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8 Easy Organization Tips for School at Home!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 24, 2020 | Social-Emotional Learning
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Social-Emotional Learning
Morning Meetings at Home
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 24, 2020 | Social-Emotional Learning
Developmental Activities to Fill your Easter Baskets!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 20, 2020 | Easter
Easter is right around the corner! This means many of you will be out there buying all of the fun things to fill your kiddo’s baskets up! As therapists working in child development, we are often asked during the holidays for a list of recommended activities, games, and products for different age groups.Below, I put together some of my personal favorites! They are all tried and true activities that are loaded with so much developmental skill stimulation for the varying age groups. I hope you will find this list helpful when choosing gifts to add to your baskets.
Infants
This is the perfect opportunity to fill up their baskets with some sensory stimulating play items! Infants love looking in the mirror, and the All About Me Mirroris the perfect size to prop up in front of them as they get their tummy time in for the day. It is also the perfect size to take on the go for some developmentally stimulating play during restaurant, park, and shopping outings!
18Months – 2 Years
There is a TON of development that occurs between 18 months and 2 years, but often times you can continue to use the same toy throughout this time – just with a little adaptation as they develop more advanced skills. Some of the things this age group really enjoys are open/close concepts (containers, pots, pants, etc) – the Peakaboo Learning Farm is a fun way to engage them in color concepts, open and close, animals, as well as number concepts. The animals also turn into finger puppets which is a great way to work on finger and hand muscle development.
2-3 yrs
The “I’LL DO IT!” stage! These kiddo’s seemingly want to do EVERYTHING themselves. For this age group, I recommend activities that include lots of opportunities for independently succeeding in a task. Plastic Easter eggs that have patterns or designs so that they can find and match pairs, small bubble sets that allow their little finger to hold and blow themselves, small crayons for their small hands, chalk for outdoor play and building up those foundational handwriting skills, Alphabet Blocks are great for color identification, fine motor coordination, as well as for simple letter recognition tasks – I recommend starting with the letters of their name so that they can visually recognize their name when they start school. Peg Friends Stacking Farm is a fun way to encourage visual motor integration as well as early building and matching skills.
3-4 yrs
This age group we look at a lot of the school readiness skills. Some of the activities that I really like are fine motor strengthening skills and the Froggy Feeding Fun game provides lots of opportunities to increase intrinsic hand muscles by squeezing the froggys mouth open. As they approach 4, the Alphabet Acorns game is great for letter recognition, visual perceptual tasks, as well as more advanced find motor coordination! Try adding the letters into a sensory bin for some added visual figure-ground searching skills.
5-7 yrs
For this age group, activities that have academically pertinent tasks built into a fun game is always a sure hit! Sight Word SWAT turns sight words into a fun fly swatting game. Try placing the words on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. Or you can even hide them around the room for some added visual scanning skills. The whole family can join in on the fun making it an engaging and fun task to learn new words. Penguins on Ice turns math concepts into a fun activity using colorful penguins as manipulatives which is great for fine motor practice as well. If your 5-7’s have younger siblings, this is a fun activity for the young kiddos as well – instead of practicing math concepts, they can build patterns, work on color recognition, or even just simple fine motor manipulation!
8+ years
For the 8+ year old’s, on- the- go activities are always great as these kiddo’s tend to have busier schedules and limited “play” time. Mental Box Go! is a great visual perceptual thinking game for any downtime. Easy to carry with you and play anywhere, anytime! Geoboards are also a fun, easy activity to set up. Use rubber bands to create shapes, patterns, designs, etc. These activities also provide lots of opportunity for social participation and engagement such as problem solving together which is a great developmental skill.
While this is a short list of just some of the fun basket fillers that have great developmental value, I hope this article has helped you in deciding what fun skills you will be filling your baskets with this year!
Developmental Activities to Fill your Easter Baskets!
