As pediatric therapists we may be involved in helping children return to activity and/or school following a concussion. Of course, you should always work in conjunction with a physician but there are specific guidelines to follow. CanChild has done a great job of creating evidence based resources to return to activity and school for youth […]
I received this question from a reader and thought it would be beneficial to post a Q&A for everyone to read. Question: I am looking for free worksheets or handouts for memory, problem solving, decision making, and planning. Do you have any of these? Answer: Sure, we have some free worksheets about these topics. […]
Challenge fine motor and memory skills with this Superhero Match Up freebie from the Superhero packet. Print and laminate the page. Using thumb, index and middle finger create small balls of clay. Flatten each ball between thumb and index finger. Place clay over each circle. Player one removes two pieces of clay. If it is a […]
Combine pretend play with physical activity while you move and learn with these free animal printables. All you need to do is print the activities and you are set to go. Not only will you be encouraging physical activity, proprioceptive input and body awareness but children will also review math concepts and practice visual perceptual […]
Nowadays, babies are spending more and more time in car seats. Families are busy running to day care, extra curricular activities for siblings and the stores. When the baby is buckled into the car seat, all too often parents just transition the car seat to the next location and plop the car seat in the […]
Here is the newest download from Your Therapy Source – Calm Down Cards. This is a wonderful collection of photographs with calming phrases to help children to calm down. You can download a free poster – Just Breathe. This set of Calm Down Cards includes 30 full size photographs with calming phrases (11″ by 8.5″ […]
During this age of social media, we are bombarded with inspirational messages of which some hit home more than others. I think this quote is perfect for pediatric therapists. As a profession, I think we live and breathe this everyday for the children and their families. When children want to achieve a certain skill (no […]
During therapy sessions, we frequently break down activities into smaller parts or chunks to make it easier for children to learn new motor or life skills. As the child progresses with those individual parts of the skill, the child then practices the entire activity as a whole. Sometimes this is done in an isolated environment […]
It can be a challenge at times to encourage children with physical disabilities to participate in leisure activities. The Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy published a small study to determine the effectiveness of environment-based interventions on participation of 6 adolescents with physical disabilities. A 12-week intervention occurred with a focus on removing environmental barriers and coaching parents. […]
Here is a new twist on a do it yourself stress ball – dried bean stress balls. You might be wondering what make these any different than others? Well until you make one and feel it you will not understand. These dried garbanzo bean stress balls feel more like a deep massage in the hands. […]