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Tag Archive for: kids

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Get Back to Routine with These Helpful Resources

Summer vacation is coming to a close and the kids are heading back to school!  Due to vacations, sleepovers, and the unstructured nature of no school, daily routines are often disrupted over the summer months. A consistent daily routine for kids is critical to them learning responsibility, time management, and so they get a good sleep.

Therefore in September, it is important to re-establish what morning, after-school and bedtime time should look like.

While growing up, in our house, we had each of our girls “daily routines” typed, laminated and posted in the back hall. Though each differed slightly, they included:

Morning: 

  • wake up at 7:00 am
  • make beds
  • get dressed
  • eat a healthy breakfast
  • brush teeth and hair
  • pack lunch and backpack
  • out the door by 7:40


After-School: 

  • 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)!


Before Bed:  

  • dinner dishes put away
  • play areas and bedroom are tidy
  • shower
  • healthy bedtime snack
  • reading time
  • lights out at 9:00 pm

Use our great free printable that can be customized for your children. This will help them to stay on track each day in the morning, after-school and before bed. Be sure to review this with the kids before implementing, confirm the expectations, and get their commitment.  You’ll be well on your way to creating a less stressful and more organized home!  

Check out more of our FREE printables for both children and adults, available on our website!

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The A to Z of OT: H is For… Handwriting Help

One of the main reasons that parents seek Occupational Therapy services for their children arises from problems with printing and handwriting.   Although once taught in schools, the learning of this basic and essential skill is no longer part of curriculums.  While many children quickly take to printing, many have difficulties.  When difficulties arise, an Occupational Therapist can help.  Learn how Occupational Therapists help provide solutions to printing problems and make learning creative and fun in the following video from our OT-V video series

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!

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How to Grow Responsible, Independent Children

When it comes to responsibilities for kids at home many things have changed since I was a kid.  When my generation was growing up most kids learned to cook, clean, tidy up after themselves, manage their own schedules and more.  Today, many kids are living in the “age of entitlement” where very few responsibilities fall on them, and many don’t know how to complete the simplest of household chores.

Teaching responsibility to kids by assigning them age-appropriate chores helps to build independence, a sense of self and prepares them for what lies ahead.

We encourage you to use this great FREE PRINTABLE (available below) to help kids become more responsible at home.

Discuss with your children some tasks they can help with on a daily basis and add these to the chart.  Be sure to review this with the kids, confirm the expectations, and get their commitment.

Here are some age-appropriate tasks or “chores” as suggestions:

Toddler (2-3)

·    Put dirty clothes in laundry basket

·    Help set the table for meals

·    Tidy toys after playing

Ages 4-5

·    Put toys away when finished

·    Make their bed

·    Clear dishes after meals

·    Prepare snacks/drinks

·    Feed pets

Ages 6-7

·    Fold laundry

·    Dust bedroom

·    Help prepare meals (with assistance)

·    Pack school lunches and backpack

·    Yard work (with assistance)

Ages 8-11

·    Load and unload the dishwasher

·    Operate laundry (with assistance)

·    Clean bedroom

·    Help put away groceries

·    Walk and care for pets

·    Make school lunches

Ages 12 +

·    Clean bathrooms

·    Vacuum

·    Prepare a meal

·    Look after younger siblings

·    Clean floors and surfaces

·    Do laundry from start to finish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more helpful tools for both children and adults visit our Printable Resources page.

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Summer Reading Plan

As mentioned in our post, Help Young Minds Stay Sharp this Summer, it can be difficult to keep children’s minds stimulated during the summer months and often many children suffer summer brain drain.  One of the best ways to put a plug on this drain is to encourage regular reading.  Encourage your child to set a SMART Goal for how many books they plan to read this summer and keep track using our free printable summer reading log.  Be sure to build in rewards when your child is on track and when they meet their goal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For additional helpful tools for kids and adults visit our Printable Resources Page.

