October is Occupational Therapy month in Canada. This month we will be celebrating and sharing on our blog everything OT. In our OT Month series, “OT Works Here,” we will be highlighting some of the key areas in which OT works to change lives by providing solutions for living.
Today we want to highlight the many ways that Occupational Therapy works for kids in the following infographic:
How busy is too busy for your kids? It seems that the extracurricular participation of kids in sports and the arts is increasing. Yet, for all this time out of the house, there is time lost for homework, play, proper meals, outdoor time and family. While keeping kids active and engaged in activities they enjoy is extremely healthy, this needs to be balanced appropriately based on the child and the resources of the family. The following from The Huffington Post discusses some key signs to look for if you are concerned that your child is overscheduled.
The Huffington Post: 10 Signs Your Kid is Too Busy
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
September is the month of many things – adjusting to new schedules, the end of summer vacations, changing weather, and for those with kids, a return to the hectic schedule of school and extracurricular programs. As a mother of four, I always find September stressful (see my blog last year “Stress-tember”). I also know, from having many Septembers under my belt, that it takes me two to three weeks to “adjust” to the changes this month brings. However, this year, in an attempt to combat stress and move to acceptance of what is, I have decided to take a different approach. This year, instead of losing sleep and being stressed, I am going to try and “let go”. I will explain what I mean but first I want to explain what brought me to this concept in the first place.
First, in July our oldest child travelled out the country on her own as a part of an international school program. Leading up to her trip, I was most worried about how she would do away from home for several weeks, if she would enjoy her trip, and of course hoped it would be an unforgettable learning experience. Soon after she left, I realized this trip was huge for me too – it was one of the initial phases of me needing to “let go” of my daughter as she grows up. While scary for a teenager to travel away from home, it is equally scary for a parent – especially when the traveler is your oldest and you have not experienced this before. Not seeing or talking to her daily, her room staying untouched, the cat having no one to sleep with, not sitting with her for a tea in the morning – all things I became mindful of missing in her absence.
Second, I recently ran into some neighbors on my morning walk. They have sold their house and are moving out of the country. This is coming at the time where their youngest is now entering university. In talking to them about this massive transition, my heart could feel for them in all the things they were experiencing – moving away from the town they raised their children in, where their family and friends are, becoming “empty nesters” for first time as they no longer have children at home, moving across the world to accommodate a work opportunity and not having easy access to their children that will remain in Canada. It made me realize there are many dimensions and layers in the process of “letting go” and for some this period is gradual, and for others not so much.
So, back to the fall. I have several things I need to let go of. I need to move from feeling that I need to control everything because that is what has always kept my kids healthy and safe. I need to help them “self-regulate” their time and behaviors around the choices they will make at school and after school. I need to stop being “right” (“mom knows best”) about everything and let some natural consequences be their teaching tool. I need to support them in their decisions and in those life events that will confront them this year, without solving their problems for them. And I need to “let go” of the concept that as parents we can “do it all” and “be everything” to our children. At work I plan on “letting go” of the thought that “if I could only clear my inbox I would feel less stressed” as the reality is that as a business owner my inbox will never be empty, and if it was, that would actually cause me more stress! Personally, I want to “let go” of how hard I can be on myself when I don’t get it all done, or when I take time for myself amongst things that still need my attention.
I love this quote from Ajahn Chan: There will never be a time when life is simple. There will always be time to practice accepting that. Every moment is a chance to let go and feel peaceful.
The Tiny Buddah sites 40 strategies for “letting go”…I will share my personal favorites here:
Focus all your energy on something you can actually control instead of dwelling on things you can’t.
Remind yourself these are your only three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it. These acts create happiness; holding onto bitterness never does.
Hang this statement somewhere you can see it. “Loving myself means letting go.”
Consider this quotation by Eckhart Tolle: “Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.” Questioning how your stress serves you may help you let it go.
Replace your thoughts. Notice when you begin thinking about something that stresses you so you can shift your thought process to something more pleasant, like your passion for your hobby.
Organize your desk. According to Georgia Witkin, assistant director of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, completing a small task increases your sense of control and decreases your stress level.
Laugh it out. Research shows that laughter soothes tension, improves your immune system, and even eases pain. If you can’t relax for long, start with just ten minutes watching a funny video on YouTube.
So, Happy September. Whether you are changing jobs, retiring, returning to a job you love (or not), are starting a new volunteer position, hobby or exercise routine, are putting your child in day care, kindergarten, into high school or university, embrace it. In the words of Trace Adkins in his song “You’re Going to Miss This”:
you’re going to miss this
you’re going to want this back,
you’re going to wish these years hadn’t gone by so fast…
Back to school is just around the corner! A main concern of parents when the kids are in school is providing proper nutrition in school lunch bags every day. Ensuring kids have a healthy breakfast to start the day and a healthy lunch mid-day is important for concentration and productivity throughout the day. The following from Best Health Magazine provides some tasty and nutritious school lunch ideas that are kid tested and parent approved!
