Many parents are concerned about getting their children ready for kindergarten. Understandably so, as Kindergarten demands have increased over the past decade or two. Children are expected to sit longer and write at a very early age. Many placement tests for kindergarten look at grasp and if a child can write their name at 4! OTs struggle with getting children prepared with the tools they need to succeed and keeping therapy developmentally appropriate. I know I do!

I always tell parents to keep it fun and not get into battles about writing at such an early stage. The last thing we want is the child to shut down and decide they hate to produce written work. I will share with you some of my best tricks. They are kid tested and approved!

I often begin with putty. Kids love it and it is very versatile. We hide things and pinch and pull. Kids don't realize they are improving grasp as they go. I like Discovery putty from www.funandfunction.com or any of the Aaron's thinking putty. 

 Kids will often do lacing cards or beading before they are willing to put crayon to paper. We string beads, lace cards and it's a great finger work and prep for writing!

 What kid doesn't love stickers?! I love these kits. Kids peel and stick all while improving grasp.

Scrunching tissue paper is a crowd-pleaser. Add some glue on a paper plate and you can make crafty flowers or rainbows. Be creative! Not so creative I have a kit for you:


I love stamps! They develop the force required to make marks on paper and they are fun! It's a fool proof activity with very little stress that many kids are willing to do.

Build! Squeeze! Pinch! All of these activities strengthen hands and fingers. Kid Knex, Peg Domino and Lite Brite are just 3 examples of the many games out there that use these three hand strengthening techniques.

When kids have enough hand strength and force I move on to using utensils. I love Zoo Sticks! Try picking up small toys to work the fingers needed on a pencil.

Kids are often more willing to use a paintbrush or even a q-tip to paint before they will write or draw. I like making crafts or watercolors to promote a grasp on a tool.

Other "pre-writing" activities my clients enjoy are Spirograph and drawing shapes in sand.

Practicing writing on a vertical surface with dry erase markers. The vertical surface places the hand in a great position and because the board is easily erased kids don't take their mistakes to heart. Keep in mind that dry erase markers are slippery and don't give resistance but the goal here is exploring making marks and holding a tool. I often start with shapes and early drawing such as faces.

 

Finally ready to draw with a crayon and make letters? Stay tuned for my next blog for tips and tricks

 

What are your chid's favorite grasping games. I would love to hear from you!

I decided to call my blog "Miss Donna's OT Tips and Tricks" because when I began my OT career in New Orleans the kids always called me Miss Donna. I found it sweet and endearing. Once in a while kids in NYC will call me that as well. I love it because it reminds me of where I started and how much I have learned since I began this amazing career.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the changing leaves and my favorite holidays are in the Fall (including my birthday). The smells of pumpkin treat, the apple picking and cider donuts all make me so happy!

This week I began creating Halloween crafts with my clients. Crafting is fun and therapeutic. It  addresses many OT related goals including:
executive functioning
fine motor skills
attention to task
tactile exploration
feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment

Here are some of the most successful Fall crafts I did this week:

Kids love to cook and especially bake and who doesn't?! This week I made some Halloween themed cupcakes and Spooky houses with my own children. They loved it. The spooky house was purchased at Trader Joes.

 Another fun activity this week was exploring "gross" items to improve tactile exploration. You can find some rubber eyes balls and creatures at Michael's craft store. Its fun to stretch and pull on their limbs. Use those "pincher" fingers to pull and twist. Sometimes I use tweezers to pick up the creatures and work on grasp.

 Remember these magnetic drawing boards from the 80's? Kids still enjoy them and it motivates them to hold a writing tool.

                                  

 My daughter found this fun bat shadow painting craft online. The kids loved it and the result was cool and creepy. Many times Pinterest is my friend, there are so many great ideas on there! Here is the link to the  project https://www.pinterest.com/pin/74872412532930011/

This Jack--o-lantern was another great Pinterest find and so easy! Here is the link to the instructions https://www.pinterest.com/pin/189925309265081759/

The kids LOVED throwing this Wacky crawler "spider". Its supposed to be an octopus but I got creative. Throw it on the wall and watch it "crawl down".  They didn't even realize they were working on throwing skills and visual tracking! Its creepy too!

                                

I have linked where to buy and find all the activities mentioned above for you! What are your favorite Halloween and Fall activities? I would love to hear from you.