Crafting Holiday Gift Guide

One of my favorite things to do in my therapy sessions is to hide the therapeutic aspects of things to my kids. Making therapy fun and engaging leads to increased engagement and less resistance to trying more challenging things. Over the course of my career, I have found that finding highly motivating craft activities can go a long way in getting kids to try things outside of their comfort zone. Being able to work on an activity for several sessions allows for the kids to learn about patience, flexibility and resilience and also makes them even more excited and proud of the final product. Below I share a handful of my favorite crafting, baking and STEAM activity sets. I tried to include gifts for children of a variety of ages so hopefully you will find something. Don't forget that I have so many more ideas that I am always happy to share so if you need specific suggestions for anyone, don't hesitate reaching out and asking. In the meantime, take a look at this years gift ideas and read about all the developmental and therapeutic benefits. 

1. Moulin Roty Baking Set-I've been baking with my now 11 year old since she was old enough to be an active participant and she just loves baking now. Fun fact.....during Covid her aunt in California and she would do weekly baking/cooking dates over Zoom to keep their connection and it was one of the highlights of quarantine. Baking with kids can help create a beautiful connection between kids and their grownups but making sure that you have the right tools is essential. I wish that this baking set was available when my daughter was younger because the tools are just the right size for small hands and helps them be more independent and successful when baking. This gorgeous kit comes with an oven mitt, rolling pin, whisk, spatula, pastry cutter, pie tin, 2 heart-shaped cookie cutters, a muffin pan and a recipe book. They are kid-sized and can be used for actual baking or can be used during pretend play. Baking with kids can work on so many developmental skills such as improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages hand-eye and bilateral coordination while also boosting confidence and self-esteem. 

2. Giant Coloring Posters-Looking for a fun family activity to keep you all busy as the cold weather sets in? Lulu's Cuts and Toys has a great selection of these for you to choose from. I am a bit biased and really love the Brooklyn one but there are several to choose from. Depending on your living situation, you can hang this on a wall and keep up all the time for kids to color in as they please or work on it a little at a time, roll it back up and store in the sturdy box it comes in. Obviously this is a great activity to work on improving graphomotor skills but is also a great way to encourage conversation and language skills. These large pictures are big enough for a whole family to work on at the same time. 

3. Tiny Baking Kit-what's cuter than mini baked goods??? A perfect gift for some of your older, more Tik-Tok savvy kids! One of my sisters gifted this to my daughter a few years ago and she spent countless hours playing with it. This set comes with 17 miniature sized baking tools and a recipe book with 20 recipes using all baking supplies you already have at home.  Mini chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, pizzas and so much more will delight your children while working on developing fine motor and manipulation skills, improve hand-eye coordination and work on improving executive functioning skills while following the recipes such as focus, attention, organization and planning skills. 

4. Flour Shop Rainbow Explosion Cake Kit-Flour Shop is a cake store in SoHo in Manhattan and was all everyone was talking about when it first opened years ago. If you have a serious baker on your shopping list this year, this would be a really fun gift for them. The kit comes with all the ingredients you need to make this 6-layer rainbow kit (you will need cake pans): 1 pouch of vanilla cake mix, 6 rainbow colored gels, 1 pouch of cream cheese frosting mix, 1 pouch of rainbow explosion mix (sprinkles), 1 pouch rainbow polka dots (sprinkles). This is an awesome gift for an older child who loves to bake and works on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, following directions, organization, planning and task completion. 

5. Play-Dough Baking Kit-I am SO SO obsessed with this adorable "baking" kit for the little ones in your life. I am planning on ordering a handful of these for some of the kids on my shopping list this year and only hope that I am invited over to play with it! This kit comes with four silicone baking cups, candles, cookie cutters, a rolling pin, and pom poms, buttons, beads and jewels to decorate their cupcakes. It also comes with 3 containers of homemade/non-toxic cinnamon, strawberry and sugar cookie sprinkle play dough. First and foremost, these kits (be sure to check out all of the products from Young + Wild and Friedman because there are so many great ones to choose from) encourage creativity, imagination and play skills for little ones. They also work on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, improve visual motor and visual perceptual skills and are great for sensory exploration. 

6. Orb Factory Sticky Mosaics-I can't tell you how much my kids love doing these Sticky Mosaics and they have made my gift guide year after year. Simple one of the best fine motor crafting activities out there and the kids have no idea how many therapeutic goals they are working on when using them. For younger children, the stickers are larger and different shapes and colors which are easier for their fingers to manipulate. For older children, the stickers are slightly smaller and kids have to match the correct color to numbers. In addition to working on fine motor skills, kids can work on shape, color and number recognition, improves hand eye coordination and improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills. Attach to an easel to work on increasing upper extremity strength. Kids are so proud of the final product and love showing them off. 
***Be sure to check out your local toy and book stores for these kits. I am always seeing them and grab them whenever I do!

7. Razzle Dazzle DIY Gem Kit-I discovered these awesome sets right before the lockdown and they ended up being a great thing for my virtual sessions for some of my kids. Very much like the sticky mosaic sets above, kids match colored gems to the correct letters to create a sparkly picture of various animals. The kit comes with a template, gems, a glue pen and a frame to protect your picture when completed. This is an amazing and fun way for kids to work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye coordination and works on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. 

8. Kid Made Modern Arts & Craft 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. 

9. Dress Me Threading Game-loving this "sewing" kit for kids by Haba. Kids work on improving hand eye coordination, bilateral coordination and fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills while dressing these wooden dolls. Each set comes with 1 double-sided scene card, 36 clothing tiles, a sturdy stringing cord and 3 double-sided pattern cards. Kids can make their own outfits or follow the pattern cards (which is great for improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills and working on executive functioning skills such as focus, organization and task completion). 