READ MORE
Easter is right around the corner! This means many of you will be out there buying all of the fun things to fill your kiddo’s baskets up! As therapists working in child development, we are often asked during the holidays for a list of recommended activities, games, and products for different age groups.Below, I put together some of my personal favorites! They are all tried and true activities that are loaded with so much developmental skill stimulation for the varying age groups. I hope you will find this list helpful when choosing gifts to add to your baskets.
Infants
This is the perfect opportunity to fill up their baskets with some sensory stimulating play items! Infants love looking in the mirror, and the All About Me Mirroris the perfect size to prop up in front of them as they get their tummy time in for the day. It is also the perfect size to take on the go for some developmentally stimulating play during restaurant, park, and shopping outings!
18Months – 2 Years
There is a TON of development that occurs between 18 months and 2 years, but often times you can continue to use the same toy throughout this time – just with a little adaptation as they develop more advanced skills. Some of the things this age group really enjoys are open/close concepts (containers, pots, pants, etc) – the Peakaboo Learning Farm is a fun way to engage them in color concepts, open and close, animals, as well as number concepts. The animals also turn into finger puppets which is a great way to work on finger and hand muscle development.
2-3 yrs
The “I’LL DO IT!” stage! These kiddo’s seemingly want to do EVERYTHING themselves. For this age group, I recommend activities that include lots of opportunities for independently succeeding in a task. Plastic Easter eggs that have patterns or designs so that they can find and match pairs, small bubble sets that allow their little finger to hold and blow themselves, small crayons for their small hands, chalk for outdoor play and building up those foundational handwriting skills, Alphabet Blocks are great for color identification, fine motor coordination, as well as for simple letter recognition tasks – I recommend starting with the letters of their name so that they can visually recognize their name when they start school. Peg Friends Stacking Farm is a fun way to encourage visual motor integration as well as early building and matching skills.
3-4 yrs
This age group we look at a lot of the school readiness skills. Some of the activities that I really like are fine motor strengthening skills and the Froggy Feeding Fun game provides lots of opportunities to increase intrinsic hand muscles by squeezing the froggys mouth open. As they approach 4, the Alphabet Acorns game is great for letter recognition, visual perceptual tasks, as well as more advanced find motor coordination! Try adding the letters into a sensory bin for some added visual figure-ground searching skills.
5-7 yrs
For this age group, activities that have academically pertinent tasks built into a fun game is always a sure hit! Sight Word SWAT turns sight words into a fun fly swatting game. Try placing the words on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. Or you can even hide them around the room for some added visual scanning skills. The whole family can join in on the fun making it an engaging and fun task to learn new words. Penguins on Ice turns math concepts into a fun activity using colorful penguins as manipulatives which is great for fine motor practice as well. If your 5-7’s have younger siblings, this is a fun activity for the young kiddos as well – instead of practicing math concepts, they can build patterns, work on color recognition, or even just simple fine motor manipulation!
8+ years
For the 8+ year old’s, on- the- go activities are always great as these kiddo’s tend to have busier schedules and limited “play” time. Mental Box Go! is a great visual perceptual thinking game for any downtime. Easy to carry with you and play anywhere, anytime! Geoboards are also a fun, easy activity to set up. Use rubber bands to create shapes, patterns, designs, etc. These activities also provide lots of opportunity for social participation and engagement such as problem solving together which is a great developmental skill.While this is a short list of just some of the fun basket fillers that have great developmental value, I hope this article has helped you in deciding what fun skills you will be filling your baskets with this year!
9+ Letter Writing Prompts For Kids!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 18, 2020 | Social-Emotional Learning
DIY Mardi Gras Sensory Activities!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Feb 25, 2020 | Social-Emotional Learning
10 Fun Indoor Activities for Kids!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Dec 23, 2019 | Social-Emotional Learning
DIY Reindeer Food!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Dec 23, 2019 | Social-Emotional Learning
Thankful Turkeys Pinecone Craft!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Nov 21, 2019 | Social-Emotional Learning
Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays to spend time with family. This year is extra special for us, as we are hosting dinner in our own home. I couldn’t wait to make these cute turkeys with my two boys to use as decorations for our Thanksgiving table. For the actual day, I plan on setting up a station for other little friends that come over so they can make turkeys too.
