PLAY  THERAPY

Play therapy

Early intervention. Two words that you’ve more than likely heard once or twice. The magical key to success in ensuring your child fulfils their upmost potential. But, what an overwhelming sense of  pressure it can place on parents.

Often you can walk away from a therapy session with what feels like a never ending ‘to do’ list that describes all of  the skills that you need to work on with your child. Or perhaps something has been flagged from a day-care teacher and you are at a complete loss as to how to ensure you can assist with your child's development in that area. Yes, early intervention is super important but what if  it didn’t have to be stressful? What if  you could take some of  the pressure off  and simply just get back to basics and play?

Traditionally play therapy is a form of  therapy that allows children to express, regulate communicate and practice skills with a therapist in a playful and informal way. It’s a way to allow children to open up and share their feelings while developing skills in a way that feels safe and inviting for them.

“Play is our brain’s favourite way of  learning.”
-Diane Ackerman

I've witnessed many times the power that play has on children's learning. First working with children of  a variety of  different ages as an Early Childhood Educator and with my own children, in particular my daughter who has cerebral palsy and autism.

It’s often the children that struggle with sensory issues, have a delay, are behind in skills or have a disability that actually benefit most through learning through play.

I believe that focusing on a child's strength and interest should be the primary focus and the skills that need to be worked on should be secondary to that. For example, my daughter loves doll play, has a great imagination and well-developed fine motor skills with her left hand. We need to work on bimanual play (encouraging her to use both of  her hands), to develop a therapy play method here I could get her to try to hold a doll with her non dominant arm/hand while her functional hand feeds her dolly.

Another example of  therapy play; A child who needs to work on fine motor skills and tactile play - who loves cars. An activity that targets this skill while also tuning into their interests could be a  car track painting experience. Child would pick up and put the car wheels through paint to make paint car tracks on paper. Picking up and manoeuvring the car works on fine motor skills and hand eye coordination, the paint aspect allows the opportunity to engage in sensory play. For my daughter and I, once home therapy had a strong focus on play it stopped feeling like a chore. It took the frustration away for my daughter and the stress away for me. It gave me satisfaction to feel like I was helping her while she was simply enjoying herself. . I think navigating parenthood in such a busy world means we often don’t have time to simply play with our children (well, as much as we would like). Dedicating therapy time, also meant that I was spending quality playful moments with my daughter. It took the somewhat daunting and negative feelings of navigating a road of  therapy into a more positive and uplifting experience.

“It’s the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives”
-Fred Rogers

Sensory systems

“When we tune into a child's sensory needs a whole new world can be explored”

Sensory integration is the way that our brain receives, stores, organizes and then responds to the information (sensory input) that it receives. There are 5 basic sensory systems;

Visual/sight
Auditory/sound
Tactile/touch
Oral/taste
Olfactory/smell

Babies learn, discover and develop through each of these sensory systems along with their vestibular (balance/motion) and proprioceptive (movement sense) sensory systems.

As children learn and grow, they develop abilities to process and understand their senses. A baby will learn to follow the sounds they hear, this in turn will lead to following and interpreting these sounds through touch and sight. A child may enjoy jumping in puddles, there sensory system allows them to watch as the water splashes, feel the water on their skin, hear the splashing sound while using their proprioceptive and vestibular systems to jump, balance and explore their environment. Their brain is interpreting all this sensory  information in a controlled and organized way as the emotions felt from this activity are joyful and happy.

Some children struggle with their senses, and this is known as sensory defensiveness. Their reactions to sensory stimuli are overly sensitive, meaning their brain is unable to effectively respond to the input it is receiving. In turn this will affect a child's behaviour within their environment. For example, sometimes my daughter wears noise canceling headphones when we are out as she can get extremely heightened by bright lights and too many sounds.

Early intervention is specialised support provided for young children who have a disability support or a learning support need. It may include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and other types of  services. Early intervention should happen as soon as possible after a child’s needs are identified, as it can have a significant impact on their ability to learn new skills and overcome challenges.

When my daughter was younger, she had strong sensory aversions to many things. She couldn’t stand to have anything on her hands or face, disliked the texture of  sand and grass to the point of getting super distressed if  it touched her and was very selective with touching food. I continued to gently incorporate opportunities to engage in sensory play in a no pressure playful environment. Gradually we built upon this over time and now I have a 7-year-old that loves nothing more then going to the beach and rolling around in the sand and getting messy through sensory play is now a calming experience for her.

Providing opportunities for children to engage their senses through play is beneficial to both sensory seekers and sensory avoiders. Blowing water colours through a straw to satisfy the oral and visual senses, using pots and pans to make music to tune into the auditory system, engaging in gross motor play to wake up the the vestibular and proprioceptive sensory systems. Never underestimate the power of  play and purposely tuning into the senses!

