2020 Holiday Gift Guides-Toys and Such

For some reason, it was harder to put this list together this year. As I am finishing it up, I am realizing that I was trying my absolute hardest to curate a list of toys that are not just for particular age groups, but also ones that would grow with your child and be good for family play. In this crazy year, I have heard from so many parents that they would rather get their children fewer but more meaningful gifts so as I was putting this list together, I was thinking about things that I would have wanted for my own daughter when she was younger. I was also mindful about sharing gifts this year that were more sensory and provided more hands-on learning opportunities since another concern parents had this year was to limit the gifts that they purchased that would have them on a screen of some sort. Another aspect of all these toys is that they can be used in multiple ways in order to work on a variety of skills based on what your child's interests and developmental needs might be. The last thing I wanted to include were open-ended toys that allow children to use their creativity and imagination instead of having to follow exact rules and expectations. I have found that in the last several months that kids are feeling a lack of control (rightly so) and that during my sessions I want to provide the comfort of providing them with structure and routine while also giving them choices at the same time. 

Innybin-Fat Brain Toys creates some of my all time favorite sensory exploration toys for the little ones on your list who aren't quite ready for your traditional shape sorter. Young kids push different large textured shapes through a bunch of elastic bands and then try and retrieve them. This simple toy works on the development of so many essential skills for children between 6 months and 2 years such as encouraging fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, provides an opportunity for sensory/tactile exploration and begins to teach young kids about cause and effect. 

Wooden Pastel Stacking Tower-who isn't familiar with the old-school Fisher-Price Rainbow Stacking toy from my childhood? Even if you are way younger than me, you know what toy I am talking about. Over the years, I have become a huge fan of wooden toys so when I saw this beautiful stacking toy by Avdar Toys on the Rose & Rex shop, I was sold. Stacking toys, while so simple, are a perfect addition to any baby/toddlers toy collection. Even before we can expect them to stack them in order, we want provide children with opportunities to explore and manipulate different sized objects. Next we want them to be able to pick the rings up and place them on the stand and eventually be able to place them in the right order. In addition to working on fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, stacking towers work on developing hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and problem solving skills. 

Lalaboom Snap Beads-there are a few things that should always be part of a toddler's toy collection and snap beads are definitely one of those things. I have been using and gifting the Lalaboom beads for a few years now and really them because they are more than just pop beads and do so much more than the traditional ones. They can be used with children as young as 6-8 months (depending on when they begin to sit up unassisted) and because of their very special design, can be used with toddlers and even preschoolers. This set of 15 colored beads come in a variety of textures which encourages sensory exploration for younger children. Each bead can be twisted into two pieces and be mixed and matched with the other beads in the set. These are also designed so that kids can stack them and build with them and also have holes in them so you can string them with the provided needle and string in the kit. In addition to working on fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, they are great for working on encouraging bilateral and hand-eye coordination, increased upper body strength and when used for open-ended play, encourages creativity, imagination and problem solving skills. 

Lalaboom Pegboard-piggybacking on the Lalaboom Snap Beads, I have to share this cool pegboard that you can using the beads. It actually just arrived and I can't wait to test it out with my kids at work this week. Unlike the traditional pegboards where you push the peg in/pull the peg out, you have to twist these beads on and off the board. This set comes with 1 pegboard, 5-double sided cards and 10 beads of various colors and textures. One of the things that I love about this company and these products is that they about how toys can grown with the children. For babies, just being able to play and manipulate the beads is the purpose. As they get older, around 18 months, the goal is for kids to be able to screw and unscrew the beads into the matching colors on the board. This toy works on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, visual motor and visual perceptual skills., encourages bilateral and hand-eye coordination and executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, problem solving and organizational skills. A bonus is that they are safe for teething babies to chew on and easy to clean. 

Peekaboo Lock Boxes-This take on shape sorters is one my absolute favorite things at my gym. First of all, it's beautiful and sturdy and can be used for so much more than just a shape sorting toy. It can be used to build and stack with and encourages sensory and fine motor exploration. Kids not only have to find the correct place to put each shape, they also have to match the colored boxes to the correct spot on the board. Each box also has a different latch or fastener that they need figure out how to open and close which is great for working on the development of fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills. There are also opportunities for open-ended play using the blocks, the shapes and the board which is great for working on critical thinking, problem solving and imagination. 

Poke-A-Dot Alphabet and Number Cards-I have loved the Melissa and Doug Poke-A-Dot books forever and when I saw these cards at a local pharmacy I was really excited to share them on this years gift guide. These jumbo-sized Poke-A-Dot alphabet and number cards are a hands-on, sensory based learning tool that will encourage fine motor and manipulation skills at the same time. Each set includes 13 sturdy, double-sided cards with letters/numbers with pictures/objects that correspond to each letter/number on the card. These are also great for language development, encourage counting skills and improve hand-eye coordination skills. Great for on-the-go learning and fun for your toddlers and preschoolers. 

