It's snowing... OT-Kids is now offering FREE OT sessions!!!

So the blizzard has arrived and with it comes not only 18 or more inches of fun, but also a good ol' fashion (and free) OT session right in your own back yard! Bundle the kiddies up and get out doors, trust me you have more sensory input in your backyard right now then I could ever dream of putting in a gym.  Here are some activities (trust me they are all very familiar and easy, and best of all free!!!)

1. Go for a walk- Trudging through the snow provides resistance and heavy work.  It will challenge even the most graceful of movers balance and coordination.

2. Have a snowball fight or play dodge the snow ball- This is great packing snow, so make a pile of snowballs and have fun throwing them at each other.  As your children move to avoid being hit, or as they attempt to hit you with their best shot, they will be working on motor planning, eye hand coordination, upper extremity strength, and endurance and much more.

3. Make Snow Angels- Go ahead, no ones looking. Flop down in the snow and move those arms and legs.  You will be getting some great input and resistance from the snow while working on body awareness, range of motion and who doesn't love rolling around for a minute or two in the fluffy stuff!

4. Build a Snowman- I know you remember huffing and puffing while trying to build the neighborhoods best snowman. Encourage your children to dive right in, The Bigger The Better!!! lifting the heavy snow, rolling a huge snow ball,  packing it down into the perfect snowman shape will all work on strength, endurance, coordination, eye-hand coordination and provide lot of fabulous proprioceptive input to your little ones.  Make sure they add eyes, nose, mouth, some arms and even buttons and a hat to work on spatial relations, body awareness and some wonderful perceptual skills.

5. Dont forget the sleds!!! Who doesn't love zooming down a hill at top speed.  Just thinking about all the wonderful vestibular input gives me the shivers!!! And what makes sledding even better is that after that wonderful ride down the hill the kiddos need to climb back up, talk about some hard work.  Don't have a hill? don't worry! Attach  a rope to your sled and take a run around the yard with your little ones in tow, did they get a bit too much input and are now silly beyond belief? Hand them the rope and requesting a ride yourself, Now that's what I call heavy work!!!

6. The storm has past, now what???  Hand them a shovel and get to work, someone's got to do it, right???