No need to spend up big

‘When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of  reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero.”
-Fred Rogers

In the earlier days, when we were initially navigating my daughter's diagnosis, I believed we needed ALL of the things. The fancy toys that came with the $160 switch, that magically turned it into an ‘adaptive therapy’ toy. The therapy tools and gadgets that were used during appointments and the equipment which consistently blew my mind with the hefty price tags.  Like most, I just wanted to ensure she had the best start and that I provided her with the tools she needed to thrive in her Early Intervention years. Sure, they were all beneficial and served a purpose but turns out those bigger ticket ‘proper’ therapy toys were a bit of  a one hit wonder.

There was this one toy that cost $300!!! It had a sensory string ball on top and when it was touched, ‘Twinkle little star’ played. Another ridiculously expensive one was noisy, ugly cat that had an adaptive switch which my daughter could hit. Once she hit it, the cat would move back and forth for 30 seconds to the annoying music it played. It was exciting the first few times and then it lost its appeal and turned into something that would only motivate her sometimes. One day (in the midst of feeling therapy burnout) I was at a loss as to how to keep my daughter motivated and engaged with home therapy. Something clicked, and I got the paint out! That day how we approached therapy completely changed.

No need to spend up big.

Cheap dollar stores are my jam! I could spend ages browsing around and finding creative objects to incorporate into therapy. Think a fly swatter for a bat, balloons to use for physio, pipe cleaners for literally everything, stamps for bimanual play, cookie cutter to use with playdough, ice cube trays for fine motor play, and don’t even get me started on all the crafty materials on offer. Therapy play doesn’t need to be expensive!

Recycle all the things.

Put your creative hat on, sometimes it’s the most random things that are most motivating for therapy. Milk cartons for stamping on to pop the lids off, squeezy yogurt lids for counters, food boxes and cartons to make towers. I literally have a cupboard in which I stash anything that could be re-used and recycled for play. Before my husband throws anything in the bin he even asks, “do you need this?”, it just became the norm. Often the fancy toys are the one hit wonders, it’s the materials that they wouldn’t often play with that create the most excitement.

When the fun stops, stop!

“Sometimes the most powerful therapy is just a pause”
‍-Amanda Friedman

It helps me to look at exercising and therapy as the same thing...I know working out and exercising is beneficial, it helps me both mentally and physically and for the most part I enjoy it, but sometimes I need a break.  Maybe I’m not in the mood, not feeling the best or just simply need a time out. I don’t force myself  to push through during those times, I simply allow it. I try to view her therapy like this too. Sometimes my daughter just needs a break and that’s ok.

In fact, breaks are often beneficial and can be the perfect recipe for a reset. The last thing you want is your child to dread therapy so its important not to push it. Let them take time to absorb the skills learnt along the way, and sometimes that can be the final piece to mastering what you have been working on.

Find out what works for you.

What works for one family won’t work for all. While it is such a great tool to gain insight and advice from other families it’s important to simply pick and choose what works best for your family dynamic. Working  commitments, siblings, resources, schedules are all unique to each household and will impact what Early Intervention looks like for your family. Perhaps you dedicate a specific time to work on skills or perhaps your more of  a spontaneous ‘I will fit it in when I can’ type person, there is no right or wrong way. Give yourself  time to find the path that works for you!

Try not to compare.

Just because little Billy can last a whole hour happily engaged in therapy with his mum doesn’t mean that all children will. By no means is this a reflection on you or your child. Children naturally have different temperaments and coping skills.

Its just a phase.

Maybe your child was tolerating therapy and suddenly they don’t want a bar of  it. Don’t forget children go through phases...terrible two phase, teething phase, the ‘no’ stage, the ‘I’m going to just throw everything phase’. Perhaps they have hit the ‘I’m going to make therapy difficult for you’ stage. When my daughter is really resisting therapy I often just say “Ok, no therapy today I can see your frustrated, lets just play another day”. Sometimes not giving big reactions to protesting ensures that it doesn’t become a common theme.

Make it something to look forward to.

As soon as your child views therapy as a chore finding any motivation to keep them engaged is going to be difficult. Keep it lighthearted, keep it fun and do anything you can to make therapy seem like your special time together.

Managing frustration

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower”
-Alexander Den Heijer

Therapy for kiddos isn’t easy! They’re already struggling with a delay of  some sort and then we really amplify this by having them continue to practice it through therapy. Doesn’t seem fair, right? But as the saying goes ‘you’ve got to be cruel to be kind’. Essentially, we have this one small window during the early years in which we ‘do all the things’ to help our children thrive with any limitations they may have.

