Summer Fun Activities From the Occupational Therapist

Yay for summer!!  Here are some fun activities for you and your child this summer:

Proprioceptive Activities:

1. Carrying groceries from the car to the house
2. Carrying laundry up and down the stairs
3. Pulling a blanket with toys or pillows on top for added weight
4. Jumping on a trampoline
5. Animal walks

Vestibular Activities:

1. Bike riding
2. Jump rope
3. Egg races
4. Hopscotch
5. Twister

Tactile activities:

1. Playing in a bin of raw rice or beans
2. Finger painting
3. Make a water bead sensory bin
4. Play with non-toxic slime
5. Play in the sand

Auditory Sensory Activities:

1. Play Simon Says
2. Scavenger hunt with sounds (instead of looking for objects, listen for sounds!)
3. Make and play with sensory shakers
4. Listen to calming music
5. Fill the backpack or beach bag game (give simple 1 step directions)

 

Fine Motor Activities:

1. Play travel size board games with tiny pieces
2. Make beaded necklaces or bracelets
3. Pipe Cleaner and Colander Activity
4. Make origami or paper airplanes
5. Trace objects using stencils

Visual Motor Activities:

1. Sidewalk chalk art
2. Paint or color by numbers
3. Throw water balloons at a target
4. Place action figures in plastic container of water and freeze—have them use a hammer to get them out later
5. Writing with shaving cream

Visual Perceptual activities:

1. I Spy Eagle Eye; I Spy Go Fish
2. Spot It game
3. Word search puzzles
4. Connect the dots pictures
5. Memory game

Bilateral Coordination Activities:

1. Put big sponges in a bucket of water outside and squeeze them
2. Punch holes with a hole puncher
3. Make a marble maze with recycle materials like toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls
4. Make and play with playdoh– use cookie cutters, rolling pins, and scissors with it
5. Go fishing

 

Have a wonderful summer!