Let's Play Princess Dress-up

Almost two years, I wrote a post about the Disney Magiclip Dolls that had become a favorite of mine at home and at work.  All this time later, they are still a huge hit amongst the kids I work with and my almost 6 year old daughter.  I'm happy to report that they have been used hundreds and hundreds of times (literally) and have stood up to the beating they have gotten.

A few weeks ago, while trying to kill some time between clients, I stopped into a little toy store in the city and discovered a new line of Disney Princess dolls by Hasbro that grabbed my attention.  They looked a lot like the Magiclip Dolls mentioned above, but as an OT, I noticed that there was a bit more to them that would help improve fine motor and manipulation skills.  These Disney Princess Little Kingdom dolls and accessories have become a favorite of my almost 6 year old daughter.  I'm sure I've mentioned it before here, while my daughter doesn't receive therapy, she does have some weakness in her hands and has a terrible pencil grip so I am always on the lookout for toys that will help her in that area. Since she adores all things princesses, I knew that these dolls would be perfect at hiding the fact that we were working on something that she doesn't like to work on with me.  These princesses are easy to play with and all the outfits are interchangeable amongst the dolls.  The skirts and the bottom of dresses kind of slip on and off and the tops get pushed into a little hole on their chests.

You can buy a big set of the dolls or get them individually.  Some of the sets come with pets or other kinds of things (Anna has a bike that my daughter loves!).  Additionally, you can buy castles or some kind of home for them which is great for working on play and language skills.  Each of the dolls are only 3" tall meaning they don't take up a lot of room!  Excellent news for parents and therapists on the go.  As already mentioned, the outfits and accessories for each of the dolls are interchangeable so each time kids play with them, they can make different outfits.  My daughter has loved swapping the outfits  or having them wear just part of the dress and making it into a skirt instead.  Once you get the hang of it, it becomes quite simple to remove and replace all the different parts of the outfits. My favorite part of the dolls is the itty bitty accessories that come with each of the sets that you can use to decorate the outfits.  This is the part that is great for working on improving fine motor and manipulation skills.  Remind kids to use their "pinchers" when picking up the small pieces and pushing them into place!

In addition to working on fine motor skills, the Disney Princess Little Kingdom work on improving bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, motor planning and executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and organizational skills.  The best part is that they are reasonably priced, especially when you think about the fact that you can use all the outfits and accessories with any doll.  I found a really good selection of them at State News on the Upper East Side of Manhattan but have also seen them at other local toy stores (I always like to support the mom and pop toy stores before going to Target or Amazon).

If you are on the lookout for an affordable, fun and portable toy (think restaurants, car/airplane rides, etc.), Disney Princess Little Kingdom dolls are the perfect thing.  If you have any questions, be sure to email me...I am only a click away and love hearing from you all!

Gifts for The Tough to Please....Tweens!

If you have taken a look at my 2015 Holiday Gift Guide, you will know that I put a whole lot of time and heart into it.  Since most of the kids I work with are between the ages of 2 and 8, putting together that list is easy because I test out the toys all the time.  But as kids get older, gift giving can get a bit trickier.  The holidays are a big deal and people want to make sure they give gifts that will not only be fun, but will be somewhat useful.  While shopping for kids in general can be difficult, shopping for a tween/teen can be super difficult.  If you have a tween in your life, you know that they have specific interests and "needs".  They ask for a lot, or maybe don't ask for anything at all.

I have a 5 year old daughter.  She is still really into Calico Critters and Disney princesses and actually makes gift giving really easy.  Every night Quinn spends time circling a bunch of stuff she doesn't really want in the catalogues that come in the mail.  She makes gift giving easy.  But I also have a 10 year old niece (who used to be super easy to buy gifts for) who I still want to impress with my gift-giving abilities.  I want her to know that thought is put into the gifts I give her and cross my fingers that she likes what I choose.  The toughest thing about shopping for this particular age group is that they are in limbo....they still want to be kids and get lots of gifts and play with toys, but they want to be a big kid and do all those big kid things at the same time.  They are hard to please which can make shopping for them more of a job than fun.  

I have a point here....I am getting to it right now.  Even though buying gifts for kids gets more difficult as they get older, there are still a lot of great options out there.  You may have to be more creative and you may have to step outside of what you feel comfortable giving.  It's important to keep in mind that the person you have to put first is the person you are buying the gift for, not necessarily standing behind your ideas and beliefs.  

I've done a lot of research and testing out and have come up with ideas for Top 10 List of  Tween/Teen Gifts:

1.  Polaroid Camera-as many of us know, tweens/teens are most likely spending more time with their phones than they are with anything else these days.  One of the things they like to do with their phones is take pictures.  Probably  more so than any generation of kids, tweens don't know a time where they couldn't see a picture immediately after taking it.  Polaroid Cameras are (kind of) immediate but also require a little bit of patience, focus and attention.  They require your kids to connect with their environment and make conscious decisions about what they will take pictures of since they won't be able to erase it.  I've been using a Polaroid camera with my kids at work and they love it and doing even mind having to wait to see the picture.  Both Polaroid and Fujifilm make instant cameras that come in a variety of fun, bright, bold colors.   

