Norman and Jules 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

For those of you who know me, you know that I am passionate about supporting our local toy stores. For many of these stores, they have put their heart and souls into their store. Most importantly, these local stores end up knowing you and your children, they watch them grow up. If you are ever in Brooklyn, I can't stress how you should make sure to stop by Norman and Jules beautiful new store in Gowanus. It's between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens with many other stores and restaurants worth checking out. 

Working with Courtney, one of the owners of Norman and Jules, we have come up with this list of toys and products that will work on so many occupational therapy and developmental goals. For me, when choosing toys for my private practice, it's about finding ones that don't look like they are for special needs. Parents of the kids that I work with want their children to be able to play with the same kinds of toys that other children their age are playing with. Many of the items on this list are what I call investment toys because they will cost more but will last forever. Think toys that will not only last through your own children's childhood, but be passed down to their children. We were also mindful to try and pick products that would spark your child's imagination and encourage open-ended play. During this crazy time, kids are expected to follow so many new rules and play should about doing what they want and how they want to do it. 

Land of Dough-I am absolutely obsessed with the gorgeous play dough by this company.  It comes in the most beautiful and unique designs such as rainbows and space and galaxy. Whenever I pick some up for my daughter, I pick up two containers because she wants one to play with and one to keep all pretty. Not only is it totally unique and gorgeous, it is made from all natural ingredients such as beetroot, spirulina and organic jojoba and lavender oils. The dough comes in its own reusable, compostable bags making it easy to store and with a little wooden scooper. Playing with dough is great for encouraging sensory exploration, works on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills and improves bilateral and hand-eye coordination. Some of the things you can do with the dough is hide beads inside and have your child find them, practice making shapes, letters or numbers and practice cutting by rolling dough into "snakes" and have them snip into small pieces. 

Colour Me Crayons-one of the beautiful things about living in a place like New York City is being surrounded by people of every nationality and color. When I saw these crayons on Norman and Jules' Instagram feed back in the spring, I almost cried and then immediately purchased them for work.  This set of crayons comes with 12 vibrant skin colors so that every child can find the color that matches their skin. There are so many wonderful things about these skin-toned crayons. First of all, it is so important that when a child is asked to draw a picture of themselves that they have the option of finding a crayon that represents their skin color. Second of all, these crayons are triangular which encourages an appropriate grasp in young children. 

Goober Peanut Crayons-I am constantly on the lookout for different kinds of writing instruments, especially for the little ones that I work with. One of the most important things about introducing young children to crayons and other drawing tools is that they help to promote good grasping skills from an early age. What I love about these peanut shaped crayons is that they are a really good width and shape for little hands. The bean like shape is great for encouraging kids to grab them and then use a tripod like grasp. They are made from natural bean wax and all non-toxic ingredients so parents don't have to worry if your risk-taking little one decides to put them in their mouths. Another fun thing about the unique shape of these crayons are that they can stand up or stack on top of each other which your child will love! 

Eco Chains-I'm a sucker for any small manipulative toys, especially ones that are easy to throw in a bag to take on the go. Manipulative toys (think Legos and pop-beads) are very important for building up a child's hand strength and manipulation skills, which is crucial skills for the development of academic skills such as cutting, drawing and handwriting. Eco chains are colorful links that children can connect. In addition to working on grasp strength and manipulation skills, they are great for working on improving bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness and logical thinking. Add challenges by having your children make patterns or sort them by color and link them together that way. Like I already said, these are great to throw in your bag when traveling or out and about to keep your little ones busy and off a screen. 

Jumbo Weaving Frames-I have always been a fan of all weaving toys but often times they are too small for the kids that I work with which leads to frustration and eventually, they give up entirely. Right off the bat, this is what I call an investment toy. It's a bit on the pricey side but once you see it, you will understand the reason. The quality of both the frames and the fabric strips is off the charts awesome. They will be able to handle major wear and tear of your rambunctious little ones and last you for ages. The set comes with a square, triangle and circle frames and several multi-fabric strips. It also comes with 15 large, double-sided weaving activity cards for children to follow. The nice thing about this set is that kids can try and copy the designs on the cards or make their own designs. The Jumbo Weaving Frames are great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves bilateral and hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and organizational skills. 

Make A Face-Moon Picnic makes beautiful wooden toys, including this Make A Face toy which I have used with my social skills group, The Meeting House, when we talk about feelings and emotions. Right now kids are experiencing all kinds of big feelings and emotions and don't always have the right words to describe them. For many kids, especially younger ones, talking about their feelings are difficult and often times embarrassing. In my social skills group, we start each session off with a feelings check in and this is something that I have suggested that the families of kids who are homeschooling or doing distance learning incorporate into their daily routine. If your child isn't quite ready to talk about it, this toy is a great tool to put in their work area and have them put together each morning. In addition to them becoming more aware of their feelings, children can work on improving their grasp strength and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye coordination and visual motor and visual perceptual skills. 

