children's therapy

Believe it or not, the warmer weather is coming!!! Soon it will be time to get outside again and enjoy the sunshine. Let’s spring into action with these fun family activities that will take us outside!

Outdoor Family Activities

Bird Nest Material Station

Together with your child, gather a variety of materials suitable for nest building such as non-metallic ribbon, dog hair, raffia, bits of string and yarn and small sticks. Stuff the nesting materials into an onion bag, potato sack or other mesh bag. Now tie the bag closed with a string, hang it in a tree and wait for the birds to accept your invitation to set up housekeeping in your yard.

Start a Garden

Kids love digging in the dirt! Visit your local greenhouse and buy some inexpensive flowers to pretty up your yard or plants you can watch grow and harvest later this summer. Kiddos love to watch it grow and pick it themselves. If you do not have space for large garden, consider planting a small container garden or a vertical garden

Splash Time

We normally have a lot of rain in the spring and we have already experienced this year. Enjoy spring rain showers –  put on your rain gear and head outside to play. See who can make the biggest splash in the puddles!

Spring Scavenger Hunt

This can be done at home, around your neighborhood or at a local park. Use the list here or make your own of things you might see in the spring outside. Bring a clipboard and writing utensil for you kiddos to check things off the list. For older kiddos, you could provide a disposable camera to take pictures of the items they found. If you run out of time to complete your hunt, just make it a multiple day hunt or over the course of the spring season. Keep adding new things, ask your kiddos what you should look for outside.

Our Favorite Spring Books

A Rainbow of My Own
Hide and Seek duck
Planting a Rainbow
Thumpity Thump Gets Dressed
Mouse’s First Spring
Let it Rain

Songs & Poems

Lady Bug, Lady Bug by Jean Warren

Lady bug, lady bug, crawl, crawl, crawl.
Lady bug, lady bug, on the wall.
Lady bug, lady bug, look out don’t fall!

Pretty Rainbow by Jean Warren

Rainbow, rainbow in the sky, Pretty colors up so high.
Oh, I wish that it would stay. Bringing color every day.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Head, shoulders, knees and toes.
Knees and toes!
Head, shoulders, knees and toes.
Knees and toes!
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, reach up high.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Touch the sky!

Teddy bear, teddy bear, Find your nose!
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Touch you toes!
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Touch your knees!
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Sit down please!

Hungry Caterpillar

I’m a very hungry caterpillar crawling around eating everything in sight that can be found.
I’m weaving a cocoon on a good size twig and I’m starting to get real big.
I’m eating so much you can hear me chew.
Chomp, chomp, chomp’s all I want to do so much that I just can’t stop.
I’m afraid that I might pop!

POP

I’m a butterfly flying about.
I’m beautiful, I want to twist and shout. HEY!
A butterfly, it’s a brand new day and I still hear my little friends say:
I’m a very hungry caterpillar crawling around eating everything in sight that can be found.
I’m weaving a cocoon on a good size twig and I’m starting to get real big.
I’m eating so much you can hear me chew.
Chomp, chomp, chomp’s all I want to do so much that I just can’t stop.
I’m afraid that I might pop!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the CTC Team!! We hope you are having a safe and happy holiday season with your families. Here are a few holiday happenings that took place at the clinic this season.

Letters to Santa

Gingerbread Village

This year our clinic-wide holiday activity was making gingerbread houses. We invited all of our kiddos who come to the clinic to participate in making their very own gingerbread house and becoming part of our CTC Gingerbread Village. The kids did a great job and were very proud of their results!

Click here to see individual photos.

What are your favorite holiday activities?

What fun holiday activities have you done with your family this year? Have you developed any new traditions? Check out our previous blog post with a list of some activities that are “Snow” Much Fun for you to do with your kiddos.

It is getting colder and snowy outside.  Winter is a perfect time to grab your toddler and snuggle together while reading a great book.  Reading with your toddler sets the stage for improved language and social development.  Research indicates that reading aloud to children can increase vocabulary and knowledge of the alphabet and leads to improved school readiness.

Don’t worry if your child can’t sit still for an entire book — toddlers’ attention spans will get longer soon.  Try to keep reading even if your child moves around while you read.

You may find that your child sits still better while coloring or playing with a favorite toy.   Don’t assume that because your child isn’t looking at you or the book that he or she isn’t interested or listening.

You want your child to have positive associations with reading, so if you are feeling tense or your child is resisting, consider setting the book aside and returning to it later. Make books part of your bedtime routine.  Allow your child to touch and play with favorite toys while you read aloud.  The sound of your voice will be soothing to your toddler.

Reading aloud should not be the only exposure children have to books. Toddlers enjoy choosing and looking at books on their own. Keep books in a basket on the floor or on a low shelf where your child can reach them easily and look at them by themselves. Keep books in the car and in your bag for long waits at the doctor or lines at the grocery store.

