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some of these play ideas for learning can be written on a piece of paper (or a picture on a piece of paper if the child is not able to read) and the "play" ideas put in a "Rewards" jar, then you do play therapy as a reward!
Activities to Improve Learning through Enhancing Body Image and Tactile Processing
- General
- Dress up play
- Act out nursery rhymes (or favorite cartoons)
- Use a mirror in room in conjunction with a variety of activities
- Sand and water table activities
- Rice, beans, cornmeal, cotton in bins or trays for tactile play
- Shaving cream, pudding, “slime”, play dough, finger paints, and other textured play activities
- Bubble play: use a large pan to hold bubble liquid and explore with a variety of bubble makers; slotted spoons, sieve, hoops, paper cups with bottom cut out.
Recipe for bubbles: 2 T. Dawn, 1 T. glycerin, ˝ t. sugar, 1 C. water
- Corn flakes (to walk on and smush) in bins or on large tarp
- Deep pressure games: pushing or pulling activities (e.g., pushing shopping carts, box cars, pulling wagons) carrying weighted objects (e.g., sack of pretend potatoes while playing store, stacking weighted blocks)
- Rolling games: across mats, rolling up rolling down, add texture to rolling surface such as cardboard, foam mattress, Styrofoam pieces, packing peanuts, bubble wrap.
- Lotion rub on arms, legs, feet, hands (child can do for self children can do for each other, or adult can do for child)
- Finger and or feet painting activities
- Body painting with water or lotion (experiment with a variety of brushes: big, small, firm, soft, roller style…)
- Obstacle course games – be creative: under, through, over, around….
- Wet sponge activities: wringing, squeezing, cleaning board, table sponge painting, sponge paint with water on sidewalk
- Large box play; use to crawl through like tunnels or cut out portions to climb in and out
- Provide cardboard boxes to build with
- Sheet or parachute play: hide under, run under, walk on top while others make waves
- Music / movement activities: activity records or tapes, musical chairs, Simon says, Peas Porridge Hot, Freeze Statue, Angels-in-the-Snow
- Roll ball along wall using body against ball (can make ball go up, down, right, left – Use legs and feet, arms and hands, belly back etc.)
- Hyper reactive (over – active) *when wound up or upset*
- Wilbarger’s brushing technique
- Have child lay down and roll up in a blanket, similar to swaddling and infant (deep pressure)
- Play sandwich, hot dog, pr pizza: child lies under a small bean bag chair and pretends to be the pizza crust under the pepperoni; child lies under a small mat and pretends to be the meat of the sandwich; child lies on tummy on mat while therapist rolls therapy ball over child to apply condiments to hot dog
- Slowly roll therapy ball over a child when the child is on tummy or have the child lie on his / her tummy on top of the therapy ball and slowly rock the ball forward / backward / side to side
- Weighted cuffs or vests worn during activities
- Somersaults or other tumbling activities on mats in a gross motor area
- Incorporate deep pressure activities into songs or games: e.g., child places hands on top of his own head and applies pressure to Simon says requests. Child pushes against immovable or resistive object: e.g., one child pushes another in a box for a relay race, or pulls child in a wagon (Adult supervision required)
- Tug – of – War
- Dycem (a commercially available non - skid mat), foam cushion or textured pad in child’s seat
- Shorten activities to accommodate short attention spans
- Use activities as a game – you get exercise too
3. Hypoactive (hypo reactive, under active) * when playing by self to get child involved & interactive
- Jumping games
- Resistive games: box relay race, wagon activities pulling peers in wagon, large heavier blocks, etc.
- Tug – of – War
- Quick changes incorporated into game or movement activity: quick changes in direction or speed as in Ring – around – the Rosie or Freeze Statue
- Hoppity Hop
- Inner tube games: jumping, bouncing, or side stepping on large inflated inner tube
- Musical Chairs
- Bend over and look under legs incorporated into games e.g., pass the ball
- Have the child lie on their tummy for some of the daily activities
Activities which Facilitate Learning by Enhancing Motor Planning Skills / Body Concept and Awareness
- Dress up (use mirror)
- Set up equipment / environments which encourage exploration
- Gardening activities
- Box races: pushing and pulling, one foot in and one foot out of the box, one foot in one box the other foot in another box as if skating
- Snack time: spreading, pouring from a small pitcher, stirring, opening etc.
