Kindergarten Readiness

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With one month or so to go before school starts (yay!), here is our breakdown of some skills required for kindergarten success. Don’t be stressed if your child hasn’t mastered all of these skills yet as they are just general guidelines. You also have lots of time to prep before! Why not practice making pre-printing shapes using sidewalk chalk? It only takes a few minutes of practice a day, why not practice lining up at the door before going out? Or packing and unpacking a back pack before going to the park for a picnic? Getting ready to go back to school doesn’t have to be stressful! Stay tuned for our next post on other activities you can do with side walk chalk.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.

Z is for Zippers! Zipping up a coat may seem easy peasy but did you know it requires: bilateral coordination, finger isolation, open thumb web space, separation of the two sides of the hand, motor planning, pinch strength, eye-hand coordination, pincer grasp, and tripod grasp. Whew! No wonder this can be such a tricky task! Today’s activity is a fun and easy way to work on all of the underlying skills needed for zippers! Break Tie Zipper Activity adapted from the the OT Toolbox! You need: 1️⃣A ribbon 2️⃣Bread ties . 1️⃣Knot both ends of a wide ribbon 2️⃣Pinch the ribbon and slide the bread ties onto the ribbon.  3️⃣TA DA your zipper tool is done . ✅Use the ribbon to practice this skill by holding the ribbon down straight and taunt and pinching a bread tie between the thumb and pointer finger ✅You can pin the ribbon to your child’s shirt, or have them hold the end of the ribbon under their chin. . . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning  #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #dressing #adls #zippers #finemotor #independence
🤸🏼‍♂️Y is for Yoga🧘‍♀️ Yoga is a great activity to work on mindfulness, self-regulation, motor planning, coordination and strength. For some kids, recreating a yoga pose may be very difficult from a motor planning perspective.  Help them break the pose down by upper and lower extremities, left and right side. Yoga can be practiced from simply doing one pose a day to a whole yoga sequence.  Here are some of our favourite yoga resources: 🧘‍♂️ Breath Kids 🧘‍♀️ Yoga cards 🧘‍♂️ Yoga Spinners 🧘‍♂️ Mind Yeti . . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning  #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #yoga #corestrength #grossmotor #motorplanning #dcd
X is for crossing the midline. What is a midline? The midline is an imaginary line that goes down the middle of the body, and every time you cross the line with either side of the body, that is crossing the midline. This is an important part of development, essential for reading, writing and many other important activities! Children with difficulty crossing the midline may switch hands mid reach to continue, or compensate by moving their whole body to reach towards the other side. Today’s activity is figure 8 or ♾ drawing. Instructions: have your child draw a large ♾ on a horizontal piece of paper. Then, have your child trace it in the same direction. You can also try tracing them to with a toy car instead of drawing! To ♾ and beyond!! #strivetherapyservices #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #therapyfun#crossingthemidlineactivities
W is for w sitting! Commonly we see kids sitting in this awkward position and are constantly cueing to “fix your legs”. Kids tend to prefer this position as it provides them with a wider base of support when sitting which improves their stability. This position often is used to compensate for a weak core and flexible hips. While sitting like this might seem harmless, it can lead to some negative consequences like tight muscles, hip dislocations, and weak core strength. Fixing w sitting can be done by: ✅Use a verbal cue such as “sit with your legs criss cross” ✅Work on core strength: do yoga, animal walks, and the superman ✅Play at a table where your child can be supported by a chair ✅Provide alternative positions to sit on the floor such as side sitting or long legged ✅Engage in stretching of the hips and legs . . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning  #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #wsitting #corestrength #kindergarten
V is for visual motor integration activities! Visual motor integration refers to the coordination of visual processes with physical processes. Difficulties with visual motor integration occur when there is a breakdown in communication between the vision and motor skills. Today’a activity is step-by-step drawing. Copying pictures is a fun and easy way to combine visual and motor skills! Instructions: Follow the steps in the pictures above to create your own drawings! #strivetherapyservices #visualmotorintegration #drawing#therapyfun#pediatricoccupationaltherapy