Tegu Magnetic Wooden Blocks-these magnetic blocks have been part of my gift guides for years. They were also one of the first sets of blocks that I got my daughter years ago and they are still in absolutely perfect condition. When I first began working in private practice, I was working with a child with cerebral palsy who was interested in playing with blocks but didn't have the control to play with them successfully. I went on a hunt to find something that would work and stumbled upon the Tegu blocks and was intrigued by the magnetic aspect and if he would have more success. I won't ever forget the look on his face as he played with the blocks for the first time. I have been recommending these blocks for years and years and personally give them as gifts to so many of my friends and family who have babies. Great for working on improving grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination and works on developing visual motor and visual perceptual skills, and encourages creativity and imagination. 

Alphabet Play Blocks/Numbers Play Blocks Set-if I had to choose one thing for you to buy out of 
everything on this list, I would have to put these at the top of my list. Just like some of the previous toys, the alphabet and number blocks are considered an investment toy and will last forever. When I first saw these posted on Instagram, it took me all of 5 seconds to order them, even though I wasn't working with children in person. The alphabet blocks were the first new toy I introduced to my kids when I began working with them in person and they have been a a huge hit with kids of all ages! They love being able to find the object that matches with each letter, putting the letters in order and playing with some of the object blocks. They get kids excited to learn about letters and numbers and  can be used to encourage learning how to write. Grownups will be as excited to play with these blocks as their kids! 

Magna-Tiles-another staple to my holiday gift guide. MagnaTiles are pricey but worth the investment and will last you for a lifetime. My daughter is 10 years old and we still have her original set of MagnaTiles and are still in perfect condition. She may not use them as much but they are pulled out from time to time. MagnaTiles are also a huge hit with my kids in my social skills group and are a great tool to encourage creativity and imagination skills while also working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills and improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination. I like to have my kids at work use different characters and work together to build something for them to then play with the dolls. For example, I have seen kids use them to build a castle for the Disney Princess Magic Clip Dolls. It's so fun to watch them not only create together, but then come up with a story for the princesses. My new favorites are Magna-Tile Structures. These new Magna Tile sets have images on them such as Sesame Street characters, Eric Carle stories, Build-A-Bear Workshop sets and a series of vehicles and buildings. 

Lite-Brite-I have been using some of the newer versions of the Lite Brite in my private practice for years, but there is nothing quite like the simplicity of the original one. Some of the newer versions of Lite-Brite have had different shaped pegs which I found were sometimes challenging for the younger kids to manipulate independently. This updated version that resembles the original Lite-Brite but is now bigger and brighter, offers four different light options and comes with more pegs. It comes with 6 design templates but you can go to their website to download more options and you can create your own designs. Lite-Brite is great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and task completion. I love that it also allows children to come up with their own creations and I have used it to have kids practice how to make shapes, letters and numbers. 

Wobbel Balance Board-one thing I have noticed about the pandemic is that there is a definite increase in children's sensory seeking behaviors. Starting in March, our kids had to adjust to so many changes with the most drastic one being that they stopped going to school in person. Until the stay at home orders happened all over the country, our kids were used to a very stimulating and active life. All of a sudden, their lives went digital and Zoom school, therapy and playdates were the new normal. When I made the switch to remote therapy, one of the first things I asked many of my families to order was the Wobbel Board. I have had one for my own daughter for years and I wanted my kiddos to have more opportunities to move during their remote school day and to use during our online sessions. It's also been a really good tool for me to add more gross motor and motor planning activities into my virtual sessions. If you go onto their website, you can download and print out a set of activity cards which have been a big hit with my kids. 

Natural Building Blocks-I love this handcrafted set of building blocks from Hope Learning Toys. Using natural birch and oak, these blocks open young minds to creative play and construction. Varying sized blocks make each play time new and engaging. 100% safe and all natural, they are sealed with beeswax. The 30 piece set comes with a gorgeous handmade woven basket for storage. In addition to working on creative play, children work on developing imagination, creativity and problem solving skills which are critical skills for developing confidence, self-esteem and lead to appropriate socialization skills with peers.  

Color Sorting Wooden Rainbow-I am a complete sucker for rainbow themed toys so when I saw this color sorting rainbow, I couldn't add it to my toy arsenal fast enough. Kids work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills and so much more while putting the colored pom-poms in the matching color of the rainbow. In addition to fine motor skills, kids are working on visual perceptual skills, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, matching, sequencing and executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and task completion. Here are a  few things you can do to mix things up when using the rainbow: pick up pom-poms up with a set of kid's chopsticks/Zoo Sticks; have them roll a dice and count out that number of pom-poms to put in the rainbow. 

Wooden Tray Number Set-I am absolutely obsessed with these number trays and have used them in so many ways with my kids at work. Obviously, they are great for teaching younger children numbers, but they can be used to help them learn how to write their numbers, count, sort, sequence, etc. This set of 10 handcrafted number trays are used to engage early math skills through play and exploration. I like to use them combined with some kind of fine motor activity such as using Zoo Sticks to pick up small objects and place the correct number of objects in the tray. Encourage sensory exploration by filling a bowl with different kinds of objects (marbles, beans, pasta, etc.) and have kids sort them into the trays. 

