The Small (But Fun) Stuff!

Goody Bag Bar at Hiho Batik

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, finding small presents is a necessity during the holiday season.  For me, filling an advent calendar and stockings are so much fun.  I love finding little treasures because I know how much my daughter loves them.  I was actually in Hiho Batik, a local clothing and gift store in Park Slope, recently and saw they have a Goody Bag Bar but all of the little gifts would make wonderful stocking stuffers as well.  They have a fantastic selection of little gifts (think lip gloss, bouncy balls, modeling clay, etc.) you can stock up on.  If you are local, I highly recommend checking it out.  I know that I am going to be hitting them up to find some special treasures for a lot of the special little kids in my life.

Finding little gifts that aren't junk can be a real challenge.  If you are like me, you don't want to just buy stuff for the sake of buying it.  The good news is that there are actually a lot of quality small and inexpensive gifts out there.  I have tried to include items that are good for kids of all ages and don't take up a lot of room (being a New Yorker, I appreciate the importance of real estate and not having your space taken over by your kid's toys!).  Each of the items I have featured below are guaranteed to be lots of fun but, at the same time, offer some kind of educational and therapeutic value.  Lastly, I have tried to suggest things that are priced under $10 (most but not all fit into this last category).

Here are some of my favorite little gifts for this year:
Rainbow Loom Finger Loom-even though it seems like more of a summer thing, I love therapeutic value of the Rainbow Loom.  When I found the Finger Loom this summer, I was super excited.  This little bracelet maker is perfect for throwing in a baggie with a bunch of your child's favorite colored bands.  Perfect for working in fine motor development, eye-hand coordination, focus, attention and organizational skills.
Discovery Putty-I can't love this putty more by Fun and Function.  More importantly, the kids I work with couldn't love it more and it does so many great things for them.  There are now 4 different putties to choose from (school supplies, transportation, treats and animal rescue).  There are about a dozen or so small pieces hidden in the putty and the kids have to search through find them.  Once they find them all, you can have them hide the pieces again for the next person.  This is great for working on strengthening and fine motor control.  Also great for working on speech and language development.
Moulin Roty Transfers-I remember the sticker transfers when I was a kid and was so excited to see my friends at Norman and Jules had a couple of sets....a city setting and a farm setting.  Great for working on improving fine motor skills such as grasping and strength, bilateral coordination and executive functioning skills like organization, planning, focus and attention.  I have been experimenting with different tools to use and have found that a good pencil seems to work the best.

Kikkerland Rainbow Twirler Top-this is one of those little things I stumbled upon and didn't think much of it.  It didn't cost much and we saw some kids playing with it in the store and my daughter really wanted to try it.  This little toy is super fun and my love playing with it.  I have used it to work on improving bilateral coordination but mostly to get kids to calm down and regroup if they are getting anxious about something.  The spinning is fun to watch but what I really like is that if you go too fast it gets all tangled up.  It causes a child to really concentrate on slowing down.
Animal Poppers-I've always loved these little toys and they bring kids such joy.  My daughter and husband will play with these things for so long and end up in tears...the happy kind that come from laughing so hard!  I've used them in therapy before because they are great for improving fine motor skills, bilateral coordination and eye-hand coordination.  I have set up targets for kids to have to aim and launch the balls out which helps with improving visual attention and tracking skills.They  require a tremendous amount of focus, concentration and planning and finding fun ways to work on that with kids can be difficult.
LED Light Up Spinning Flyers-I remember this toy from growing up and have always snatched one up one I have seen one in any store.  I actually remember  making my own at some point using a large button and yarn!  It's a super simple and inexpensive gift but there are so many benefits to this toy from an OT point of view.  This particular set from Hearthsong comes with two spinners in different shapes.  It requires using bilateral coordination, focus/attention, patience and motor planning in order to get the spinner moving.  If you get it going just right, you can keep it spinning and making fun sounds for a long time.
Travel Spirograph-I love that so many of the toys that I used growing up are still around and/or
coming back after years of being shelved.  Spirograph is one of those great timeless toys that kids love today as much as we loved it years ago.  The travel set is perfect for airplane rides, long car rides or keeping your kids entertained while out to dinner.  Each set comes with 6 different wheels, two pens, a pad of paper and case that has a built in ring to put your wheels into.  Everything fits inside easily so it's easy to keep things in order and organized.  Great for working on bilateral coordination, fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination and visual motor and perceptual skills.
Rapper Snappers-also known as pop-tubes, these are a staple in almost every sensory gym I've ever worked in or visited.  A really simple toy but for some reason the kids love it.  Maybe it is the fun sound it makes when you pull it apart and push it together or the way it feels as you play with it.  Whatever it is, kids don't tire of them and they work on so many things.  Great for working on improving bilateral coordination, grasping skills, upper extremity strength and eye-hand coordination.  I will make shapes out of them and have kids copy what I did with them before we might practice drawing the shape.  Adding a hands-on, tactile experience helps kids learn things at a faster rate.
ZooSticks-I love my zoo sticks and try and use them whenever possible when working with my kids. Chopsticks are hard to use but since these are connected at the top, they are easier to use.  I will recommend parents get these for meal times when their kids are struggling with fine motor skills because they work on improving fine motor and grasping skills.  I use them all the time at the gym with the kids...whether it be picking up squishy animals or cleaning up game pieces, the ZooSticks are great for working on improving a ton of skills.  And if you find your child's favorite animal, they are so excited to use them, they don't even realize that they are doing work!

