Finding activities to keep toddlers and preschoolers engaged for more than a few minutes can be challenging. Fall leaves are a perfect sensory-friendly tool to spark a love of nature while building essential skills! Using the colorful leaves around us, you can help your little one explore the outdoors, develop sensory awareness, and enjoy hands-on...
As parents, caregivers, or therapists, we all want to give babies the best start in life. Play is a powerful tool that supports their development in countless ways. In pediatric occupational therapy, play is more than just fun; it’s a crucial part of helping babies develop motor skills, sensory processing, and social-emotional abilities. Here’s how...
Why Kids Need to Move to Learn Movement is essential for keeping kids alert and ready to learn, and we know this. How do kids move? They fidget. Yes, the dreaded fidget. I’m not talking about toys but the natural movements of the body. You do it too. We all do. Yet, somehow in the...
Here is your gentle reminder to “Get Outside and Play!“ For over 25 years, I’ve practiced as a pediatric occupational therapist and been a homeschool mom. In recent years, I’ve been living the dream! I no longer work in a clinic or school; instead, I’ve taken my therapy services to people’s backyards around my home...
Developmental, Individual-differences, and Relationship Based (DIR) model DIR is the Developmental, Individual-differences, and Relationship Based (DIR) model. This evidenced based model is used to help autistic people and others with developmental challenges. Developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan, DIR considers the critical role of social emotional development starting at birth and continuing through a lifetime. The model...
Fall is here! When providing your child with developmentally appropriate activities, utilizing the natural materials around you is a great way to foster a love of nature and keep costs down. Fall leaves you find in your neighborhood are a great material with a variety of different uses. Here are some fun ideas for using...
Babies are amazing creatures. I know . I have 2. They grow up fast! As with everywhere else in the United states, moms in Mountain View, CA are smart. We know that babies need to meet certain developmental milestones as described by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). But it’s so confusing! We go to...
Every year at this time spring sports are in full bloom. Soccer, swimming, baseball, gymnastics, etc. We are itching to get our kids outside, to see other parents, to join together and have some fun. We know that sports are a great way to get exercise, learn to work as a team, learn a new...
Now that we are getting closer and closer to the mask mandates being lifted, lots more people are getting out and about. One of my family’s favorite pastimes is to go to baseball games! This year, it’s going to be a bit different. They have spent the last 18 months cooped up with not a...
Toddlers are known for bumping into things, falling over and getting back up, bouncing off walls and moving onward. Preschoolers are a little more refined. Most preschoolers can figure out how to move their bodies to accomplish tasks after a few opportunities of practice or after they watch someone else do it. They know what...