Emotion Wheel-kids (and grownups) are experiencing lots of big feelings these days but may have a hard time expressing them to others. One of the things we do to kick off my social skills group each week is have everyone tell the group how they are feeling. Because it is often difficult for kids to choose an emotion, we have a poster with lots of feelings for them to choose. I fell in love with this Emotion Wheel when I saw it and can't wait to be back in-person and use it with my kids. For those of you who have younger children who doing remote learning, the Emotion Wheel could be a great way for your kids to start their day. At breakfast, everyone in the family can go around and share how they are feeling. This is a great thing to keep out in the open so if your child is experiencing a difficult moment in their day and can't talk about it you can direct them to go over and show you how they are feeling. Once your child is able to identify how they are feeling, you can come up with coping skills and strategies during those difficult time.  

Curve Ball-I am trying to include as many indoor-appropriate gross motor gift options this year since there is a really strong chance our kids will be spending a lot more time inside this winter than normal. Providing your children opportunities for movement during remote learning will help with their focus and attention, help decrease frustration that so many kids are experiencing with all this online learning and build up their confidence and self-esteem. Curve Ball from Fat Brain Toys is a fun game that can be played independently or as a family. Roll the wobbly weighted ball at just the right angle in order to avoid the obstacles to knock down the pin. Kids try and beat the 10 challenges that are included with the game and then can make up their own. Works on improving hand-eye coordination, visual motor skills and encourages executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization, problem solving and critical thinking skills. 

Lego Dots Kits-I'm constantly on the lookout for toys and craft products that are good for older children and that's exactly where my head went when I discovered the Lego Dots kits. I picked up a couple sets for my once Lego obsessed daughter and was happy to see how into completing them. Kids can explore different ways to express themselves with a different room decor items or bracelets. My daughter loves her jewelry box. What I love about these kits is that they give you directions to make the base of the project (jewelry box, pencil holders, picture frames and bracelets) but then let kids use small, colorful Lego pieces to make the project reflect their personalities. The best part is that if they feel like changing things up, they can easily remove the pieces and re-design it. Great for increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills, works on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills, improves bilateral and hand-eye coordination and encourages creativity. 

Kid Made Modern Arts and Crafts Supply Library-this is one of my favorite arts and crafts collections and love that it is appropriate for children of all ages and developmental levels. This collection comes with over 1000 pieces of art supplies including peg dolls, wooden loose pieces, pipe cleaners, beads, pom-poms, googly eyes and SO much more and come in a sturdy case with a handle so it can be taken on the go. While they give you suggestions on what you can make with the different materials, it is truly and invitation for kids to use their imagination and be creative using a variety of materials. This open-ended craft library allows children to think outside the box and figure out all the different ways they can explore and use materials to create which helps with improving confidence and self-esteem. 

Please be sure to come back and check in on this blog post in the next few days as I will be adding a few other things as they come to my mind. If you are looking for something special for the children in your life, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and I would be happy to make specific suggestions. There is so much more out there and I love helping people find the perfect gifts for the special little ones in their lives. Remember, I am always a click away and love hearing from you all. 

So Much Screen Time

How are you all doing? I am sure many of us thought that by this point we would start seeing things go back to some kind of normal after nearly six weeks, right? Each day we're learning that our social distancing efforts are working, but it's hard not to wish that things were back to normal, especially when it comes to remote learning and therapy.

This has been an eye-opening experience for me as both a parent and a therapist and I've learned a lot in the last six weeks that will forever alter my expectations on parents (myself included).  I want to applaud each and every one of you reading this....you're doing an amazing job. You have been handed a giant bag of lemons and are making lemonade out of them. It's not always easy, but you are giving this your all and your kids are going to come out of this not only okay, but great.

One of the things I am hearing from the parents of the kids I work with is that the amount of screen time is almost unbearable. This is especially true for the younger children and those with sensory issues. So many of the kids that I work with were used to screen time being limited to weekends and special events so this is a whole new world for them and they are having a hard time with the adjustment. The thing that makes this so tricky is that some schools are requiring children to be on a screen for the entire school day with the exception of lunch while others have you check in a couple of times a week for meetings and then they expect you to get your work done at your own pace.

Today, I'm going to offer up some tips to help you and your children get through the rest of this remote learning adventure. Keep in mind that every child is different and what works for some won't work for others so try them and see what helps your day more smoothly. Let me be clear about one thing....nobody should be expected to do any or all of these. You are already being asked to do so much more than normal. If you pick one thing to focus on to help you and your child, that is enough. 

1. Make a schedule with your child each day so they know exactly what is expected from them. One of the first things I did when this whole thing started was pick up a dry erase board that we hung up behind my daughter Quinn's work station. Each morning, she signs onto her Google Classroom and writes down her flow of the day. This includes what assignments she has to get finished, any teacher meetups and any extra-curricular lessons that are scheduled for the day. By writing this down, we are finding that she has some control of her day and knows exactly what is expected of her. We also don't have to be on top of her to make sure she is doing what she needs to.





2. Keep a daily routine. This is certainly easier said than done on some days, but consistency and routine will help things feel as normal as possible in this absolutely abnormal time. Breakfast and lunch are at the same time in our house. We also try and build in times for movement for her throughout the school day. What's worked for us is that Quinn knows that every day at noon she has an hour to eat, read, play a video game, etc.. This is her hour to do what she wants (for the most part).