10. Hat Not Hate Quick Knit Loom-for younger children who are eager to learn how to knit but don't quite have the patience or coordination for knitting needles this is a great starting point. I began knitting during a sad time in my life and it's been nothing but a source of calm and comfort ever since. Post-Covid I am seeing that there are a lot of kids who need something to help them deal with some anxiety and I personally think busy hands help with that. I love this knitting loom from Faber Castell and Lion Brand Yarns that comes with all the materials needed to create two hats. My favorite thing about it is that they have also partnered with the Hat Not Hate Anti-Bullying Awareness organization to encourage children to knit a hat for themselves and then donate to the organization during Anti-Bullying month (October). This particular kit comes with all the materials needed to create two hats including 4 balls of yarn, a reusable loom, a loom hook, a tassel and pom-pom maker and two #HATNOTHATE leather tags to attach to the completed hats. The instructions are clear and easy to follow meaning kids will have success which will lead to increased confidence and self-esteem. Additionally, kids will work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improve hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. 

11. Knitters of Tomorrow Beginner Kit-do you have someone in your life who would like to learn how to knit but not sure where to start? This beginners kit is one of the best that I have seen when searching for friends. It comes with 2 balls of yarn, a set of light-weight knitting needles, a plastic sewing needle for completing your projects and a beginner's guide pattern book with lessons broken into reasonable and appropriate lessons. There are also suggested links to online video tutorials to guide the children as they learn how to knit a hat and scarf. Knitting, once mastered, is such a wonderful skill for children. It's not only an amazing fine motor, visual motor and visual perceptual activity, it's great for working on improving executive functioning skills such focus, attention, organization and frustration tolerance. Most importantly, when a child masters knitting, they have increased confidence and self-esteem. 

12. Kid-Friendly Succulent Kit-I'm loving all the great DIY gardening kits made for younger children and am completely obsessed with this succulent kit! Gardening is a great hands-on activity that not only encourages sensory exploration, but works on improving fine motor, grasping, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination and visual motor and visual perceptual skills. These kid-friendly kits come with a succulent (easy for kids to take care of), a ceramic animal pot, mini gardening tools, stickers for decorating and a bag of soil. In addition to all the therapeutic benefits, kids learn about responsibility by watering the plant. 

13. Classic Friendship Bracelet Making Kit-it's so fun when an activity from my own childhood comes back so when I saw these friendship bracelet kits from Purl Soho, I immediately bought them for the tweens/teens in my life. Each kit (you choose your color-wave) comes with enough materials for 9-18 bracelets depending on the width of the bracelets you make. Each set comes with a safety pin and 5 spools of Chinese Knotting Cord in a really nice storage box with a step-by-step friendship bracelet pattern book. Great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination and works on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and task completion. 

14. Arcade Claw Game-for your STEAM loving kids, this is a pretty awesome gift. The Arcade Claw Game from Klutz Maker lab will get your kids excited for learning and creating. Kids follow the child-friendly, illustrated instructions to build their very own arcade claw game from a variety of materials (chipboard parts, acetate windows, cotton string, dowels, tall and short pulleys, carriage, claw and plastic snaps) . Once built, kids can fill the claw machine with 3 prize capsules and try and use the claw to grab them. This toy encourages the development of fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, spatial reasoning, hand-eye coordination and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, following directions, planning and organizational skills. 

15. S.T.E.A.M. School Deluxe Studio Science-another STEAM gift but more appropriate for younger kids, this kit contains 10 amazing arts and crafts projects that has some kind of fun science, math and engineering concepts built in. Each activity comes with a fully illustrated card to make it easy for them to follow along for task completion. Some of the activities included are building with conductive light-up dough, playing with gears, making paper gliders. Kids will learn so much about engineering, electricity and so much more while working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, work on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills and improve executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. 

16. The Kindness Mission Box-I felt like it was important to complete this list with this awesome activity box. There is never a time to not try and teach our children about the importance of kindness and how they can spread it themselves. This activity kit includes a series of "secret missions" for kids to complete that teach kids about caring for themselves, their friends, family, community and environment. Children go through all 4 "training missions" by making clay friendship pots, a wooden birdhouse and origami creations before they move onto a deco of over 50 kindness missions to complete throughout the year. In addition to all the crafting materials and the cards, the kit also includes a self-care checklist which helps create healthy habits in children. Kids have no idea that while they are engaged in these activities, they are also working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improve visual motor and perceptual skills and are engaged in constant social emotional learning. 

Once again, I have tried to link some of my favorite local toy stores whenever I could as I have always found it very important to support our local businesses but even more so now. Many of the items listed above are ones that I have seen in most toy stores I have visited all over the place. And since are all hearing about shipping nightmares and problems with supply chain, why not take out some of the stress and support your local stores where you don't have to worry about toys arriving on time. If you are shopping for family members who are not local, find out their local toy stores and see if you can shop from there. If you are in the NYC area, be sure to check out the following stores: Lulu's Cuts and Toys, Little Things Toy Store, Norman and Jules, Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store, West Side Kids, Stationary and Toy World, Mary Arnold Toys, Kidding Around Toys and Boomerang Toys. 

Again, if you are looking for specific crafting or baking ideas for your kids or kids on your shopping list, please do not hesitate reaching out to me for suggestions. I have so many more thoughts on great gifts for the important toddlers in your life. I am only an email away at otmeghan@gmail.com and love to hear from and help in any way I can. 

Land Of Dough

Seems like right now is a good time to start this blogging thing again and I couldn't be more excited about partnering up with my dear friends Courtney and Avi, the owners of the magical Park Slope toy store, Norman and Jules. Each week I will be sharing a new product of theirs and talking to you all about the developmental benefits of it and different ways you can play with it.