2.  Washi Tape-I'll admit, I am a sucker for some pretty Washi tape.  I find myself buying it for no reason other than it is so pretty.  My niece Julia, 10 years old, spends hours and hours playing and crafting with it.  You can buy it at all craft stores and I have seen it at some of my local gift stores including my favorite store ,Pink Olive.  The great thing about Washi Tape is that it's small and doesn't take up a lot of room.  It is also a reasonably priced gift (although you can go a little crazy and buy some more expensive tapes).  There are also a ton of things that you can do with it.  Check out this link to 100 Ways to Washi for some awesome ideas.  And let's not forget about the hours and hours you can spend looking on Pinterest for other ideas.   On my hunt for finding some new patterns, I stumbled upon these washi tape sticker sheets.  My daughter and I have had a lot of fun decorating and making some really cool pictures.  Washi tape is not only great for working on fine motor and manipulation skills, but also encourages creativity and imagination.

3.  Games-kids may outgrow certain kinds of toys, but good games will last through the ages.   I was actually in Target last week and noticed that they have a whole display of the classic board games in their original packaging.  They call it the Retro Series and they feature some of the best games ever...Sorry!, Clue, Twister, CandyLand and Scrabble.  I'm tempted to get a couple just because I like the old school packaging!
Games are great to play as a family or to take out when you have friends over.  Clearly, playing games works on developing language and social skills but there are also a ton of other benefits.  Depending on what games you choose, your child can work on improving their fine motor, visual motor/perceptual and executive functioning skills (focus, attention, organization, sequencing, etc.).  Some other great games to consider for your tween/teen:
*Jenga
*Pictionary
*Connect 4 (I'm a big fan of Connect 4 Launchers)
*Trouble
*Uno (I also really like Uno Dare because there is an added gross motor component built in)
*Apples to Apples
*Spot It
*Thumbs Up
Games are great to play as a family or to take out when you have friends over.  Clearly, playing games works on developing language and social skills but there are also a ton of other benefits.  Depending on what games you choose, your child can work on improving their fine motor, visual motor/perceptual and executive functioning skills (focus, attention, organization, sequencing, etc.).  

4.  Coloring Books-one of my favorite things to do when I am feeling a little stressed out is to color.  It's amazing how something from our childhood can bring such a sense of calm to us even as we get older.  Coloring is no longer something just for younger children.  Have you been into your local bookstores lately?  If you have, you will notice that there are now dozens of coloring books intended for older children and grownups.  I have blogged about this subject several times; you can read my most recent coloring blog here which was written in June.  Since then, I have discovered other great coloring books that are well suited for your tween/teens.  Some of my favorites are:

*Harry Potter Coloring Book by Scholastic
*Secret Garden Artist's Edition by Johanna Basford-the original edition is just as beautiful but this artist's edition includes 20 pictures that you can color in and then frame which might be a nice motivating factor for some of your kids!
*Large Coloring Pictures by Pirasta-I am in love with these giant coloring pages that are actually created right in my beloved Brooklyn.  This is a great group activity (we are actually planning on doing one with our group at The Meeting House).  Be sure to check out the Pirasta website to see their entire collection!
*Doodle Lit: Drawing On The Classics-kids can know learn more about classic literature in a fun and interactive way.  With Doodle Lit, kids can use their imaginations to complete pictures from Pride & Prejudice, Romeo & Juliet, Alice in Wonderland and several others.  There are also pages that have activities that you can pop out and craft with.

5. Boodle Box-sometimes you just don't know what to get that special little girl you have to shop for. I had this issue with some of the older girls who I buy for this year.  I wanted to make sure that I got them something they would like but that wouldn't be too old/mature for them.  Then I thought about how much kids love to get mail and how they don't get much snail mail these days with email, texting, etc..  What could be more exciting than getting a box filled with fun new products??  The Boodle Box is a subscription for girls and teens (you pick one of two options based on the girl's age, 5-10 years of age or 11+) and comes with a handful of fun beauty or fashion products based on that month's them.  Some of the things that have been featured in the boxes are candy, nail polishes, lip glosses, hair accessories, etc..

6.  Loot Crate-while Boodle Box is geared more towards fashion and beauty products, Loot Crate is for that kid who is more into geek and gaming gear.  Do you have a kid who is really into comics and superheroes?  Each month, a box filled with fresh collectibles, tech gadgets and art products comes gets delivered to your child.  You never know what you are going to get which makes it more exciting for the recipient.

