Learning in Motion

Did you know that chalk is a great way for preschoolers to develop Fine Motor Skills?! Writing vertically with short thick chalk pieces helps to promote proper tripod grasp and stable wrist extension. Both are foundations for developing a proper pencil grasp! Focus on using short thick tools if your child is struggling to develop a tripod grasp. Chalk also provides amazing proprioceptive feedback through the muscles and joints in the hands! ... Please leave me a comment or message me if you want to talk more about pencil grasp or the proprioceptive system. I would be happy to help and your child!

TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!! It's the last week to sign up for the 6 week Parenting Sensory Classes I'm teaching in Newport Beach. Classes start this Monday February 3rd at 9:30am! Message me with any questions you have. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain hands on tools to help your child process sensory information!... To sign up, go to www.mainspringfamilywellness.com -Click on CLASSES -Select the class GOT SENSORY SENSITIVITIES? -Click on SIGN UP

Don’t forget - I'm teaching 6 weeks of Parent Sensory Classes Starts Monday February 3rd from 9:30-11am. It’s a great way for you to add a wealth of information for your parenting toolbox! If you want to sign up for this 6 week series, go to www.mainspringfamilywellness.com, select Classes and choose Got Sensory Sensitivity? Contact me if you have any questions!

I'm very excited to let you all know about my upcoming 6 week Parent Sensory Classes that I am offering starting Monday January 27th from 9:30-11am. This 6 week series is going to cover topics such as sensory issues at home, sensory kids in the classroom, picking eating, emotional regulation, and sensorimotor development. These classes will be held in Newport Beach and are a great way for you to add a wealth of information for your parenting toolbox! If you are interested, send me an email or text so we can talk and make sure this class is a match for your families needs. All the details are on the flyer below. Happy Holidays!

Great time at the Newport Heights Jonathan this morning to share some OT tips on Handwriting, Attention, and Sensory Issues!

Sensory Bin for the WIN!!! Want to find a way for your child to work on tactical processing while calming their nervous system, learning number concepts, and having fun!?? Sensory bins are the way to go! You can make any theme and include math, writing, visual perceptual, and fine motor challenges as well. Small tongs make this a nice fine motor activity. Sensory bins are calming, organizing, and something your child can do independently if age 4 and up. This bin is made with corn from Smart & Final with a variety of Thanksgiving themed erasers ordered off Amazon. The wood chip blocks each have a number and eraser type glued on to guide the child’s search play! Message me if you want more ideas!

Be kind Be patient It's everyone's Halloween!

Here's some helpful TIPS for calming your child’s SENSORY SYSTEM before sleep! Calm app Meditation app Breathing... Massage Weighted blanket Sensory Compression bed sheets Lavender Aromatherapy Diffuser Warm bath Warm PJ’s right out of the dryer Deep Touch Compression (tactile sensory input consisting of firm holding, firm stroking, cuddling, or swaddling) Joint Compression (therapeutic technique providing physical input- compression on the joints such as the shoulder and elbow in a sequential pattern, and then repeated) **Most of these items can be found on Amazon

TIPS & TRICKS to Help Promote a PROPER PENCIL GRIP Proper pencil grasp is one of many foundational skills needed for efficient handwriting. Children tend to naturally develop a tripod grasp around age 2, but if they haven't, here are some ideas on how to help develop their hand muscles for handwriting. 1. Keep it small!! Use small, short, and fat tools! Small short and fat tools (such as a golf pencil, sidewalk chalk cut in half, or pip squeak markers) promote proper tripod ...finger use. This in itself can sometimes fix an awkward pencil grasp. 2. Tong work-using small tongs to manipulate objects, play games, or eat a snack is a great way to help promote tripod grasp strength and coordination. I prefer strawberry huller tongs which are small and the perfect size for small hands! 3. If your child is struggling to use a natural tripod grasp while working at the desk or table, try putting their paper vertical to help promote more wrist extension which then helps promote a better tripod grasp. 4. Pencil Grips ONLY as a last resort- Pencil grips can often be a distraction for young kids and don't always work because kids still compensate for an awkward grasp even with pencil grips on pencils. (If you are going to use one, my favorite is called "The Pencil Grip")

MORNING ROUTINE GOT YOU FEELING DOWN? Try incorporating a simple checklist to help make your mornings more enjoyable! If your child can’t read, you can use pictures. For older kids, try giving them a sticky note and have them bring it back to you when it’s complete. This takes the power struggle out of the morning routine and can help jump start habits for independence in general. Also, if your child has impulse control, attention, or control issues, this system is very helpful!

Look out for future posts on the Learning in Motion page as we re-vamp social media and start strong this fall! There will be some great articles, tips, and developmental insights regarding Sensory Integration, Typical Motor Developmental, Anxiety in Kids, and Social Emotional Regulation.

Lets talk HAND STRENGTH.....one of the most frequent questions I get as a pediatric occupational therapist is "How do I increase my child's hand strength?" Hand strength is one of MANY foundations that need to be in place for efficient fine motor skills, activities of daily living such as dressing and shoe tying, and of course handwriting. There are many places outside in a child's every day environment to develop hand strength including hanging from monkey bars, pulling on ...ropes, and weight bearing through their hands (wheel barrow walks, animal walks, etc). However, an easy way to develop hand strength right at your kitchen table is through what I call the Pac Man Eater. All you need is an old tennis ball! 1)Cut the tennis ball in half using a sharp knife (obviously be careful and parents only!) 2)Have your child decorate your Pac Man Eater however he/she wants 3)Feed your Pac Man using small items such as pennies, beads, dry pasta, or small rocks. Make sure to put "ears" on Pac Man to visually cue your child where to put his/her thumbs and opposing fingers. This is an easy and entertaining way for all ages to develop intrinsic hand strength! If your child is struggling to squeeze the ball open to feed, have them use 2 hands to start. See more