As most of us, I'm trying to find the good in what we are all going through right now. While it may be difficult at times, I do want to be able to focus on the good as much as possible. So far for me, the good thing about all that is going on is that I have had to reacquaint myself with some of my daughter's toys so we can fill up her school days with more opportunities to play. She has always been a fan of play dough and even at 10 years old, she can spend a lot of time playing with it. Her new favorite play dough is from our favorite Park Slope toy store, Norman and Jules. Land of Dough makes the most beautiful collection of that I have ever seen and the best part is that it is eco-friendly! Using plant-based colors, compostable glitters and adding scents using essential oils to help add a calming effect while they play, they create the most visually pleasing dough. From Unicorn Sparkle Glitter  to their limited edition Easter collection, Eggcelent Dough and Chickety Chick Dough, each one is a work of art. So much so, I usually order two of each one so we can play with one and keep the other!  Another great feature of Land of Dough dough is that even once it starts to dry out a bit after a couple hours of play, you can easily rehydrate your dough by wrapping it in a damp paper towel in the container overnight.





The developmental benefits of playing with Land of Dough is significant. First of all, this is an open-ended activity which is crucial for the development of social and emotional intelligence, encourages problem solving skills, creativity and imagination and independence. It also works on the following developmental skills:
*improves fine motor and manipulation skills while increasing strength in your little ones hands
*improves pre-writing skills
*develops hand-eye coordination skills
*playing with dough can have a calming effect on children when they might be feeling scared or anxious
*improves social skills when you are sharing materials and taking ideas from others you are playing with



Here are a couple quick and easy activities you can do with your Land of Dough:
-practice making shapes, letters and numbers by rolling your dough into long snakes with both hands. You can make flash cards for younger kids and can put the snake along the lines and for older kids have them do it freehand
-work on improving cutting skills by cutting those long snakes into little pieces
-gather some loose materials (dry pasta, googly eyes, pipe cleaners) and have your kids create faces or animals
-find small, thin pegs or use birthday candles to poke into the dough and then have them pull them out using just their thumbs and pointer finger to help develop grasping skills

Be sure to check back weekly for my collaboration with Norman and Jules. While their physical doors may be closed, they are working as hard as ever to make sure our kids are entertained during these crazy times. You can order toys to be delivered or for safe pick-up during their designated hours. You can still reach out to them for their expert opinions on what toys would be best to keep your kids stimulated and learning at the same time.

On The Go Fun

Summer is here and with August right around the corner, I know a lot of families spend a lot of time traveling. August also ends up being the time of the year where (some) parents begin to panic about the lack of work their kids have been doing all summer and not being properly prepared for the upcoming school year. Traveling is a great time to practice the whole "make learning fun" concept by packing the right kinds of toys. It can be so easy to just occupy their time by giving them some kind of device, which is fine, but there are so many ways to keep kids entertained without having to be looking at a screen. Below, I share some of my favorite products out there that are easy to take along anywhere. They aren't bulky, heavy or take up a lot of space which is a crucial thing when you are traveling.

Car Seat Travel Tray-I haven't used this but wish I had had something like this for my daughter when she was younger. When she wasn't sleeping, she wanted to be drawing or playing on our long car rides and there was never an easy solution. This travel tray can be attached to your car seat (also can be used in a stroller or when out at a restaurant) over your child's lap and helps in keeping everything your child might need in their reach. This comes in especially handy if you are doing any kind of traveling without a spouse or someone who can be that person who can pick up dropped objects. This particular travel tray has sturdy walls and a raised front edge, has multiple storage areas and the waterproof tray is safe for your child to eat on. Be sure to stock your child's travel tray with their favorite art supplies, manipulative toys, stickers and anything else that will keep them entertained.

OOLY Play Again Reusable Sticker Sets-these are one of my favorite new discoveries of this year. OOLY never disappoints me so when I saw these reusable sticker sets a couple of months ago, I bought them all. Think Colorforms reinvented for kids today. Choose from four different sets: Dragon Racetrack, Space Critters, Mermaid Magic and Princess Garden. These incredibly well made sticker sets come with over 60 reusable stickers with a double-sided trifold scene board and can be stored in the sturdy case they come in. Great for throwing in a bag to keep your kids entertained while traveling. These sets are great for working on improving grasping skills, bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination while encouraging creativity and imagination.

Teebee Play and Store Box-I have loved this storage box since I first saw it on Kickstarter years ago and my own daughter has used it when traveling to keep her Legos all in one place or keep her arts and crafts supplies from going all over the place. The box has a great design with two hinged lids that fold out to create play trays that can rest over your child's legs and a handle for kids to be able to carry from the car to anywhere else. There is also another tray that can be removed to fit on the front edge of the box. If you want to use it for Legos, it comes with a brick plate that you can place in one of the lids. The Teebee box can be used for whatever you want, especially those open-ended toys like action figures, Squigz, beads, etc..  The Teebee box is a great place to store products that will work on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills while also encouraging creativity and imagination skills.

Squigz 2.0-I've been a fan of Squigz since they first came out years ago and not only use them at work all the time, I gift them to kids almost as much! These open-ended suction cup building toys are as much fun for the grownups as they are for the kids and are so great for working on a variety of developmental skills. Just like the original Squigz, you can push them together to build creations. When you pull them apart, you get the most satisfying Pop sound! The Squigz 2.0 have been updated so that they can not only stick to each other, but the new flat centers allow them to connect in more places. Not only do they stick to each other, they stick to a variety of surfaces (think car window, airplane trays or tables when eating out) making them a perfect on-the-go toy. Squigz work on improving fine motor skills such as grasp strength and manipulation skills, encourages spatial reasoning, creativity, imagination and visual motor and perceptual skills.

Feelings and Emotions Peg Doll Set-sometimes vacations can be challenging for the children I work with. Being away from their comfortable place and not following their familiar routines can cause anxiety for some kids and lead to some meltdowns. When a child is in mid-meltdown mode, they can lose the ability to express themselves. I am loving this peg doll set from Hope Learning Toys that can help children get through difficult times by being able to label and discuss how they are feeling at different times. This set comes with 5 peg dolls (sad, calm, angry, happy, worried) and birch discs with the feelings written on them and comes in a bag making it perfect for traveling.