My Weather Station-one of my favorite parts of a preschool classroom is morning meeting and for some reason, listening to kids describe the weather seems like such an important part of that meeting time. With so many children not in a traditional classroom this year, I know many families are trying to bring the classroom to them and Moon Picnic's My Weather Station is a great addition to any home classroom or learning pod. This fun, educational and interactive toy has 4 movable parts (great for working on fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills) and 5 weather symbols to display. Great for teaching kids about seasons, temperature and so much more while encouraging them to notice details about their environment. 

Rainbow Bowl Sorting Game-some of my favorite things are fine motor toys, rainbows and really well made wooden toys. If you don't know about the Grimm's toy collection, I highly recommend you find out about it. When my now 10 year old daughter was about 3 years old, a client gifted me with the Grimm's Rainbow and it's always had a prominent place in our house. When Covid hit, that rainbow went right into our rainbow and has been there since. I digress, this rainbow sorting toy is a truly great toy that will teach your little one so much. Not only will they learn about colors and shapes, they will do so in a multi-sensory way which is so important. This set comes with 2 trays that hold 6 colored bowls, a pair of large tweezers and 3 different shapes in each color that you can put in the correct that you use the large tweezers to sort the same colored fish, star and heart in matching bowl. Children work on improving fine motor and manipulation skills, improve hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages focus and attention. 

Peekaboo Lock Boxes-this take on shape sorters is one of my favorite things that I have at my gym. First of all, it's absolutely beautiful and sturdy, making it perfect for the wear and tear it goes through with many kids playing with it. Like the traditional shape sorter, a child has to figure out where all the shapes go, but this has so many other aspects that are so great for your little ones development. There are 6 colored boxes with not only a place to put the shape in, but one side with a different fastener you have to open and close, and a clear panel so you can see through. It also comes with a tray that has 6 colored squares for each box to go into. So not only is your child learning about shapes, they are learning about colors, matching and developing critical fine motor and manipulation skills. There are also opportunities for open-ended play; after my kids put the shapes in or practice the different fasteners, I left them play with the blocks and have seen them make towers, buildings or whatever else comes to their minds. This is a gift that really checks off a ton of boxes and is worth every penny! 

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! 

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. 

Magnetic Fishing Set-I am including this after the Wobbel Board because I think this is a great toy that you can use while on the board. I use the Wobbel Board and other balance boards with my kids at work all the time and the most important thing is combining it with the right kind of toy or activity because maintaining their balance can be tricky and frustrating making them want to get off right away. This beautiful fishing toy is a perfect way to distract your kids from the "work". This adorable set includes a fishing rod with a moveable reel and three magnetic fish, an octopus and a shell for kids to easily catch. 

Whether you are on a balance board or just playing, this little toy packs a real punch with all the ways it can help with your child's developmental skills. Kids can work on improving bilateral and hand-eye coordination, improves grasping and manipulation skills and encourages focus, attention and organizational skills. 

Wooden Swing Board-if you are fortunate enough to have the space for this, I say get it! I have something similar to this at the gym I work at but this one is so much better that I might have to replace it! Balance and coordination are critical for the development of so many other gross motor skills like jumping, running and learning how to ride a scooter and/or a bicycle. In addition this swing is great for working on improving body and safety awareness, motor planning and providing children with sensory input during these crazy Covid times. It can be used indoors or outdoors and your child should always be supervised! 

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.

The Best of January

It's been a bit rough getting back into the swing of things at work. January is historically a tricky month because of all the paperwork that is required as children get ready for the upcoming school year. I know that sounds crazy since that is months and months away but that is the way in NYC. All of that to say that blogging has been put on the backburner and I'm ready to focus on it again.

Starting this month, I will be doing a monthly blog (along with more regular posts in February) with a wrap-up of some of my favorite things I discovered each month. This will include games, craft sets, activity books, story books and a variety of other things that were a hit with the kids at work. I will end each of these posts with a picture book recommendation that will focus on some kind of social emotional topic. Over the last couple of years, I have spent more time than I can count trying to curate a collection of books that will help children have a better understanding of a variety of social difficulties that they may face. I have found that even if children are having similar social difficulties, they can't quite talk about it or problem solve when it is about them. But when you read a book and a character is struggling with something, they seem to find it easier to talk about.

I am really excited to share some of the products I discovered this month with all of you.

