Child Development Tips, Tools, and Strategies
Encourage your child to reach their fullest potential through hands-on play and developmentally appropriate activities.
Welcome!
My mission is to provide developmental tips, tools, and strategies to help you grow hands-on kids. Whether you are a parent, educator, therapist, or other professional, this site is for you.
Get My Free Fine Motor Checklist for Ages 0-6!
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Free Sensory Systems Email Series
Discover how all 8 sensory systems are connected and are the building blocks of child development. Also, get an 8 Sensory Systems Handout with signs of sensitivities and activity suggestions.
Free Fine Motor Email Series
Not sure where to start with fine motor skills? This Fine Motor 101 email series is a great place to start. Get a Fine Motor Skills Checklist, plus activity suggestions for all ages and levels of ability.
Free Pre-Writing & Handwriting Series
Understand the importance of pre-writing lines and strokes, how pencil grasp develops, and ways to promote handwriting success through hands-on activities.
Why are pre-writing skills important for handwriting? In this brand new ebook, Heather takes a look at the research on why pre-writing skills are crucial for your child’s future handwriting.
You’ll discover the foundational skills needed for future handwriting like sensory processing, gross motor, fine motor, and visual-motor skills. Plus you will get specific hands-on activity ideas for each of these developmental areas, including ways to introduce pre-writing lines and shapes to your child.
This ebook is ideal for any person who has or works with a child ages 2-6.
Sensory Processing Explained was written by an Occupational Therapy Assistant and mom of seven children. They use their unique experiences as a parent of children with sensory processing disorder and working in the classroom setting with children of various sensory processing challenges.
This book is three books in one so that you will get exactly what sensory processing information is right for your situation. It was written with easy to understand terms and language so that you can feel confident in explaining your child or student’s sensory processing struggles with parents, family, friends, or co-workers.
“Basics of Fine Motor Skills is a comprehensive breakdown of the fine motor skills needed for development and function. Heather has provided a valuable resource that describes each underlying skill under the vast term, “fine motor skills”. This book is a great compliment to individualized goal areas for children. Therapists can use this resource for activity development and planning. Parents and educators will appreciate the clear and concise breakdown of skill areas and “red flags” that provide education in an easy to understand manner. The engaging activity lists are designed to target necessary skills while supporting the healthy development of children at all levels.” – Colleen Beck, OTR/L – The OT Toolbox.
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Fine Motor Checklists for Ages 0-6
We've all seen the news articles that state children entering Kindergarten are coming with minimal fine motor skills. Many teachers and Occupational Therapists are noticing this trend not just in Kindergarten, but all age groups and grades.
It's important as parents, educators, and therapists to realize what skills are age-appropriate and what a child really needs to be able to do when getting to school age. These fine motor skills checklists were created to help you do just that.
Hi there, I'm Heather.
COTA
I’m Heather, a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) turned homeschool mom of two. I believe that all children can reach their fullest possible potential through hands-on play and developmentally appropriate activities.
New on the blog…
The 8 Senses Themed I-Spy Printable & Google Slides
Today I have another free I-Spy-themed printable for you. I-Spy pages are a great way to work on visual-perception with our children, especially in this age of telehealth and virtual services. This Sensory Processing themed I-Spy printable also comes with…
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Movement Videos for Early Elementary Students
It's the beginning of February here in Ohio, which means a lot of cold weather. If you're stuck inside, you know how important getting active and moving is for our children. Today I want to share some of our favorite…
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Valentine 4-Ingredient No-Cook Play Dough Recipe
Over the winter, one of my most popular posts is my winter 2-ingredient no-cook play dough recipe. It has been a while since I made play dough this way, so I decided to do a fun Valentine 4-ingredient no-cook play…
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Visual Writing & Editing Checklist for Students
Being able to self-check your written work is an important executive function skill for all students. I've created a new free download that gives your student a writing and editing checklist they can use at their desk or have hanging…
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When Should I Teach My Child to Write?
Along with learning to read, writing is another significant milestone that parents often wonder about. One question I see over and over again is “when should I teach my child to write?” The answer is not cut and dry, “they…
11 Activities for Letter Formation Practice
Are you looking for some fun, hands-on ways to practice handwriting at home? Here are some ideas for handwriting and letter formation practice so that your child is all set when they get back to school. Teaching Letter Formation Tips First,…
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