This thankful pinecone turkey craft does not require a lot of materials and it's a bonus if you have pinecones already in your yard. If you have your own kids at home, a classroom full of students, or you are expecting a lot of little guests for your Thanksgiving dinner, this craft is inexpensive and easy to set up.
We have a lot of little ones in our extended family, so I plan on covering one of our lower tables with shipping paper and setting up a craft station so they can create. I feel like having an activity planned will be helpful in the wait time for Thanksgiving dinner. For kids that finish their turkeys, I plan on putting out a bin of crayons and they can color the paper on the table. Coloring pages are always a fun touch!
Materials needed for one turkey:
- Pinecone
- Googly eyes
- Orange foam triangle
- Red foam “gizzard”
- Rainbow Popsicle sticks (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
- Black thin tip marker
- Glue gun (used by an adult)
Step One:
Sit the pinecone down on its side to find a good balance point. I used the bottom of the pinecones for the turkey’s face.
Step Two:
Glue on eyes.
Step Three:
Glue on nose and gizzard.
Step Four:
Write down what you are thankful for. I asked my boys and wrote their responses since they can’t write yet. Pictures would work great, too!
Step Five:
Put a dab of glue on the bottom and insert the popsicle stick into the pinecone. I used the hot glue to put the dab and then my son was able to insert independently.
All finished! These turkeys are a cute, quick craft that family members will love and cherish for years to come. They look great with a Thanksgiving tablescape and serve as a great reminder of all of the things we have to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!
Save it for later!
Thankful Turkeys Pinecone Craft!
READ MORE
Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays to spend time with family. This year is extra special for us, as we are hosting dinner in our own home. I couldn’t wait to make these cute turkeys with my two boys to use as decorations for our Thanksgiving table. For the actual day, I plan on setting up a station for other little friends that come over so they can make turkeys too.
This thankful pinecone turkey craft does not require a lot of materials and it's a bonus if you have pinecones already in your yard. If you have your own kids at home, a classroom full of students, or you are expecting a lot of little guests for your Thanksgiving dinner, this craft is inexpensive and easy to set up.
We have a lot of little ones in our extended family, so I plan on covering one of our lower tables with shipping paper and setting up a craft station so they can create. I feel like having an activity planned will be helpful in the wait time for Thanksgiving dinner. For kids that finish their turkeys, I plan on putting out a bin of crayons and they can color the paper on the table. Coloring pages are always a fun touch!
Materials needed for one turkey:
- Pinecone
- Googly eyes
- Orange foam triangle
- Red foam “gizzard”
- Rainbow Popsicle sticks (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
- Black thin tip marker
- Glue gun (used by an adult)
Step One:
Sit the pinecone down on its side to find a good balance point. I used the bottom of the pinecones for the turkey’s face.
Step Two:
Glue on eyes.
Step Three:
Glue on nose and gizzard.
Step Four:
Write down what you are thankful for. I asked my boys and wrote their responses since they can’t write yet. Pictures would work great, too!
Step Five:
Put a dab of glue on the bottom and insert the popsicle stick into the pinecone. I used the hot glue to put the dab and then my son was able to insert independently.All finished! These turkeys are a cute, quick craft that family members will love and cherish for years to come. They look great with a Thanksgiving tablescape and serve as a great reminder of all of the things we have to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!
Save it for later!
