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Self Improvement to Help Achieve Goals

Here is a self improvement worksheet to complete to establish what steps need to be taken to achieve a goal.   I love any activity that requires the child (or an adult like myself) take ownership of how one can improve or reach a goal.  You can print this FREE worksheet with blank boxes to […]

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Your Opinions on the Effects of Tablet Use on the Overall Development of Young Children

We asked and 264 of you responded on what effects you think tablets and smartphones have on the overall development of young children.  Here are the highlights: 61% of the respondents were pediatric OTs. 53% of all respondents think that tablet/smartphone use delays social development in 0-5 year old children. 36% of all respondents think […]

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My Favorite Summer Activity Plus Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

When asked to participate in this blog hop with a recommendation for a favorite summer time activity, I knew what my answer was right away.  Sidewalk chalk is my absolute favorite.  Depending upon how you use it, sidewalk chalk can encourage physical activity, fine motor, gross motor and visual perceptual skills.   Now of course […]

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5 Easy Ways To Teach Right Left Discrimination

Here are 5 ways to teach right versus left: 1.  Verbal Reinforcement:  Every opportunity you have verbally state right from left.  For example, when dressing a child say “put your right arm in the sleeve”.  When turning left in a car or walking on the street say “let’s take a left here”. 2.  Visual Reinforcement: […]

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Lack of Sleep Increases Obesity and Body Fat in Children

Pediatrics has published a large study linking reduced sleep and childhood obesity.  The children who consistently received less than the recommended hours of sleep during infancy and early childhood had increases in both obesity and in adiposity or overall body fat at age 7. Insufficient sleep was defined as less than 12 hours per day from […]

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Association Between Muscular Strength and Cardiometabolic Risk in Adolescents

Pediatrics published research on the gender-specific independent association between muscular strength and cardiometabolic risk clustering in 1421 children.  The researchers used a principal component analysis to determine the pattern of risk clustering and to derive a continuous aggregate score (MetScore) from various cardiometabolic risk factors (i.e. % body fat, blood pressure, etc), body mass index (BMI), […]