Best Health Magazine: 15 healthy back-to-school lunch ideas
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Last year, my September blog was called “Stress-tember”. For many, the September transition brings about new routines, adjustment chaos, and change that can be met with resistance, fatigue and stress. This year I wanted to take a different approach. I thought instead I would start the conversation early and give parents, teachers, and even kids some proactive strategies they can use to manage this transition as smoothly, productively, and as positively as possible.
1. Plan Ahead
The last few weeks of August will go quickly as we all try to cram in those last care-free moments of outdoor time, vacation, and a less chaotic schedule. But, don’t let September catch you off guard! It is best to look at your schedule now and find time when you will be able to fit in back-to-school related tasks. Start with a list of jobs that need to be done to get back-to-school ready. Personally, with four kids, my list includes: closet and drawer clean-out to compile a list of needed clothing items, shoe inventory, looking at our available school-supplies and backpacks to determine what needs to be replaced, and sitting down with each child to ask them about the lunch foods they will happily consume if these land in their lunchbox. With one child transitioning to an out-of-catchment high-school we need to understand her new schedule and arrange transportation including some city bus trials and carpooling. Once we know what needs to get done, we need to have structured schedule to do it. When can we shop for clothes, shoes, supplies, groceries? When the first week of school arrives, it is best to have the shopping done and even meals prepared, so that the stress, anxiety and chaos of the new routine is easier to manage.
2. Get a Family Calendar
Having a calendar placed in a common area (e.g. the kitchen or back hall) can help with organizing weekly plans. Using a different coloured marker for each family member can help you to easily identify who needs to be where and at what time. You can also encourage or assist your kids with keeping track of homework deadlines, school events like picture day, and other social outings. Once school begins, set aside a time each week for the family to go over the week ahead to ensure everyone is on board and prepared (i.e. “we need a birthday present for Tuesday, rubber boots for the trip on Thursday” etc.).
3. Establish Routines
Due to vacations, sleepovers, and the unstructured nature of no school, daily routines are often disrupted over the summer months. A consistent nightly routine for kids is critical to them getting a good sleep. Be consistent with when they are to start getting ready for bed, which nights will be for baths / showers, teeth brushing, and how they enjoy falling asleep (story time, hugs and kisses, that favorite stuffie, nightlight etc.). The importance is in the consistency of the routine as this is what cues your child that he/she is ready for sleep. Set up a routine that works for you and your family and start early. Having an established bedtime routine in place BEFORE school begins will help to make the transition go smoothly.
In addition to bedtime routines, it is important to re-establish what after-school time should also look like. We have our “after school routine” typed, laminated and posted in the back hall. This includes “shoes and back-packs away, lunch boxes emptied, dry snacks and water bottle packed for the next day, paperwork from school in the “in box”, have a healthy snack, do any homework, then play (no technology)! We review this with the kids before school starts, confirm the expectations, get their commitment, and make any changes.
4. Re-Adjust Sleep Schedules
Just as the overall bedtime routine is disrupted during the summer months, so is the timing of sleep. It is important to get back into a regular routine before school starts to avoid tired and cranky kids. A good way to ease into it is to adjust your child’s sleep/wake routine by ten minutes each night, so you can gradually get back to the regular routine by the time school begins. Having alarms in the kids’ bedrooms will help them to wake at an appropriate time so that they are not rushing, skipping breakfast or brushing their teeth in order to make a bus. And watch out for the snooze button! Letting your child delay waking will only become a bad habit harder to break as they get older. Put the alarm clock on the other side of the room if you have to – walking to turn it off will deter them from returning to bed.
5. Honour Your Child’s Anxiety
If your child is nervous or anxious about getting back to school, acknowledge this. Let them know that these feelings are normal. Ask them what you can do to make this easier. If your child is going to a new school or concerned about a new teacher, call the school and see if you are able to visit the school and/or classroom teacher before the school year begins. Or, see if there is a friend also in the same class they can meet with over the summer to ease their concerns. Often just being in the new environment, or being exposed to other kids transitioning prior to the school year beginning can ease fears and calm nerves.
6. Be Consistent
The most important aspect of making the transition back to school easier is consistency. With a familiar and consistent schedule in place, children are more prepared for what is to come which minimizes anxiety, reduces behavioural episodes, and provides kids with clear expectations and structure to their day. And when kids adjust more easily, so do parents!
7. Check your Expectations
Sometimes the worst part of any transition is not having reasonable expectations in the first place. Expect that your kids will need time adjusting, allow them to be tired, out of sorts and cranky, know that you too will need some extra time for yourself to unwind or get some extra rest. Don’t be reactive to the adjustment but rather just acknowledge this as one of the toughest times of the year and accept that in good time new routines will be established and the family will once again be in sync.