U is for upper extremity exercises! Upper extremity strength is 🔑 for handwriting endurance. Working on the shoulder muscle and flexibility will help to improve the coordination required in handwriting. Today’s activity is animal walks! This activity requires no materials and can be done in or outside where there is enough space. For an extra challenge, try making it into a race! See pictures above for illustrations on each animal walk. #strivetherapyservices #therapyfun#pediatricoccupationaltherapy#pediatricexercises #animalwalks
✏️ T is for Tripod Grasp ✏️ Tripod grasp is a fancy way of saying you are holding your pencil correctly! Did you know that you can work on developing pencil grasp without holding a pencil & with items you can find in your home? Here is a list of some of our favorite ways to develop the smaller muscles in the hand necessary to establish an efficient pencil grasp! . ✅Push toothpicks into a spice container or colander ✅Peeling stickers ✅Thread cereal onto string or dried noodles ✅Push beans into play dough. ✅Drop dry beans into small containers or coins in a piggy bank ✅Spray bottles ✅Pearler beads ✅Playing with tweezers and tongs . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning  #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #finemotor #pencilgrasp #pencilcontrol #preschoolactivities #preschool
👞 S is for shoes👟 Putting on shoes on the right feet and tying shoe laces can be a very tricky task for kids from a fine motor and motor planning perspective, but is an important self-help skill. Here are some of our favourite tips to make kids more independent with these tasks! . ✅Try attaching two pipe cleaners (different colours) to your shoes. The stiffness of the pipe-cleaners means that if a "loop" is dropped then it doesn't automatically lose it's shape. ✅Having two different colours helps to separate out what the left side is doing compared with the right side ✅Breaking down the task into individual parts using a verbal cue ✅Rip a sticker in half and place it on the inside of the shoes, only when the sticker is complete will the shoe be on the right foot! ✅Lacing boards work on similar skills . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #motorskills #shoes #motorplanning #ADL #dressing
R is for Recipes! Did you know that following a recipe's instructions works on motor planning and executive function? Bonus if it’s a recipe that requires mixing (bilateral hand skills) or kneading a dough (hand strength). Executing a recipe from start to finish can be an overwhelming task. But when broken down into steps, it's much more manageable for kids . 1️⃣Choose a recipe 2️⃣Locate ingredients you have at home 3️⃣Make a list of ingredients you may need to by 4️⃣Break down the recipe into single step instructions 5️⃣Follow step by step 6️⃣Voila! You are a chef . ✅Why not start with our homemade play-doh recipe, which you can then use during therapy sessions for hand strength, letter formation and creative play! . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #motorskills #cooking #motorplanning #recipe #playdoh
🎨 Who knew that Q-tips were multifunctional? Today we are going to use q-tips as our paint brush to “paint” using dots to make a picture. You can use a template or free paint! Q-tip art is a great way to work on pre-printing shapes or letter formations too. . . Materials: ✅Q-tip ✅washable paint or a stamp pad if no paint is on hand ✅Heavy printer paper, watercolor paper or cardstock . 📍Pro Tip: Rather than starting with a blank page, which can be super overwhelming (even for adults!) You can print out a template of whatever you may be interested in and then paste it to a more colorful background. Check out https://www.printables4mom.com/q-tip-painting-templates/ . . This activity works on the following skills: 📍Tripod grip 📍Fine motor control 📍Eye hand coordination . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #motorskills #craft #art
💪🏻Proprioception: 💪🏻we’ve talked about it in many posts, but what is fancy word mean exactly? Simply put, it is knowing where our body is in space. An example of this is being able to touch our nose with our eyes closed. It is essential for coordinated movement, allows us to grade the force and direction of our movements. Children with poor proprioception may often bump into things, press too hard with their pencil, spill from cups and appear clumsy. While your child may not struggle with proprioception, proprioceptive activities involve heavy work like pushing, pulling, compression, moving against resistance, and stretching. These activities wake up your muscles and your mind, which can have a calming effect. We could all use some calming! . . ✅Try doing these activities multiple times a day ✅Vary the intensity and the duration you engage in these activities ✅ A simple quick way to provide this input is to do self-massage. Squeeze up and down your arms and legs. ✅Never forget the input of a STRONG hug . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #motorskills #attention #chalk #visualmotorskills #games #numbers #jumping #grossmotor #sensoryprocessing #proprioception #sensory play #calm
