Gym/Yoga Ball Fun!

A few simple exercises using a gym/yoga ball that you can do at home or school with your kids.

Find one on Amazon here - http://amzn.eu/7LtnzN4

Pencil Control & Writing

I have been working with a little boy at school to help improve his pencil control, reduce the size of his writing and increase pencil pressure. We've been having lots of fun making play dough hedgehogs, drawing rainbows, playing finger football plus lots more. He has made such good progress in just 6 sessions.

Week 1

Week 4

Week 6

Sensory exercises

Sensory exercises you can easily do at home, in the car or out and about.

Sensory toys used

• Theraband - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0104FSEJO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_oXjDzb0JWM50R (also available from most sport shops)
• Vibrating bug - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00Q8NLNHM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_jWjDzb8SYA2RM
• Spaghetti ball - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000V6DANM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_OWjDzbWSYNGNN
• Koosh Ball - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003S7HXO8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_9WjDzbT5ZVPYJ

Cowabunga!

We try really hard at TherapySPOT to make sure that activities and programmes used in therapy are tailored to the individual child. By incorporating the child's interests into therapy, we are likely to see better results as the child is more likely to engage and keep practising.

I recently provided a sensory diet for a little boy who loves the Ninja Turtles - below are a few of the visuals that I created for some yoga exercises that he can do at school and home to help him stay calm and focused throughout the day. Cowabunga! 

Kinetic (Magic) Sand!

For those of you who have not heard of Kinetic sand it's brilliant! Perfect for messy play without all the messy bits.

Fine Motor Fun

Today's fine motor fun - I made this picture and laminated it. Pinch off small bits of play dough (good for encouraging a tripod grip), roll into small balls between the thumb and fingers (great for dexterity and manipulative skills) and then squash onto the frog's spots with the index finger (good for finger isolation and strengthening). So simple but a great fine motor activity!

Hedgehogs and writing

I'm working with a little boy at the moment who doesn't hold his pencil tightly enough and so puts very little pressure onto the paper when writing. Today we made a hedgehog and built a nest for it! (Pinching clothes pegs is a great way to strengthen the muscles in the fingers and hands for a tighter pencil grip, while pushing straws into play dough promotes a tripod grip while encouraging the child to place pressure through the straw) 😀✍🏻

Hungry Man

Super simple to make and great for strengthening those hand and finger muscles. The little boy I worked with today had great fun seeing how many marbles Hungry Man could eat!

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Pre-writing Shapes

Kids need to have mastered these shapes before they can successfully form their letters. Something to consider when we're expecting our children to write (particularly if your child's name has an X or Y!)

Sheep

A quick and super easy fine motor activity - scrunch up a large piece of paper with both hands then dab on glue and stick on cotton wool balls. Cut out a triangle shape for the head and stick on some goggly eyes then use a cut up straw for the legs. 
Promotes 2-handed coordination, manual dexterity, visual spatial relations and shape recognition. 
*Make it more difficult by using large tweezers to pick up the cotton wool balls to stick on! 🐑

Play dough birds and shaving foam cakes

Super fun nursery visit today! Made play dough birds and shaving foam cakes. The little girl I help and I had a lot of fun while she worked hard on her attention, early communication and fine motor skills!