CELEBRATING OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY WEEK 2025
This week we are celebrating Occupational Therapy (OT) week and the dedication and compassion of our amazing OTs here at The Gray Area. As Occupational Therapists, we support individuals of all ages to participate in meaningful occupations. Occupations are all the things a person wants or needs to do, and can include anything from self-care and handwriting to play, leisure, and more! To celebrate OT week, our OT Team has put together a list of some of their favourite games and activities that support skill development at home. Whether you’re wanting to work on fine and gross motor skills, independence with daily living activities, or visual perceptual skills for handwriting, these OT-approved ideas are a great place to start!
Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills involve the coordination of the small muscles in the hands, fingers, and wrists to perform precise movements. These skills are essential for many daily occupations such as dressing, handwriting, utensil use, and play. Children practice their fine motor skills anytime they pick up a pencil or crayon to colour or draw. If your child needs a little extra fine motor practice, there are plenty of playful ways to incorporate it into their day:
Peg Games:
Playing matching games with pegs or having your child place pegs on different objects around the house for a game of hide and seek helps develop a strong pincer grip. This grip is essential for precise fine motor control, especially for handwriting.
Tweezers or Tongs Activities:
Any game that uses tweezers or tongs is a win! Using tweezers or tongs strengthens the small muscles of the hand and fingers while promoting the pincer grasp. Try having your child pick up pom poms, beads, or small toys.
Playdough or Theraputty:
Playdough and Theraputty are fantastic tools for building hand strength. Encourage your child to roll the dough into a ball and flatten it between their hands to make a “pancake.” To make it trickier, have them roll small balls and squish each one between their thumb and individual fingers.
Connect-the-Dots:
A simple but effective way to develop motor coordination (essential for handwriting and using utensils) is by playing connect-the-dots. You can easily adjust the level of difficulty based on your child’s ability.
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills involve movements that use the large muscles of the body, such as the arms, legs, and torso. In OT, we focus on developing gross motor skills to help children gain independence in everyday activities like dressing, and to support participation in active play and group sports. When dressing the lower body independently, children need balance skills and core strength, especially to stand on one leg while putting on pants or socks. Here are some of our favourite at-home activities to help build these important skills:
Pillow Obstacle Course
Create a path using couch cushions or pillows. Encourage your child to step, hop, or balance from one to another without “falling.” Make it harder by spacing the pillows farther apart, or easier by placing them closer together.
Balancing on Unstable Surfaces
Use a balance cushion, wobble board, or rolled-up towel under one foot. See how long your child can stay balanced, you can even turn it into a fun game or challenge!
Exercise Ball Catch
Have your child sit on an exercise ball and play a game of catch and throw. This helps build core strength, postural control, and balance.
One Leg Balance Games
Practice balancing on one leg while counting or singing a song. Try timing how long your child can balance or challenge them to hold a toy while standing on one foot.
Daily Living Skills
Daily Living Skills refers to daily activities we all need to do to care for ourselves, such as brushing our teeth, showering, sleeping, or toileting. For some kiddos, gaining independence in these areas takes extra time and support. A common area where many children need some extra help is teethbrushing. There are lots of reasons a child might find this challenging, including sensory processing differences or executive functioning difficulties such as task initiation, sequencing, or sustaining attention. Here are a few OT-approved strategies to make brushing teeth more successful and fun:
Offer Choice and Autonomy:
If your child shows resistance to brushing their teeth, try letting them pick out their own toothbrush and toothpaste. Having a sense of control can increase motivation and make the experience more positive.
Support Focus and Routine
For children who find it hard to brush for the recommended amount of time, try using a visual timer or playing a song. Encourage your child to choose the song, it can be the same one each day or a new one for variety! Brushing for the duration of the song helps build consistency and keeps things engaging.
Boost Motivation with Apps:
Motivation is key when building independence with self-care routines. The following interactive mobile apps can make brushing more enjoyable and help ensure kids brush properly and for the right length of time:
o Pokemon Smile
o Brushing Hero
o Tooth Brush Timer
o Disney Magic Timer
Another great free mobile app to build motivation and routine across all areas of self-care is Finch. It’s a positive and motivating option for kids, teens, and adults!
Happy OT Week 2025!
