Play is an integral component of pediatric occupational therapy. It is through play that the child’s brain develops senses, learns to move, and grasps higher level cognitive functions.
Sometimes adults have a hard time understanding how playing games is helping their child. So, I decided to break down one activity and briefly highlight skills that the child is using as he/she plays the game. I’ve chosen an activity that has to do with St. Patrick’s Day, but feel free to modify if you do not celebrate this holiday.
The Leprechaun Game
Items you will need:
- A sensory bin
: split peas and small green toys.
- You may use a sensory bin that you already have, but add green split peas , small green toys that you can find around the house, green beads, and whatever else you would like to add to make it festive. The added green toys will create a visual distraction and add to the ‘seek and find’ challenge.
- Gold (fake of course!) coins, beads, rings, etc.
- A “kettle” or small container.
- Tongs or scissor scoopers.
- A rainbow path: to get from the sensory bin, across the rainbow, to the ‘kettle’ where the gold coins will be kept.
- First, set your sensory bin on one side of the room. Make sure the golden objects are hidden in the sensory bin. This is where the child will use his/her hands to dig into the bin to locate one golden object at a time. The use of a sensory bin with a variety of objects not only addresses a child’s need to explore the sense of touch, but also provides an opportunity to challenge the child’s visual motor skills.
- Set up an imaginary rainbow course. You can make this with masking tape, string, a trail of pillows, blanket, a balance beam, or whatever else you have on hand. If you are familiar with moro reflex integration tracks, this is a great time to use them! Check in with your therapist for how to perform the movements if you are not familiar. Once the child finds the golden object in the sensory bin, the child will begin the journey across the rainbow. During this step the child is using the tongs or scissor scoopers to hold onto the coin while the child travels across the rainbow. The use of tongs and scissor scoopers strengthen fine motor muscles, build endurance and work on grasp patterns. The journey across the rainbow engages gross motor muscles for balance and coordination.
- Last, set a ‘kettle’ or container down on the other side of the rainbow. The child will drop the golden object in the container. Creating a pathway to get from one object to another teaches the child body awareness and motor coordination skills. Having a kettle at the end of the rainbow creates an opportunity for the child to use his/her proprioceptive and vestibular senses as they aim for a target and have to maintain their balance in order to get the coin into the container.
To make the task more challenging:
- have a small child count as he/she collects the coins
- use a timer to see how quickly the child can collect 3 coins OR all the coins
- tell the child to travel across the rainbow as quickly as a cheetah, as slow as a turtle, or as bouncy as a bunny
- have the child make a picture out of the coins collected, build a tower, string together a necklace, or gather the coins to play a “LUCKY” game of Bingo after all the coins are collected.
This activity was inspired by a variety of activities posted on Pinterest.com. Go here for more ideas and inspiration.
Sensory Bin image used with permission. Check out Stephanie Bryan’s Blog for more fun activities.