Occupational Therapy Activities for Visual Perceptual Skills and Following Directions

Occupational therapy activities are fun activities that help children with visual perceptual skills, motor skills, sensory processing, and many more areas of need!   Here is a simple and wonderful activity for working on a variety of skills, including visual perception, motor planning skills, and following directions.

Materials needed:

1 foam board or thin piece of plywood
Chalk Paint
Colored Chalk
Scrap pieces of felt
Popsicle sticks
Matchbox car

Paint the board and let it dry for 3 days. Use the colored chalk to draw any arrangements of roads. Decorate the board with signs and other fun ideas using felt pieces and Popsicle sticks.

This activity addresses multiple skills. Have the student maneuver the car to a destination that you give either verbally or written. You can also give specific directions (verbally or written), For example, "take the first left, then the second right, go straight at the stop sign and park beside the tree." The board can be made more elaborate to include tunnels (made from 1/2 of of a toilet paper roll), houses, and bridges. As you see, the activity can be graded up or down, based on the child's abilities!

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The project above was completed by one of our Master's of Occupational Therapy students at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center and posted with permission.

Pediatric OT Tips is Celebrating One Million Pageviews!!!

Pediatric OT Tips recently passed 1,000,0000 pageviews! 

To celebrate, I gave away 5 copies of my parenting book, "Retro Baby." I messaged each winner via Facebook, so be sure to check your inbox if you signed up for the drawing!

 

Here's a Tip: Have Fun with Qtips during therapy!

The UTHSC Masters of OT students recently completed a number of awesome media projects! For the assignment, each student was given the name of a common household item.  They were instructed to design a creative, appropriate therapy activity for a patient with a specific diagnosis. They did an amazing job! This media project was submitted by Emma.

Common household object - Qtip.    

Children typically enjoy doing an arts and crafts project.  Here are some examples of fun pictures that she can make with the Qtips for different times throughout the year.  Examples included a skeleton for Halloween, snowflakes for winter, and a heart for Valentine’s Day.   

Supplies that are needed are construction paper, Q tips, and glue. 

Skills Used:

In order to pick up the Q tips, a child will need to use a pincer grasp. This activity will help improve manipulative skills and eye-hand coordination. This activity can be made more challenging by having the child cut the Qtips independently.  Generally, I would have them already cut for her before therapy started. 

The project above was completed by one of our Master's of Occupational Therapy students at
 The University of Tennessee Health Science Center and posted with permission.

Browse my blog for more craft activities for kids! 

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Tennis Ball Mania!!! Therapy on a Shoe String Budget

The UTHSC Masters of OT students recently completed a number of awesome media projects! For the assignment, each student was given the name of a common household item.  They were instructed to design a creative, appropriate therapy activity for a patient with a specific diagnosis. They did an amazing job! This media project was submitted by Rochelle. Her common house hold item was a tennis ball!

Materials Needed:

Tennis Ball

Colorful Sharpies

Coins or Buttons

Decorative Pieces of Choice (markers, stick-on eyes, etc.)       

Directions:

-Cut a mouth in the tennis ball

-Decorate the ball

-Hold the ball with one hand
-Open the mouth by squeezing the ball
-Place coins or buttons in the mouth using the opposite hand

This activity addresses fine motor skills, bilateral skills, hand strength & motor coordination and addresses tactile awareness while providing proprioceptive input.

The project above was completed by one of our Master's of Occupational Therapy students at
 The University of Tennessee Health Science Center and posted with permission.

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Easy Activity for Following Directions: Therapy on a Shoestring Budget

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Masters of Occupational Therapy students recently completed a number of awesome media projects! For the assignment, each student was given the name of a common household item.  They were instructed to design a creative, appropriate therapy activity for a patient with a specific diagnosis. They did an amazing job! This first media project was submitted by Megan. Her common house hold item was a sponge!

Items Needed:
 Scissors

Different Colors of Kitchen Sponges

A Variety of Drinking Cups in Different Colors and Sizes

 

 

 Use a marker to form various shapes on the sponges and cut out each shape.

Tell the child which sponge (blue circle, red square, etc) to pick up and where to place it (under the red cup, next to the green cup, inside the yellow cup, etc.). This activity addresses memory, spatial relations and following directions. 

Posted with permission of the students

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Weighted Scoop Plate Tray: Therapy on a Shoestring Budget!

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Masters of Occupational Therapy students recently completed a number of awesome media projects!

For the assignment, each student was given the name of a common household item.  They were instructed to design a creative, appropriate therapy activity for a patient with a specific diagnosis. They did an amazing job! This first media project was submitted by Zann. Her common house hold item was a cereal box!

Weighted Scoop Plate Tray

Assistive Device:

o   A weighted food tray with attachable scoop plates on the sides so that the patient will be able to scoop food that he cannot pick up the conventional way.

Use:

o   This will be used to assist patients in eating food during the early stages of his recovery. This scoop plate tray provides a larger surface area to scoop food upwards. The tray is also weighted for patients who are unable to stabilize the plate. 

Materials used:

o   Large size cereal box

o   Rocks (or any other heavy material)

o   Velcro

o   Paper towel roll (empty)

o   Plates

o   Duck tape (optional: if patient desires)

This device can be easily decorated to fit the client’s interest with duck tape or contact paper! 

The project above was completed by one of our Master's of Occupational Therapy students at
 The University of Tennessee Health Science Center and posted with permission.

Therapy Services for Torticollis

      Does your baby have a flat spot on the side or back of this head? The medical terms for these conditions are plagiocephaly and brachycephaly. Positional plagiocephaly means “oblique head.” When baby’s head is viewed from above, the shape of the head has a parallelogram appearance. This is caused by pressure that has occurred to one side of baby’s head. Positional brachycephaly happens when a baby has spent to much time positioned on his back, often lying against a plastic surface, such as a carseat. The pressure from prolonged positioning like this causes the back of the head to flatten unevenly, resulting in a short and wide head shape. The height of the back of the head may also be high.

Flat spots on the head occur because the skull bone of an infant is soft and flexible, allowing for the brain growth that happens early in life. When a baby stays one position for too long with her head resting against a firm surface, the pressure from that surface prevents the skull from developing into a normal shape.

 

This is a nice position for holding your baby, and it takes pressure off of the head. 

In some cases, babies prefer sleeping or sitting with their head turned in one direction, because of tight muscles on one side of the neck. When a baby spends too much time with his head turned to one side, he can also develop acquired torticollis. In this condition, the neck muscles shorten on one side due to the position of the head. Baby’s neck turns in a twisted position and pulls his head to one side. His chin typically points to the other side. Torticollis contributes to flat head syndrome because baby’s head is typically turned in the same direction, and causes pressure against the side of the head. Acquired torticollis can be treated with stretching exercises from a physical or occupational therapist in conjunction with a home program carried out by the parents. If you suspect your infant has torticollis, consult with your pediatrician immediately. If your physician has ordered therapy for torticollis and you live in the Memphis, Tennessee area, feel free to contact me about therapy services. 

For information about therapy services for an infant who has acquired torticollis, click HERE, then click on the contact tab in the upper right hand corner of the page.

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