Check out community resources.  Many libraries and bookstores have toddler story times that kids enjoy. But most importantly, let your child see you reading — he or she is sure to imitate you.

Here are some reading tips:

• Read whatever books your toddler asks for, even if it’s the same book every night for weeks and weeks (and weeks and weeks).
• Read slowly enough for your toddler to understand.
• Read expressively, using different voices for different characters and raising or lowering your voice as appropriate.
• Use puppets, finger plays (like the “Itsy Bitsy Spider”), or props while you read.
• Encourage your toddler to clap or sing when you read rhythmic, sing-song books.
• Talk about the illustrations. Point to items and name them. Then ask your child to name them with you and offer enthusiastic praise.
• Ask open-ended questions — “Why do you think the lion is going into the woods? What do you think will happen next?” This encourages your child to think about the story and to ask questions.
• Substitute your child’s name for the name of a character in the book.
• Have fun! Show your child that reading is enjoyable.

Click here for a list of our favorite winter books and other activities!

-The above article as well as more information about reading to your toddler can be found at www.kidshealth.org

Just because it is chilly outside doesn’t mean you can’t have fun inside! Try a few or all of these family activities and you will have “snow” much fun. Here are our favorite winter activities to keep your kiddos energized, active and engaged.

Snack Time

Brownie Trees: Make a tray of brownies from a mix or scratch.  Cut them into triangles, and have your child decorate with green icing and insert a candy cane “trunk”.

Snowman Donuts:  Using small powdered donuts, have your child insert a baby carrot or a Cheeto puff for a nose.  Use black squeeze-tube icing for the eyes and mouth.

Pancake Snowmen: Give your child three pancakes of different sizes. Help your child arrange them in the shape of a snowman. Add powdered sugar, chocolate ships, raisins or other fruit.

Snowman Face Snack: Give your child a rice cake. Let him/her frost it with either cream cheese or frosting. Add raisins, chocolate chips, or olives for facial features . Add baby carrot for a nose.

Marshmallow Snowmen: Use frosting and a skewer to attach each marshmallow piece.  Add a fruit roll up scarf and mouth. Use raisins for eyes and buttons and finish with a candy corn nose. Use two stick pretzels for arms and top with a Hershey Kiss hat.

Movement Activities

Winter Word Hop: Cut out pictures of winter-related words. Laminate the pictures if desired. Place the pictures on the floor and ask your child to hop from one picture to another.

Indoor Toddler Hopscotch! It’s time to have fun with playing hopscotch in your living room or kitchen. Take some masking tape (or even the painter’s blue masking tape) and create a hopscotch on your rug/floor. Your child can toss a small toy at the squares. Walk/jump over the squares to get to the toy and pick it up. As she is jumping on each square be sure to call out the number. Then have her bring the toy back to you and now you take your turn! This is a great way to get some exercise and learn your numbers, even if it’s a cold wintery day!

Snowball Walk and Toss: Give your child a paper plate with three cotton ball “snowballs”. Place a basket on the other side of the room. Your child can balance the snowballs on the plate while walking carefully over to the basket. Let your child toss the snowballs into the basket before returning for more.

Cotton ball Snowstorm: Make a “Cotton Ball Snowstorm” with your child. Place a handful of cotton balls on the floor. Join your child on the floor as you blow the cotton ball “snow” all around. Can you make your snowstorm wild and windy? How about gentle and breezy?

Sensory Activities

Driving On Ice: Fill three jellyroll pans with water and freeze the day before you plan to play. Gather small match-box cars, spoons, salt and sand. Have children try to drive the cars over the ice. What Happens? Spoon salt over one sheet of ice and sand over another. What happens when the children try to drive the cars over these surfaces? Kids love this activity!

Great Balls of Snow: Fill a tub with cotton balls. Add plastic containers and cups. Encourage your child to play with the cotton balls.  Talk about the soft textures. Provide tongs and tweezers to encourage fine motor skills.

Fluffy Snowmen: Gather the needed supplies: glue, shaving cream, paper. Mix glue and shaving cream together.  Give your child a piece of dark construction paper.  Place the shaving cream mixture on the plate and encourage your child to “draw” in the mixture with his/her fingers. Let dry. The mixture will look fluffy and textured

Winter Books

“The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats

“Emmett’s Snowball” by Ned Miller

“Under my Hood I Have a Hat” by Karla Kuskin

“Pearl’s New Skates” by Holly Keller

“Snowballs” by Lois Ehlert

“Hello Snow” by Hope Vestergaard

“Winter is for Snowflakes” by Michelle Knudsen

At our clinic, we have already started some of our own Christmas festivities. Joan Goldfarb, OT, has been organizing our very own gingerbread village. Here are some photos of our gingerbread houses. Be on the look out for more photos of our growing Gingerbread Village!