WikkiStix-this is another one of those toys that I have been using since becoming a therapist a million years ago.  Simply put, WikkiStix are wax covered pieces of yarn that can adhere to almost any smooth surface.  You can bend them into a variety of shapes and squeeze them together to make longer to make different shapes and objects.  I have used them to work on teaching children how to make shapes, letters and numbers.  They are great because they are light-weight and don't take up much room making them perfect to throw into a bag for using in restaurants, waiting before appointments, etc..  Check out these Super Wikki Stix...each strand is 3 feet in length making creating much  more exciting and fun!
Super Snow-it's winter and even though some of us get lots of natural snow, there are a lot of people who don't and want to get that wintery feeling.  Super Snow is a perfect solution for that problem and at the same time is a great sensory experience.  Simply combine water with the snow powder, stir and your snow appears.  The more you stir it, the more it shines and sparkles.  Best part is that it can be reused by spraying water on it again.  As mentioned, a great sensory experience but also great for working on bilateral coordination, strengthening (hide things in the snow and have them dig through and find it) and can improve speech and language.
Melting Snowman-I have used this at work and the kids love it!  You get a little box of white putty with all the necessary parts to build a snowman.  Once it is all together, he will melt and you have to put him back together.  Everyone thinks it is hilarious to watch him melt!  Great for working on improving fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, building grasp strength and manipulation skills, body awareness and focus and attention.  I've actually seen these sets at several of my local toy stores (Little Things in Park Slope, Stationary and Toy on the UWS of Manhattan and Mary Arnold Toys on the UES to name a few).

Jiggly Jewels-I love finding hands on activities that kids can really   interact with.  So many of the kids I work with have difficulty with feeling different kinds of textures which can cause them to have trouble in other areas (most common, using glue or paint for school activities).  Through play and exploring different sensory materials, children can actually overcome these defensive behaviors.  The important thing is to find materials that are inviting for the kids...ones that they will want to play with.  Jiggly Jewels is sensory exploration and science combined into one fun activity.  Each set comes with the supplies needed to make colored crystal cubes, fish eggs and garbled marbles.  They start off as small little beads and by adding water, they turn into the different things mentioned before.  Kids can watch them grown and then play with them (they are wet and slimy (good kinda slime feeling)).  One of the best things about this is that the whole set costs under $8!

Wacky Wally-another one of those kids toys that will bring you back in time.  This inexpensive toy is guaranteed to bring hours of fun to your little ones.  What I really love about it is that you can make this a therapeutic toy without the kids knowing they are working on occupational therapy goals.  In our gym, we have this mirror that takes up the whole entire wall and I have the kids throw these sticky creatures at different targets.  Great for working on improving visual motor and perceptual skills, eye-hand coordination, motor planning and organization and upper extremity strength. With a price tag of about $5 or $6, you won't feel bad or poor buying a couple!

I could go on and on with little toys to buy but I have to spend some time on the rest of my gift guide!  If you have any wonderful small toys or gifts that you have given in the past that have been a huge success, please share your ideas with me and my readers.  I love hearing about new toys and gifts and I know that many of my readers would probably be thrilled to have more ideas for the holiday season.  I am always a click away and appreciate and look forward to hearing from any of you with additional  toy suggestions!

Put Your Arms In The Air Like You Just Don't Care!

In an effort to make this blog more informative for my readers, I am going to begin sharing interesting and helpful blog posts that I stumble upon.  For some reason, it hadn't occurred to me until just today that if I found these articles helpful, that my readers would also feel the same way.  The internet is a wonderful resource, especially when working with children. There is a ridiculous (in the best way possible) amount of information out there to be shared with everyone.  However,trying to sift through all the information can be exhausting and time-consuming.  So thanks to Kristin, here is my first article share blog post!

Today, the mom of one of my clients sent me a great article that talked about the importance of working on a vertical surface.  It was written by Lauren Drobjnak, a pediatric therapist and mother who began The Inspired Treehouse with her colleagues in order to share playful activities for children that promote development and wellness.  Their belief is that if kids are given a little help, they can build strong and healthy bodies and minds through play and exploration.  Do yourself a favor and check out and subscribe to their blog here...I promise you won't be disappointed by their emails.