3. Make sure that your child is in a comfortable place with as few distractions as possible. I know that this might be hard in small living spaces and if you have multiple children, but limiting the visual and auditory distractions will help your child get the most out of their lessons. If your child has to be in their room at their desk for their remote learning, make sure that toys aren't strewn about making it more desirable to go and play with them while they should be in class. If possible, make sure all toys and distractions are out of sight before their school day begins. If your child is out in an open space where parents and siblings are also working, make sure they have a good set of headphones to block out as much noise so they can focus on what their teachers/therapists are saying.

4. Make sure your child is wearing comfortable clothes. I know there are some schools that are requiring kids to get into their school uniforms (which I think is a bit ridiculous) but if there is any way to make your kids feel more comfortable in those uniforms, that could help your child sit for longer periods of time. I know I am having a lot of trouble getting my daughter to get out of her pajamas each day but I have found that when she is dressed in real clothes, she has more energy (she won't agree with me but I see a definite difference)!

5. Schedule movement breaks. I can't stress how important it is to get a child up and moving throughout the day. I have already blogged about the importance of this but it's worth repeating that movement has been proven to do the following:
*Improves cognitive skills as they complete these activities. Be sure to up the challenge for them as they become more successful with them.
*Improves focus and attention which helps with the learning process. We must allow time for movement opportunities in order for our children to learn.
*Helps "turn on" your brain (this is proven!).
*Helps a child better focus and attend and also better organize their work.

There are so many ways to add movement into your child's daily schedule. Play a game of Simon Says, run up and down stairs if you have them, create an obstacle course early in the morning that they can escape to when they feel like they need to move. Challenge your child to create an obstacle course using stuff you have around the house. Here are some things you can have them do:
*Find something to jump over (see how many times they can do it in 30 seconds)
*Find something to jump on
*Find something to crawl over or through
*Find something to climb over

Also, use materials you already have in your house. Masking tape makes a great balance beam, colored paper makes great jumping spots and tables make great tunnels!



6. Set up a sensory diet. Like most things, children's sensory needs are drastically different from one another. While some of your children are still getting their occupational therapy services, some are not so you may find that your child is presenting with regression in this area. You may find that your child is seeking more input than usual. This makes total sense given the amount of time your child is spending sitting in front of a screen (therefore fewer opportunities to play outside). Even if your child isn't getting occupational therapy right now, reach out to their therapist and ask them to help you set up a sensory diet that works into your schedule. A sensory diet helps kids get in a "just right" state so they can pay attention and learn. Activities in a sensory diet can help kids who are overreactive feel calmer and unrreactive kids feel more alert. By providing your child with appropriate sensory input, you will find their ability to focus and attend to tasks will improve. It will also help with their ability to handle more challenging activities that are being thrown at them and help with improving their frustration tolerance. 



7. Create a sensory box. This is especially important for older children who feel like their life is completely out of control right now. Like I have already mentioned, the sensory needs of each child are different so deciding what to put in a sensory bin will depend on what their sensory needs are. Here are a handful of common sensory box tools that help improve sensory processing skills in your child. If possible, have your child's occupational therapist go over with you and your child how to and when to use all of the tools. Please be sure to eliminate anything you worry about your child using. For example, if you have a kid who likes to put things in his/her mouth, I would avoid things like putty, kinetic sand or Mad Mattr. Here is a great kit you can get on Amazon that includes some of the following:
*Sensory/squeezy balls-I am a huge fun of the Schylling squeezy balls
*Bubbles
*Theraband
*Putty (my favorite is Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty)
*Fidget toys
*Kinetic sand
*Mad Mattr
*Stretchy string
*Monkey noodles



8. Set aside a few minutes each day to talk about feelings/emotions. You are probably noticing that your child's emotions are all over the place these days. I know from personal experience that my daughter who is usually able to maintain her calm (for the most part) when she is challenged or confused is having a much harder time controlling her emotions. The most important thing we can do for our children is validate these big feelings they are feeling because it is totally normal right now. It is okay that they are feeling scared, angry, frustrated, sad or a ton of other feelings. Their lives have changed in ways that they may never forget and their parents, who are supposed to be able to tell them everything will be okay, can't tell them when this will end and their lives will return to normal. Make sure your children know how to identify their feelings. There are a lot of great children's books out there that talk about feelings including some of my favorites The Color Monster, The Way I Feel, Today I Feel (An Alphabet of Feelings), The Boy With Big, Big Feelings and My Mixed Emotions. I have learned through my social skills group at The Meeting House that children learn so much through these kinds of books and since the characters are struggling with similar things that children are, they are able to better talk about and problem solve through these tricky times.

9. Be your child's advocate. Parents have this unique opportunity to really see what is and isn't working for their children with this kind of learning. You are seeing things that are helping them be successful with remote learning but you are also seeing what isn't working. Please don't be afraid to reach out to teachers or school administration if you feel like you aren't being listened to. As parents, you have the ability to help your child be as successful as possible during this crazy time. If you find that your child isn't getting anything from hours and hours of online learning, tell their teachers. If you find that they are working better on their own schedule, make sure the teachers know that as well. Honestly, there is NO reason a child should be in front of a computer for hours on end being taught.

