As we are settling into this new level of craziness that is distance learning, our Occupational Therapists Miss Amanda and Miss Kim have provided some of their favorite recommended items to have on hand for your preschooler or kindergartener.
1. Fine Motor Tools
Learning Resources makes some awesome tongs! We love the squeezy tweezers for kiddos who are new to using tongs and tools. These are a great way to build hand strength for future writing skills!
2. Vertical Surface Paper
Don’t have an easel? These large Post-It papers are perfect for making a quick vertical surface writing or drawing opportunity. Put one on the refrigerator or dishwasher while you are cooking dinner. Vertical surfaces are an excellent way to build shoulder and wrist strength during writing!
3. Sensory Bin Fillers
No preschool day is complete without some tactile exploration! We are huge fans of sensory bin play and one of our favorite fillers is Educational Insights pluffle. It is a great texture that can mold and pull apart easily.
Here are some ideas of sensory bins we’ve done as a playful way to work on academic skills. Click on the pictures to find the products we used.
4. Donut Ball
This donut ball is a great way to add some movement while your kiddo is learning virtually. The flat side helps keep it stable so your kiddo can wiggle and bounce while seated or lay over their tummy.
6. Pom Pom Balls
Pom pom balls. A million activities in one. You can sort them by color, practice 1:1 correspondence in counting, see how many you can pick up and roll into your hand for some in-hand translation practice, use your squeezy tweezers to pick them up and release them into small containers, practice poking them into a water bottle, glue them together to create some beautiful designs, blow them across the table or through lines of tape to work on visual motor skills and self regulation.
Check out Miss Noemi using tongs to grab pom poms!
6. Common Household Items
Household items: empty TP and paper towel rolls, wine corks, q-tips, aluminum foil, cotton balls, plastic water bottles are all perfect for creating some great projects!
Perform activities recommended by Walk, Talk, Play at your own risk with appropriate adult supervision provided. Walk, Talk, Play is not responsible for any injury caused while performing these play activities.
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