Toy Story 4 Mini Potato Heads-this is one of my favorite new purchases of the summer and they are a huge hit with the kids I work with. First of all, whenever a huge movie comes out, I check out what kinds of toys are being sold as they always end up being really motivating for my kids. With Toy Story 4 being one of the biggest movies of the summer, I was so excited to see they had come out with these adorable set of mini Potato Heads. I have had a pretty large collection of the superhero themed mini Potato Heads and they are a huge hit in the gym. These are a really great on-the-go toy because they don't take up much space and easily thrown into a travel or diaper bag. They are great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves bilateral coordination, visual motor and perceptual skills and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, motor planning, organizational, problem solving and sequencing skills. An added bonus is that there can be some great opportunities for pretend play with these adorable figures.

OOLY Chromoblends Travel Watercolor Palette-just because you are on the road, it doesn't mean your little artists can't keep creating. This awesome travel size watercolor set comes complete with 24 watercolors, two water brushes and a built in watercolor palette. The water brushes fill up so you don't have to worry about cups of water if you are in a restaurant or on a plane/in a car. I love how small the packaging is making it easy to throw into a beach or travel bag keeping your kids entertained without a screen when they need some down time.

Lee Sticker Puzzles-these sticker puzzles will always be a favorite of mine and are so perfect for travel. They come in different sizes making them appropriate for a wide range of kids. Look through the Sticker Puzzle collections and you will find all kinds of books featuring some of your kids favorite television and movie characters. Kids create pictures by placing a numbered sticker on the right place in the numbered grid. These are great for working on improving hand-eye coordination, visual tracking, visual motor and perceptual skills, grasping and manipulation skills and encourages focus, attention and organizational skills. The best part is that each book has 8 puzzles and will take up almost no room in your bags. Sets range from 15-42 stickers.

Orb Factory Sticky Mosaics-another one of my all-time favorite things ever! I discovered the sticky mosaic sets years ago and they have been a staple in my OT tool box ever since. While I encourage you to look for these at your favorite local toy stores if you have that as an option, Amazon has a great collection for you to peruse if you don't. Whether your kid is into dinosaurs or princesses, there are so many great sets to choose from. They get to make a picture using the various stickers by matching colored sticker to the matching number on the picture.Once they have completed their picture, they can hang it up to display which makes a kid feel so confident!

Sticky Mosaics are a great way to work on developing fine motor and grasping skills, visual motor and perceptual skills, encourages bilateral coordination and executive functioning skill such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills.

Kid Made Modern Beach Bash Jewelry Kit-I happen to have a kid who really loves to create anytime she can, especially accessories! I am kind of obsessed with all things Kid Made Modern. If you don't know about them, you need to! They have this amazing mission to inspire kids (and their grownups) to find and enjoy being creative. All of their products are designed to give kids the opportunity to realize their creative spark, use their imagination and express themselves by providing them with a variety of craft materials. While they provide them with ideas, they also encourage kids to use their imagination to come up with their own creation.
While there are so many jewelry kits to choose from, the Beach Bash Jewelry Kit is one of my favorites, especially for the summer. Each set comes with everything you need to make fun summer related accessories. The durable case comes complete with different colored hemp cords, shell pendants, seashells, wooden and acrylic beds and an instruction guide to motivate your little designer.
These kits are awesome for working on improving fine motor and manipulation skills, bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, visual motor skills, encourages creativity and imagination skills and works on improving focus, attention and organizational skills. Another great thing is that as kids complete their jewelry, their confidence and self-esteem rise!

Glow Friends Neon Colouring Set-sometimes my daughter is perfectly content with the coloring pages that you may get a children's menu on at restaurants but most of the time she wants more than a couple of crayons and whatever they give you to color.  This coloring set by Tiger Tribe is a perfect for throwing in your bag, whether you are going out to eat or about to hop in a car or a plane for a long trip.  Each set comes in a sturdy box with a magnetic top and contains 36 coloring pages, 2 storage drawers, 3 sheets of stickers and 3 double sided markers.  Great for working on improving graphomotor skills, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages creativity.  

Take-Along Games-this set by Peaceable Kingdom is great for keeping kids entertained while in a car/plane, at a restaurant or those down times at the pool or beach.  The set comes with 4 games that use reusable stickers (think Colorforms): Tic-Tac-Toe, Four-in-a-Row, Memory Match-up and On-the-Go Bingo.  In addition to keeping kids entertained, these are great for working on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye coordination and visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on executive functioning skills.   



These are just a handful of the awesome things out there that not only make learning fun, they are easy to take when you are on the go. I know there are a ton more out there so if you are looking for specific ideas for your children, let me know. If you have toys, games or activities that are hits with your kids for traveling, I'd love to hear from you. I am always a click away and love hearing from you all!

Bits and Pieces FTW!

I am sure we all have that website that just sucks you in and you can be hypnotized to buy just about anything.  For me, when I see an email or get a catalogue from Fat Brain Toys, I have to make a decision to look at the email and know that I will be spending money or just delete it immediately.  At the end of the summer, I got an email that I decided to open and I am so happy I did.  In it they featured The Offbits building toys and I was immediately obsessed.  It's easy for me to find toys and products for the younger kids on my caseload...the real challenge is finding things that will motivate my older kids who tend to give up or become bored faster.   When I read about The Offbits, I knew that my older kids were going to love them and that they would be a great way to work on a variety of their goals without it seeming like work.