10. Know when you need to quit. This is incredibly important for both parents and kids. You are going to find that there will be days where your child has just had it and making them push through with all the screen time and remote learning will end up proving to be more stressful all around. It's also very important to keep in mind that once a child check's out, they are no longer going to learn. If you are finding that your child has had enough for the day, take control and tell them they are done and that you will let their teacher know. We need to make sure our kids know that we are just as concerned about their emotional wellbeing as their academics. Actually, this might be a time that we need to be more concerned with their emotional wellbeing over academics. Our kids are going to be okay if they don't finish all of their assignments every single day. We need to take the pressure off of them. Being on top of our kids all day, every day isn't good for anyone and will only cause tension at home to increase at a time where you need to be be maintaining the calm in our households.

11. Take time for you-the most important thing I have to say is that you must find ways to take care of yourself during these crazy times. We are expending an awful lot of energy on our kids, as we are meant to be doing, but we must find ways to take care of ourselves. Nail salons are closed, we can't get our hair done and we can't go carefree shopping these days. Find ways to take care of you for a small amount of time each day. For me, listening to my favorite podcasts or music while taking a daily walk does more than I can explain for my soul than I ever knew was possible. I am seeing things in my neighborhood and appreciating the little things more than I could have ever imagined. I know that this isn't always easy, especially if you are working and caring for your children full-time, but if we don't take care of ourselves, it becomes much more difficult to properly care for all the other people in our lives.

While this new way of life comes with many challenges, I do feel like we will all come out of this better parents, teachers, therapists, etc.. We will have a whole new level of appreciation for things that we took for granted just a few months ago. While we all long for things to return to normal, we must continue to learn and grow in the moment. I end each of my tele-therapy sessions telling parents how great their children are doing and thank them for their support in making each session go smoothly. I need them to know that we are a team and that I appreciate them.

I would love to hear from any and all of you with some things that you have learned through remote learning and therapy. I know that other parents and professionals would love to hear what's working for your family during this crazy time. I am always a click away and love hearing from all of you. One of the greatest things that has come out of this whole situation for me is that I have been collaborating with parents and professionals on a whole new level. I've always understood how important it is to work together in order for the greatest amount of improvement and success to happen, but have so much more appreciation for it these days.

Cooking With Kids

One of the most challenging things at this point is filling up our days. Especially for those of us who live in the city with lack of outdoor space, keeping our kids busy and limiting the amount of time watching television or on some kind of screen becomes incredibly stressful. So many of the parents on my caseload are looking for easy, fun and non-screen time activities for children so this week I am going to talk about baking with kids. As soon as my daughter was old enough, I started including her in baking with me. It started with her simply just watching me at work as I baked and her involvement increased as she got older. Today, at 10 years old, she loves to bake. Actually, to make up for the fact that she wasn't going to be with her cousin for Easter, my sister and I had our girls pick out a recipe and the FaceTimed the entire time. It was adorable and made them feel connected on a day that they just love to be together.

Baking with children is not only a great way to connect with your children but has so many developmental benefits built right into it. At this crazy time, I think the most helpful thing I can do for parents is provide them with activities that don't seem like therapy or work. While I know baking isn't for everyone, I am going to outline the benefits and provide a bunch of baking activities that you can do with your children.

There are so many benefits of cooking with children including:

*improves fine motor and manipulation skills. Measuring ingredients, rolling out dough, using cookie cutters and decorating your baked goods will lead to improved fine motor and manipulation skills. 

*improves visual skills such as improved hand-eye coordination, visual motor skills and visual tracking. 

*encourages language development. Use this time to not only label ingredients, but talk about the ingredients. Have them describe how they feel. For example, put out a little plate with some of the ingredients and have them feel them and talk about the textures. Are they soft? Are they rough? 

*encourages executive functioning skills. Baking with children is a great way to naturally work on things such as improving attention, focus, organization, sequencing and working memory. For some kids, it might be helpful to print out pictures of the steps and have them put them in order before actually starting baking. 

*for older children, baking can be a really motivating way to work on math skills. For younger children, you can introduce the concepts of more and less while measuring out ingredients. For example, put the measuring cups out with the ingredients in them and ask what you will use more of. My 10 year old is working on fractions right now and when she begins to get really frustrated, I bring out our measure cups as a visual.
*boosts confidence and self-esteem. It really is so much fun to see kids light up as they see their completed baked good come out of the oven. Even more exciting is when they get peoples reactions when they eat them.

I am going to share some cooking activities that you can do with your children. It's important to find activities that will encourage independence for children while also working cooperatively with their siblings or parents. If you are cooking with more than one child, set clear expectations and responsibilities from the get-go to limit arguing during the actual activity. Below you will find several baking and cooking activities. Some requiring cooking, others might not. There are not just food cooking ideas, but also sensory materials like play dough or colored rice and noodles.

Food

Play and Freeze Ice Cream Ball Ice Cream Maker-this was actually recommended to me by one of my occupational therapist colleagues and couldn't love it more. With kids not getting as much physical activity as they are used to, I love that you can combine some gross motor work while making ice cream. Kids can make make ice-cream in about 30 minutes using just a few ingredients by rolling the ball back and forth to each other. Check out this link from L.L. Bean with a bunch of different recipes you can try using this ice cream maker.