Learn To Write Stencils-a little while ago, my local toy store, Norman and Jules, shared a picture of these stencils on their Instagram page and I became obsessed. I have found finding good stencils can be really tricky and often times frustrating for kids. If they are too flimsy, they are hard for the kids to use. This set of 15 wooden stencils comes with a variety of simple lines that are all used in developing the letters of the alphabet or numbers and can encourage open-ended drawing. One of the things I like to do with them is have the kids look at them and think about what they look like. For example, there is one that looks like waves, another that looks like mountains and another that looks like the top of a castle.  My daughter, who is almost 9 years old, tested these out for me and I loved seeing how these simple lines helped to encourage her creative drawing process. I gave her a set of gel pens, some stickers and blank paper and let her run with her ideas. Learn To Write Stencils are also great for working on developing grasping skills, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination and visual motor and visual perceptual skills. They encourage creativity and imagination skills which helps with the development of self-esteem and confidence.

Grapat Nins Carla Wooden Figures Game-over the last few months, I have been adding more open-ended toys to my therapy sessions. I am a sucker for nice wooden toys and am pretty much can't not buy something if there's a rainbow them to it. This set of rainbow dolls is of my new favorites and I have loved watching my kids play with them. As you can see from the picture, the set comes with 6 colored peg dolls with matching discs and rings. I love how many occupational therapy skills can be worked on while also encouraging open-ended play in children. Some of the skills that can be worked on are color identification, sorting, categorizing, improving hand-eye coordination and grasping and manipulation skills. These are also great for improving focus, attention and self-regulation because you need to concentrate and take your time while stacking the rings and discs. I have found these are great to combine with some of my gross motor activities when at the gym. For example, I will have them sort and stack while lying prone in the net swing so we are adding a strengthening component to a fun fine motor activity.

Pencil Nose Game-I discovered this game at another local New York City toy store when looking for a game to entertain our New Year's Eve guests. In this hilarious game, people wear a pair of glasses with a marker attached and have to draw a pictures listed on the cards they pick while being timed. They keep drawing as many as they can to rack up the most points. This game is definitely geared towards older children but could probably be adapted for younger children. For example, you could have the kids come up with a list of simple objects that they think they could draw and pick from those instead of the ones provided. One of the things I like about this is that it encourages kids to be silly and do something differently than typically expected. So many of the kids I work with, especially those older ones, struggle with being perfect or doing things just so so I like that this makes them step outside of their comfort zone and be silly.

OOLY DIY Eraser Kit-I love a good art kit and am pretty much obsessed with all of the art products from OOLY. This simple kit comes with 12 blocks of dough that can be molded into things to create erasers. There are several kinds of DIY Eraser Kits out there, but I really like this one because it is completely open-ended and encourages creativity and imagination skills. There are three simple steps in order to make your erasers:
1. Come up with what you want to make. This requires thinking about colors, size, etc.. Using their fingers, they mold the dough into what they would like to create.
2. Bake it for a short amount of time.
3. Erase!
In addition to encouraging creativity and imagination, it is great for working on improving fine motor skills such as grasping and in-hand manipulation skills. If you want to work on bilateral coordination with kids, provide the kids with a variety of safe tools (knife, fork, rolling pin, etc.) to use.
If you want to make an eraser to put on top of a pencil, you can stick a hole in the bottom before baking it.

LetterSchool Spelling Words App!-LetterSchool is my most used and most frequently recommended handwriting app so when I saw that they had developed a spelling app, I immediately downloaded it. It has quickly become a new favorite of mine and the kids. I find this to be perfect for my pre-kindergarten or kindergarten students who are just beginning to learn how read. Much like LetterSchool, this interactive game provides multiple opportunities for children to learn how to spell and read a variety of words. Kids learn how to read and spell hundreds of words that are grouped together by their ending sounds. They have to listen to the word and then drag the correct letter to complete the word. Once completed, each letter is spelled out while being matched up with fun animations and sounds. For each group of words, there are three levels of game, each becoming more challenging. I like to add a hands-on step by having the kids practice writing out the words either on paper, Boogie Board or dry erase board once they have completed each group of words.
The first five groups of words are free but I think that this app is one that is worth every cent!

The Snurtch by Sean Ferrell-this children's book was new to me but came highly recommended to me by one of the awesome staff at Stories Bookshop and Storytelling Lab, my go-to for all of my children's books for my social skills group, The Meetinghouse Juniors. Our social skills curriculum the last few weeks has been focused on Thinking vs. Saying when  talking to people. We are all guilty of saying things out loud that we think are innocent but may come out the wrong way and actually upset others. The Snurtch is one of the books we have read to help explain this concept to children. The gist of the story is that Ruthie, the main character, has big feelings and will say or do things that hurt the feelings of her teachers and peers. She says it isn't her but is the Snurtch....this monster who makes her do all of these terrible things. This book brought up great conversations with our group about whether or not the Snurtch was a real thing or Sophie's way of dealing with things when they are challenging. It was great to hear the kids talk about how Sophie could have done or said something differently that didn't make her friends feel sad. It was a perfect book to read before launching into our activity about Thinking vs. Saying.