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Help Young Minds Stay Sharp this Summer

It’s that time again… The report cards are done, the bell has rung, and summer vacation is upon us! Summer is a time for camps, vacations, trips, cottaging and so much more.  But with all the fun in store, where do they fit in time to learn? How do we as parents make sure our kids don’t suffer summer “brain drain,” while still ensuring they get the break and vacation they need?  Check out the following infographic for ideas to keep kids brains sharp while having fun this summer vacation!

 

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Preventing Injury on the Playground

Remember this as a kid?  Hanging on for dear life as someone would try to spin you so fast you would become sick or fly off at record speeds. I can only imagine the injury rates that prompted the removal of these from playgrounds.

As parents, we all have a different “danger zone” with our kids. Yet, there is a balance between letting them play recklessly and engaging in the new trend of “dangerism” where we are preventing our kids from taking risks – risks that can be so important to healthy growth and development. Playgrounds are a great source of physical exertion and outdoor exploration, but can also be unsafe. According to Parachute playground injuries account for over 28,000 injuries per year in Canada and that while many kids suffer only minor injuries, approximately 10% are hospitalized for a more severe injury often involving the head. So, how do we let our kids enjoy the playgrounds, have fun with friends, and explore independently while still keeping them safe?

Today, July 5th, is National Injury Prevention Day!  Take a look at the following care of Parachute to learn how to create a safer playground experience for your children.  Also visit Parachute’s National Injury Prevention Day page to learn how to Stop the Clock on other types of preventable injuries.

Parachute:  Playground safety

 

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A Guide To Toys For All Children

Toys R Us has published a handy guide for selecting and purchasing toys for children with differing abilities.  The guide recognizes that each child is unique, and has a different set of abilities,  and therefore makes suggestions based on which type of skill you are looking to build.   The guide also features safety tips and a listing of helpful Apps.  Check it out to help you find the perfect gift this holiday season!

Toys R Us:  Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids

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Christmas Gifts That Are OT Approved!

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

If you’re a keen and organized shopper, I’m sure you have the majority of your holiday gifts already purchased, and if you’re anything like my Mother had everything done and wrapped in August! However, if you’re anything like my husband, you are waiting until the 24th to think about Christmas.

Although Santa and his Elves are hard at work building the toys your children put on their Christmas wish list, there may be a few items you still need to purchase.

We consulted our talented team of Pediatric Occupational Therapists and are happy to provide you with some fun but functional gift inspiration. These are gifts that are educational and stimulate child development:

1. BOOKS: Although technically not toys, books make an excellent gift. Fostering a love of reading in children from an early age is essential in development of language and literacy skills, while building creativity and imagination. And so many types of books exist! Beyond regular books, pop-up books, and interactive books, there are even books where you can record your voice, or the voice of a loved one into the story so that person is “reading” to your child. This is great for those people in your life who are out of town and are not able to “read” bedtime stories in person.

2. TOYS THAT MAKE THEM THINK: Look for puzzles, games, shaper sorters, science kits and more. Problem solving through play is fantastic for the mind and will help them become independent problem solvers in life. But be prepared to explore and learn with them. Interactive parent-child time through new learning is also essential to development!

3. TOYS THAT GET THEM MOVING: We’re living in the sedentary age of technology where obesity is on the rise. Try some active toys like a skipping rope, scooter, ride on toy, a bike or winter sports gear like skates, skis or snowshoes. But with all riding toys, include the helmet too! Keeping kids active is extremely important for both their physical and mental health!

4. TOYS THAT BRING OUT THEIR CREATIVE SIDE: Fostering creativity in kids at an early age is important for their development. Looks for gifts that will encourage them to be creative like art kits, dress up clothes or crafts and supplies.

5. AN EXPERIENCE THEY WON’T FORGET: Too many toys to choose from? Why not treat the children to an experience instead. Consider tickets to a sporting event, a play, or musical or a child-appropriate concert. Special events like these create fantastic memories and can strengthen family bonds.

We hope you find some gift inspiration from our tips and with you very Happy Holidays!

 

Originally posted December 8, 2014