A never ending to do list. But early intervention can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to learn and master new skills that assist in overcoming challenges. It can change the developmental path, increases chances of  improvement and sets your child up to be their most confident and independent self. So, it’s a  thousand times worth it to put in that effort, especially in the early years!

All well and good but what if  your child is not quite on the same page and they have other things in mind with how they wish to spend their time. It can be a hard enough battle explaining that their drink is going to taste the same as it would whether its on a blue or green cup let alone explaining the benefits of  therapy.

So, what do you do to manage the frustration? How do you continue to motivate them? How do you  convince your little one that therapy play with your parents is in fact really really  fun and cool? Once you crack the code that therapy is simply just play an immense amount of  pressure is taken off  both you and your child. Simply play and then sneak therapy in. It doesn’t have to be perfect, any intentional moments of  working on targeted skills at home is never wasted. Repetition through playful fun is key and all practice is progress!

Validate big feelings.

Frustration is not a bad feeling to be felt and I think its important that children know that. Acknowledge that you understand that they are frustrated and that you ‘get it’. How you respond to the moment can help to set the tone for how they react in these ‘big feeling’ moments. Working through frustration is an opportunity to build resilience.

“Children learn how to regulate their emotions through co-regulation”. The better we can soothe them when they are agitated, or support them when they are low, the better they ‘absorb’ how to do this for themselves.”
-Dr. Stuart Shanker

Timing is everything.

It might seem obvious to not attempt therapy right before nap time or during every parent’s favourite time of  the day, ‘witching hour’. But too often the day gets away from us and we may not be picking the most ideal times for therapy. Really have a think about when your child is at their happiest but also consider when you feel like you have the mindset needed to focus on therapy.

Use a countdown.

Countdowns are life in our house when it comes to home therapy. Yes, it probably has a lot to do with my daughters ASD diagnosis, but I think most children get motivation and enjoyment from having a visual  countdown. We often use a sand countdown timer but regularly I will have a visual reminder for how many activities we are going to do, and she counts them down that way. Materials are a great way to symbolise how many there are, or how many left. At one stage I laminated a birthday cake and candles that would Velcro on and off. She was obsessed with singing happy birthday at the time and got so much enjoyment ‘blowing a candle out’ after each activity was done. When all the candles were blown out our session was  finished, we used this countdown strategy for about 6 months!

Positive praise.

Don’t forget to praise all the times they are trying and giving things a go. As soon as I catch my daughter coping with a situation positively, I literally can’t praise her quick enough. Give the rewards, tell them you're proud, shout it from the rooftops...praise and praise again. Constant praise and reinforcement can be a great way to motivate your child.

Try three times.

Whenever my daughter really struggled with practicing a skill we would have a 3 try rule. She had to give it a go by herself  3 times and if  she still needed help after 3 tries we would do it together.

Give choices.

Never underestimate the power of  choices. It gives a sense of  empowerment and allows children to feel as if they are in control of  the situation “Today we are going to practice using your tricky hand, would you like to do this activity or this activity?”

Visuals.

Letting children know what is expected and coming up next can be a good strategy to eliminate some frustration. This is also a good opportunity to save their favourite toy or activity till last and a visual can be a reminder of  this ‘We have these three activities then we have this one last”.

Have fun.

If  I notice that my daughter is feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with an activity I try to distract away from that. More often then not this involves me acting a bit like a crazy person, getting those giggles is  everything. I never want to end a therapy session with a negative tone to it. The goal for me is for my daughter to have fun so if  the frustration is peaking too much and there is no going back then we just take a time out and try again another time.

Getting siblings involved

When we first began to implement home therapy it was more of  a one-on-one approach. I felt like for it to be successful I needed to be able to have all my attention focused on my daughter who needed the therapy. I think this made it even more stressful and placed an even greater sense of  pressure. Not to mention the dreaded mum guilt that constantly overwhelmed me while I felt like I left my other daughter out.Once my view on therapy changed and we focused purely on the play aspect it just made sense for my other daughter to be able to join in as well.

Often, I would set things play activities up with both girls in mind and then we would sneak therapy in. When I was pregnant with my third child, I often spent time worrying about how I was going to fit it all in. I struggled to picture what our home therapy journey would look like with a newborn in tow. But we all adapted and learnt our new rhythm. Those first few months any home therapy was managed during her baby sisters sleep time but as she became more alert, she would sit in her rocker or bouncer and watch.  As she got older, she too became involved and home therapy was pretty much a ‘family affair’. I felt that including all the girls benefited us all. It motivated my daughter with cerebral palsy even more so since her sisters were involved. It took care of  that mum guilt of  feeling like I was leaving my other daughters out and they both got so much enjoyment from being involved.