O is for organizational skills! Organizational skills involve the ability to manage time, plan, organize thoughts and get things done! Children who have difficulty with this skills may struggle with task completion, time management, and prioritizing. Today’s activity is baking! Baking involves planning, following direction, time management and sorting- all the key🔑 underlying skills that encompass good organization. Instructions: 1️⃣Choose a recipe of choice (ensure the recipe is readily available to follow) 2️⃣ Find all of the ingredients 3️⃣Follow the instructions and make something yummy!😋 #strivetherapyservices #pediatricoccupationaltherapy #therapyfun#baking
1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣N is for Numbers! 4️⃣5️⃣ Focusing on letter formations is great, but do not forget about numbers! Today we’re going to practice our numbers through a game of Hopscotch! Materials needed: Chalk (if done outside) or paper and markers (if done inside) 🖍 1️⃣Lay out your court on the ground. You can use the traditional court (in picture above) or be creative and create your own! 2️⃣Form your numbers 1-10 on the court. By making big numbers using whole arm movements helps promote muscle memory. Writing with chalk on the road also provides some tactile feedback which further promotes learning! 3️⃣Play! . . 📍Playing hopscotch works on coordination and jumping skills. Try with your eyes opened and closed 👁 📍Make it a hand eye coordination activity by calling out a number and throwing a ball to that target ⚽️ 📍Practice number formations by writing out your phone number, and important skill your child should know ☎️ . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #motorskills #attention #chalk #visualmotorskills #games #numbers #jumping #grossmotor
M is for Mindfulness💆🏼👌🏻 Mindfulness is simply noticing what is happening right now and being present in the moment. During times of stress mindfulness and meditation can help us pay focus, feel grounded and calm our bodies to better manage our emotions. Today’s activity is called the senses countdown and you don’t need any materials! ✅ Name 5️⃣ things you can see 👁 ✅ List 4️⃣ things you can touch 🖐 ✅ Listen for 3️⃣ things you can hear 👂 ✅ Name 2️⃣ things you can smell 👃 ✅ Think of 1️⃣ strong taste 👅 This short mindful minute can help bring us back to the present,stop racing thoughts, and help calm our emotions. Do you have a favorite way to be mindful? . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning  #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #mindfulness #attention #meditation #kids #selfregulation
L is for letter formation! One of the best ways to help a child learn is to have them use more than one sense at a time. This is called multi-sensory learning. Today’s activity is sugar letters! This activity requires a baking pan and sugar (you can also you use sand). Instructions: pour about half a cup of sugar into the baking pan. Help your child form letters in the sugar with their fingers. To make this activity more advanced, practice writing words. This activity works on: letter formation, finger isolation, multi-sensory approach to learning. #strivetherapyservices#play#learning#pediatricoccupationaltherapy#therapyideas
K is for Keyboarding skills! We at Strive Therapy Services believe that keyboarding is just as important as handwriting as they both provide means of written expression. Like handwriting, it is critical for children to learn and practice keyboarding to ensure that they accurately express themselves. Children who have difficulty with keyboarding often spend their focus on locating the correct key rather than the content of their writing, which may lead to poorer written expression. Today’s task requires a computer or laptop and internet connection. Log on to typingclub.com. This is a free website with different typing lessons and games. You can also make an account so that you can save your work and pick up where you left off! This activity works on: fine motor skills, finger isolation, bilateral coordination, and hand and finger strength. #strivetherapyservices#occupationaltherapy #pediatricoccupationaltherapy
