“Every time he wants to change colors, I have to waste two minutes adapting the crayon. It’s such a waste of time!”

Occupational therapists and special education teachers are magicians when it comes to adapting stuff for our kids with weak motor skills, developmental delays, or atypical grasp patterns. But sometimes it’s just a pain in the neck!

The main goal is to help children be independent. So if an adult has to step in every few minutes to put the grip on a new crayon or adjust a child’s fingers so they are in a functional position, it goes against what we are working toward (Independence!)

It’s easy to keep a grip on a pencil, but what about crayons? The child wants to change colors every few minutes- that’s half the fun!

I’ve found the solution.

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Handwriting 101: The Handwriting Basics You Need to Know!

December 6, 2017October 2, 20183 Comments

HANDWRITING 101: UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS

Handwriting is a complicated motor skill that requires dexterity, strength, motor planning skills, and visual memory. In the past, children learned the alphabet and how to write their letters in kindergarten. These days, children are learning how to write earlier and earlier.

Most preschools boast that they include capital and lowercase letters in their daily instruction, even though the NY state curriculum expects capitals and a few lowercase.

Why? Parents want their children to be prepared for kindergarten. Nowadays, most children are already writing on the first day of school. However, their muscles aren’t ready to start so young.

What should we do?

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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 →