Our plan this week is based around our Christmas Trail game, which encourages children to explore cause and effect and to improve range of motion. And there’s only a week left till Christmas so this will be our last therapy session of fun activity ideas to tell you about until then! (If you’re looking for more ideas and missed our last 2 therapy ideas posts, you can find them here and here.)
Christmas Trail – Game #3:
We suggest you start off playing Timocco’s Christmas Trail game – see if the child can spot all the different icons – there are a few cuddly pets wearing Santa hats, a bag of gifts, a candy cane and a Christmas Tree. I’ve left one out – can they find which one?
After a few minutes of game play the next activity we’d like to suggest is playing with a Gymnastics Ribbon – creating shapes and movement on the floor or in the air encourages gross arm and body movements, while the patterns made by the ribbon’s motion can help to aid a child’s visual perception.
Another activity that’s fun is playing with a Flashlight – turn off the lights and encourage the child to explore the room with the light, either from a static point or while moving around the room. You can also ask the child to follow the light around the room, or to look for specific images that might be on the ceiling or walls – glow in the dark stars are always fun! This may also be an opportunity for the child to understand how to turn the flashlight on and off.
Lastly, and always a fun activity (at least until it’s time to clean up the mess) – Painting! We suggest getting a piece of cardboard, using a paintbrush and different size sponges so the child can maximize the tactile and sensory experience.
And that’s it from our team of in-house OTs for now – we hope you’ve enjoyed the exercises they’ve suggested, have a very happy holiday and if you’d like to leave feedback below about the activities we’d be very happy to hear from you!
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