Welcome, Summer!
Welcome, Summer!
Now that school is out, I’m sure many parents are already hearing, “I’m bored!” Below are some ideas for staying busy this summer, while also working on some important developmental skills:
- “Sneak” reading into your routine by completing recipes, science experiments, and games that have written instructions.
- Make your own “play-doh” – there are hundreds of recipes out there, including some that are edible and scented using herbs, spices, Kool-Aid/Jell-O powder, and other ingredients. Incorporating scents and flavors adds another sensory experience and can have a calming or alerting effect of your child.
- Fill balloons with different textures (water, air, beans, rice, beads, sand, marbles, hair gel, etc.) for a great tactile experience.
- Make calming or visually stimulating sensory bottles. Mix water and glitter glue, fill with magnetic objects and use a magnet wand from the outside to move them around, or fill with water beads. Get creative!
- Play I-Spy! Gives clues of color, size, shape, or function to compliment your child’s strengths or address the areas you’re working on.
- Play Pictionary or Hangman using sidewalk chalk or window markers for some variety.
- Create a scavenger hunt, and get as creative as you want. Give rhyming clues, or puzzles to solve, or search for things of various colors, shapes, or categories.
- Work on following directions and other executive functioning skills by playing games like “Mother, May I?,” “Red Light, Green Light,” and “Simon Says.” Incorporate whatever your child is working on in therapy to your directions. For example, include jumps, hops, skips, or jumping jacks for gross motor skills, saying words/sounds or answering questions for speech/language skills, or even writing letters or drawing shapes for visual motor integration skills.
Follow us on Pinterest to see more ideas we like! We’ve pinned posts that have recipes and instructions for tons of different sensory bottles, sensory doughs, and other activities and games.
Author: Krista Flack, MS OTR/L