7.  PowerUp 3.0-while I know many parents are trying to avoid giving gifts that keep kids attached to their phones, I thought that this Smartphone controlled paper airplane kit was pretty awesome.  And it actually requires kids to be connected and focused to their environment more than to their phone.  First you make a paper airplane.  Once it is made, you attach the Smart Module to the paper airplane.  Now it is time to you make your airplane fly using your phone.  By moving your phone in different directions, your airplane will fly within 180 feet of your phone for up to 10 minutes at a time.  Great for working on eye-hand coordination,  motor planning, focus/attention and organizational skills.

8.  Arts & Crafts-no matter the age, kids like to craft and create things.  As they get older, you just have to be sure to find things that might suit their interests more.  I like to suggest arts and craft sets that might be good to do with a friend in order to practice teamwork, cooperative play and other social skills.  This helps to prepare this older group of kids for when they have to do projects in school with their peers.  Some of the best craft sets for this older age are listed below:
*Spirograph
*Edible Chemistry Kit
*Nail Style Studios (Klutz)
*ThinkFun Maker Studio Kits
*Loopy Mango Finger Knitting Scarf Kit
*Fashion Plates Deluxe/Action Plates Drawing Set

9.  Gross Motor Gifts-doesn't matter the age, kids need to move and get themselves active.  I especially like to suggest gross motor toys that get kids outside.  Not only

great for building body strength, motor planning and coordination, but if you choose the right products, it can be great for encouraging social skills.  Here are some of my favorites that your tween/teen will be sure to love!
*Pogo Stick-this one is good for kids weighing between 60 and 100 lbs.  Be sure to get one that is meant for kids or your might find they are too big or too heavy for them to use successfully.
*Zoom Ball-this is a great gross motor activity that works on bilateral coordination, motor planning and upper body strengthening.  A perfect activity to work on social skills, particularly team-work an cooperative play.
*Dueling Stomp Rocket-stomp rockets are one of the most underrated gross motor toys but bring hours and hours of fun. It is great for encouraging gross motor skills, motor planning, focus/attention and cooperative play. When I saw this double stomp rocket toy, I had to get it (and recommend it to everyone).  Just like the original stomp rocket, you stomp on the launch pad and send the rockets flying.  With this double one, you can have a competition to see whose goes further and who can run faster to catch/or pick theirs up.  Best part...no batteries required!
*OgoSport Discs-I love this sports game.  They call it a hand trampoline for all different kinds of balls.  Great for working on improving focus/attention, motor planning, organizational skills and upper body strengthening.  Additionally, a great activity to encourage teamwork and cooperative play amongst kids.

10.  Do It Yourself Books-these are great gifts for any kid, but especially good for your tweens/teens because they can do it independently.  Kids are so used to having to write about certain things for school and love the opportunity to tell their own stories without any rules. DIY books are great for encouraging imagination and creativity. They allow kids to express themselves in both words and pictures.  
*My Comic Book-this kit comes with ready-to-use page templates, washable markers, an artist pen, pencil and eraser, a how-to guide and a postage-paid envelope, order form and instructions.  Once kids fill in the templates, they can send it back to Lulu Jr. who will in turn send it back to you as a comic book!
*Story Lines Books-I love this collection of DIY books.  Each book comes with a story written already and it's your child's job to illustrate the story.  There are 10 different ones to choose from so you'll be sure to find the perfect one of your tween/teen!
*The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book-kids can be the author, illustrator and main character in this DIY Wimpy Kid book.  There are tons of interactive pages with space for your child to write their own life story.
*And Then I Wrote A Story/And Then...Story Starters Set 1-this journal and story starters set is perfect for those kids who want to write and draw but need a little help.  The Story Starters set comes with 20 beautifully illustrated cards and the beginning of a story.  It's up to your child to decide how the story will end.  They can write their stories in the And Then I Wrote A Story notebook.
*Crayola Story By Me (hardcover)-this kit by Crayola contains book and cover page templates, washable Crayola markers, brainstorming sheet (genius idea since we know kids tend to have a hard time getting their thoughts all organized), instructions, book redemption form and a prepaid envelope.  Once your child writes and illustrates their story, they can mail all the materials in and will then get it back as a professionally printed hardcover book.

11.  Loome: this simple (and totally affordable) crafting tool can be used to make pompoms, tassels, friendship bracelets and much, much more.  I was introduced to it this weekend when at a makers Holiday Shop in Brooklyn.  Of course, I loved that I finally found a tool that made making pom poms easy for me.  But what I loved more was that my 5 year old daughter was able to do it with some assistance from me.  A tween would be able to use this independently and spend hours creating with it.  Great for working on improving fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination and increase creativity skills.  There website has links to several how-to videos for your child to watch.  Can be done individually, but also could be done with friends.  I have already made a pom pom Christmas garland with mine and plan on making some pom pom and tassel necklaces with my daughter.  You can buy just the loome (there are a few different ones to choose from) or pick up one of their kits which comes with all the supplies you need.  