But the greatest positive was that my other two daughters learnt more about their sister, they gained a greater understanding about their sister's diagnosis and the challenges that it presented for her.

“Children are like wet cement, whatever falls on them makes an impression”
‍-Dr. Haim Ginott

Repeat after me, ‘therapy doesn’t have to be perfect!’ Play is messy and fun and full of  many learning opportunities so incorporating it with a focus on targeting skills means you are a ledgend of  a parent and doing a sensational job. Never underestimate the power of play and all the benefits it creates. Some tips for sibling involvement...

Let them be the therapist.

More of  a one-on-one activity? Have your child be the therapist, my daughter was playing this role when she was only 4years old and her little sister thought it was the best that her older sister was pretending to help her like her therapists did.

Lower expectations.

Including siblings may feel like you're not able to target the skills with the attention needed but honestly any practice with targeted therapy skills is enough. So, if  your therapy session doesn’t go to plan its never a complete loss! So. give yourself  that pat on the back regardless of  how you ‘think’ it went.

Choose activities that need two people.

Often physio activities are better when there is extra involvement, and most activities can be modified to include others. Board games are great to practice social skills and turn taking.

Let them choose the activity.

Give siblings a sense of  involvement by having them help set up the activities and choose what activity you think should be done for their sibling. “Today I’m going to work on sensory play with your sister, what do you think sand play or painting?”

Ask them to be involved.

Sometimes just asking if  they want to be included is enough to make them feel included. I always tell all my girls “We are going to play (such and such) for therapy if  you want to join?” Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t but being asked and included ensures that they don’t feel left out.

Sure, there will be times that this is a bit tricky to cater to sibling involvement (attached picture is an example of  this –baby sister angry that she couldn’t in fact sit on the therapy table while we tried to do therapy, the joys right?) so as an alternative option during these times you could create a ‘busy box’ for siblings. Special little toys and activities that are exciting to them, ensuring that they don’t feel left out while  you are busy with their sibling. Another option could be to dedicate special one on one time with them too. This might be spending 10 minutes playing their favourite game or drawing together. I think sometimes we  forget the effect that this time has. You don’t need to take them out for a special date or anything extravagant, just simply give them your undivided attention for a tiny portion of  your day.

Staying organised

“Organisation isn’t about perfection, its about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money and improving your overall quality of  life”
‍-Christina Scalise

It didn’t take me long to figure out that having an organised space for therapy activities and games was an essential. In the beginning we had things everywhere and that was overwhelming enough, let alone finding the time to actually fit the therapy in. Try to keep everything organised. It doesn’t have to be Marie kondo style (says the fan girl who lives for organisation), simply dedicate a cupboard, and label some containers. Build up a therapy collection. You don’t need to have ‘all the things’ when starting out. Build up and add to your therapy collection as you go. I find that dedicating toys, games and activities JUST for therapy not only makes them ‘special’ but helps to keep them together. I have always stored our things away....out of sight, out of mind. Meaning little hands can’t get to them and obliterate all my efforts to be an organised, sane ‘therapy mum’.

Categorise activities.

I find it so useful to categorise therapy activities into skills. For example for upper limb therapy my daughter has to work at both constraint and bimanual therapy. I have always kept the activities for this separate. So depending on what we are working out I can just grab a container. Physio equipment and games have a separate section as do activities designed to work on speech, emotional skills and regulation.

Make space.

What if you don’t have the luxury of endless amount of cupboard storing space? I feel you and have been there! At our old house we didn’t even have a linen cupboard to store our towels but I still ensured I made space for all of my daughters therapy things. I just got creative, Kmart is my jam and has storage containers for every cupboard, door, under bed, wardrobe system going.

Organise activities.

A lot of the activities I came up with had a heap of tiny little pieces (hello pom pom explosion), in this case Ziplock bags fast became one of my favourite things, after Kmart of course!

Write it down.

So, you have your beautifully organised therapy activity system sorted. But this is just one aspect of keeping organised with therapy. How and when you find the time in your week to implement it is another story. What worked well for me was to actually dedicate and allocate time. I would write home therapy down in my weekly planner, just as I would for appointments. I planned for it to happen, this helped to keep me on track and accountable. It was also a great feeling ticking it off each time, just gave you that extra bit of empowerment. Yes, rockstar mum has achieved some therapy!

Incorporate it into your day.

Perhaps your more of a go with the flow person (hats off to you) but its still essential to try to find some sort of system and balance. Lets be honest parenthood is a juggle at the best of times let alone squeezing in the extras. Another idea could be to have a skill in mind you want to target for the day and fit it end spontaneously in small pockets of moments.

Be prepared.

Before I started a therapy session with my daughter I always set it all up before hand and wrote down a list of the activities and skills we would work on for that session. If I mentally felt organised and prepared I think it set the tone for the session.