So, I hope the above tips will be helpful as you make this necessary transition back to “normal” – whatever that looks like for you. Personally, I will still find September stressful and hectic, but I expect nothing less in a household of six. Like with all things, some preparedness, patience and consistency will make it easier on all involved!
Today most elementary schools in Ontario have a “balanced day” lunch. This means that instead of the traditional long lunch period mid-day, students have 2 nutrition breaks allowing them to eat in the morning and afternoon. This is helpful for both the mind and body as it helps regulate blood sugar, continuously fuel bodies, and heighten concentration. The following from Eat Right Ontario discusses more of the benefits of a balanced day lunch program and provides you with helpful tips for packing a healthy lunch each and every day.
Eat Right Ontario: Food for a Balanced School Day
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Backpacks are a staple for every student. They travel back and forth between home and school, lugging books and school supplies. They are put through the unavoidable daily abuse of being thrown on the ground, trampled on, stuffed into a cubby or locker, saving a spot in line, and become over-stretched and over-used with the necessities of school. They are a necessary part of your child’s education, yet how much thought do you really put into the backpack your child wears aside from maybe price or color? Have you considered the health implications of an improperly worn, fitted, or poorly supportive backpack?
Backpacks are meant to be worn over both shoulders so that the weight can be evenly distributed across some of the largest and strongest muscles in the body. Due to this, backpacks are preferable to shoulder bags, however they must be worn properly in order to avoid postural issues and injuries to the back, shoulder, and/or neck (1). Additionally, backpacks that are too heavy or large increase a child’s risk of injury due to falling or tripping (2). The following are some simple tips to help ensure your child’s backpack is fitted properly in order to avoid any negative health implications.
First of all, when choosing a backpack look for the following features (1,3):
1. Make sure the backpack is made of a lightweight material. Sure, some trendy materials may look cool, but these can also add unnecessary weight.
2. The backpack should have two wide, padded shoulder straps that are adjustable. Thin, narrow straps can cut off circulation resulting in pain, tingling, and numbness. Straps with a clip to secure them across the chest are best.
3. Look for a padded back to increase comfort and also to protect your child from being poked by items inside the bag.
4. Backpacks with a waist strap help distribute the weight more evenly and can protect the neck and shoulders from carrying the weight independently.
5. Check out backpacks that have a roller option if allowed in your child’s school. This allows freedom to switch between wearing on the back (for example on snowy days when rolling is not practical) and rolling the bag on the ground to take stress off of the neck and shoulders.
6. Ensure the backpack has multiple compartments as this helps to distribute the weight more evenly, and keeps things organized and separated.
Once you have found the perfect backpack, ensure the backpack is worn properly by following some of these general guidelines:
1. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that backpack load should never exceed 10-20% of your child’s body weight. Make sure unnecessary items aren’t traveling back and forth – leave heavy items at home or school if possible.
2. When putting on a backpack, ensure your child bends at the knees (not the waist!) and uses both hands to lift it onto their shoulders. Watch for signs of strain or difficulty when putting it on – if any are present consider reducing the load in the bag by having your child carry a few items.
3. ALWAYS use both of the shoulder straps. No matter how “cool” your child thinks using one shoulder strap looks, it can cause muscle, spine and orthopedic injury down the road.
4. Tighten the shoulder straps and use the strap around the waist (if available). This helps to ensure even weight distribution. The bag should sit in the center of the back, about two inches above the waist (not down near the buttocks!).
5. When packing, ensure heavy items are near the center / back of the bag. Use all of the available compartments to help distribute the weight more evenly.
6. Talk to your child about making frequent trips to their locker, desk or cubby to avoid carrying extra weight around all day.
7. Consider the backpack as a possible culprit if your child starts complaining of back pain, numbness or tingling in the shoulders or arms, or discomfort in the upper body or lower back. If so, consult with a professional about how to correct the issues, and prevent these from getting worse. Core, back, or strengthening exercises might be needed if your child is having difficultly lugging around their school stuff – and consult a professional to have any exercises prescribed.
Then, make it fun! Give your child a list of things to look for when picking out their backpack, and comment on the different features of the ones at the store. Once purchased, load this up with different things so you can show them the difference when weight is distributed evenly, unevenly and gets too heavy. Have them try the straps at different lengths so they can comment on what is most comfortable. Encourage them to leave things at school that should stay there (like indoor shoes) and consider having a double set of school supplies at home so these don’t need to travel back and forth. Make Friday “clean out your backpack day” for a special treat.
Remember that you get what you pay for. A $10.00 backpack chosen on style or color may cost you a lot more in the long run. Backpacks are not an item you should cheap out on!
For more informative articles on kids health check out our OT For Kids page.
1) American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (2013).