These are my favorite things for January 2019. I am really looking forward to putting these together each month. I am working on some other fun things this year that I think you'll all love and find helpful. If there are things you are looking for, let me know. I love hearing from you all and am just a click away!

Summer Crafting With Your Bigs!

Today's blog post was inspired by all the summer camp posts I have been seeing all over Facebook and Instagram. I have an 8 year daughter who happens to love crafts but doesn't go to camp. She prefers to spend her summers relaxing and just enjoying some downtime, but I need to keep her brain working and I like to do this by introducing fun arts and crafts projects. Since we both love crafting, this happens to work out perfectly for a summer plan. We spend a lot of time hanging out on a beach and not always into being in the water. In today's blog post, I share some of my favorite craft kits....many of which can be thrown in a beach/pool/travel bag without taking up much room. They can keep kids entertained while traveling, at restaurants or on rainy day.  Many of these are intended for school-age children and work on higher-level skills....mostly executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, sequencing, organization and managing frustration when challenged.

Aquabeads-I blogged about these sets a while ago and even though my daughter has outgrown them, I am still obsessed with them...especially as a therapeutic activity.  Kids get to make cute little collectable toys or jewelry by placing the correct color beads on the plate with a template underneath.  One of the things I like about this is that you can use your fingers (great for developing grasping skills!) or use the bead pencil that kids can fill up with multiple beads to make placing them easier and faster.  Once all of the beads are in place, kids use a little spray bottle which makes the beads stick together.  There are so many fun themes to choose including Tsum Tsums, Disney characters, Calico Critters and SO many others!  Not only is this great for working on developing fine motor skills, it helps develop hand-eye coordination, visual motor and perceptual skills, visual tracking, focus, attention, organization and motor planning.

Bead Weaver-this bead loome is great for older children who want to up their jewelry making skills. Kids can weave bracelets, headbands, keychains and much more using glass beads.  This set comes complete with the loome, loads of glass beads, thread and the needle tool. I watched a couple of You Tube videos to figure out how to use it and if I could learn from a video, so can kids who have learned how to do so much from them!  In addition to working on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization, sustaining and shifting attention and dealing with frustration, this tool also works on improving bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and fine motor skills. Another great thing is that kids master this and are able to create jewelry or other things, their confidence increases making them more willing to keep trying more challenging activities.

Arts And Crafts Supply Library-I am obsessed with all the products from Kid Made Modern.  If you have a child who loves creating, you have to check out all of their products.  I am a big fan of open-ended activities for my daughter and this Arts and Crafts Supply Library is perfect for that.  This set comes with loads and loads of craft supplies in a sturdy carrying case that holds everything in little compartments.  The set includes beads, sequins, pom poms, felt pieces, googly eyes, wooden discs, pipe cleaners, scissors, craft sticks and SO much more.  The supplies invite a child to use their imagination and create whatever their hearts desire including murals, jewelry, keychains, etc..  In addition to encouraging creativity, the Arts and Crafts Supply Library is great for working on developing fine motor and in-hand manipulation skills, improves bilateral coordination, visual motor and perceptual skills and works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization, time management and motor planning.

Super Easy Friendship Bracelet Kit-I spend much of my free time knitting which means that I spend an awful lot of time in yarn stores. While searching for yarn one day at Purl Soho, I discovered their friendship bracelet kits and fell in love and have been giving them out as gifts ever since. Each set contains enough material for 5-12 bracelets and comes 5 yards of Chinese Knotting Cord, a safety pin, the pattern for two different friendship bracelets and a sturdy storage case.  There are 5 color waves to choose from. Making friendship bracelets is great for working on fine motor and grasping skills, encourages bilateral coordination, motor planning, hand-eye coordination, visual motor and perceptual skills and develops executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organizational and sequencing skills. Additionally, they make perfect gifts for kids to give friends.

The Loome Tool-I'm on a bit of a kick here, but I am a sucker for things that work on developing fine motor skills and encourage friendship at the same time. I'm also intrigued by things that will help me use up my excessive yarn supply! I was first introduced to the Loome Tool at a holiday fair in Brooklyn as a pom-pom maker and I fell in love with it! I have been using it ever since to add pom-pom-poms to my knitted hats but now that my daughter has more patience, we are using it for more than just that. This little tool (and there are a bunch of different versions to choose from) has SO many uses and is such a great on-the-go crafting tool. In addition to being a pom-pom maker, kids can make tassels, friendship bracelets, small weavings and cords. The website has amazing tutorials that you can watch with your children and help them learn how to do all the things this tool allows them to. By watching the videos, kids not only learn how to make some super fun things (building confidence and self-esteem) but work on developing a ton of executive functioning skills such as focus, sustaining attention, organization, frustration management and so many more. Additionally, kids work on improving fine motor and in-hand manipulation skills, bilateral coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills.

