Home Grown OT 4 Kids Pediatric Occupational Therapy

We have an exciting announcement to share!

We LOVED seeing all your adorable kids in their Halloween spirit! Thank you parents for sharing them! We hope you had a super fun Halloween! AND THE WINNER IS...... *Teresa, please send us a message with your email and choice of shop (Fat Brain Toys or Lakeshore Learning) so we can get you the gift card!

Ms. Erin's client worked on this adorable cat Halloween craft today! This activity has multiple steps requiring the child to follow directions and stay on task. It also utilizes sequencing. Try it at home with your child and share a photo in the comments! Have your child cut out the strips on their own and work on their scissor and fine motor skills.

Are the kids needing something more to get their wiggles out than just crafts? Check out these spooooky gross motor activities for the season!

Spider web lacing plate via MamaOT.com I was surprised at how easy or difficult this was for some students. My string was only long enough for six holes, but you can do more holes if you have a longer string (good thing I tested it out beforehand!). I pre-knotted the string and wrote the numbers on the plate before involving the kids, but I had them punch the holes themselves going from 1 to 6. Then they laced the web and got to hide the spider or bug at the very end as their... reward (bag o’ bugs from dollar store). Some kids needed a lot of assistance to coordinate holding the plate with one hand and lacing with the other. Some needed help holding the string effectively and figuring out whether to go up or down. Some needed help scanning the plate to find the numbers in the correct order (either due to visual processing difficulties, attention/impulsive difficulties, or both). Again, this was a good Halloween fine motor activity for both boys and girls! Fine motor/visual perceptual skills addressed: hand strength (punching holes), pincer grasp, bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination (visual motor skills), visual scanning Good for ages: preschool through early elementary (or older depending on skill level) Make it harder: use one hand to punch holes rather than two; use one hand to hold and manipulate lace; add more numbers and longer string; use a thicker plate to require more strength for punching holes Make it easier: slide plate into a 3-hole puncher (but only punch one hole at a time) so they can use their whole upper body to punch holes; use fewer numbers and shorter string. Check out this site for more fine motor Halloween themed activities! http://mamaot.com/4-halloween-fine-motor-activities/

Looking for play based activities? Check these out!

It's GIVEAWAY TIME! Enter a photo of your festive little one in their favorite costume to win a $25 Gift Card to your choice of either Lakeshore Learning or Fat Brain Toys! Contest will close 10/31 at midnight and Winner will be announced Sunday! To enter: 1. Like our Page 2. Share this contest with a friend... 3. Post a photo of your little one in their costume! *Winner will be randomly chosen See more

Great visual Sensory Stories! Picky eating can be very complex. Oral motor abilities and responses to textures and taste can all contribute to food preferences. Fruits especially can be very unpredictable for both taste and texture!

It is finally OCTOBER! We have already started celebrating Halloween this week at Home Grown!

Free printable! Create your own Halloween mask

Anyone??? We are here for you! We know this is a trying time for you and your children. Happy as a Mother

Happy 1st Day of FALL

We are already getting into the Halloween spirit! Here are some great Halloween themed activities to try at home!

Children hear everything we say even when we don't think they are listening. During these times of uncertainty and stress, be sure to speak positively! They are listening!

Does your little one love to paint, but you can't stand the mess? Check out this great mess-free idea with a frameable masterpiece at the end!