#OTLifeHack

During the month of July, The American Occupational Therapy Association is encouraging therapists and students to share their #OTLifeHack ideas on social media. AOTA describes a life hack as:

"any trick, shortcut, skill, or new method that solves an everyday problem."

 July has been a crazy month, so I'm just now getting around to posting on this topic. What a great idea!!! Here are a 3 of my "go to" life hacks for therapy:

Rainy Day Indoor Game Tape

On a sunny day, I love to pull out my sidewalk chalk for all sorts or therapy games. However, rainy or cold weather means therapy is likely to occur indoors. No fear! I just pull the gym tape out of my therapy bag. You can use this tape to make a bean bag toss, a hop scotch space, or whatever else comes to mind! It's simple to place and peels up easily when your session is over.

Quick and Easy Foot Rest

If your budget is tight and you're in need of a foot rest, just recycle an old phone book or a stack of magazines! Keep stacking until the footrest is tall enough. Cover the books with colorful duct tape to make the foot rest fun and durable!

                       Easy Footrest

Do it yourself Bean Bags

Have you ever wondered what to do with those "single" socks or baby booties that turn up while you're folding clothes? Here's a tip...use them to make bean bags! Just fill the bootie or sock with beans/rice or both, tuck the open end in and stitch it together. Turn the socks inside out to add a bit of texture for an added sensory experience! There's no limit to bean bag activities, so make your own set now!

#OTLifeHack, #TherapyonaShoestringBudget

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Spelling and Strengthening!!!

Do you know of a student who has finger/hand weakness, poor eye-hand coordination and weak spelling skills? If so, you may want to try this "clothespin-spelling" activity.

You'll need:

Plastic clothespins (these require more strength than the wooden ones)
Sticker/Label Paper
Computer
Paint stick or ruler

 Print all of the letters needed for the spelling words using 26 - 28 font size on sticky-back label paper. Cut out each letter and stick it on a clothespin. I like to put the same letter on both sides of the clothespin.

Call out a spelling word and instruct the child to spell the word correctly by placing each letter/clothespin in order. Once she spells the word correctly, have her "sound out" the word.  This activity is good for visual scanning, spelling, finger strengthening and eye-hand coordination.

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Motor Planning Balloon Games: Have Some Fun!!!

Suspend a balloon from the ceiling or a doorframe using a long piece of string. Have your child hit the ball while having her say or sing the A-B-C’s or while counting. For example, A- hit the balloon, B- hit the balloon, etc. You can also make this more difficult by removing the string, and having her keep the balloon in the air as long a possible by hitting it while saying the A-B-C’s. Can she get all the way through the alphabet and keep the balloon in the air? This is also a fun activity for practicing spelling words!

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