English Muffin/Bagel Pizzas-I remember making these as a child with my parents and sisters. This is a great activity because it doesn't require a lot of ingredients and most are things you can easily get even during a pandemic! You will need english muffins or bagels, sauce, shredded mozzarella and any toppings you might want to add. To add some depth to this activity, give your child a pad of paper with a list of everyone’s names on it and write the kinds of pizza available and have him check off what everyone wants. Another fun thing to do is use ingredients to make silly faces. For example, use a pepper to make a mouth or olives or pepperoni to make eyes. 

Rainbow Fruit Kabobs-a variety of cut up fruits in different colors and wooden skewers. Talk about the colors and what order the colors are in a rainbow and have them put the fruit on the wooden skewers in the correct order. This is a great baking activity to do with younger children who you might not feel comfortable with them using mixers and other baking equipment. There are a lot of kid-safe baking tools that you can give your kids to use so the can cut the fruit up. I love this activity because it's a great way to work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills while also working on hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills. Best part is that the end result is a healthy treat for you and your kids to enjoy. 

Rice Krispie Treats-I have always found that making rice krispie treats is another kid friendly baking activity where you can adapt the activity based on your child's age. For younger kids, you can melt the butter and marshmallows and just have them add the cereal and stir but for older and more responsible kids, have them do that (in the microwave or stovetop). You can make this more of a hands-on/sensory experience by having him roll them into balls instead of putting them in a baking pan. You can also change things up by using different kinds of cereal to add color or have them use cookie cutters to make different shapes once they are cooled down. 

M&M Energy Bites-this is another simple non-baking activity that kids can be really involved in. Mix together 1 cup rolled outs, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, 1/2 cup M&Ms, 1/3 cup of honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stirring the ingredients with is a great way to work on increasing upper extremity strength and encourages bilateral coordination skills. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to grab a spoonful, place in hand and roll into a ball. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies-you can make them from scratch or use slice and bake ones. No matter which method you use, making chocolate chip cookies are a delicious way to work on fine motor skills. If you make fresh, let your kids add all the ingredients (break the eggs into a bowl for him) and stir as much as he can. When I was baking with my daughter when she was younger, I would put all of the ingredients in bowls and then would tell her which one to add. If you use the slice-and-bake cookies, give your kid a safe knife and help them cut the dough into chunks and then allow them to roll them into balls before placing on the cookie sheet. 

Sensory Materials

Homemade PlayDoh-play doh is another sensory material that kids LOVE. I love this recipe from Mothercould and love that it can last up to 6 months if stored in a good container. There are so many benefits of playing with play dough such as increasing grasp strength, improves grasping and manipulation skills and encourages hand-eye coordination and bilateral coordination skills. Roll play dough into long snakes and practice making shapes, letters or numbers. Use a rolling pin and roll play dough flat and use your favorite cookie cutters.

Dye Rice/Noodles-another great sensory experience and kids can be part of the whole experiences of making it. Kids will love watching the plain rice or pasta go from plain to brightly colored sensory materials.  For each color, you need 1 cup of white rice/baby pasta, 1 tablespoon vinegar and desired amount of food coloring. Have kids help you by pouring the rice and vinegar into little Tupperwares and squeezing a few drops of food coloring. Close the lid and then have them shake the Tupperwares until the rice/noodles are all covered. If you make some of each color, you can pour them into a much bigger Tupperware and hide little characters or animals in it and and have him dig through using their hands or spoons or scoopers to rescue them. Another fun activity is to dye penne or rigatoni noodles and have kids make necklaces out of them. 

Homemade Flubber/Thick Slime-so many of the kids I work with love sensory exploration and there are so many great recipes out there. Flubber/thick slime is a very popular sensory material at my gym and doesn't require a lot of ingredients. You’ll need 1 cup of Elmer’s White Glue, 1/2 cup room temperature water, 1/2 cup liquid starch and glitter or food coloring (optional). Click here for directions. Once made, you can hide little objects in them like beads to work on increasing grasp strength and improving grasping and manipulation skills. 

Salt Clay-this is another simple activity that can be done with kids of all ages and uses only 3 ingredients: salt, flour and water. If you want, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the dough. One of the things I like about using salt clay is that you can adapt how you use it making things either more simple or more challenging depending on the age of your child. Kids can use cookie cutters to make creations or they can use their imagination and make whatever they want to create. Once they are done making their creation, they can use markers or paint to decorate them if you didn't add color earlier. 

One of the things I think is really important is to not expect perfection when cooking/baking with kids. This should be a fun experience and making mistakes is to be expected when engaged in this kind of activity with children. The other thing to try and let go of is to not get worked up if a mess is made. Unless someone is going to get hurt, don't worry about ingredients on the counters, floors or even on themselves. Wait until the activity is complete and hand out cleaning up responsibilities to each person who participated. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun because even though this is a crazy time, there are so many opportunities to make fabulous memories with your children. 

Have you been baking/cooking with your kids during this crazy time? What are your favorite recipes for baking, cooking or sensory materials? I would love to hear from you and am always a click away. I'm sure I am not the only one who would be interested in hearing about other recipes to keep kids busy these days. 