Keeping Your Kids Cool in the Summer!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Aug 14, 2019 | Social-Emotional Learning
When people talk about the dog days of summer, they’re definitely talking about August. Although we’re slowly creeping toward fall, the days just seem to get hotter and hotter. Since keeping the kids inside all day would drive us (and them) to the brink of insanity, and since we can’t go to the pool, shore, or movies EVERY day, we’re sharing five fun water games you and your kids can play out back to keep cool until the weather lets up.
Dribble, Dribble, DUMP! – Played just like the classic Duck, Duck, Goose, the “ducks” sit around in a circle as the “goose” walks behind them, tapping their heads, and saying “dribble”. But instead of tapping, the goose dribbles a bit of water (use a plastic cup) on each head until they get to the one they’d like to tag. Then it’s DUMP! The rest of the water is dumped out on that player’s head and the chase ensues…
Wring n Run – Place two buckets at least 10 feet apart. Fill one full of water and leave the other empty. Drop a large sponge (car wash size) into the full bucket. Line your kids up behind the full bucket and shout GO. The first runner in line zooms grabs the soaking sponge, runs it to the empty bucket, wrings it out into the bucket, and runs back and hands it to the next player in line. Play continues until the once full bucket is empty. Time your kids the first round, then challenge them to beat their time and play again.
Cool Catch – Water balloons are a quintessential summer supply. Fill a few, pair your kids up by age, and place them standing a few feet apart. The kids toss and catch the balloon once each, then take a big step backwards. Play continues until one child misses the balloon. Bonus – playing toss and catch is a great way to build gross motor skills!
Happy Hose – Put your reggae playlist on speaker, hold the spraying hose horizontally, and challenge your kids to a game of limbo! Lower the hose after each kiddo has passed beneath the stream and see who can hold out the longest.
Slip N Slide – If you’ve got the space, Slip N Slide is a great way to keep your kids cool this summer – and get some exercise at the same time!
Playing out back in the heat of the summer is the stuff memories are made of. So throw on your suit, turn on those sprinklers, and join in the fun!
Save it for later!
Keeping Your Kids Cool in the Summer!
READ MORE
When people talk about the dog days of summer, they’re definitely talking about August. Although we’re slowly creeping toward fall, the days just seem to get hotter and hotter. Since keeping the kids inside all day would drive us (and them) to the brink of insanity, and since we can’t go to the pool, shore, or movies EVERY day, we’re sharing five fun water games you and your kids can play out back to keep cool until the weather lets up.
Dribble, Dribble, DUMP! – Played just like the classic Duck, Duck, Goose, the “ducks” sit around in a circle as the “goose” walks behind them, tapping their heads, and saying “dribble”. But instead of tapping, the goose dribbles a bit of water (use a plastic cup) on each head until they get to the one they’d like to tag. Then it’s DUMP! The rest of the water is dumped out on that player’s head and the chase ensues…
Wring n Run – Place two buckets at least 10 feet apart. Fill one full of water and leave the other empty. Drop a large sponge (car wash size) into the full bucket. Line your kids up behind the full bucket and shout GO. The first runner in line zooms grabs the soaking sponge, runs it to the empty bucket, wrings it out into the bucket, and runs back and hands it to the next player in line. Play continues until the once full bucket is empty. Time your kids the first round, then challenge them to beat their time and play again.
Cool Catch – Water balloons are a quintessential summer supply. Fill a few, pair your kids up by age, and place them standing a few feet apart. The kids toss and catch the balloon once each, then take a big step backwards. Play continues until one child misses the balloon. Bonus – playing toss and catch is a great way to build gross motor skills!
Happy Hose – Put your reggae playlist on speaker, hold the spraying hose horizontally, and challenge your kids to a game of limbo! Lower the hose after each kiddo has passed beneath the stream and see who can hold out the longest.
Slip N Slide – If you’ve got the space, Slip N Slide is a great way to keep your kids cool this summer – and get some exercise at the same time!
Playing out back in the heat of the summer is the stuff memories are made of. So throw on your suit, turn on those sprinklers, and join in the fun!
Save it for later!