The Offbits kits are made up of a variety of "bits and pieces" that you might find in the bottom of a junk drawer or in a tool box.  To clarify, each kit comes with various screws, nuts, bolts, springs, etc. that can be used to build robots, vehicles or whatever else your child's imagination can come up with.  Each kit comes with a book with instructions to build something specific but also provides challenges with the bits and pieces provided in the back of the book.  Once kids are confident in their building skills, you can provide them with a bunch of pieces and see what they con come up with.  Like I have already mentioned, there is no right or wrong which I find helps kids have more fun when building with the bits and pieces.  The greatest thing is seeing a child's confidence and self-esteem soar as they build something from nothing.  If your child does better with step-by-step instructions, you can check out The Offbits website and take a look at their challenge section.  Here they show off other people's creations and give picture step-by-step directions.  I'm a particular fan of the ones they have for the holidays including the adorable CupidBit below for Valentine's day (it also includes a printable set of wings).  

I have a 7 year old daughter and she has actually become my partner in crime in toy testing.  As she has gotten older, watching her play with different toys and products I pick up has given me an idea of how to better use them with the kids I work with who struggle with different things.  For example, if she is having difficulty for some reason, it gives me the opportunity to come up with ways to adapt it so my kids can be successful.  When my collection of The Offbits  arrived, she was immediately interested in playing and building with them.  I was psyched because I love it when she chooses to play, explore and build in place of watching tv or using the iPad.  What was even more fun was when my husband came home from work and sat down and joined in on the fun!  These have definitely turned into something our whole family enjoys.

One of the things I like the most about The Offbits kits are that while they come with specific instructions on what to build, they also encourage you to challenge yourself and make your own creation.  There is no right or wrong when it comes to playing with them.  It's about exploring the various pieces and creating something.  I have noticed that before my kids can build something on their own/without a visual template, they need to follow the visual directions first.  This gives them a foundation and understanding of what the different pieces do, how they fit together, etc..  The other thing I love about The Offbits kits is that they are small and easy to bring places to keep your kids busy.

Increase Grasp Strength/Improve Manipulation Skills-the bits and pieces provided are really small (which is why these are geared towards kids 6 and older) which is great for working on improving manipulation skills; I encourage the kids to pick up the pieces using their "pinchers".  There are mini screwdrivers and wrenches included with each set which provided kids which makes the kids really work those little muscles in their hands.  In order to complete their creations, kids are required to screw nuts and bolts together, screw tiny screws tight and push springs into places.  All of this helps to improve overall grasp strength which is important for being able to write for long periods of times, manipulate buttons/snaps/fasteners and lots of other things.

Improve Bilateral Coordination-so many of the kids I work with will only use their dominant hand for activities.  They require constant reminders from me to use two hands because it isn't something that comes naturally to them.  When building with The Offbits kits, it's virtually impossible to only use one hand in order to put your robots, vehicles or whatever you are making together.  One hand must hold a screw while turning a nut onto it or hold the creation while using the screwdriver or wrench.  The nice thing about this is that kids figure this out pretty quickly on their own because they just won't have success building if they don't use two hands.

Improve Visual Motor/Perceptual Skills-as I have already mentioned, each kit comes with step-by-step directions in order to build a robot or vehicle.  Often times, the kids I work with don't like to work on things that challenge them and many have difficulty with visual motor and perceptual activities.  The Offbits provide many opportutnies to work on this skill in a fun and motivating way.  Some of the visual skills that can be worked on are:  visual tracking-to follow the instructions; visual scanning-to find the bits and pieces needed for each step; visual figure ground-to locate the right piece in a pile of pieces for each step; visual discrimination-to find the right size and color piece in a busy working field.

Improve Executive Functioning Skills-as kids get older, finding fun ways to work on improving executive functioning skills gets more and more challenging.  The Offbits provides so many opportunities to work on this.  Some of the executive functioning skills that can be worked on are: initiation by figuring out what the first step of the activity is...what pieces they need first, etc.; planning what the goal of the activity is and setting a goal; organization-this is something many of my kids struggle with.  With The Offbits, I sometimes have the kids organize themselves by sorting the different bits and pieces into piles so that it is easier for them to grab what they need for each step.  I also talk to them about looking at and following the directions so they can be successful; emotional control-one of the things I have to work on with my older kids is being able to not get too frustrated during challenging activities.  Sometimes this means providing them with challenging activities so they can come up with strategies to work through the challenges.  Many of my kids refuse to ask for help, which is a great strategy during challenging tasks.

Improves Social Skills-while kids can build The Offbits sets on their own, it can be a great activity for kids to do together.  They can come up with a game plan before they begin to build and work together to either follow the visual instructions or come up with their own creation.  It may mean sharing the materials, being able to compromise about a plan and patiently wait for your turn when necessary.  Once the kids build and create, you can have them act out different scenarios (you can collaborate with children's team members to see if there are certain social things they struggle with that they can act out through their Offbit robots).

As you can see, The Offbits can be used to work on so many occupational therapy goals.  I love when I can find something that parents can do at home with their kids.  Even better, this is something that you can do with your children and all have fun.  Oftentimes, I suggest parents have their kids do some kind of "warm-up" activity with kids before they begin their homework to warm up their hands.  This could be a great way to get your kids organized and warm up their hands for their homework.

If you have ever used The Offbits or have something similar you like to play and build with, I would love to hear about them.  I am always a click away and love hearing from you all.

Ten OT Tools For Under $10

Often times, parents of the kids I work with are looking for activities that they can do at home to carryover the work we do in our sessions without spending a ton of money.  Seeing how it is NYC and people don't have a ton of space, they also don't want anything that takes up too much space.  Personally, I like to provide suggestions to parents that they can throw in their bag and easily take places.  Things that can keep kids occupied while waiting for an appointment, at a restaurant or for traveling.

There are so many great items out there that parents can use at home that will help develop skills in children.  These are things that don't cost a ton of money (which is a bonus if you have to buy for multiple children) that can be as therapeutic as the expensive toys out there.  Below, I share some of my favorite therapy tools that are all under $10.  Many can be found in little toy stores but I have shared links for online ordering.