- Use transition time to follow fun directions (when moving from one area to another; hop to, put hands on hips, everyone with blue on stand up, everyone who had cereal for breakfast, if you can hear my voice touch your nose….)
- Playing any variety of tactile / texture games (see general activities for enhancing body image and tactile processing)
- Allow child to try new skills, even if they make a mess
- Avoid forcing a child if afraid or refuses to participate in an activity. Try modifying the activity so the child can find success. Some examples might include: allowing a child to push a swing when fearful of swinging, allowing a child to dispense the shaving cream when reluctant to put his hands into it, or pulling the wagon when fearful of riding in it.
- Allow classroom equipment to be used in creative and imaginative ways
- During gross motor play, PE., therapy time, or outside play have the child lie on tummy on scooter board and use a rolling pin to hit a suspended ball
- Crawl through body bridges
Activities Which Improve Learning through Enhancing Movement / Vestibular Processing
- Outdoor play is a very natural and effective way to encourage movement and vestibular experiences.
--- Use your playground: supervise and use equipment approperiate for child in size and design: swings, slides. Jungle gyms, merry – go – rounds, tricycles, bicycles, wagons, scooters or skateboards, hoppity hops
- Rolling games are great and encourage motor planning and vestibular experiences.
--- Up a hill / down a hill
--- Rolling up in a blanket, rolling across a carpet or grass
- Encourage crawling, crab walking, wheelbarrow walking, running, jumping, climbing
- Provide a variety of riding type toys
- Use gross motor area in the classroom: Set up mats on floor in a specified area for exploring, rolling, somersaults, movement games, hoppity hop, scooter board obstacle course, and crawling through tunnels
Treatment Activity Suggestions
TACTILE:
- Use brushes that provide different types of light touch, e.g., paint brushes, scrub brushes, bathroom brushes etc.
- Use other equipment that provides pressure, i.e. paint rolls, elastic bands, rolling child inside a sheet, etc.
- Cover equipment with interesting textures: carpets, towels, etc.
- Have activities that provide tactile input on the child’s entire body, i.e. container with balls or Styrofoam, sand, big soft pillows, etc.
- When inside a container full of balls, encourage the child to actively move and change positions by asking him to find a hidden object, by slightly moving the container, etc.
- Provide activities that encourage discrimination, i.e.: objects inside a bin full of beans, sand or Styrofoam.
- Use shaving cream, powder, finger paint, lotion, soap gel, etc. and encourage fine motor coordination and tactile discrimination, by dipping fingers into substance and “writing” on the skin.
- Pretend shaving face or applying clown make up and encourage the child to apply tactile input on their face. Use a mirror.
- Encourage localization of tactile input, use stickers on arms or legs and encourage the child to find them.
- Have a box with different textures that is easy to pull out and incorporate into other activities. Include vibrators, feathers, and some of the material mentioned above.
- Have different types of vibrators – use them to make designs on the child’s back.
- Look for commercially available tactile discrimination games, e.g., tactile dominos, tactile puzzle, etc.
- Provide play dough that offers different textures and resistance, e.g., home made, silly putty, therapy putty, slime, etc.
- Play games where child needs to move through different textured equipment, i.e. small tunnel made with carpeted equipment etc.
- Use battery operated toothbrush, regular toothbrushes, different food consistencies, etc. to provide tactile input in the oral area.
Proprioceptive / Kinesthetic:
- Use weights during the session. Have a weighted jacket, bean bags of different weights, etc.
- Use the opportunity when in need to move the equipment, and ask the child to help pushing, pulling and lifting.
- Encourage proprioceptive input through co contraction: wheel barrel, quadruped, prone on elbow. Make sure it is active co contraction, and move the child lightly to activate muscle participation.
- Push and pull games: push therapist while they are sitting on scooter board, tug of war.
- Use trapeze but make sure that the child is actively holding on.
- Provide play dough that offers high resistance: therapy putty can be helpful.