12.  Blink Blink Kits-these creative circuit kits have all the necessary tools to make your own arts and crafts and fashion projects.  They were created by two woman specifically for girls to encourage and inspire them to become more interested in technology and engineering.  I picked up the Paper Circuit kit this weekend and am already excited to try it out with my own daughter and nieces to make ornaments and other kinds of light-up paper projects.  Great for working on fine motor and visual motor/perceptual skills.  Also great for inspiring creativity and social skills if done in a group.  Be sure to check out their DIY Tutorials on their website for lots of great ideas!

**there is no reason that you can't pick one of these sets up for boys as well

So, here you go.  I had a lot of fun putting this list together and consulting with some of my tween/teen friends to find out what they want this year.  If you have any great ideas for tween/teen gifts, please share with me and my readers!  Your suggestions could help make things easier for other parents/gift givers this holiday season.  I am always a click away and love hearing from you all!

Let's Build These Cars and Take Them For a Test Drive

As the holiday season approaches, I've been keeping my eyes peeled for hot toys and games to add to this year's gift guide.  Parent are already asking me what they can get their children and what they can suggest that others get them.  While parents want to get things that their kids want and will like, they also interested in getting things that will help them reach some of their therapeutic goals.

I've always been a fan of Legos and have quite the collection that I use at home and at work.  For some of the older kids on my caseload, working with Legos can be motivating and get them to work on a number of skills.  They are great for working on increasing hand strength and improving manipulation skills, which  is important for handwriting, cutting and all kinds of other academic activities.  It helps with executive functioning skills, especially improving organization, problem solving and focus and attention.  At the end, the kids have a final product that they have built themselves and there is a tremendous amount of pride.

Many of the kids I work with are under the age of 5 and have significantly decreased grasp strength and poor fine motor skills.  Therefore, regular Lego sets are typically not appropriate for them and end up causing more harm and frustration than good.  In the past few years, Lego has expanded their Duplo products and there are some pretty amazing ones to choose from.  The other day, I was looking around and stumbled upon the Creative Cars set.  First of all, I was impressed with the affordable price tag of $20.  The set comes with 40 different colored blocks in a variety of shapes, including windows, sirens and other truck parts.  With those 40 Duplo blocks, you can create tons of different cars and trucks, including a dump truck, a police car or a tow truck.  The set comes with a poster that shows you all the different things you can make.  The best part is that the pictures are big and make it very easy to follow the directions.  Depending on the child you are working with, you can make something small and simple or bigger and more complicated.  I like that most of the cars and trucks use less than 10 pieces (most of them are closer to 5 or 6 blocks) so they can complete them in a short amount of time.  After the kids have built all the different vehicles, you can ask them to try and create their own.  If you have kids who need to work on being more creative, you can put a handful of pieces in front of them and have them come up with their own creation.  

Some of the other occupational therapy skills that can be worked on using the Duplo Creative Cars set are:
Improve Grasp Strength-as previously mentioned, all Legos, no matter the size, are great for working on increasing grasp strength and making those little muscles in the hands stronger.  Many of the kids I work with tend to avoid working with manipulative kinds of toys because they are hard for them so it's important that I find things that are interesting and exciting to them.  I've only been using these for a couple of days, but I can tell you that the kids are loving them and asking to build more and more cars instead of giving up after just one.  

Improve Bilateral Coordination Skills-building with Duplos are great for working on bilateral coordination/using two hands together during activities.  For so many of my little kiddos at work, this is a difficult thing for them.  I spend a lot of my time telling kids to use both hands.  Even with blocks and other manipulative toys, I watch kids not use two hands and they get frustrated because the blocks aren't sticking together.  Bilateral coordination is important for so many things, including handwriting, cutting and other academic activities.  It's important to find motivating ways to work on this skill, and this car set is proving to be very motivating!
Improve Visual Motor/Perceptual Skills-as I mentioned earlier in this post, the set comes with a poster with pictures of all the different cars and trucks that you use as a reference when building with the blocks.  This is great for kids to work on improving their visual skills, such as visual tracking and visual perceptual skills.  Kids have to be able to look through and scan the big pile of blocks to find what they need to build the car or truck of their choice.  Once they have all their pieces gathered, they need to be able to be able to look at the diagram and figure out what pieces go where.  It can be tricky sometimes because some of the pieces look really similar so I have the kids double check their pieces before they begin building.
Improve Executive Functioning Skills-there are so many executive functioning skills that can be worked on when building with this Duplo set.  First of all, being able to follow the directions and maintain their attention is very important in order for children to be successful when building their cars and trucks.  They also need to be able to sort and organize their blocks before building.  Sometimes kids can frustrated when things aren't easy and give up easily.  Being able to ask for help instead of giving up and getting upset is a really important skill that can be worked on as well.  