OffBits-for kids who love Legos but are ready for an increased challenge, you should check out the OffBits. In addition to being just awesome, I like how these sets are a bit smaller and easier to take with you on the go. I discovered these when I was looking for something for some of my older kids who needed to work on improving fine motor/in-hand manipulation skills and developing executive functioning skills. Kids get to build robots and vehicles using a variety of screws, nuts, bolts and other hardware bits and pieces. They can use their hands as tools or use the multi-purpose tool that comes with each set. What's nice about OffBits is that the kits is that kids can follow step-by-step directions to create what is recommended or they can make their own creations combining different sets. In addition to improving executive functioning and fine motor skills, OffBits work on improving hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages creativity and imagination.

Mixed By Me Thinking Putty Kits-while make your own slime is the thing, I happen to come from a home where my little girl hates slime. She typically jumps on the current trends but not this one. What she does like is putty and happens to be obsessed with all things Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty. So while everyone else has been making slime with a million different recipes, my girl has been mixing her own putty using the Mixed By Me Thinking Putty Kits. There are two sets to choose from, Glow in the Dark and Holographic. Each kit comes with enough supplies to make 5 tins of their own Thinking Putty, including putty, tins, tin labels, colored pencils and the special ingredients to make them sparkly or glow in the dark. In addition to being great for working on developing fine motor and grasping skills and increasing grasp strength, these sets encourage creativity and imagination skills by coming up with special names/colors for your creations.

Orb Micro-Mosaics-for anyone who reads my blogs/annual holiday gift guides, you know my love of the Orb Factory Sticky Mosaic kits. While many of my older kids still love them, I wanted to find something a bit more challenging and "grown-up" looking. No surprise that Orb came up with something amazing...Orb Micro-Mosaics. Instead of matching stickers to numbers, kids create stone-like mosaics by pressing the sticky micro pebbles into the correct spaces. Each set allows kids to create a poster, door hanger, picture frame and magnets. Kids can work on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills, hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and a slew of executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning, organization, flexible thinking and so many more. This also requires children to be patient and control their frustration when things get challenging. In the end, kids end up with some really cool looking products that will make them feel really good about themselves.

Craft-tastic Empower Poster Kit-one of the things I find for many children of this age is that they tend to be more self-conscious and sometimes have a hard time knowing their personal strengths.  I LOVE this poster kit because it makes kids focus on finding their strengths and identifying what makes them special and unique.  The kit comes stocked with a long list of inspirational words, poster board and glue and tissue squares to decoupage the poster to make it their own.  This is not only great for building confidence, self-esteem and positive self-thinking, it is great for working on improving fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, visual motor and perceptual skills all while encouraging creativity.

XYRON Creative Station-this was one of my impulse purchases from a weekly trip to Paper Source that my daughter insists we make. It also happens to be one of my favorite impulse buys and I have recommended it to a lot of my friends who are looking for a gift for a school-age child. My daughter loves stickers and loves to draw and color. The Creative Station is meant for many things but we have been using it as a sticker maker and it's been awesome.  I have used it with my kids at work and they love it too! While this has many purposes, I use it primarily for making stickers. I have kids either find things that they want to cut out or have them draw pictures and color them in. Once they have finished cutting/coloring, they stick the picture in the machine, turn the handle and the sticker back attaches to the picture. This is not only a great tool to work on improving cutting and graphomotor skills, it also works on improving bilateral coordination, focus, attention, organization and motor planning skills. At the same time, kid's confidence and self-esteem increase as they create their unique stickers.

These are just a handful of the many craft sets that you can use with your older children to help keep their brain working during these school-free summer months. Since many of the families I work with travel these last few weeks of summer, I chose many of them based on the ability to throw it in a bag to also keep kids entertained (screen-free) while traveling. Do you have any great arts and craft kids that your big kids love? I'm always on the lookout for new stuff for both work and for my own child. If you are looking for some specific ideas that target specific goals, let me know and I will share some other ideas. I'm always a click away and love hearing from all of you!

Meet Norman & Jules

Today, I am featuring one of my favorite Park Slope toy stores.  Norman & Jules, established in 2012 by long time Park Slope residents, Courtney Ebner and Avi Kravitz, has one of the most beautiful selection of handcrafted toys that not only encourages imaginative play in kids of all ages, but many of them are great for working on improving a variety of fine motor, visual motor and visual perceptual skills.  One of the things that I find sets it apart from many of the other toy stores I shop in is the fact that almost none of their toys are battery operated, make lots of noises (the Loog Electric Guitar

makes noise but teaches children how to make music) or lights up in crazy ways.  The gifts that you find here are ones that will end up in your family for years and  years.

