Happy Hanukkah! In celebration of Hanukkah, one of our OT’s is going to teach us how to make an Origami Dreidel! Origami is a great activity to practice a variety of skills while requiring little preparation and simple set up. What is Origami? Origami comes from the Japanese words ‘ori’ meaning folding, and ‘kami’ […]
The Basics of a Sensory Diet So what exactly is a sensory diet? It isn’t just certain foods someone should or should not eat. A sensory diet is a group of physical and sensory activities, that are specifically curated and scheduled into a child’s day in order to improve attention, arousal level, and adaptive responses. […]
What is Working Memory? Working memory refers to the retention, recall, and utilization of information to perform tasks. It is particularly important when learning academics, performing chores/self care activities, and socializing. During these activities, we may be required to remember and use a lot of information. It may look like: Drawing a picture of something […]
Why do OT’s encourage a tripod grasp? First, what is a tripod grasp? A tripod grasp refers to a common hand grip, utilizing the thumb, pointer, and index fingers. We use this grasp to pick up and move small objects, and to control writing utensils. Why is it so important? Using an appropriate tripod grasp […]
Happy Fall! In honor of the first day of fall, we want to inspire you to create your own fall-themed sensory bin using items you have around your house or find outside! Check out this video for fall-themed sensory bin inspiration from one of our occupational therapists. Why sensory bins? Not only are sensory […]
Happy Backpack Awareness Day 2021 September 15th is Backpack Awareness Day! The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) started National School Backpack Awareness Day to provide education on the importance of backpack safety. It has been celebrated on the third Wednesday of September since 2002! Celebrate Backpack Awareness Day by becoming aware of the weight […]
So what’s the deal with messy play? You may hear your child’s Occupational Therapist talk about the importance of messy play, but why? Messy play is crucial to your child’s cognitive and creative development, helping their learning process and promoting engagement with the senses! Messy play helps develop the following skills: Physical Development: Development […]
Activities to Develop a Pincer Grasp Pincer grasp (sometimes called “pincher”) is an important fine motor building block for everything from self feeding to dressing to handwriting. As children grow and develop, they move from using their whole hand, to their fingers, ultimately graduating to using a neat pincer grasp to manipulate tiny objects– making […]
Bilateral Coordination What is it? Bilateral coordination refers to moving both sides of the body together, in intentional and accurate ways. It is a good indicator that both sides of the brain are communicating and charing information effectively. Bilateral coordination can be: Symmetrical: coordinating both sides of the body to do the same movement (such as […]
Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation Here at Project Play Therapy, we love helping our kids learn to regulate themselves. While we often talk about “self-regulation,” the reality is that most of our little ones need “co-regulation”– they need us, the adults in their lives, to join them in their efforts to regulate their brain, body, and emotions […]