Improve Social Skills-these cars are great for working on improving social skills with younger children.  I had a small group of 3 boys playing with them yesterday and it was fascinating to watch them work together to build cars and then play with them.  The great thing about this set is in addition to being able to build cars and trucks, you can build a gas station so you can expand play skills at the same time.  In my social skills group, I had the kids build a garage using Magna-Tiles which they thought was really fun.  Using the Creative Car set with a group of kids will help them work on sharing, compromise and working together to build something.  This can be a difficult thing for kids and is something that's important to work on so they can be socially successful in a classroom setting later on.

While I have only had this Creative Cars set for a few days, it has been a popular activity amongst all the kids on my caseload.  When I told one mom that her son had played with the Duplo blocks for almost 10 minutes, she didn't believe me.  "My kid doesn't play with Legos, Meghan." I think that the building of vehicles and then being able to play with them are highly motivating for the kids.  If you wanted to add another level of play to this, you could get this Road PlayTape and have the kids set up a course for their vehicles to drive along.  There are so many things that you can do with the vehicles once they are built.  As I mentioned earlier, you don't have to just make the vehicles that they have pictured on the poster.  Sometimes kids need to be able to think outside of the box and become more creative in their play.  Have them build vehicles and tell stories about them.  Have them give the vehicle a name, a magic trick it can do or a place they are going to go on some kind of magical adventure.  Being able to be imaginative and tell stories is a really difficult but important skill for kids, even preschoolers.

Whether you use these with an individual child or a group of children, there is so much that you can do with the Creative Car set by Duplo.  While they are having fun, you can be happy knowing that they are working on developing a ton of skills that will help them become stronger and more confident little people!

Be sure to check out your local toy stores (I found mine at Mary Arnold Toys on the Upper East Side of Manhattan) before going to Amazon or the other big box stores.

If you have any questions, I am only a click away and love hearing from you all!

If We Could Turn Back Time...and Just Play

In the last few months, I have been reading up a lot on play and how research is finding how important it is to social emotional development for children.  We have become so focused on teaching our children the ABCs and 123s, that we have ended up decreasing the amount of time they get to just play.  I know that there is lots of time during the school day for kids to "play" but it is often directed by the adults because kids are given a choice to play in one station or another.  There is often an adult guiding their play.  I can't tell you how many times I have walked into a classroom observation and seen kids on the outside of the group having to be brought in and directed how to "play" by one of the classroom team members.  Play, unfortunately, is something that has taken a backseat these days as we as a society place a greater importance on teaching our kids and making sure they have all the academic skills.  You don't hear parents bragging about that awesome block castle their kid build all by themselves, do you?  What you hear are things like "My 3 year old already knows how to write all their letters!" or "My 4 year old learned how to read!"  While these are both critical skills for every child to learn, they don't need to be taught at such a young age.  Leave that to their teachers and begin playing with your kids!

Why is play important?  There are endless reasons, but here are just a few:
*children are given the opportunity to practice both verbal and nonverbal communications skills by negotiating roles and gaining an understanding of other peoples feelings.
*they learn important social skills that they will need for the rest of their lives such as turn taking, sharing materials and waiting for their turn.
*play and physical activity has been linked to helping kids be more creative thinkers and have a better ability to connect with others.  They are better able to negotiate, share and resolve conflicts when given ample opportunity to play independent from their caregivers.
*play helps to improve fine motor skills.  Children who have been given lots of playground play opportunities are given the chance to hone their body strength and coordination skills which leads to improved fine motor skills.  It also helps them to build gross motor skills, improve self-control and modulation skills.
*play has been proven to relieve stress in children, especially as the academic demands begin to increase.  I always tell the parents I work with that what we expect from kids today is abnormal.  We are asking way more from them than is developmentally appropriate.  According to a poll of parents by Let's Play, 46% of the parents said that the focus on academics was one of their kids' biggest barriers to play.

The countless articles I have read have gotten me thinking a lot, especially as I watch my daughter grow and mature.  I have always been impressed how she has always been able to interact with her environment.  Not just the people in her environment, but the toys and objects as well.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I am not preaching, judging or trying to tell anyone what is right or wrong when it comes to play and the kinds of activities and toys we expose our children to.  My daughter is an expert when it comes to playing with and exploring an iPad.  Maybe it is a bad thing at times but it has helped motivate her to learn how to write letters, begin learning how to read and kept her from freaking out during some long car and plane rides.  I'm definitely guilty of buying those battery operated toys that she has seen on television (she's an commercial addict and MUST have everything she sees) because she "has to have them".  But what I love the most is that as much as she loves those things she sees on tv, she can play for hours with her little Maileg bunnies and mice I've been collecting for me...I mean her...since she was born.  She can play in her kitchen and cook for her daddy and me coming up with some of the most delicious meals.  When I would pick her up from school, she would run around with her friends without a care in the world playing tag and other kid games.  I know that even if she is exposed to too much television and screen time on the iPad, she has a vivid imagination, can sit and color and draw for long periods of time and socialize with her peers without me having to step in more than what any parent of a kindergartener expects to.

