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Occupational Therapy Ideas for Home

Here are some easy and fun activities to try at home with your kids! Remember to have fun!

Gross Motor Ideas

Crab walk from your bedroom to the kitchen
Crawl over the bed
Jumping Jacks
Ride a bicycle outside
Army crawl
Play catch
Read a book while on your tummy
Cross crawl
Infinity walk
Balance on a log (or on one foot)
Dribble a ball to a beat
Inchworm from your room to another room
Play the floor is LAVA!
Toss a balloon in the air and don’t let it drop
Bear walk
Build a fort out of pillows
Burrito Log roll
Hop on 1 foot to the living room
Play tug of war
Pass a ball back and forth in superman position
Wheelbarrow walking
Roll down a hill
Climb a tree (supervised only!)
Build an indoor obstacle course
Hopscotch

Fine Motor Ideas

Young pretty girl with needlework, stringing beads on string

Q-Tip painting
Water play with spray bottles
Hole punch craft
Play dough cutting
Clothespin games
Eye dropper art crafts
Use tongs or tweezers
String beads
Crumple tissue paper
Stack Cheerios on a toothpick
Build with Legos
Place coins in slots
Hide beads in putty
Peal Stickers
Paperclip necklace
Squeeze a wet sponge
Pick up sequins
Practice buttoning and zipping
Color with broken crayons
Snap fingers
Leaf rubbing art
Move a bead from your palm to your finger tips
Write on play dough

Sensory Ideas

Make slime
Ice painting
Toy wash
Rain cloud experiment (shaving cream, water, food dye)
Sensory Bin (water, rice, beads, water beads, or beans) *add toys for more sensory fun and digging! Encourage use of hands AND feet!
Spin in circles, both directions
Pillow Wrestle
Jump into a pile of pillows and blankets
Chew gum (supervised)
Drink water from a long straw
Sandwich game between pillows or sofa cushions
Make mud pies (outdoors)
Finger paint
Trace your shadow with chalk
Collect different leaves and textures outside
Burrito blanket
Eat something crunchy, chewy, etc.
Create a quiet corner
Make calming sensory bottles
Yoga
Shaving Cream
Water Balloons
Walk barefoot on grass or other textures

Visual Motor Ideas

Pencil mazes
Draw a big figure 8 in the air
Play flashlight tag with your eyes
Bean bag toss
Connect the dots
Copy designs on paper
Puzzles
Sorting shapes
Make shapes with sticks
Balloon volleyball
Stack rocks outside
Color a picture in the lines
Write letters in the air
Egg drops race (keep your eyes on the egg)
Throw a ball at a target
Use a pool noodle to hit a suspended ball
Stack cups
Blow bubbles and catch them on the bubble wand
Bring your thumb to your nose and back
Bounce a tennis ball to a family member
pass a ball between your feet
Lacing
Pour/filling cups with water

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