Make it routine.

If your child is like mine and thrives on routine and knowing what is on each day, add home therapy to their routine visual. I have photos of all of my daughters therapy appointments and school days on her weekly routine board, I also have a photo of us doing home therapy together and I add this into her week too. I find this helps her feel prepared and organised for our little sessions together.

“Organising is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up”
‍-A.A. Milne

Pom chute

You will need

• Paper towel rolls

• Pom-poms

• Electrical tape or blutac

Set up

Secure rolls to the wall with tape or blutac.

How to play

Have child insert the pom-poms down the paper towel chute, this will work on the development of  a pincer grasp along with hand eye coordination.
{Challenge -position paper towel rolls higher to encourage reaching, high kneeling or standing. An extra fine motor challenge could be to use thongs}

Pipe cleaner cup

You will need

• Pipe-cleaners

• Paper cup

• Tape

Set up

Pre-cut holes into the cup using scissors, a screwdriver or hole puncher. Thread some pipe-cleaners through a hole and tape down an edge

How to play

Have child post the links into the holes, a great way to work on hand eye coordination. {Challenge - have the holes cut both vertically, horizontally, and diagonally to work on cognitive thinking skills}

Link posting

You will need

• Cardboard box or shoe box

• Baby links

Set up

Cut holes into the top of  the box.

How to play

Have child post the links into the holes, a great way to work on hand eye coordination. {Challenge - have the holes cut both vertically, horizontally, and diagonally to work on cognitive thinking skills}

Link posting

You will need

• Clarge beads

• Thin paintbrush

Set up

If child doesn’t have the fine motor coordination to thread them on you could have all if the beads already on the paintbrush. This allows them to still practice fine motor skills by just taking them off.

How to play

Have child try to thread the beads on and off  the paint brush. {challenge - use a wooden skewer or pipe cleaner and smaller beads}

Sensory bubble tube

You will need

• Empty bubble tube

• Craft items (beads, sequins, pom poms, cut up pipe cleaners...)

Set up

Put craft items altogether in a container to keep them from going everywhere.

How to play

Have child fill the tube with the craft materials one by one this will require the use of bimanual skills. Add water (glitter optional) to make a sensory shaker.
{Challenge – use tweezers to add the craft materials into the bubble tube}

Paperclip stick

You will need

• Jumbo paddle pop sticks

• Paper clips

Set up

Paperclips can already be clipped on if  child does not yet have the skills to clip them on themself

How to play

Have child clip the paperclips on and off  the paddle pop stick.
{Challenge – draw lines on the paddle pop stick to motivate child to try to line them up}

Collage

You will need

• Craft materials and/or cardboard coloured paper

• Glue

• Paper

Set up

Sort out collage materials into containers or trays so it keeps it all together.

How to play

Have child use the glue to stick their craft materials/coloured paper all across their page.{Challenge – a mini PVA squeezy tube bottle will require extra hand strength}

Peg plate

You will need

• Paper plate

• Coloured pegs and/or wooden pegs (mini pegs add to the fine motor challenge)Texta's

Set up

Use Texta's to make coloured shapes and/or numbers around the paper plate

How to play

Have child match the pegs with the colour or number. Pegs are amazing to practice fine motor skills and strengthen those tiny little finger muscles.
{Challenge – you can use this for an extra learning experience e.g. have a picture of  an apple, ball, cat etc. and the letters on the pegs to match up}

Ribbon crawl

You will need

• ELarge box

• String/ribbons

• Tape

Set up

Cut out both ends of  the box to make a crawling tunnel. Tape the string/ribbon to the edge of  the box.

How to play

Encourage child to crawl through the box through the hanging string. A great activity to work on child's ability to sense their movement in their environment – proprioception.
{Challenge – set up chairs and tables to make a crawling obstacle course, also add cushions to encourage crawling on an incline}

Peg pull

You will need

• Air dryer (alternatively you could tie string at kneeling height, in this case you would also need pegs).

• Items that will peg (we use small soft toys)

Set up

Set the air dryer up so that it is hanging at child's kneeling height.

How to play

Have child practice balancing in kneeling as they reach up to ‘save’ all of  the soft toys.{Challenge – set activity up a little bit higher to encourage high kneeling and balancing}

Musical instruments

You will need

• Pots and pans

• Kitchen utensils

Set up

Set up pots and pans on the floor, add cushions behind if  child is unsteady sitting.

How to play

Have child practice sitting and balancing skills while making music.
{Challenge – set up the pots and pans on some furniture at kneeling height to encourage kneeling and balancing}

Bubble pop

You will need

• Bubble wrap

• Parallel bars *if  child needs assistance standing, alternately could use two dining chairsTape

Set up

Tape bubble wrap to the floor.