These articles have also gotten me thinking about my childhood and what I did outside of school.  I am one of four girls, my younger twin sisters being less than 2 years younger than me.  We would come home from school and not have to do homework and were forced to go out and play.  Even in the most awful of weather, we were outside.  My mom would pull the car out of the garage and we would ride our bikes, play games and just play.  In the fall, we were given rakes and made leaf mazes and homes.  In the winter, we were given shovels and made snowmen, threw ourselves in the snow and made snow angels and have snowball fights.  It didn't matter what season it was, my sisters and I were encouraged to just play and have fun.  In those moments, we learned how to fight, how to resolve our conflicts and how to compromise with each other.  It wasn't always clean and there were several times that our parents had to intervene, but I know that these opportunities to just play shaped us and our relationship as grownups.

These articles and focus on play has also gotten me to think about the toys we used to play with growing up.  They were so simple yet kept us focused and engaged for such a long time.  Most of them didn't require batteries, didn't make a lot of noise and could be shared with a sibling or friend and encourage social interactions, such as turn taking, compromise and being flexible.  These toys encouraged you to be creative and think outside of your comfort zone.

Here are some of the toys from when I was growing up that are still around today. They may have been modernized to some degree, but not too much.  They are still great toys and in my opinion, ones that we should be getting our kids:
Hula Hoop-do you know the Hula Hoop we know today was invented in 1958?  They are great for working on improving trunk control, motor coordination, focus and attention and increasing frustration tolerance.  Hoop Mamas, an Etsy based store, custom makes hula hoops in different sizes and colors!  A great gift for your those kids you know who love to hula hoop!
Sit N' Spin-the Sit N' Spin is still as awesome today as it was nearly 40 years ago.  They have upgraded the original one several times since its debut in the early 70s, but I am happy to see that they have a non-singing, non-lightup version available now.  The Sit N' Spin is great for working on bilateral coordination, modulation/regulation skills, building upper body strength and motor coordination skills.
Colorforms-Colorforms have been around for over 60 years and one of the oldest and best known toy brands.  These vinyl re-stickable playsets started off as basic shapes (you would put the shapes together to make pictures) and has evolved to popular characters from tv shows and movies.  I'm pretty sure I had a Strawberry Shortcake set way back in the day.  I use Colorforms in my therapy sessions and the kids love them.  Every time you play with them, it can be a little different.  They are great for working on fine motor skills such as grasping, visual motor and perceptual skills and improving language skills.
Wacky Wally-recently, my daughter and I were in a toy store and she found this sticky starfish that can "walk" down the wall.  She got the biggest kick out of it and would fall to the floor laughing as it clumsily made its way to the floor.  It totally brought me back to my childhood and how much fun I would have with my sisters and friends having Wacky Wally races.  It was the simplest of toys yet it provided endless entertainment.  I've actually used other kinds of sticky toys during my therapy sessions.  Sometimes I have them throw them at targets on the wall or mirrors which they love to do.  This simple and inexpensive toy is great for working on decreasing tactile defensiveness (because of it's sticky texture), upper body strength and motor coordination skills.
Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker-first introduced in 1979, the Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker was on every kids wish list growing up.  While things have evolved and we have the ability to make much more sophisticated cool treats, there is something about this sno-cone maker that just takes ice, juice and/or flavoring to make them yourself.  Great for working on bilateral coordination, increasing upper body strength, focus/attention and many other OT skills.  Also great to use with a small group of kids to work on improving social skills such as turn-taking, compromise and improving pragmatic language skills.
Connect 4-even though there are several versions out there now, the original game came out in 1974.  The 2 player game was easy to put together and was simple to play.  Choose a color and start putting the pieces into the board.  The first person to get four in a row, is the winner.  Great game for working on focus/attentional skills, improving executive functioning skills, eye-hand coordination, visual motor and perceptual skills.  Also a great game to play in a small social skills group.
Spirograph-this arts and crafts set has been around for over 50 years and kids today are still enjoying it.  Spirograph was originally designed by a mechanical engineer for use as a drafting tool.  The gears and wheels work together to create cool and colorful swirling designs.  There are now several versions to choose from, including a My Little Pony one that I think my daughter would lose her mind over!  For you traditionalists, no need to worry.  The original set is still available.
Great for working on bilateral coordination skills, improves eye-hand coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and focus and attentional skills.  Also great for encouraging kids to be creative and think outside of the box.
Cats Cradle-I remember spending countless hours playing Cats Cradle with my friends and don't know why I haven't done this at work with my kids!  Using a long circular string, you can create a series of string figures.  This two-person game is great for working on improving fine motor skills, visual motor and perceptual skills, eye-hand coordination, executive functioning skills and many other occupational therapy skills.  I'm definitely going to get myself the book and re-learn how to play this game and start using it at home with my daughter and at work!
Card Games-a simple pack of cards can go a long way in entertaining kids.  I feel like each family has "their" card game.  My sisters and I used to play the game Spit all the time and my now 7 and 10 year old nieces are following in that tradition.  I've used cards to help reinforce number learning with some of the kids I work with.  I love this article by Today's Parent that has the directions to 10 family friendly card games.   
Jenga-did you know that Jenga was released in other countries before coming to North America in 1986?  I remember playing this game with my friends and family as a kid and as stressful as it was, it always ended up with everyone laughing!  After you stack the 54 blocks into a tower, you take blocks out and place them back on the top of the tower. The game continues until the tower falls.  This game is great for working on fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, modulation and regulation skills, focus and attentional skills, motor planning and social skills.  I've actually taken a Jenga game and written questions on each block so each time the block is pulled, a player has to ask the other players social questions.  This can be a great ice breaker game for any social skills group!