Slime Suckers-I found these at a Learning Express and knew they would be a huge hit with the kids. First of all, I discovered them as the slime fad was at it's peak so anything slime related motivates kids.  Secondly, what kid doesn't love something a little gross?  This simple little toy is great for working on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, motor planning and organizational skills.  With a little squeeze, the animal (there are monsters, hedgehogs, pigs, etc.) sucks up the slime in the container; with another squeeze, and maybe have the kids make a silly sound, the slime comes shooting out of the toy.   One of the really great things about this toy is that it is small, lightweight and easy to carry around.  So if you are a therapist that travels a lot for work, these are perfect for you.

Zoo Stix-these are easily one of my favorite and most recommended tools for parents.  You can find them in lots of independent toy stores (I get mine at Little Things in Park Slope or Stationery and Toy World on the UWS of Manhattan).  These child-friendly chopsticks have different objects on top that connect the sticks together.  There are a variety of animals, cars, etc. so if you find the right object and color, the kids truly love using them.  Using child friendly chopsticks are a great way to work on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, encourages bilateral coordination, hand eye coordination and can work on motor planning.  I've been using them at work since day one and love how versatile they can be.  In therapy sessions, I have kids use them to help pick up small pieces of games but their favorite thing is when I have them rescue my squishy dinosaurs, robots, frogs and other animals.

Sticker Puzzles-a few years ago, when wandering around a local NYC toy store, I discovered these awesome sticker puzzles by Lee Publications.  I was initially drawn to the books because they had Frozen characters on them and that was the big thing at the time.  Each book comes with 8 different puzzles  and then they match numbers (as few as 8 and as many as 48 stickers per puzzle) to create images from their favorite tv shows and movies.  Kids are super motivated by this activity because they get to take their finished product home and show off what they did.  These are great for working on improving a variety of visual motor and perceptual skills, grasp and in-hand manipulation skills, hand eye coordination, number recognition, focus, attention and organizational skills.  There's a lot of ways to adapt this activity to work on other goals as well.  For example, if you need to work on improving shoulder stability and upper extremity strengthening, you can hang the picture up on the wall or on any other inclined surface.

Super Sonic Gyro Disc-I was so excited when I came across this toy in a little bookstore while on vacation a few weeks ago.  I remember playing with something similar to the gyro disc as a child and thought it would be a perfect addition to my occupational therapy tool box and a great toy for parents to have at home.
This simple and inexpensive toy (I picked mine up for under $5)  is great for working on improving bilateral coordination skills, increasing upper extremity strength, motor planning and organizational skills.  Kids are motivated by the spinning noise and how the LED lights light up once they get it going.  This can be tricky for the kids to get started so I sometimes offer hand-over-hand assistance until they feel like they have the hang of it.  For older kids, I add a challenge by having them do this activity while balancing on a balance board or a bosu ball.

Hog Wild Popper Toy-finding the right toy to work on hand strengthening can be tricky because kids who are weak are very good at avoiding those kinds of activities.  When it comes to doing it at home, it really has to be motivating and seem like a toy and not a therapy activity.  The Hog Wild Popper toys are perfect for this and definitely are more fun than work.  My unicorn obsessed daughter has been gifted more of these than I can count and loves them.  There are TONS of poppers to choose from ranging from animals to team mascots and all are just under $10.  The balls are foam so there is little risk for them hurting someone else or breaking anything in your house.
In addition to hand strengthening, they are great for working on improving bilateral coordination, hand eye coordination, motor planning and focus and attentional skills.  You can also combine working on improving visual and gross motor skills by setting up a target that kids aim towards and then having them wheelbarrow walk, run or do some kind of animal crawl to retrieve the ball.

Wikki Stix-I first discovered Wikki Stix when at a restaurant with kids years ago.  Instead of the usual crayons and activity menu, this place gave out little packs of Wikki Stix to entertain the kids.  At first I was confused and wondered how it would possibly keep them quiet for an entire meal, but then I was fighting with the kids to play with them and I quickly understood.  For those of you not in the know, Wikki Stix are basically different colored wax covered yarn that can be bent into different shapes.  They can be used for play and for learning.  Kids can practice making different shapes, letters or numbers by bending the Wikki Stix.  For younger kids, you can have them put the Wikki Stix on printed out shapes, letters or numbers and for younger kids you can provide them with a blank piece of paper and have them create them without a visual cue.  They are incredibly durable and can't be ripped or torn (you can cut them into smaller pieces if you need to).  Wikki Stix are great for working on improving fine motor skills, such as improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, encourages bilateral coordination and can help work on improving tactile defensiveness because of it's sticky texture.

Wrapper Snapper/Pop Tubes-sometimes the simplest toys can bring kids tons of joy.  Wrapper snappers, or pop tubes as some call them, are one of those toys.  I always make sure to have a stash of them at work and they are always included in my annual gift guide.  They are great for working on improving bilateral coordination, grasp and upper extremity strength and motor planning.  If you get a bunch of different colors, they are a fun way to work on color recognition.  In our gym, we have kids use them as "slides" and they take small sorting bears and sort them into colored cups.  These are a great toy to have at home because they are lightweight and you can throw them into a bag.  An added bonus, they are really inexpensive so you can get some for all your kids!

Travel Notebook-another easy thing to have around that helps school age children who are working on improving their handwriting skills is a cool notebook.  There are a lot of notebooks to choose from, but I really like this one from OOLY because it comes with a little folder to hold things (my kid like to collect business cards, pamphlets, etc.), a place to store a writing instrument (comes with one but you can swap it out for whatever works for your kid) and a variety of different kinds of paper (lined, graph and plain) to write or draw on.  I love having a notebook with me at all times to keep my daughter entertained while at restaurants or when traveling.  Some things you can do with your kids:  play games like Hangman, Tic-Tac-Toe or the Dot Game.  I like to do things like I Spy with my daughter and have her write down things that might start with a certain letter, different types of animals she sees, etc..  It's a great way for her to practice handwriting and spelling and keeps her connected to her environment.  She loves that she has her own special notebook that nobody else can use and there are no real rules attached to it (like a school notebook which has to be used for very specific things).

