing so hard?”

The teacher’s cheeks were pink with frustration. I could see her patience with Billy was at an all time low.

This little boy was bright, but he wasn’t producing neat work and he wasn’t finishing his work in an appropriate time frame. And all because of one silly reason:

Too much pressure.

There are a few reasons why a child may be pressing too hard when writing, coloring and drawing.

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How to Improve Horrendous Handwriting When All Hope Is Lost

January 23, 2017September 16, 20184 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Middle School and Handwriting – part 2

When I first learned that I was getting hired in the district where I currently work, I was beyond thrilled. A school district job! It’s like winning the lottery!

Then I heard the rest…

I would be split between two schools.

Okay…I can live with that.

Two MIDDLE schools. Teenagers.

Ummm, I’m not sure I can live with that!

I can still remember the creep of red crawling up my neck as I answered the principal on the phone. “Great! Looking forward to it!”

A million scenarios ran through my head- Will they listen to me? What if they’re rude? I’m so used to the little kiddos – will I be able to do it? Butterflies were flying wildly in my stomach. Self-doubt had totally set in.

But to tell you the truth – I loved it. The kids were great. Teenagers are just big kids, full of laughter and good-natured mischief.

What really did stink? All the Handwriting. Oh, the handwriting.

Reading messy handwriting is seriously torturous. Like… comparable to squinting at the sun.

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Is my child ready to learn how to keyboard?

December 14, 2016April 29, 20188 Comments

Keyboarding skills are often considered just important (or more) than handwriting. But when are children developmentally ready?

Developmental Progression of Keyboarding Skills

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and spotted an entire family on their phone or tablet? Technology is everywhere, and there is no getting away from it. I’m sure you’ve read those articles about the importance of limiting technology and screen time, but what about the importance of teaching technology in a developmentally appropriate way?

When are kids ready to learn how to type?

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The Crucial Importance of Positioning in the Classroom

August 17, 2016April 28, 202018 Comments

School Day Functions – Positioning in the classroom

Positioning in the classroom is a HUGE part of student success. In fact, “properly fitted furniture is essential if children are to learn handwriting efficiently” (Henderson & Pehoski, 1995).

One of my biggest pet peeves about working in the school system is the gosh darn furniture. Children are often seated in furniture that is just not the right size for them, and it totally stinks.

On top of that, many teachers have never been trained to check if a child’s desk or chair is the right size. For the ones who do check, what are the chances that the school has other furniture available? Sigh. Rant Over.

The point is – what adult would tolerate working all day at a desk that was way too high? Companies spend a fortune supplying their workers with wrist supports to avoid carpal tunnel injuries and screen guards to protect employees vision. Shouldn’t we make sure our students are in the proper position, too? Continue reading →

Fine Motor Skills and Cutting

June 21, 2016April 28, 202012 Comments

Learn how to improve your child’s cutting skills with these simple tips from a pediatric OT. *This post contains affiliate links

How to Improve Your Child’s Cutting Skills

“Cutting?” The mom looked at me nervously…. “Um, I’ve never given my child scissors…. I don’t want him to hurt himself….” Her face turned red. “Should I?!”

The poor mom was panicking as she asked me about kindergarten. She was totally nervous that her son wouldn’t be able to keep up. Trying to reassure her, I asked how he holds his pencil and how were his cutting skills. And instead of making her feel better, I made it way worse! Uh-oh.

(This happens all the time, by the way. Moms don’t realize that kids should be cutting WAY before Kindergarten. But really – if you are worried that your kid will hurt themselves when they are sitting with you in the kitchen, do you really want them learning how to cut while the teacher is also supervising 20 other kids? )

Nah – better to get them started before school so they know what they are doing. It gives them a “leg up” on the rest of the kids. You can always give them those little safety scissors if you are worried that they will cut themselves. Or the playdoh scissors, which don’t have real blades.

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Puzzle Art Therapy

March 9, 2016November 19, 2019Leave a comment

I love being an OT & I love to learn. I’ve been so lucky that I’m still energized and excited about my profession.

However….. sometimes you need to shake things up a bit.

Last year, I became certified in PuzzleArt Therapy Systems, a form of therapy that combines Perceptual, Oculomotor, Binocular and PuzzleArt Therapy Sensory protocols using hands-on art. I’ve always been interested in the vision aspect of Occupational Therapy, so I was really eager to learn new ways to incorporate PuzzleArt Therapy into my Occupational Therapy sessions.

Professionals learning how to assess visual tracking, convergence, divergence, and accommodation

What is PuzzleArt Therapy?

PuzzleArt Therapy is a program designed to assess and remediate problems with visual-motor integration, visual perceptual skills, oculomotor skills, etc.

Click to learn more

The course is taught by International PuzzleArtist Alli Berman and Dr. Susan Fisher, a respected Optometrist in Westbury, NY. Occupational Therapists Linda Telford and Serena Zeidler also helped to design the materials to give a therapist’s perspective on the program.

If you are an OT, this course is accredited by NYSOTA and NBCOT. You can get a certification in PuzzleArt Therapy Systems while getting your CEU’s all in one day.

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