Fun Games Idea II

Sorting Project Part 2
Egg Tray & Cubes

This is a brilliant idea from our senior, a game for sorting using only egg trays and cubes. Usually this cubes would be use as assessment tool in Peabody such as building tower, bridge and a train.

Since my current clinical placement have this cubes (from DOTCA assessment), I decided to make my own cube sorting tools. Its easy and cheap, all we need to do is color the egg trays. I did two set, one is simple and the other is a bit complex. This tool can be used for children with fine motor and gross motor children such as Cerebral Palsy or children with Learning Difficulties or Slow Learner for basic concept and color matching.

Since our first sorting project using the cotton ball, you may used the cotton ball with this tray with or without using thongs. Or maybe use the thongs to sort this cubes so that child will learn how to use appropriate force when using thong for different types of weight and texture (hard vs soft).

HOPE IT HELPFUL!!!

Sensory Perceptual Skills - Vestibular

Balance Beam

The vestibular system is important for the development of normal movement reactions, motion tolerance, and motor control for postural alignment, balance, and vision (Vestibular Disorder Association). One method to improve and provide vestibular input is through movement using a Balance Beam

 Some children may shows imbalance during walking on balance beam. Therefore, before using a vestibular movement in sensory diet, therapist/parents must consider child's ability in vestibular.

 In OT, every activities done in graded method. Task given from simple to complex. For the vestibular movement using balance beam, I used wider base for starter. Next, the base became narrow and a fence on the third base. As the base become narrow, more obstacle present to challenge child's ability. This is a Sensory Integration Frame of Reference method whereby challenges will increase the duration and frequency of adaptive response.

 One of walking on balance beam advantage is this activity will improve child's attention as the child need to sustain his/her attention when walks on balance beam and tries to balance himself/herself. 

Hope it helpful

Fine Motor Skills + Coordination + Cognitive Skills Activity

 Threading on Wall

This is one of my project at my last clinical placement.I came out with an idea after 

watching Spouse-vs-House program (but i don't remember the episode. hehehe). 

From the episode it was a decoration for children bedroom 

so they can hang small toy on it.

This activity i made out of colorful thumb tacks (rounded head) 

and threads ( the one grandma used to knit).

The children need to untie and tie the tread to the thumb tack by it's color. 

This will require their eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills 

including finger manipulation, pinching and etc. 

I made it into two set, simple and complex. 

The simple set is to train the children the concept of the activity 

and to get use to it and the complex set with 3 color, 

the children need to match the color (cognitive skill).

HOPE IT HELPFUL!!

Uncovering Survival Skills in You Program

- Community Mobility -

Last month, we brought this special needs children to visit Malaysia's new airport, Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2. The aim of this program was to expose them on how to use public transportation and facilities. One of transportation we used is a train!!! It so much fun as this children eager to learn and try how to buy own ticket, how to use it, waiting for train and boarding on train.

At the same time, we can see how them behave and socialize within a new environment and community. What more fun than learning new things at its real environment?

Fun Games Idea

Sorting Project Part 1:
Cotton Ball & Tongs

This is our project for children at our clinical placement, Sungai Buloh Hosptital. We got the idea from Making Boys Men: 3 ways to play cotton balls

It really simple and easy to do. Well we brought the colorful cotton ball at Daiso (RM5.00 each box), polystyrene cups, colorful paper and a thong

Stick the colorful paper on polystyrene cup

Sort the cotton balls by its color into the cup using the tongs

Aims

• Strengthening hand grip
• Improve fine motor skills
• Cognitive training (basic concept)
• Fun games (speed)

Hope it helpful!!!!

Group Therapy Activities

Fine Motor Skills

 Decorating Cupcakes

Occupational Therapy use therapeutic activities as treatment medium with their client. A simple activities can train your client or children to improve and enhance their skills and performances. My friends and I use this activities on one of our Group Therapy session, we named it as 'Decorating Cupcakes'.

Ingredients and Tools

• Ready made cupcakes
• Chocolates, we used choki-ckoki (the one in the picture)
• Colorful M&M kind of stuff
• Scissor
• Plate
• Tissues

Scissoring Skills  

Following Instruction Abilities

 Procedure; 

1. Ask each one of them to distribute the material such as plate, chocolates and of course the cupcakes
2. The show the how to make it step by step. For example opening the cupcakes cup. It really important to demonstrate first as some of children have difficulties in following verbal instruction
3. Then, ask them to cut the tip of the choki-choki chocolate, well they need to share the scissors. Taking turn and asking permission to borrow
4. Next, pinch the chocolate on top of the cupcakes
5. For the decoration, we used M&M and ask them to take different colors. Ask one color at a time. Cognitive skill in basic concept of color
6. Take some pictures and pray before eating. Well is kind a selfie before eating. lol. Just for some memory before the cupcakes gone
7. Lastly, don't forget to train the child to clean up after eating. Some parents did not applied this when they eat outside. We should practice it every time to train the children about eating manners and behavior

Pinching Skills

Taking Turn

Creativeness

Social Skills

Ritual / Religious Activity 

Eating and Feeding

Clean up

Hope it helpful!!!

Oral Motor Stimulation

This one kind of fun activity that I used today for my client who had poor saliva control, basically excessive drooling and his tongue protruded. Just a simple activity that train him to swallow his saliva before blowing. At same time, he will learn how to control his tongue and increase his oral muscles. Hope it helpful ;)

Prewriting Activity

 Magnetic Maze

In school children learn to write using pencil and paper, but sometimes they has immature pencil grasp, weak or light grasp, poor coordination and lack of interest towards handwriting activities. 

In order to teach children, Occupational Therapy use Play Therapy as treatment medium. Therefore, any games that gives child skills training indirectly are best choice to tackle above problems. Today I used this magnetic maze to promote my client prewriting skills and improve his attention span and sitting tolerance. At same time, this will train client in positioning (left, right, up and down). Hope it helpful

Communication Skills Training

 Visual Scheduling

During the practical, my friend Rayhel had a problem with her client. Her client had audio issues in which he unable to speak and listen. Every time during therapy session, she needed to prompts her client to initiate and complete the task given. However, some of the task, he able to complete independently. 

Since the client did not learn any sign language, my friend came up with an idea of visual scheduling. This tool will help the client to understand the task that he need to do first and so on. Once he completed the task, the pictures will be remove from the board. In some cases, client was allowed to arrange the activities that he wanted to do.

This tool not only be use for child with audio problem but other children with behavior issues or difficulties in following instruction. This visual schedule also can be use as a structured activity for children with behavioral problem or difficulties in following instruction. Hope it helpful

Fine Motor Skills and Cognitive Training Activities

Colorful Cloths Pin

 It's pretty amazing how our everyday tools can be used as treatment medium and play material for the children. It may look simple but consist of high Therapeutic Values. It trains child to strength and enhance his/her fine motor skills especially in pinching and promote cognitive function in basic concept of colors. Pinch skills are basic skills that we need in everyday life activities including zipping, buttoning, posting coin and opening bottle, while basic concept enhance our child performance in school. This tool are easy to made and adapt to suits child's needs and our creativity. Hope it helpful

Prewriting Skills Activity

Lines Flashcard

An assistive device that I used with one of my client who had poor handwriting skills. Teaching children using a tool that give them experiences to fell the edges during making a lines; straight line, curve and zig-zag

Lines Flashcard