Mad Libs-one of my absolute favorite things to recommend to work on handwriting at home is Mad Libs.  Who doesn't remember doing these as kids?  Not that I had forgotten about them, but I hadn't used them in a while until my daughter was learning how to read and write.  She was becoming so frustrated with learning this new skill that we had to find ways to make it fun and motivating.  She zipped through page after page and with each one, her writing and reading improved.  An added bonus, she was able to learn all about verbs, nouns, adjectives and all other parts of speech.  The variety of Mad Lib books that one can choose from is awesome.  They range from sports to Star Wars and other popular movies.  In addition to being a great way to work on handwriting, this can be a perfect social opportunity between siblings or on play dates.  For younger children, who are not quite ready for regular Mad Libs, you can check out Mad Libs Junior.  One is never too young (or old based on how much my husband and I enjoy doing them) for Mad Libs.

Mini Sport Games-the toughest kids to work with at home are the school-age kids because they are so busy with other things.  It's critical that if you are going to try and work with things at home with them that they are highly motivating and are matched with their interests.  There are a whole bunch of mini-sport games out there that can work on improving fine motor, manipulation, visual motor/perceptual and executive functioning skills (focus, attention, organization, etc.).  These games can also be used to work on improving social skills, especially to practice sportsmanship for kids who might struggle with winning/losing.  There could be lots of opportunities for role playing and working on strategies on how to deal with problems that might come up during sports.  Here are some of my favorites and all are priced under $10:
Fingerboard Ice Hockey
Football Fingerboard
Fingerboard Golf
FIKA Basketball
Mini Tabletop Basketball

Now that I have shared some of my favorite and affordable OT tools, I would love to hear from you about some of your favorites.  I know there are tons of things out there and would love to know what kinds of toys and products you use with your kids that get them to work without making it feel like work.  I am only a click away and love hearing from you all.

The Plus of Plus Plus Blocks!

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I am spending the summer learning as much about open ended play and how I could incorporate it more into my therapy sessions.  While I understand the importance of having specific activities in order to reach goals and parent/teacher expectations from occupational therapy, I think that there is an incredible benefit to incorporating open ended play materials into my sessions.  For me, I have come to the realization that if I search hard enough, I can find open ended materials that will work on reaching a variety of occupational therapy goals.

One might wonder what my sudden interest in open ended play is.  My interest was initially peaked by watching my daughter during the school year and how her structured routine over the course of the week was having an impact on her ability to "play" without us helping her decide what she should do and how she should do it.  She was constantly worrying about whether or not things were right and would like what she was doing or would they be disappointed with it.  I was watching her become more anxious about things and not enjoying them as much as she should have.  So, with some inspiration from the Instagram feed from the Workspace for Children, I began exploring the idea of open ended play with Quinn.  What I learned about open ended play is that it it is crucial for the development of imagination and creativity in children of all ages.  Through open ended play, kids can develop a variety of social and emotional skills such as empathy, cooperation, problem solving, and improved self-confidence and self-esteem.  There are also a number of cognitive benefits of open ended play including working memory, self-regulation, organizational skills and so much more.  So the more opportunities that children have to engage in open ended play, the more we are preparing them to be successful in school.

One of the first things that I purchased from the recommendation of Lizzie from the Workspace for Children were Plus Plus construction toys. I am not stranger to the Plus Plus products, and there have been many times in which I walked into different toy stores over the years and would be drawn to those little tubes filled with little pieces that look like plus signs.  There were several times I had them in my hand to purchase and then looked at those little pieces and thought about kids putting them in their mouths or getting frustrated if they were hard to put together.  I can't believe that I waited so long to bring these into work (or introduce them to my own daughter).  They are a great tool for any occupational therapist's tool chest because even if you move around from school to school or between homes, they are lightweight and take up very little space.  There are a variety of colors, so you can work on having kids learn their colors or work on matching and sorting when using them.  I have been encouraging kids to make whatever they want using the pieces and tell them they will have to tell me a story about what they built after.  There is no right or wrong thing to build or story to tell.  The most important thing is that they have fun.  For some of my older kids, I might tell them they need to use a certain number of pieces in whatever they create because even though I want them to be creative, I also want them to gain strength in their hands.  For smaller hands or children who might not have the strength and dexterity to use the regular size Plus Plus, you can use the Plus Plus Midi which are the same design but bigger and easier for smaller hands to manipulate.  Like the regular Plus Plus blocks, they come in a variety of bright or pastel colors.  I have been using them to help some of my younger kids learn their colors while they build.

One of the newest products from Plus Plus also happens to be another one of my favorite occupational therapy tools.  The Baseplate Builder is similar to the baseplate for Legos.  It acts as a platform for kids to be able to build scenes or anything else they want with the blocks.  My daughter happens to love everything rainbow and unicorns and built this awesome two level waterfall and rainbow scene using two baseplates while she was building a few weeks ago.  One thing that I have seen done with them is to practice building letters, numbers or shapes.  Any opportunity a child has to learn these types of things in a multi-sensory and playful way, the more likely they are to learn them at a faster pace.

In addition to all the things already mentioned, Plus Plus blocks can be used to work on the following occupational therapy goals:

Improves Grasping and Manipulation Skills-sometimes the simpler something is, the better it is.  In this case, Plus Plus' are just the right size to encourage appropriate grasping skills.  I have noticed more often than not, the kids are utilizing a fine-pincer grasp to pick them up and then manipulate them to put them together.  If you want to really work on developing age-appropriate grasping skills, you can use the Baseplate Builder.  I have had the kids use their pincers to place the pieces in and then remove them.  For some of my older and stronger kids, I have them lie in the net swing and use the Plus Plus' and the baseplate.  This is a great way to work on increasing upper extremity strength; increasing upper body strength leads to improved fine motor and manipulation skills.