These are just a very small handful of games and toys.....I could have gone on and on and on!  As it is, I have a wish list on Amazon.com a mile long on old toys and games I MUST have.  I would love to hear from you about your favorite toys or games growing up.  For you parents reading this post, is there any toy/game from your childhood that you play with your kids?  What about you therapists? do you have anything form your childhood that you use in your therapy sessions that the kids just can't get enough of?  I am only a click away and love hearing from you all!

Let's Get the Doodling Started

Until I began working with kids what seems like a lifetime ago, I didn't realize that not being able to draw was something so many kids struggled with.  I just assumed that everyone knew how to draw and that some were just better at it than others.  

It is quite common that children who have handwriting difficulties will also have a hard time with being able to draw.  When I evaluate a child to determine their occupational therapy needs, I always ask that they draw a picture of themselves or their family and to draw another picture of their choice.  It is really interesting to see 

I am a big believer that sometimes it requires some motivation and bribery to teach kids new skills.  Typically, kids avoid things that are difficult because it doesn't make them feel happy.  This shouldn't come as a surprise to any of the adults reading this blog as I think we are all guilty of the same thing.  I know I still avoid doing things that aren't easy or that I might not be very good at.  As an adult, we can do that without too much backlash.  Children are sometimes forced to do things that they aren't good at or that is hard for them and it makes them much more resistant to wanting to do it.  So it is really important to me that I find fun and creative ways to work on those more challenging things so that it ends up being more fun and less work for them.  As a child I wasn't a great drawer, but I had fun and could draw a variety of things so it made me sad to see kids get stressed out when drawing.

Doodlecast for Kids, created by zinc roe Design, is a super cute app that works on teaching kids how to draw.  The really cool thing about this app though is that while you are drawing, it records your drawing process including your voice.  You can then save it on You Tube and send it to parents, teachers, etc..  As a therapist, I love that I can share this process with parents so they not only see their child's work but that they can have a better understanding of what kind of language I am using in order for their child to be successful.  The chances of seeing progress quicker is more likely if we are all using the same language and a similar process with kids.  

As you can see in the picture to the right, there are different ways to start the drawing process.  I like the idea of giving the kids a starting place like the water and the eyes.  When I use it, I brainstorm with the kids even before they begin to draw about what they will include in their picture.  For example, if completing the water picture, I would ask what kind of animals could be in the water, what could be in the bottom of the water and/or what might be on top of the water.  If you choose to use the word bubbles it will ask you to draw something yucky, wet, etc..  

As you can see in the picture below of the octopus, you can let your imagination run wild.  Sometimes once kids are given a starting place, they can jump into completing a picture with greater ease.  As they become more adept at completing the pictures, you can start to use more of a blank canvas and allow them to draw pictures of their own.  Many of the kids I work with struggle with the motor planning and processing part of drawing a picture and end up shutting down.  Even when they feel comfortable enough to draw a picture using the blank template, I would still talk through the process with them to help organize their work and know what they are thinking so I can then help them if they get stuck at any point.  

Listed below you will see just a few of the many therapeutic benefits of Doodlecast for Kids.  

Improve Grasping Skills-as with many other handwriting apps, I like to have the kids hold a stylus when using this app.  Check out this link to the Fred and Friends iCreate Crayon stylus.  I find apps like this are perfect for being able to work on holding a writing instrument the correct way because they tend to become so engrossed in their work.

Improve Motor Planning and Following Directions-sometimes when I ask children to draw pictures, they just scribble all over the paper and quickly finish what they are doing.  When using this app, you could help talk through the process and come up with a plan and then encourage them to follow that plan.  I would make it simple and stick to 3 or 4 steps in the beginning and begin increasing the demands as they are more comfortable with the app and their drawing skills.  

Improve Imagination Skills-this app can be a great way to get kids to start thinking outside of their boxes when drawing.  Many kids I work with will draw the same picture every time I ask them to draw.  Hopefully this will help them begin to feel more comfortable drawing new things and add more details and ideas to their drawings.  It might take time, but I have a feeling that they will become more confident in their drawing skills.  