 Norman & Jules is committed to providing parents and children with options that are not only aesthetically beautiful, but are carefully crafted from sustainable materials. Norman & Jules works with a number of local and international artists and craftsman in order to support both our community and other entrepreneurial spirits.  

Being an occupational therapist and having spent much of my career working with children who were born prematurely, I love the fact that a percentage of all sales at  Norman & Jules are donated to The March of Dimes.  This beautiful gesture is in honor of their 6 year old daughter Charley and other children who have spent time in the NICU due to premature births.  

Below, you will find Courtney and Avi's picks for this holiday season.  If you are in the neighborhood or looking for one of a kind toys that you won't find elsewhere, please be sure to check out their store. 

Make A Face-How are you feeling today? Express your feelings with Moon Picnic’s Make a Face kit! This adorable, silly, sad, scared, laughing, crying, grumpy, happy, kookie kit is a fun way to play with your emotions. Originally inspired to help children with Autism find an outlet to best describe their emotions, Make A Face has become a fantastic tool for parents of children with all abilities to discuss emotion in a comfortable and fun environment. Use the eight different facial features on your face plate and make a face to match your feelings! Make a puzzle game with the play booklet to match frightening and funny faces or cute and clever creations. Use your imagination to make emotions all your own! 

This kit is made with solid beech wood and non toxic paint.

*OT skills that can be worked on using Make A Face is improving fine motor and grasping skills, hand-eye coordination, motor planning and organizational skills.  If you follow some of the images in the pamphlet that comes with the toy, you can also work on visual motor and perceptual skills

Min Yellow Star Light -Wish upon a special star every night with this charming light beside your child’s bed.  A Little Lovely Company has a fantastic knack for making products that make everyone say “Aww!” Touch activated, battery powered and eco-friendly, this whimsical little light is redefining the night light. With a friendly face and soft LED glow, Mini Yellow Star Light is an eye-catching accessory made especially for wishing for a good night’s rest and the sweetest of dreams. The touch sensitivity lets your child easily control this small night light all on their own. It’s also a wonderful way for children to feel safer in the dark and at bedtime. We all know how tricky that can be! The Mini Yellow Star Light will help everyone feel safe and cozy at bedtime. 

*this is a great gift for a child who may have a hard time winding down at the end of the day and having a hard time falling asleep.  The soft light will help calm a child down and relax. 

Bella Nail by Nailmatic-Let your child be the stylist and the star with Nailmatic’s Bella nail polish! This brilliant concoction of color and fun is a darling and safe way to play with nail color. Made specifically for little fashionistas, this nail polish can easily come off with warm soapy water. With no mess and no stress, Nailmatic polishes are a fantastic way for children to play together to further develop their social and fine motor skills. Enjoy having your very own nail artist right in your home! 

*I love these nail polishes and have used them with my own daughter.  Putting nail polish on is a great fine motor activity for those older girls who are resistant to doing work for parents.  Also great for working on improving bilateral coordination, crossing midline and visual motor and perceptual skills.  

Stencil City-Use tools to create your own world with fun packs in Stencil City! Each stencil sheet is full of creative characters, outdoor elements, automobiles and accessories, with big buildings to make a wacky world all your own! A fantastic way to play for children of all abilities, Stencil City helps children develop their fine motor skills and find pride in their carefully crafted creations. Great for kids to play during quiet time alone or as a family activity, Stencil City will be hours of fun for everyone! 

*OT skills that can be worked on with Stencil City are improving fine motor, grasping and graphomotor skills, improving bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination.  Also works on encouraging creativity and imagination as they build their scenes.  

Rainbow Bowl Sorting Game-These differently colored bowls, each containing a fish, a star, and a heart, turn learning colors and shapes into a fun game for everyone! With the stylized simplicity for infancy, this clever set will grow in difficulty as your child grows up. Introduce the oversized tweezers to add an extra challenge as your child ages and develops greater hand dexterity. The genius behind the sorting game is that it can truly be hundreds of games in one, helping your child develop and grow for years. The only limit is your imagination! Add building blocks and use these unique shapes to create worlds, play matching games with the colors and shapes, role play dinnertime fun with the tweezers and pieces, we can’t wait to see how you play! 

*OT skills that can be worked on with the Rainbow Bowl Sorting Game are color recognition and identification, improving fine motor, grasping skills, building hand strength, improving visual skills, bilateral coordination and focus and attentional skills. 

Building Your Way To Fun

Sneak peak #3 to his year's holiday gift guide....building blocks and other manipulative toys.  These toys might be my favorite to play with at work and to give as gifts.  All the ones I have recommended are ones that you can find in local toy stores (support your local small businesses!!) and ones that should last you a really long time.  How many of you still have your alphabet blocks, lincoln logs or tinker toys from growing up?  I have chosen manipulative toys that should hold up like those have for so many of us.