How to play

Have child practice stomping on the bubble wrap to pop all of  the bubbles. A great activity to work on vestibular input.
{Challenge – sit child on a chair to encourage them to lift their feet to stomp and squish the bubble wrap, this encourages leg isolation and lifting}

Sock throw

You will need

• Socks

• Dining chairs

• 2 buckets/containers

• Extra player

Set up

Set chairs up in a line to make a divider. Have socks each side along with a bucket.

How to play

Have child throw a sock over the dining chair to either make it into the bucket on the other side or to touch their opponent.
{challenge – have child in high kneeling position the whole time}

Exercise challenge

You will need

• Paddle pop sticks

• Texta’s

• Anything you choose to use for the gross motor activities (e.g. Hula hoop)

Set up

Write down a gross motor activity on each of  the paddle pop sticks.

How to play

Have child choose a paddle pop stick without looking, whatever they choose is the activity they have to do. Don’t forget to add amount required or set a time limit for the each paddle-pop stick activity. Any opportunity that gets a child moving is great for their vestibular system.Some ideas for activities –Hula hoop, push-ups, plank, run on spot, star jumps, cartwheel etc.

Pool noodle fun

You will need

• Pool noodles

• Tape

Set up

Cut pool noodles down, tape together (if  extra height needed) then tape and secure to the ground.

How to play

Have child side step over the pool noodle hurdles.
{challenge – make them higher by cutting part of  the pool noodle as the two feet and secure a third piece using toothpicks to make hurdles. Tape and secure to the ground}

Balloon challenge

You will need

• Balloons

• Bells (optional)

• String/ribbon

• Blutac

Set up

Add a bell to each balloon, blow them up with bell inside and then secure them to the ceiling with string. They need to be low enough for child to be able to side step in between.

How to play

Have child try to manoeuvrer through the balloon bell line without touching a balloon. The bell should make a sound if  the child touches a balloon on their way through. This activity works on a child's proprioception skills and tunes into their auditory processing system.
{challenge – ab workout, have child laying on the ground, they need to do a sit up, touch the balloon and the lay back down, repeat}

UNO feelings

You will need

• UNO cards

• DIY sponge holder (optional for little ones who can’t hold the cards

Set up

To make a DIY card holder just use a bread knife to cut three lines along the sponge.

How to play

Play UNO how it is ‘meant’ to be played but each time a new colour is put down it becomes an opportunity to talk about feelings. Using the ‘Zones of  regulation’ framework (feelings categorised into zones- colours).  For example if  the colour is changed to yellow “A time when I felt the yellow emotions was when I was worried when our dog was sick” etc.

Emotion jars

You will need

• Containers

• Faces printed

• Mod podge (or glue)

Set up

Print out faces of  emotions and stick onto container using the mod podge (or use clear tape).

How to play

Ask child a time they felt each emotion and write it down to put in their container (or they can write it themselves). The aim is that when you notice your child feeling a particular emotion you add it to the container, like a journal. At the end of  the week or a few weeks you can go back and read them all, perhaps they had a moment that they handled better and you can make a deal about this “Remember when we wrote in the angry container that you felt really frustrated when you got dressed, you have gotten so much better with this.

Emotion jars

You will need

• Computer

• Printer

• Laminator (optional)

Set up

Social stories are a great way to calm children's nerves about things that they are anxious about. To make one simply use pictures and sentences that will assist with the story. I google pictures and type it up on PowerPoint to print out. Sometimes I laminate them or other times I cut it down to fit a 6x4 mini photo album.

How to play

I made a longer (photo album) social story once. It was about my daughters operation overseas. In the social story I discussed all of  the different aspects of  our trip. This allowed my daughter to feel a sense of  control about what would be happening, it calmed her nerves and meant she wasn’t as anxious. We have made many others about; going to school, holidays, weekends, special occasions and they have each served a purpose to ease anxieties by reading them over and over together.

Feelings game

You will need

• Paper

• Texta

Set up

Cut out paper into circles and draw different emotions on each circle.Secure to floor with blutac or tape.

How to play

Explain a scenario to child and they need to run/jump to the emotion that they would feel if  that situation happened to them. For example “Imagine you asked if  you could join in and play a game with two friends and they said no, how would this make you feel?”.

Exploring with rice

You will need

• Coloured rice (shake rice with ½ tsp of  oil and a few drops of  colouring in a snap lock bag)

• Playing items of  choice (e.g. paper towel tubes, cups, measuring spoons, funnels)

• Tray or container

Set up

Make rice beforehand (see above, just let it dry on a tray a little before use). Add play items of  choice.