Improves Bilateral Coordination Skills-the beauty of this activity is that you have to use two hands in order to put the pieces together and build things.  If you are using the baseplate, kids are forced to hold the plate down with the hand that is not putting the pieces in or taking them out.

Improves Visual Motor and Perceptual Skills-while I like to let the kids use them and build whatever they want, you also provide kids with templates on how to build certain things.  There are many kids who are in occupational therapy because they need to strengthen their visual skills so following visual directions when building with the Plus Plus blocks is a fun way to work on this skill.

Improve Social Skills-I have purchased a few sets of both the Plus Plus Midi and regular Plus Plus' blocks in a variety of colors so there are plenty for kids to share.  Whether it be at home, at the gym or in my social skills groups, I like to encourage kids to work together to create something.  For some kids, they need to work on thinking outside of their box and following the plan that someone else might have come up with.  In my social skills group, I allow the kids to play with the blocks for a few minutes on their own but tell them that in x-amount of time they will need to combine whatever they are building to make something bigger.

I could have gone on and on about the benefits of the Plus Plus building bricks!  The most important thing to me is that I provide a place and the proper tools for the kids I work with to work on all these skills.  I take great joy in knowing that there are materials out there that can provide so many therapeutic benefits without it seeming like a therapy toy.  This makes it more likely that the  kids will want to play with them not only during our sessions, but at home with their parents, siblings or with their friends.  I know that many families are planning on going on summer vacations and looking for things to bring with them and I couldn't recommend Plus Plus building bricks more.  They are lightweight and take up almost no room at all.  They are great for airplanes or keeping kids occupied in a restaurant without having to pull out an iPad or phone to keep them from complaining.

Do you have a favorite open ended building toy?  Especially ones that travel well?  Would love to hear your family favorites....I am only a click away and love hearing from you all!

A Popping Good Time!

There are a few toys/tools that pretty much every occupational therapist and therapeutic gym has.  One of those are wrapper snappers or pop tubes.  This simple toy can bring endless hours of joy to kids and the therapeutic benefits are endless.  They are great for working on improving bilateral coordination, grasp strength, manipulation skills and problem solving and motor planning.  Kids love the funny sounds that they make as you push them together and pull them apart.  And you can be super creative and do lots of other fun things with them like make a marble run or use it as a slide for little toys to sort into different color containers.  The best part, they are inexpensive and easy to throw in a travel bag.

This past weekend, I was in my local toy store looking for a birthday present.  Imagine my surprise, okay, my childlike excitement when I found this amazing box filled with mini wrapper snappers and little plastic connecting pieces called Popoids.  Upon closer inspection, I discovered that Popoids was a popular toy in the late 70s/early 80s (my own childhood).  The toy is basically the same as the original one with some minor changes.  Each box comes with 60 pieces....36 pop tubes in a variety of colors and 24 connectors.  Don't get scared about that number of pieces....the box they come in is incredibly sturdy so you can use that as storage.  And if you want to keep your kids occupied on a long car ride, to take on vacation or eating out, you can pack a handful in a ziploc bag and throw them into your bag.  There are plenty of things your child can create with just a handful of the Popoids.

I am going to put this out there and say it might be one of the best toys I have purchased in a really long time.  In the week that it has been in my gym, just about every kid has used it and has had the best time.  One of the things that I am looking for in toys these days is that they encourage creativity in kids.  During the summer months, I want to not only work on meeting the IEP goals of kids, but also want to help kids think outside of the box and begin to use their imagination when building with different toys.  The best thing about this particular toy is that not only does it work on a bunch of occupational therapy goals, it encourages creativity and open-ended play.  There is no right or wrong which is a welcome change for so many kids who are used to having to do things just right in school or therapy.  Providing children with the opportunity to play with open ended materials such as Popoids help develop problem solving skills and enhances cognitive and executive functioning skills such as working memory, flexibility and self-regulation.

In addition to all that I have already mentioned, Popoids help work on the following occupational therapy skills:
Improves Grasp Strength/Manipulation Skills-pop tubes have been one of my go to finger/upper extremity strengthening activities since day one.  I have been using the smaller pop tubes from the Popoids set to "warm up" the muscles of the hands before kids do graphomotor activities.  The good thing is that the kids are having so much fun, they don't even realize they are doing work.
Improves Bilateral Coordination Skills-whether you are pulling the pop tubes apart or pushing them together, attaching pop tubes to each other or to the other pieces, kids have to use two hands.  For some of the kids I work with who have decreased upper extremity strength and shoulder stability, I have to really encourage them to not use their belly to stabilize/make this task easier.
Encourages Creativity-while there is a little guidebook to show you some of the things you can make with the Popoids, very vew of the kids that have played with them have wanted to use it.  They are having more fun building their own creations.  Whether it be a fireman hose, robots or a some kind of crazy alien, kids are choosing what they want to make and then they choose their pieces, put them together and then playing with them.  So in addition to improving creativity, it is encouraging open-ended play opportunities which many of the kids I work with don't get nearly enough time to do.
Improves Social Skills-I've had more fun watching the kids I work with play together and come up with something to build and then play with.  They have had to sometimes negotiate and be flexible about trying something different than they were thinking about making.  They have to share pieces or sometimes help their friend put the pieces together.  Once they are done creating their masterpieces, they can play together.

Here are a few other things you can do with the Popoids.
*have kids work on matching and sorting colors.  Make sure that you have them identify the colors as they sort them.
*for kids working on shapes, have them put together a few pop tubes and manipulate them into shapes.

What are some of your favorite open ended building materials?  I would love to hear from you about other great toys that will encourage and motivate creativity.  I am only a click away and love hearing from all of you.