Blocks and manipulative toys are great for so many reasons.  First of all, they stimulate creative and imaginative play.  They also encourage social interaction and cooperative play when used in group settings.  As far os occupational therapy skills, they can be used to work on a million things including bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills, focus and attention and fine motor skills such as hand strength and increasing in-hand manipulation skills.  I love that these toys can be used in a therapeutic setting and then brought into the home so families can have fun with their kids while working on the skills that we are focusing on during our sessions.  Check out my list below and have fun building and creating!

Tegu Blocks-these blocks are one of my absolute favorite gifts to give kids.  I have had these in my own home since my daughter could sit up and play with toys.  These wooden blocks have a magnet inside so they can stick to each other.  They come in a variety of shapes and colors and now there are sets available where you can build cars and robots.  I love that any age child can be successful when using the blocks.  Great for working on improving fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, problem solving and imaginative play.  Can be played with independently or in a group.  If you are in Park Slope, check out the toy store Norman & Jules who has the best selection of Tegu Blocks in NYC!  During the summer, they have an outdoor space with a giant board to allow kids to make some of the coolest Tegu Block designs!

MagnaTiles-these have been on my list year after year.  These plastic tiles have magnets build into them so they can stick together to build 2-D and 3-D creations.  They are great for working on improving fine motor skills, bilateral coordination and visual motor and perceptual skills.  They come in a variety of shapes and colors so you can work on color and shape recognition when using them.  Additionally, Magna-Tiles help promote imaginative play and creativity.  Children can play with them independently or in small groups to work on encouraging teamwork and compromise.  Magna-Tiles are pricey but they will last you forever since they are so durable and well made.  I have had the same set of Magna-Tiles in my office for at least 6 years and they look as new as they did when I first bought them and they have literally been used by hundreds of kids.
Ogobild Bits- I discovered this Brooklyn-based company last holiday season when I saw them at one of the many amazing holiday markets all over the city.  If you have kids who love building, but you have enough Lego sets, this is a great gift for them!  There are small and large sets and each comes with a bunch of suggested items to build.  Great for working on building a child's imagination skills while building the muscles of the hands!  I have used them in my social skills group both with preschoolers and school age kids and they had an absolute blast.  Ideal for working on building grasp Ogobild with Animate Studio kits which are great for your older kids who may be interested in learning more about stop motion animation moviemaking.
strength and manipulation skills, bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination and visual motor and perceptual skills.  These are super durable building toys that you will have for years and years to come.  OgoSports keeps expanding this line and have a bunch of new ones this year, including two
LaQ- I discovered this awesome manipulative building set this summer after a trip to The Bronx Zoo.  For the Lego lovers, this is another great toy.  These are actually flat shapes that snap together to make a ton of different shapes.  For tons of different patterns to make cars, animals, people, etc. using these different shaped blocks, clink here.  My kids love them and I don't see them getting too frustrated when it gets difficult to follow the directions.  Better suited for the older kids I work with (often too difficult for the preschoolers, especially those with fine motor difficulties).
Lego Duplo Read and Build- Legos seem to be another one of those toys that never get old.  When I discovered the Lego Duplo Read and Build Sets, I was so excited.  These sets are perfect for those smaller hands
that have difficulty with the small size Legos.  The accompanying instructions are great because they give very clear visuals on how to build the different objects (jungle and farm animals, bugs/caterpillar, a fairy tale and a car set) in the book.  This requires a child to organize their work, plan what they are doing and follow visual directions.  Great for working on improving grasp strength and bilateral coordination skills, visual motor and visual perceptual skills.  I love that kids have to follow along with the story while building the different objects which works on focus and attentional skills.
Pencil Grip Popbeads-I love these small popbeads!  They are great for working on increasing grasp strength and bilateral coordination skills.  These popbeads are bright in color and the kids love them.  For younger kids working on identifying colors, you can use these to work on that.  Also great for working on visual perceptual skills such as matching and sequencing.
Squigz/Squigz Benders/pipSquigz-these manipulative toys by Fat Brain Toys will bring hours of fun to your little ones!  Actually, you will love playing with them as much as your kids do!  These suction cup connecting toys will stick to each other and to almost any surface.  Use them in the bathtub or on your child's high chair.  You can push them together and pull them apart to make wonderful creations to stimulate your children's imagination skills.  The kids get a real kick out of the sound that they make when they pop apart!  They are also great for working on hand strengthening, bilateral coordination and eye hand coordination. Check out the different sets available to see which is best for your little one.
Hugs Links-these well made linking toys are great for kids as young as 3 months and as old as 3 years.  What you work on while playing with them at different ages is different, but they are versatile and well made.  B.Toys created a set of 24 colorful links that click together to build a rattle for the younger ones or a chain for the older ones.  Great for developing bilateral coordination, fine motor skills and upper extremity strength.