How to play

Rice is such a satisfying item to use for sensory play,. The sound it makes and the texture really engages and satisfies the senses and stimulates the tactile sense of  touch. Rice sensory play can work on fine motor skills, encourages hand eye coordination and can improve concentration. The sounds that the rice makes is a great way to tune into the auditory processing system.

Sensory play worlds

You will need

• Sensory base (sand, coloured rice, pasta, water, playdough etc.)

• Tray or container

• Small world items (e.g. trucks, rocks, sea animals, natural materials, figurines)

Set up

Add sensory materials to a container or tray. Have small world items nearby so child can make and design their small world.

How to play

A small world experiences engages a child in a creative and imaginative experience while they engage all of  their senses. A great play experiences to engage the tactile sense for both sensory seekers and avoiders. Sensory play has many developmental benefits and works on social, communication and fine motor skills.

Hand painting

You will need

• Butchers paper or large sheets of craft paper

• Paint

• Tape or blutac

Set up

Secure paper down to a table with tape.

How to play

Encourage child to feel and mix the paint using their fingers and hands. They can cover their page and mix the colours and then use their finger to draw or write in the paint.Use A4 paper to transfer their creations onto.

Save the animals

You will need

• Corn flour

• Water

• Blue food colouring

• Tray

• Sea animals and and other ‘sea’ decorations (rocks, foliage, shells etc.)

Set up

Have child help to make the sensory mixture by mixing the corn flour, water and food colouring together.  Mixture ratio will be determined by how you want the texture to feel, make sure only a few drops of  food colouring are added as it will stain otherwise.

How to play

Once the sensory cornflour base is made have child make and decorate a Sea life small world. Due to the consistency the materials will stick into the mixture which adds to the sensory play while working on fine motor skills to ‘save the animals’. All sensory experiences engage children to explore their tactile sense.

Letter fishing

You will need

• Paper clips

• Playing items of  choice (e.g. paper towel tubes, cups, measuring spoons, funnels)

• Thick coloured paper (or cardboard)

Set up

Cut out 26 fishes and 26 circles. Write a letter of  the alphabet on each fish and a letter of the alphabet on each circle (match the colours). Add a paper clip on each fish. To make the DIY magnet wand ‘fishing rod’, hot glue gun the magnet to the ribbon and the other end of  the ribbon to the paddle pop stick.

How to play

Have child pick up a circle letter, they then use their magnetic fishing rod to fish out the matching letter (magnet on rod will attach to paper clip). This activity will work on letter awareness, colour recognition and hand eye coordination which is a great pre-writing skill to master.

Dot markers

You will need

• Dot markers

• Paper

Set up

Secure paper to table if  child doesn’t have the bimanual capabilities to hold the paper while using the dot marker in their other hand.

How to play

Child uses the dot marker to make decorative markings across the page. By using dot markers children can practice: Bimanual skills by taking the lids on and off, hand eye coordination, one to one correspondence, creativity, colour awareness and patterns, fine motor skills and building up hand and muscle strength. All essential skills for prewriting development.

Alphabet rocks

You will need

• Rocks and stones

• Markers

• Paint cards from bunnings (or small pieces of  cardboard)

Set up

Write both smaller case and upper case letters on paint cards (as pictured). Use markers to write lower case letters on stones and upper case letters on rocks.

How to play

Have child see how quickly they can match all of  the lower and upper case letters. Use their index finger to trace over the upper case letters. This will familiarise them with the written symbols that make up letters.

Letter dice

You will need

• White plain dice (option could be to use plain stickers to cover standard dice)

• White board Texta and whiteboard (option is to use Texta and paper if  using standard dice)

Set up

Use the white board Texta to write some letters on the dice.

How to play

Have child throw the dice and write the letter that is thrown. Keep practicing and then wipe the letters off  and change to some new ones. If  child isn’t at the developmental stage to write letters you could replace them with shapes, symbols or lines. Any time a child has the opportunity to use a writing tool is great practice for pre-writing development.

Paddle pop fidget

You will need

• Paddle pop sticks

• Beads

• Pipe cleaner

• Elastic bands

Set up

Secure one end of  the pipe cleaner to the end of  the paddle pop stick with an elastic band.

How to play

Thread the beads on the pipe cleaner, make sure there is room left to still move them up and down the pipe cleaner. Secure the bottom end of  the pipe cleaner onto the other end of  the paddle pop stick.

Dot markers

You will need

• Water colour paper or paper towel (works best otherwise just paper is fine)

• Straw

• Pipette (paintbrush would also work)

• Water colour liquid paint (can use food colouring with water)

Set up

I usually put butchers paper down first or an old tablecloth/towel as the water colours can spray.

How to play

Use a pipette to add drops of  water colour to the page. Child then uses deep breaths to spread the colour across the page. A great oral regulation activity.