Motor Skills and More!  Working on a Vertical Surface is a quick, easy and informative read about

what can be achieved by working on a vertical surface.  Some of you may be asking "What is a vertical surface!?!?".  Simply put, a vertical surface is a chalkboard or an easel... a surface that is on an incline that requires a child to have to raise their arms in order to write on it.  It is something that requires upper body strength and endurance.  When I was growing up, there was a chalkboard in every classroom I entered.  Daily, I was asked to go up and answer a math question or write the answer to a teacher's question on that board.  I never would have imagined that that simple task, something that seems so "normal" to so many of us, would be something that isn't really part of a kid's school routine these days.  Nowadays, we have the SmartBoard or a dry erase board in classrooms.  You may not sneeze because of all the dust from the chalk, but it will serve the same purpose in writing on a raised surface and sharing information with your classmates.

Whenever I am asked by parents about what can be done at home to help support our work in therapy, one of the first things I suggest is to get an easel.  Living in NYC, some parents worry that they don't have the space for a large and bulky object...space is limited and we all know that kids come needing a lot of things to keep them busy!  For those parents, I suggest that they get a chalkboard or a dry erase board that can be mounted to the back of a door or the wall of a bedroom.

Working on a vertical surface can be beneficial for children of all ages, especially those who need to work on increasing core strength and postural stability.  Depending on the height of the working surface, you can have a child kneel, stand or sit on a therapy ball to draw, paint or write.  Another great thing about working on the vertical is that it is ideal for working on improving bilateral coordination skills.  I have kids hold a piece of paper up with one hand while using their other to hold the writing instrument.  This article talks about playing with stencils to also work on developing skills.  Please click here to learn about all the other benefits of working on the vertical that Lauren Drobjnak talks about.  

Fort those of you wondering what kind of vertical surfaces would be good for you and your home, I have provided a few suggestions below.
Chalkboard Wallie (Extra Large)-these extra large panels can easily be repositioned and placed wherever is most convenient/space allows.  Hang on the refrigerator, the back of a door or in a playroom.  I have one of their smaller versions hanging in my kitchen and my daughter has loved drawing pictures and practicing writing her letters on it.  They are easy to clean and can be used with any kind of chalk.  Be sure to hang them up in a way that makes your child have to have their arms extended in order to work on increasing upper body strength.

Dry Erase Board-there are a lot of dry erase boards to choose from that will work on all of the things mentioned in Motor Skills and More!  Working on a Vertical Surface.  I have always been partial to this one by The Container Store simply because it takes up no room at all and is easy to hang up.  It can go on the back of a door, inside a closet or wherever you happen to have the space for.   Also, another important thing, it is very reasonably priced!

Artist's Portrait Easel-if you happen to have the real estate in your apartment for a real deal easel, don't look any further than this one by Land Of Nod.  When my mother asked me what she could get my daughter for a Christmas gift one year, this was the one and only thing that came to mind.  It's been a favorite of Quinn's for years and has gotten so much use since it was gifted to her.  My favorite thing about this easel is that while it is large, it isn't bulky.  It can be folded up and set against a wall without taking up too much space.  Another great feature is that it is double-sided and can be used for many things.  One side has a chalkboard while the other has a dry-erase board.  That's not all...at the top you will find a place to hold a roll of paper for drawing with crayons or markers or paintbrush or finger-painting.  A bonus factor.....it's modern and sleek looking.

Backpack Slant Board-Fun and Function, one of my favorite therapeutic catalogues, has a variety of slant boards to choose from.  I recommend slant boards for many of the older kids I work with for homework time.  Slant boards are great because they don't take up a lot of room.  This one I have
suggested is even better because it can easily fold up and fit into a child's backpack making it easy for them to transport back and forth with them.  The most important thing about using a slant board for kids with graphomotor difficulties is that the design of a slant board automatically puts the wrist in an extended position, thus encouraging hand stabilization for greater ease in controlling writing instruments.  I don't only use this for handwriting/grasphomotor activities...when using an iPad in therapy, I will put the iPad on it to accomplish the same thing.

Thank you to The Inspired Treehouse for this wonderful and informative article!  I hope you all find this as helpful as I did!

The Small Stuff

Each year, I put together a gift guide for the holidays.  I put hours and hours into this guide.  This is something that takes a a ton of research...they are occupational therapist approved and kid tested toys.  

I am almost done putting the 2014 gift guide together (there was a bit of a technological snafoo and a lot of the work I put into this year's guide was lost) but thought I would give you all a sneak peak.