Improve Social Skills-this is a perfect game to do with siblings, parents or friends.  It would be fun to do this with a small group of kids and see what each one adds.  This is a great way to work on improving a child's flexibility about working with friends and doing something they may not want because each person will be able to add to the picture and they have to not get upset. 

I am really looking forward to using Doodlecast for Kids more with the kids at work.  I think they will really get a kick out of the fact that after they finish their picture, they can watch what they did and see how they got to the finished product.  As I mentioned before, I also love the fact that you can share the videos with the parents.  It is a great way for them to see what we are working on in therapy, what their child is capable of doing and how they can do similar things when they are working with them at home.  

I would love to hear your thoughts about this app and how you might use it with your kids and how you might adapt it for even greater success for your kids.  As always, I am just a click away and would love to hear from you.  Happy Doodling!

One Potato Head, Two Potato Heads, Three Potato Heads More!

I was all set to write about another of our favorite iPad apps this morning when Quinn and I discovered a new one from the creators of Endless Alphabet, which I wrote about two weeks ago.  Callaway Digital Arts has done it again with their Mr. Potato Create & Play iPad app.  Even though we have just downloaded it, we have already played with it a ton.

Who doesn't love Mr. Potato Head?  I think we can all say that we have spent hours playing with one, either as children, with our children or with the children we work with.  This classic toy is always a part of my therapy supplies at my gym and can work on so many skills.  The toy version of Mr. Potato Head is great for working on bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, sequencing and a bunch of other things.  It's great for learning body parts and body awareness.  Plus, the kids love it.

Mr. Potato Head Create & Play app definitely doesn't take the place of the actual toy but for kids who need some motivation to work on some of the more challenging skills mentioned above, this is a great place to start.  There are a lot of things to love about this app.  First of all, it is free.  TOTALLY FREE!  When that happens, I am used to a lame app that you can play with for a little while before feeling like you have to purchase all the costly in-app purchases.  Not this one.  When you download the app, there are only a couple of options that resemble the original Mr. Potato Head but there are dozens of other Mr/Mrs. Potato Heads to download immediately.  Some of the free downloadable options are an alien, ballerina, pirate and cowboy.  Not only that, there are a variety of different scenes that you can choose from to place your completed Mr. Potato Head in.  In those scenes, Mr. Potato Head will do a bunch of different things.  For example, the space alien will fly in the air and lose all of his body parts before landing back on the moon and having them fall right back into place.  There are so many opportunities to interact with the game and work on speech and language skills at the same time.  I have a feeling that my speech and language and special education friends will love this app as much as I do.  


Here are a some more specific occupational therapy goals that can be worked on with Mr. Potato Head Play & Create:

Body Awareness-putting the body parts onto Mr/Mrs. Potato Head will help a child become more familiar with their own bodies.  I will most likely use the iPad app along with a real Mr. Potato Head to add a multi-sensory approach.

Graphomotor Skills-in conjunction with the iPad app and the regular Mr. Potato Head, you can have your child work on drawing the face and body parts onto a blank Mr. Potato Head picture.  This way you can work on handwriting and drawing skills at the same time.

Visual Motor/Visual Tracking-you have to look around the whole screen and find the different body parts and visually track in order to get them into the correct spot on the body.

Number Recognition/Identification-there are a bunch of different scenes you can download for your completed Mr/Mrs. Potato Head to interact with.  On the bottom of that screen, there are 5 choices so you can work on number identification and recognition by asking them to touch a certain number or tell you the number they are going to touch before they do it.

Language Skills/Sequencing-this app is great to use to work on building a child's language skills.  The object of the game/app is simple enough that you can add more expectations by encouraging your child to use their words to tell you what they are doing.  An even bigger challenge, have your child place the pieces in in a certain order.  For example, tell them to start with the top of the head and move down to the feet to work on sequencing.

Social Skills-this app is great for working on encouraging appropriate social skills.  If used in more of a group like setting, you can work on taking turns, asking a friend for help, working together to choose the Potato Head you want to put together, etc..

Updates/Additions-one of the great things I noticed about the app is that you can already tell that there will be updates and additions to the app.  Looks like there will be new characters and scenes to download in the near future.  It will be quite difficult for your child to get bored by this game if they continue to update it.

I already know that this app will end up becoming part of my daily play routine with Quinn and look forward to trying it out at the gym with the kids I work with.  I can already see them lying on their bellies while on the net swing playing this game.  We get to work on building upper extremity strength and head and neck control while they are having fun so it won't seem like so much work!  I love when I can sneak the hard work in without them even realizing it!

I hope that you all enjoy this app and would love to hear your thoughts about it.  I can't say enough about how great the apps are by Callaway Digital Arts and can't wait to see what their next awesome app will be.  As always, I am just a click away if you want to email with any questions or comments.   Have a great weekend!