Let's Get That Body Moving....Part 2

Last week, I blogged about the importance of brain/body breaks during this crazy time and provided a bunch of activities that could be incorporated into your child's daily schedule. Things like playing a game of Simon Says, jump roping or hula hooping throughout the school day can help your children reset for the rest of the day. Some kids require more movement than others and for different reasons. Let's be honest, some kids are perfectly happy with not having forced movement throughout their day while others just can't get enough movement. 

As I have been supporting families through this crazy time, some of them have asked me to help create some kind of weekly schedule that will help their children gain some kind of routine. For many of my kids, this involves building in several body breaks. While our kids are spending a lot more time in front of screens, it is often while they are seated. One of the most helpful things I have been using to start my remote sessions before we sit down and do our table work is some kind of big body/movement activity. When we are at the gym for our sessions, we always start with a swing, jumping on a ball or trampoline or some kind of obstacle course and it is such a great way to get them organized and energized for the rest of our session. Since we can't be face to face at this point and most people (particularly my families in the city with not a lot of space for equipment) don't have access to things like a trampoline or large therapy ball, I've had to get creative. With the help of screen sharing, I have been able to find fun ways to get my kids up and moving. There are some really fabulous three to 5 minute movement videos on You Tube that have been a huge hit with my kids. As I mentioned last week, these movement breaks are not only necessary for giving our kids a chance to move around but have been proven to help with improved learning. This is even more important now than it ever was as kids are not getting out. Below, I share with you twenty short videos that you can do at home with your children. Since we are all home, make this a family thing and add a few dance parties or brain breaks to all of your schedules. This will not only be good for getting your up and moving but dancing and moving is good for you emotional well-being. 

The Freeze Dance

Go Bananas

Smallfoot: Do The Yeti

Dancing Robots Song

The Goldfish Song by Laurie Berkner 

The Goldfish Song: Let's Go Swimming 

The Hokey Pokey

Shake Your Sillies Out 

Simon Says

Walking, Walking, Hop, Hop, Hop

Twist and Shout 

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Get Funky: The Funky Monkey Dance

Baby Shark Dance Song

Trolls: Can't Stop The Feeling

Can't Stop The Feeling Dance Party

Animal Dance and Freeze

Move and Freeze

Boom Chicka Boom

Frozen 2: Make Your Move

If You're Happy and You Know It    

Do The Bear Walk


These videos are not only great getting kids up and moving around, but have more therapeutic value than you even realize. Kids will learn how to follow directions, work on improving body awareness and motor planning skills. This moving around will help them with their ability to focus and attend better to more challenging school work or therapy activities. The best part about this is that so many of these are familiar songs or characters which makes these videos even more motivating, especially for those kids we know who totally prefer to sit on the couch! 

This new way of doing therapy with my children has forced me to be more creative and think outside of the box. While I can't wait until the day when I can get back to my toys, equipment and co-workers, I am embracing all there is out there and what technology is allowing us to accomplish during our therapy sessions. If you have any other movement videos that you are using with your kids, send along! I am only a click away and love hearing from you all. 

Get That Body Moving!

I hope that this latest blog post finds you all healthy and staying sane. My daughter is just starting week two of her remote learning and we are all adjusting with our new "normal". We have set up our small apartment with three stations for school and work and so far, it's working. One thing I have noticed being cooped up inside for a majority of our day is how important it is to get up and moving throughout the day. For the first time in my daughter's school career, the majority of her work is done on a computer which means she is spending hours on end looking at a screen and I am realizing how important it is for her to get up and move around throughout the day. Seeing this firsthand has made me realize even more than I already know just how important body and brain breaks are crucial and have been encouraging my daughter to get up and move around, especially when she seems to be getting frustrated by something.

Look at how much active your child's brain is after just 20
minutes of physical movement! 

The importance of brain/body breaks can't be expressed enough. Here are a few of the many benefits of incorporating these breaks into your child's daily schedule while remote learning is taking place:
*improves cognitive skills as they complete these activities. Be sure to up the challenge for them as they become more successful with them.
*improves focus and attention which helps with the learning process. We must allow time for movement opportunities in order for our children to learn.
*movement has been proven to actually help "turn on" your brain.
*engaging in organized physical movement helps a child with being able to not only focus and attend but also helps with organizing your work.

Brain breaks are easy to build into your child's day, especially if they are following some kind of schedule. My daughter gets her daily schedule first thing in the morning and then writes it down on her dry erase board. We know when she will have Zoom meetings and know what assignments need to get done and know when it needs to be completed so we work around that and then think about where to add in some brain breaks. Like most things, what kinds of brain breaks work for children are individual. Below, I share some simple and fun brain breaks that you can do at home.

1. Dance Party-my daughter's go-to brain break is to have a dance party. We have music playing in our apartment all day long. It's something all of us love and helps us focus and attend. When it's time for her to get up and move, she is allowed to pick a song or two of her choice, typically Taylor Swift, put the volume up and just dance. If you have more than one child, put together a family dance party playlist that they can shuffle through during these dance parties.

2. Freeze Dance-during all of my remote therapy sessions, I start with a game of Freeze Dance. Sometimes I have them choose a song which is highly motivating to them to get them up and moving and helps them to get their bodies organized before we sit down and do our work in this non-traditional manner. During each of the freeze moments, I add in some kind of body awareness challenge. For example, I will say to them, "The next time the music stops, make your body a small shape." There are also a ton of really great video options on You Tube that my kids have really enjoyed.