Some of the hardest gifts to find are those small ones that you need to fill the stocking, advent calendar or to cover the 8 nights of Hanukkah.  These are actually some of my most favorite gifts to look for and share with people.  These gifts are the ones that kids tend to use the most because they can be thrown in a backpack when traveling, used while sitting in a doctor's office or between therapy sessions.  

Discovery Putty-it's rare for me to suggest a toy from a therapeutic catalogue so you have to understand the aweseomeness of this product for it to make the cut.  Discovery Putty is the best....THE BEST!  Kids at my gym LOVE it and don't even understand that they are working on SO many occupational therapy goals when playing with it.  I've spent my career hiding things in theraputty to work on increasing grasp strength.  Kids got bored pretty quickly with the coins I would stick in the putty.  When I found Discovery Putty things changed.  Kids love looking through the putty to find the different treats or animals hidden inside.  Rumor has it that there are two new putties coming out soon and I can't wait!  In addition to working on increasing grasp strength and fine motor skills, Discovery Putty works on improving bilateral coordination skills,
focus and attention and language skills (identifying what they have discovered in the putty). 

Crayon Stylus-this stylus is great for your little ones.  My preschool age children love using this stylus when using the iPad.  Even with my littlest of kids, I try and use a stylus whenever we use the iPad in order to practice using a proper grip on writing instruments.  Kids seem to be much less resistant when it is a fun looking stylus like this red crayon.
Retro Pen Stylus-I use the iPad a lot during my therapy sessions, especially for working on handwriting with my older kids.  I was psyched to find these mini stylus pens a few weeks ago at a local bookstore.  These pens are a perfect size for encouraging a proper grasp.  I really love that I can easily transition from working on writing letters with my kids on the iPad to paper when using this pen!

Magiclip Princess Dolls-looking for something small and magical that will be sure to make your princess loving kids happy?  Magiclip dolls are one of the most popular toys in my office.  Each doll comes with a dress that comes on and off by pinching the bottom of the dress.  There are several princesses and to choose from and all the dresses fit on all the other dolls.  Great for working on fine motor skills such as improving grasp strength, bilateral coordination and manipulation skills.  

PopToobs-PopToobs or rapper snappers, whatever you call them, they are awesome!  I have been using these since I started my career as on occupational therapist.  They are great for working on improving grasp strength, bilateral coordination and motor planning skills.  Kids love them for their bright colors and the fun sounds they make as you pull them apart and push them together.  

ZooSticks-I have been using these kid-friendly chopsticks for years and years.  Not only are they great for motivating picky eaters to eat (they love using them to pick up their food), they are great for working on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills.  While working with kids during my sessions, I like to have them pick up small items using the chopsticks.  They especially love when I have little squishy animals for them to "rescue".  These come in a variety of animals, including sea creatures and farm animals.
Sticker Puzzles-one of my favorite finds this year, Lee Publications has a ton of different sticker puzzle books featuring your children's favorite characters.  Each book comes with 8 different puzzles and your child has to place the numbered stickers on a numbered grid to complete the picture.  Some of the puzzles have as few as 9 stickers and as many as 48 stickers so you can find one that is best for your child.  Great for learning, identifying and matching numbers as well as improving fine motor skills such as grasping and manipulation skills.  Also great for improving bilateral coordination, visual tracking/perceptual skills and focus and attention.  

Eeboo Pipe Cleaners-I was on the hunt for different colored and textured pipe cleaners for a Halloween project and found these pipe cleaners by Eeboo.  Each set comes with 36 pipe cleaners in 3 different colors and 4 different sizes.  They come in a ton of colors and my favorite thing is that each set also comes with a simple project on the back that your child can do.  Pipe cleaners are also great for working on teaching children how to string beads when they are struggling with using a flimsy string.  

Slingshot-not for the faint of heart and definitely targeted towards the older and more responsible of kids you are giving gifts to, this slingshot by Hella Slingshots are an awesome gift!  It's important to note that this is not a toy and something to be played with responsibly.  I highly recommend the felt slingshot ammo when using this beautifully made tool.  This is great for working on fine motor skills, improving eye hand coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and motor planning.  It should be used while supervised for younger kids and never used as a weapon ;)!  My daughter and husband loved setting up targets and knocking them down together; I loved how they talked before doing it and making a plan to best knock down their targets. In our house, the rule is that you can only use this with toys, never towards people.

As I have already mentioned, this is just a sneak peak of what is to come in the next couple of days.  These small gifts can make a big difference in the level of happiness the kids who you will be giving gifts to this year.

I know there are hundreds of other stocking stuffer/small gifts out there I may not know about.  If you have any gifts to add to this before I share my whole list, please do share!  I am always on the lookout and count on my fellow toy lovers to share their wisdom with me.  I am just a click away and always happy to add to this list.