Occupational therapy is just one of the many treatments and educational services we offer here at Watch Me Shine. This form of rehabilitation uses tasks necessary in everyday life to improve a variety of physical and mental skills. For young children, the best way to teach these skills is through play and games. Read on to find some festive activities to help your young children practice the skills we’re working on in our occupational therapy programs.
Crafts
The holidays are the perfect excuse to practice our fine motor skills using arts and crafts. Skills like using scissors, crumpling paper, threading, and stamping can all be used to build beautiful holiday gifts and decorations. A favorite here at Watch Me Shine is the crumpled paper wreaths. Just take colored construction or tissue paper and have your child crumble up pieces and glue or tape them onto a paper plate. You can even cut out the middle of the plate for a more circular wreath. Other options include threading garland or stamping wrapping paper.
Cooking
The kitchen also holds lots of fun activities to work on things like motor coordination, hand strength, hand-eye coordination and listening to directions! Young children can mix the batter, while older ones may be able to measure ingredients if you show them the lines on the cup or spoons. Rolling out dough for cookies and cutting them into special shapes can also be a fun activity!
We design our preschool and occupational therapy programs to teach children the skills they need to excel in daily life. The best way to extend these skills beyond the classroom is to incorporate them into your child’s home life. The holidays provide the perfect chance to work on fine motor skills to create fun decorations, meals, and gifts. For more information about our occupational therapy programs, visit our site here or give us a call at (207) 990-0162.