2) KidsHealth (2013)
3) American Academy of Pediatrics (2014)
Using dessert as a reward for eating vegetables, taking advantage of the free cookie at the grocery store if the kids behave, promising ice cream if the kids complete their chores…these are all examples of using foods as a reward for good behaviour. I’m sure we all have been guilty of this behaviour at one point or another, and while it’s true we all deserve a reward every once and a while, an edible treat may not be the best option. The following from WebMD discusses why using food for praise doesn’t work in the long run and tips to put a stop to this slippery slope once you’ve begun.
WebMD: Why Praising Kids With Food Doesn’t Work
Living in the digital age is starting to take a toll on the health of Canadian children. In Canada’s most recent participation report card on physical activity for children and youth we received a D-. Not a grade most parents would be happy with if it was on a child’s school report card. The question is, how can we improve this grade? To start, we need to tame the technology habit and get kids playing again.
We love the recent campaign from Participaction that includes commercials with a powerful message, like the one shown here, to encourage parents to “Make Room for Play.”
Check out highlights of the report from Participaction and take a moment to tell us how you think we can improve our grade and the health of Canada’s children.
Participaction: Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
In celebration of summer, I wanted to repost our popular blog on pool safety. These helpful tips and tools are good things to review and consider…especially this time of year.
I was a fortunate child who grew up with an in-ground pool. As the only house on the street with a pool in our yard, the neighborhood kids would loiter around our home hoping for an invite. My mom developed a wonderful system using a Canada flag. If the flag on our fence was up – everyone was welcome for a swim. The only rule was that the kids needed to bring a parent. Mandatory. And despite the kids that would sit on our lawn whining about not having an adult to join them, my mom was firm to the rule.
We have a pool in our yard. This is separately fenced. As our kids are getting older, and have been able to swim for years, we are giving them more freedom around the pool. As long as an adult is home, they are welcome to swim. However, last year I was reminded of an important lesson – just because my kids can swim, that is not necessarily true for others of the same age. We had a pool party for our twins’ birthday and all the kids arrived and proceeded to jump in the pool. One child was hanging around the shallow end and I asked her if she could swim – nope. I was surprised that in dropping her off to a pool party, her parents would not mention this very important fact.
A few summers ago on a street very close to mine an 18 month old child drowned when he was able to get outside while his father had a 15 minute nap. Drowning is the second most common cause of accidental death among children aged 14 and under in Ontario, after motor vehicle accidents. Yet, like many risks, drowning is absolutely preventable. Here are some safety precautions to consider:
1. Constant and vigilant supervision. Supervision of any child is a full-time job. Most drowning’s occur when a child is playing near the water and falls in – not while “swimming”. So, when it comes to kids, the “within arm’s reach” rule should always apply – whether they are in, or around, water.
2. Using safety devices for the pool. These could include:
o Poolside Alarm– A motion sensor is installed along the pool edge, which sounds an alarm when waves are detected from a body falling into the water.
o Child Immersion Alarm– A wristband worn by a child, which will sound an alarm when they come into contact with water.
o Pool Fences– Fences should be at least four feet tall, surround the entire pool and have self-latching gates out of the reach of children. Speclocks prevent children from entering the pool area, as they are complex or require adult strength to open. Gate alarms can also be installed to alert when the gate is unexpectedly opened.
o Pool Covers– A cover built to fit your pool dimensions will act as a barrier for a falling body, as they will not enter the water.
o Door locks – special locks, difficult for children to open and installed at the top of a door, prevent kids from being able to get into the yard without an adult.
3. Use life jackets, not just floaties. If your child is not a strong swimmer, they should always be wearing a life jacket – in a pool, at the beach, or on a boat. Like wearing a seat-belt and helmet, children should be taught from a young age that wearing a life jacket is necessary around water. From a functional standpoint, life jackets are safer than floaties. Floaties can develop small holes that actually fill with water, or can deflate, causing the child to slowly sink lower into the water. A well-fitting life jacket is designed to keep a child’s head above water, and to flip a child over onto their back to facilitate breathing. They cannot deflate. It also provides something for an adult to grasp if they need to pull the child out of the water.
4. Know the signs of drowning. Contrary to popular belief, drowning does not happen when people are flailing their arms, yelling and calling for help. It is actually the opposite. People that are getting into trouble in the water often look like they are climbing an invisible ladder. They can’t yell or cry for help as their body is low on oxygen and is focused on trying to keep air in, not yell it out. Know the signs – check out this link for the “8 Quiet Signs of Drowning.”
5. Knowledge of first aid. Parents should always consider having knowledge of CPR or basic water rescue. This could prove handy for many situations beyond just water safety.
6. Swimming lessons. Give your kids a head start by helping them to become comfortable in the water from a young age. Every minute they can stay afloat could save their life.
But remember, when it comes to children, nothing is safer than diligent and attentive supervision.