So, here are some of my favorite manipulative toys perfect for gift giving this year.  Not only are they great for working on a ton of occupational therapy goals, they are all well built and durable toys that should withstand the wear and tear over the years.

If you have any recommendations that should be added to this list, please email me.  I love hearing from you and appreciate people sharing new toys and ideas with me.  I am just a click away and hope to hear from you!

Tell Me a Story...with Dice!

I am always looking for fun, motivating and interesting ways to work on handwriting with the school age kids I work with.  For many of the kids I work with, this is one of the biggest things that they struggle with and finding ways to work on it without frustrating them can be really tricky.  I have used apps on the iPad but there haven't been many I have fallen in love with and use much.  Plus, when it comes to my older kids and the handwriting thing, I try and keep technology out of the equation if possible.

I'm going to give a big shout out to my friends at Norman & Jules, a toy store (or my home away from home) in Park Slope.  In the two years they have been in my neighborhood, I have spent a lot of time (and a lot of money) walking through the store finding the most amazing of toys for my own child and the children I work with.  They have an eye for unique gifts but what I love most is that they sneak in the educational piece in a really good way.  They find things that can work on academic skills but in the most interesting and fun way.

One of my most recent purchases are the storytelling dice designed by Hannah Waldron.  There are two sets, a pirate themed set and a fairy-tale themed set, that will be sure to get your child motivated to work on expanding their imagination and storytelling skills.  The Pirate Adventure Dice set has 9 wooden dice with different pictures on each side of the dice.   A child is encouraged to create a story using the pictures that they roll.  Some of the pictures on this pirate themed set includes a ship, mermaids, parrots, a message in a bottle and several more!  The Magic & Fairy-Tale Dice, also 9 wooden dice with all different pictures.  Using pictures like magic potion, a wizard, a frog and a ball gown, a child can create their own fairy tale.  From beginning to end, the story belongs to the child(ren) and how they interpret each of the pictures.  There is no right or wrong and a child is allowed to be as creative as they want.  Just try and remember each child's abilities and don't expect more from them; always set up a situation where the child will be successful and motivated to try something more challenging the next time around.

These dice can be used in so many ways and can be adapted to work for any child, no matter what their skill level is.  It can be used in a 1:1 therapy setting, in a group/social skills setting or at home for family game night!  Many of my families ask me for suggestions on what they can do at home to work on what I am working on in therapy and it's most important to me that my suggestions are fun for everyone and cause as little stress as possible.  These dice will be fun for everyone!

Suggested Uses
For beginners or younger children, I recommend choosing 3-4 cubes to roll at first.  Work up to adding more pictures.  Work together to come up with a story using the pictures.  Great for working on sequencing and organizational skills.  Have the child really think about what makes the most sense when arranging the pictures.  If you are in a small group setting, give each child one dice and allow them to add to the story.

For older children who are working on handwriting goals, this is a great tool to use to get them excited about writing.  I have used these with great success for just that purpose with a wonderful 9 year old boy who struggles with organizing his writing and struggles even more to get his wonderful ideas onto paper.  Again, start off small and don't overwhelm a child.  I start with 4 dice for the older kids, have them roll them and then work with them to organize the pictures into place before beginning the actual writing part of the activity.
**require a certain number of sentences for a story, making sure that there is a beginning, middle and end.  This can be really difficult for some children but if you let them talk through the story before they write it, you may find they are more successful.  I find it is helpful to give some children a set amount of time to work on their story to encourage them to take their time.
**discuss what is expected before beginning this writing activity.  For example, if you are working on spacing, sizing, etc., go over those rules before they begin to write.

These are also great for groups up to 9 kids.  I can't wait to try these with an older group of kids I work with.  Not only will it be great for working on storytelling, it will be great for working together to come up with a collaborative story.  Compromise, turn taking and being flexible are important life lessons, both socially and academically, and it's important to teach kids about these things.  To make it more exciting for a group of kids, you can take a picture of the pictures used and have someone write up the story that they came up with as a group to share with their families and friends.
**if you are working on specific social skills with a group, you can have the kids come up with a story based on that theme.  It could be a really fun way to help generalize the skill and get the kids to think of your lesson in a more meaningful way.

Another great thing about the Pirate Adventure Dice and the Magic & Fairy-Tale Dice is that it is hard to get bored with them.  Every time you roll the dice, your pictures are different which means your stories are always going to be different.  I can't think of a better way to keep the imagination flowing for kids of all ages.

So if you are in the New York City area, I highly recommend making the trip to Park Slope to check these dice out in person at Norman & Jules.  I apologize in advance to those of you who walk out with an empty wallet because I guarantee you won't be able to walk out without many of their awesome toys!  For those of you out of town, be sure to check out their website.