60+ holiday gift ideas for kids that boost brain development
Searching for holiday gift ideas that will promote fine motor, gross motor or sensory motor skills? Are you a professional working with families that are wanting recommendations for gifts that will help promote their child’s development? Want toys that will stand the test of time and get played with for longer than 5 minutes? As a pediatric Occupational Therapist here are my top brain-boosting toy pics for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The best part…just click the Amazon link below the image and you’ll be done with your holiday shopping in a jiffy!
7 Family-friendly OT Assessments for Early Intervention
Best practice in Early Intervention entails a family-focused approach to intervention. Does your current assessment process align with this? Read this blog post to learn about 7 family-friendly OT assessments that allow you to partner with families right from the start. The best part…all of these assessments are teletherapy-compatible!
Getting started in Early Intervention as an Occupational Therapist
Looking to get started in Early Intervention as an Occupational Therapist? This post covers all the things you need to know about getting started in Early Intervention including the role of the Early Intervention Occupational Therapist and 9 tips and resources every new Early Intervention OT needs to know before they start their first job.
5 tips to simplify the transition from therapist to parent coach
Parent coaching IS best practice in the field of Occupational Therapy when working with young children. But, it’s not something we were taught in school. It takes time and practice to become an effective parent coach. Read on to find out 5 of the best things you can do to start coaching your families to success today!
50+ ways to rock your Early Intervention Teletherapy sessions
Becoming comfortable performing Early Intervention teletherapy (or in-person) sessions can take lots of practice and planning. Read on to find inspiration on how to focus your Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, or Speech therapy Early Intervention sessions. Parent coach for success and find activity ideas for your littlest learners. Don’t forget your free printables explaining the Early Intervention coaching process to share with your families!
How to rock your Early Intervention interview
Whether you’re looking to land your first or last Early Intervention position, read this blog post to get prepared for that important Early Intervention interview. Whether you’re an Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Speech Therapist or other Early Childhood specialist, you’ll find important tips and information below to make sure you rock your next interview and land the job of your dreams!
Winter Animal Slide Deck
Looking for something fun to capture your toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners during Teletherapy sessions? Need a brain break from learning at home? Check out this winter animal slide deck to work on visual perceptual, sensory motor, gross motor, expressive and receptive language skills and more.
73 Backyard Activities to keep kids busy all summer
Summer is here! Are you prepared to keep the kids occupied at home? Read on to get ideas for backyard activities to keep the kids busy and actively learning through play all summer. They will build important foundational skills for their body and brain all while having fun! Don’t forget to grab the free checklist printable to post on the refrigerator!
20+ Low-prep March book activities to promote motor skills
Find simple fine motor, gross motor, and sensory-motor activities to pair with some fun books for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged kids. Perfect for several themes in March including St. Patrick’s Day, Read Across America Day, and Spring. Save prep time while working on a variety of developmental skills. Perfect for teletherapy, virtual learning, face-to-face therapy sessions, or while homeschooling.
Play to learn: Things that go!
Children love to move! Children NEED to move! Learning through play is so much fun when toys naturally encourage movement and allow children to use their creativity and build so many brain development skills. Pick your child’s favorite transportation toy (cars, boats, planes) and try some of these fun activities. These are also great activities to select for in-person or teletherapy sessions.
Play to Learn: 30 Fun Ball activities for kids
The best toys are ones that can be played with over and over again and can be used in a variety of ways! Learning through play is easy when you have simple toys that can be adapted for children of all ages. Read on to find some fun ball activities to try at home or during in-person or teletherapy sessions.
Play to Learn: 30 Block activities kids will love
The best toys are the ones that can be used many ways by children at different ages and stages of development. Read on to find a list of ways to play to learn using blocks. Great for in-person OT sessions or coaching during teletherapy sessions too!
11 Skills children must master before they talk
Learning to talk is a complicated process! As Early Intervention therapists, it’s important that we understand the steps that lead up to this huge milestone so we know how to support the families and children we serve.
5 Things Every Therapist Should Know About Running Mom & Baby Classes
Are you an Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Speech Therapist or other early childhood professional that has a passion for helping new parents and babies get off to the best start possible? If so, read on to find out how your skillset could be put to use by running mom and baby classes in your community.
5 things every EI therapist needs know about treating NICU graduates
Working with NICU babies and families entails a special, integrated approach. Read more in this post about 5 considerations every Early Intervention therapist should know when working with NICU graduates.
Supporting babies and toddlers with vision impairments
Learn more about the signs of vision impairment in babies and toddlers, professionals that support babies and toddlers with vision impairment and how to get Early Intervention supports whether you’re a parent or professional.
Christmas Peek-a-boo Game: A fun virtual game
Looking for a fun Christmas game to do with your toddler, preschooler or kindergarten students? Check out this Christmas slide deck to work on visual perceptual, sensory motor, communication, gross motor skills and more. The best part…this one is sent to you in a hyperlink that can be shared with students using any device, even if they are doing therapy on a smart phone.
Holiday themed Book Activities for toddlers and preschoolers: Perfect for Teletherapy
Are you looking for some new ideas this holiday season to keep your OT, PT or speech teletherapy sessions fun? Or maybe you’re a teacher or parent and need some new ideas for virtual learning and homeschooling. Check out these holiday themed lesson plans inspired by some favorite holiday books perfect for toddlers and preschoolers that pair a fine motor, sensory motor and gross motor activity to pack in some developmental learning too!
3 Easy Self-Care tips for busy therapists
As pediatric therapists, we care so much about the health and well-being of our clients. Our jobs can be so rewarding but also stressful. You can only begin to be truly helpful when you care for your own emotional well-being too and practice good self-care. Read this post to learn about 3 quick and easy tips for self-care even the busy therapist has time for. Perfect tips for getting you ready for your teletherapy sessions or for some reflection when they’re over.
Developing Sensory Motor Skills with Books!
Books are not just for reading! They can develop many other developmental skills that children need for learning. Read this post to find ways to promote sensory motor, gross motor and fine motor skills with young children through books. Don’t miss the additional resources that are shared to help therapists, teachers and parents use books to develop children’s motor skills.