J is for Jumping! Jumping is an important gross motor skill that beings to develop between 2-3 years of age. Jumping is a critical skill in developing muscle strength, proprioception, balance, motor planning and coordination. Our favorite movement breaks usually involve some form of jumping for deep proprioceptive input which can be calming and focusing. These are some of our favorite means to practice jumping! See our pro tips below 👇🏻 Now we’re jumping into the weekend! . . 📍Start small, begin by practicing jumping off a curb or the lowest stair 📍Don’t have anything around? Even animal walks a great for practice think frog and kangaroo hops . Try Verbal cues ✅Land like you are riding a motorbike – arms forward, ankles, knees and hips bent, feet apart ✅Land as quiet as a mouse ✅Reach for a star and bring it down again . Common errors ❌Arms and legs not in time ❌Taking off on one foot ❌Not using arms at all ❌Looking at ground ❌Not bending the ankles, knees and hips on landing . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning  #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #finemotor #attention #executive function #visualmotorskills #games #gamenight #toys #jumping #grossmotor
Still on the 👋🏻🚂 ! Today we are talking about in hand manipulation! 👌🏻This is our ability to manipulate objects within one hand without the assistance of another hand. This can include : rotating a dice. moving items from your palm to finger tip or shifting your fingers up and down an object, like flipping a pencil over to use the eraser. Children who have difficulty with in-hand manipulation may need to use both hands for activities that would typically require only one. Or they may need to unnecessarily stabilize an object against their body or an external support to get the job done.  They may appear clumsy when handling multiple objects. For todays work you need three things: 1️⃣coins 2️⃣piggy bank or a container with a slit cut in the lid 3️⃣play-doh or any putty/slime . 1. Hide coins in the putty/dough 2. Have your child find the coins. Every coin they find must be held in their palm as they keep searching for coins 3. once they have found three coins they must “show” you one by moving it from their palm to finger tip to show you. Like a magic trick! 4. once the coin is in their fingers, see if they can flip sides of the coin using just the fingers of one hand! . 🚨This task is more difficult with more items in the palm, for beginners, start with one coin 🚨Play connect 4 in a similar way by keeping 4 pieces in your palm at a time. Single handed connect 4! 🚨When beading trying translating beads to your finger tips first . This activity works on: In hand translation (rotation and translation) Finger and hand strength . . . #strivetherapyservices #OT #finemotor #handskills #homeschool #therapyideas #therapyfun #learning #occupationaltherapy #play
🖐 Hand strength is a critical skills because it is involved in everyday activities such as doing up buttons and zippers, climbing monkey bars or cutting up food. It also helps to develop the endurance to complete activities such as writing a full page or playing sports! Just like you would go to the gym to workout larger muscle groups, do not forget the muscles in your hand 🖐 Today’s activity is a fun craft that only requires a printer and play-doh! Play-doh mats are a fun way to work on hand strength while being creative and using your imagination! Thank you @picklebums for this idea! . . 📍Decorate your mat using beads, yarn, confetti, sparkles, buttons etc to jazz it up! 📍Have your child then draw their play doh mat to include a visual motor component 📍Use play-doh accessories such as a rolling pin, pizza cutter, scissors to add bilateral skills 📍Make your own play dough, see our previous post for the recipe . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #finemotor #bilateralcoordination #craft #handstrength #visualmotorskills #games #gamenight #toys #playdough
🎲G is for Games!!!! 🎲 You don’t need to rack your brain to come up with activities that engage your children and work on therapy goals. Take us to any toy store and we can explain which game works on what skill. Board games work on a variety of skills from basic turn taking, attention and social skills, to fine motor, executive function, visual motor and coordination! Here are some of our favorite games that we have played during sessions so you know they are Strive and Kid approved! All of these games can be found on Amazon. If you have any child specific game or toy ideas please reach out and we would be happy to come up with a tailored list. When is your next family game night?? . Pro tips: ✅Try incorporating a weekly family game night to make it a habit ✅For younger children, games should be kept to 5-20 minute durations ✅If your child struggles with being competitive, try playing some cooperative games where everyone wins! . . . . . #strivetherapyservices #occupationaltherapy #play #learning #OT #toronto #pediatricOT #therapyideas #therapyfun #homeschool #finemotor #bilateralcoordination #attention #executive function #visualmotorskills #games #gamenight #toys #toyideas