3. Simon Says-this is an easy game to do, even in the smallest of spaces! I like Simon Says because it is always different and you can pick activities that are appropriate for each child. Jump up and down, touch your toes, touch various body parts, do jumping jacks, run in place, and so much more. This is a great activity to get your kids up and moving but also helps with improving body awareness, body strength, motor planning and coordination and improves executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and self-regulation.

4. What's Your Name Workout-I have been doing these workouts with my kids at the gym and they love it because it is personalized for them which makes it feel more special. I have included both the beginner's and extreme workout for you to take a look at. Change things up by having your kids spell out other family members or pet's names. If your kids are struggling with their spelling words, have them practice them by combining it with the these activities.





5. Alphabet Scavenger Hunt-this is also a great way to work on handwriting but the main goal is to get them up and moving around. Give your child a clipboard with a piece of paper with the letters of the alphabet written along the left hand side of the paper. Depending on how much time they have, highlight a certain number of letters and have them walk around their house or apartment and find objects that start with those letters and write them down. If you have siblings, they can compete against each other or work together to complete the scavenger hunt.

6. Play Charades-charades is a fun brain break activity that can be played with a child and a parent, with siblings or as a whole family. It not only gets kids up and moving around, it helps with developing body awareness. You can have kids come up with their own ideas (might be easier for your older children) or come up with a list as a family and throw them in a bowl and pick them out one at a time to act out. Definitely set a timer because it could go on forever and then lead to kids getting super frustrated. For those of you who prefer to have the work done for you, check out some of the great charades games out there: Charades for Kids, Pictures Charades and Kids On Stage.



7. Animal Walk-this is a really fun activity, especially for younger children and can be silly or serious. Come up with a list of animals and talk about how they move before you do this with your child. I am a big fan of using colorful visuals with kids so I encourage finding pictures of a bunch of animals, print them out and turn them over so they can't see the picture. Decide on how many animal walks you are going to do, pick that number of cards and place them somewhere the child can see them and start moving! Maybe find some fun animal-themed music (In The Jungle is a good one!) and have it playing in the background.





8. Yoga-not only do our kids need to move around, they need opportunities to practice mindfulness. That is more important right now than ever before as so many kids are feeling confused and uncertain about what is going on. Yoga is the perfect activity to combine both of these things and there are so many fun videos out there, especially on You Tube (people swear by Cosmic Kids Yoga). I have been using the Super Duper Publications Yogarilla cards with my kids for years and I love them. I actually just purchased a new set since mine are stuck at work to use in my remote therapy sessions. At this point, I prefer the cards just because I feel like our kids need a break from screen time with this new school format. These cards are my favorite because the cards are large and the illustrations are great. On the back of each card, there are regular and adapted directions for children with different skill sets and other activities that can be done.

9. Balloon Games-since we are spending more time inside, I recommend balloon ball games instead of using a regular ball so you don't have to worry about something breaking or someone getting hurt. Just blowing up a balloon is a great activity for kids to help with calming them down and getting them to focus and attend. Here are a couple of balloon games you can have your children play or play with your children during these brain breaks.
*Balloon Toss-set up two spots for you and your child to stand on and tap the balloon back and forth to each other as many times as you can. Keep a tally to see how much better you are getting at it!
*Balloon Tennis-instead of using your hands, make a tennis racket out of a paper plate and stick and use that to toss the balloon back and forth to each other.
*Balloon Catch-try and find something at home that you can use to catch a balloon that is tossed at you. For example, a large funnel or a beach bucket.
*Balloon Head Volleyball-Instead of using your hands to tap the balloon back and forth to each other, use your head!

10. Hula Hoop Games-i'm thinking that now that the weather is getting nicer and my daughter needs more opportunities to move that body of hers, it will be time to get a new hula hoop. The most obvious use of a hula hoop is the traditional way but you can take that and make it more challenging for them. Have them try getting it around a certain number of times or a certain length of time. Keep track of how long they can go so they can see their progress. Here are two other ways to use a hula hoop:
*Hula Jump-stand with the hoop vertically in front of your body and then flip it down towards your feet, jump over it and bring it back behind you. See how many times you can go before having to take a break.
*Hoop Rolling-this was actually one of my daughter's favorite things to do here in Brooklyn. We are lucky enough to have a long sidewalk with not much foot traffic (even less now) where my daughter can see how far she can roll her hula hoop. She really likes to flick it so it comes back to her and one of her favorite things to do was to have contests with me or her dad.

Many of the activities I suggested are ones that can be played inside or in your backyard. Keeping in mind all of my New York City families and their limited space, I tried to suggest things that don't require a lot of space or equipment. Keep in mind that not only do kids need brain breaks, grownups need them too. I can say that I have been missing my morning routines, especially my commute. I am one of those strange people who loves that 45 minutes of walking, movement, etc. before I walk into the office. When your kids take brain breaks, do it with them! In order to keep healthy and sane, we need to make sure that we are keeping our bodies moving. Do you and your family have brain games that you have begun to incorporate into your daily routines? What are your family favorites? It would be great to hear what other brain games people are playing. I would love to hear from all of you and am only a click away.