5 senses grounding

You will need

• Just use your own or your child's hand

Set up

Nothing to set up but this activity would work best when distractions are eliminated where possible.

How to play

Have your child put their hand up showing all 5 fingers (alternatively you could use your own hand) and point to one finger at a time.

• Take 5 deep breaths

• Look around the room and ask your child to name or point to 4 things that they can see.

• Then they show 3 things that they can touchFollowed by 2 things that they can hear

• Finished with 1 thing that they can smell.

Its an effective distracting technique that has positive benefits with tuning into all of  the 5 senses.

Therapeutic drawing

You will need

• Paper and pencils

Set up

Nothing to set up but this activity would work best when distractions are eliminated where possible.

How to play

If  you can see your child heightened, you could suggest they have some quiet time and simply draw. This is drawing to distract; this can help to change the behaviours that were happening in their environment to divert their attention elsewhere and elevate their mood.
My daughter will often now take herself  to her room to sit at her desk and draw, it instantly brings calmness to my own world let alone hers. Drawing to express can assist in helping them to tune into their emotions that they have trouble expressing in words.

Pack away

You will need

• Mess to clean up, that should be no problem!

Set up

Your child will set this up.....multiple times a day I'm guessing!

How to play

Children love to play, the packing away not so much. But its actually an important skill for them to learn and develop. It teaches them to look after their things and about responsibility. Like anything make it fun! My girls are all for packing away when its turned into a game... “I am going to put the timer on for 4 minutes, I bet you can’t pack away all of  this by the time it beeps?” Whenever they successfully and happily pack away I praise their efforts and explain how important it is.

Handwashing song

You will need

• An amazing singing voice (jokes)

Set up

An amazing singing voice (jokes)

How to play

Super important to teach children the importance of  handwashing from an early age but often they are too busy to stop to wash their hands and feel like its interrupting their time. When in doubt make it fun! A popular song to sing is ‘Germs are lurking’ (below). After using the bathroom, eating ect sing the song to assist in making handwashing a habit.

Visual checklist

You will need

• Images of child's routine

• Velcro (optional)

• Laminator (optional)

Set up

Find images of  your child's morning and night routine. They can be cartoon, real life or actual images of  them performing the task. Print them out and laminate.

How to play

To encourage your child to be more independent with self  help skills a visual reminder can be a great tool. Go through their morning and night schedules together and spend a few days looking through it as they complete the tasks. Then move to simply reminding them “What is next on your schedule?” Over time this should encourage them to become more independent and they will be able to refer to it without instruction.

Busy boards

You will need

• Wood cut offs

• Materials of  choice (see images for ideas)

Set up

Use images as a guide to how you can set up and make you own busy boards.

How to play

Busy boards are a great way to practice fine motor skills and self  help skills. Both are important to assist in dressing. We have made them using an assortment of  materials such as; elastic band, pins, lid opening, zipper practice, links, latches, buttons, velcro and hooks.

Following directions

You will need

• Paper and pen

• Cool ideas!

Set up

This can be whatever you want. Only you will know what will interest your child to follow their directions. Perhaps its instructions to find a treat or to complete an activity.

How to play

The girls ‘mission’ was to make a sensory bubble tube, they didn’t know what they were making and had to follow the directions. I set up aspects of  the activity around the house and their were post it clues (instructions) for them to follow to make their mission a success!

Simon says

You will need

• A cute little human to play

Set up

If  you want to add to the game have props, e.g. jewellery, hats.

How to play

‘Simon Says’ is the ultimate game to practice listening skills and increase children's ability to follow instructions. Give one instruction “Simon says put your hands on your head”, or move to two to three instructions ‘Simon says but your hands on your head and jump three times”. Add props “Simon says put a hat on”, make them silly “Simon says put a bracelet on your ankle and socks on your hands”.

Hiding objects

You will need

• Small toys

• Coloured paper

• Tubs or bowls, anything to hide toys under

Set up

Hide toys under tub. Make sure you remember what you hide.

How to play

Aim is for child to find all of  the toys by following the instructions given. “Can you see if  Cinderella is hiding under the yellow tub”. “Let’s see if  she is hiding under the purple tub”, “Put Cinderella on the green paper”.

Cooking

You will need

• Craft items

• Cooking pots

• Spoons, tongs, measuring jug (kitchen items of  choice)

Set up

Have materials set up and ready to play with.

How to play

Aim is to entice child into a dramatic play cooking experience by giving instructions (recipe). “You need to add four pompoms, then mix together”. “Use the tongs to pick up 5 coloured sticks and add it to your mixture”. Once child has completed all of  the instructions from their ‘recipe’ let them play with their creation and enjoy them being busy!