- When riding a moving piece of equipment, provide uneven vestibular stimulation, i.e. jerky, bumpy road, etc. so the child needs to co contract.
- Use inner tubes in games such as “bumper cars” or rolling inside a stack of inner tubes, to provide proprioceptive and tactile input.
- Have equipment that children can use to climb up, i.e. steep soft ramp leaned against the wall, ropes, ladders, etc.
Motor Planning:
- Simple motor planning activities. i.e. pumping swing, walking up a ramp, climbing, getting in an out of equipment, kicking a balloon while swinging, rolling etc.
- Whole body activities, i.e. rolling up a ramp, moving through boxes, obstacle course made with equipment, jumping over a line, maneuvering through space on a scooter, pushing or pulling equipment across the room, jumping into tire, swinging on a trapeze, etc.
- Games, e.g., twister, follow the leader, find the treasure following a map, follow instructions from a card, pretend to walk like an animal, make a letter of the alphabet with your body, “Simon says”, soccer, bumper cars using tire swings, etc.
- Oral praxis activities, i.e. blowing soap bubbles, blowing cotton balls across a table, etc.
Occupational Therapy Tactile Program
INSTRUCTIONS: Do only what the child would tolerate. Tolerance develops gradually. Only give the child what they can tolerate pleasantly. Over stimulation results in aggressive behavior, crying and an increased activity level. Repeat sections 1 and 2 on the extremities until the child tolerates all activities well.
- One time a day do one of the following activities for at least 5 minutes.
· Soak hands and feet in warm water.
· Rub hands / arms or legs / feet with lotion, powder, wet washcloth or dry washcloth.
· Finger paint with paint, shaving cream or pudding with hands or feet.
· Rub hands / arms or legs / feet with satin, cotton, netting, brush, eraser, wool, foam, or carpet.
· Crawl on carpet squares, set out in a pattern, or walk barefoot on carpet squares.
· Wrap up in a blanket and rock back and forth.
· Blow hot air from a hair dryer or a hand dryer in the bathroom onto the arms and legs.
· Squeeze hand grippers.
· Pick up various small objects and drop into a smaller container (Cheerio’s, popcorn kernels, coins, pegs)
· Feely boxes – find objects in boxes that are hidden in the following items: marbles, popcorn, paper pieces, cotton, gravel, straw pieces, putty or slime, Styrofoam pieces and sand.
- One time a day do one of the following for at least 5 minutes.
- Putty exercises or play with clay or salt dough.
- Play with toy boats in water.
- Dress up in clothes of different fabric.
- Make “slime”.
- Make no bake cookies, ice cream, milk shakes etc.
- Wash dishes.
- Sort coins.
- Throw bean bags into box.
- Sand a wood project.
- Sort shapes of different textures by touching if possible.
- Tactile collage, use different fabrics.
- Make a jack – o – lantern and scoop out seeds with hands.
- Plant seeds.
- Glue glitter on pine cones.
- Clean blackboard.
- Wash desk / counters.
- Make snowballs.
- Eat a popsicle.
- Theraband exercises.
- Play ball with balls of different fabrics.
- Suggest that the child wear clothing of a variety of textures.
jen....hello i am a mother of 5 with the oldest being 22 and my baby being 2 yes i started over..lol.... my daughter christa is 2 and was diag. with PDD a year ago.... still dont know that much about it i learn something new everyday... she started out non verbal but with the help of a progran called EARLY STEPS she has a teacher that comes once a week and she now has a wonderful vocabulary... i guess our biggest milestone to overcome is her NO FEAR and NO sensory ..... meaning that a spanking doesnt fear her at all she has no concept that it is suppose to hurt... and has no fear of anything which i have to keep an eye on her at all times... she loves to explore, the best advice i can give to u is always involve ur child in anything the family does and do not treat the child as if he or she is "ill" ( if u know what i mean) i wish u the best of luck and hope to get to chat with u soon.
elaine SPANKINGS UPSET OUR KIDS BOTH MORE. Even if your child does fear spanking IMO it should never be used for a child with a disability period. I have never spanked my NT child either (felt like it but wouldn't do it)
AWESOME stuff MsSteelersFan...
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