Simple Household Items to Practice OT Skills

Parents are often amused by how simple at-home items can entertain and delight their children, with long stretches of uninterupted play. Meanwhile, elaborate (and expensive) toys get passed by!

Whether you are looking for low-cost tools and toys or are familiar with this phemonmenon – we are here for you! Many of these items may be available in your home right now – and they are great tools for supporting skills that your child may already be working on in Occupational Therapy such as: fine motor, gross motor, bilateral coordintion, sensory processing, and attention / problem solving.

Colander and Pipe Cleaners

1. 1. Have your child thread the pipe cleaners into the holes of the colander.
  2. To create a challenge, have you child try threading dry pasta noodles into the strainer holes without breaking them.

Painters Tape

1. 1. Place strips of painters tape on a wall or elevated surface and let your child pull it off.
  2. Use painters tape to work on shapes of numbers and letters.
  3. Attach a small figurine to one end of the tape and the other end to a pencil and have your child roll the pencil with their fingers to get to the figurine.

Tupperware

1. 1. Have your child match the shape and size the different containers.
  2. Freeze a toy the container and invite your child to problem solve ways to get the toy out. Great for a summer activity outdoors!
  3. Fill the container with different types of textures and dry or wet food and allow your child to explore the different sensory input.

Ice Cube Tray

1. Have your child fill each ice cube container with cotton balls only using tweezers or clothespins.
2. Have your child sort beads with their fingers into the diffraction sections of the ice cube tray; to add a challenge see how quickly they can do it.
3. Use Play Doh and have your child use their fingers to fill up all the spaces in the ice cube tray.

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