Rhythm, pressure, and respiration are the key ingredients for promoting calming and destressing. While for some kids a hug will do, for others with sensory differences, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation, they need more frequent opportunities to engage in supportive movement exercises. Exercises like the one below provide restorative input, slow down the heart rate, and…
Gross Motor Gift Ideas for 2021
When we are thinking about what kinds of sensory supportive and skill building opportunities to put in our environment for children to explore, it’s always a balance between things that support calming and recover, give energy to the body through speed, unpredictability, and crashing, and things that build skills. Children want to achieve and feel…
Need to Energize for the Holidays? Try these dances
Try this Energizing exercise sequence from Body Activated Learning These sequences are designed to connect children to their bodies without being overstimulating and leaving parents and teachers with even more wiggly children than before the “wiggle break”. This time of year we want to keep our kids alert and focused without expecting that they start…
Exercises to Restore Children to a Place of Calm this Season
Try this Restore Exercise Sequence set to Holiday Music from Body Activated Learning Body Activated Learning exercises can be combined in many ways, put into dances, and added as movement to a music class. Check out this video where I show you how to combine exercises into a Restore sequence to bring children (and yourself!)…
Do you have a Love – Hate Relationship with Technology?
As a parent, I struggle with the balance between technology and getting my child out, active and engaged. It seems like our children prefer iPads over hanging out with friends face to face or going out on a walk to explore. If you are a parent of a child with additional learning needs, is on…
Addressing Dysgraphia and Visual Motor Deficits in Children
When someone says your child has a visual motor problem, there are often some underlying elements that contribute to the presentation of the visual motor deficit. Visual motor issues may not just be from difficulties with visual perception or integrating vision with motor demands. In this article, I will discuss different reasons your child may…
Holiday Food Art for Picky Eaters and Building Fine Motor Skills
If you are looking for fun ways to increase exposure to fruits and veggies this holiday season, check out these four simple food art ideas. All you will need is: A red pepper, cucumber, banana, a clementine, raspberries, and olives. Grab a knife, a long skewer, scissors, and a toothpick as well. These ideas are…
Sensational Seating Ideas for Distance Learning
Whether you are grabbing a few more gifts to put under the tree or actively planning out updates to your child’s Distance Learning classroom, seating is an important element to consider. Seating not only depends on the activity your are doing and its demands but also your child’s sensory needs to remain alert and engaged….
Indoor Sensory Motor Holiday Obstacle Course
On this COVID Holiday season, take the opportunity to continue to build new memories to cherish with your children for a lifetime. While it’s fun for some to spend the holidays with extended family and cousins galore, for others it’s sensory overload. Instead, enjoy the holiday season with some fun activities that get kids off…
Restore Exercise to Calm Down from Holiday Excitement
Rhythm, pressure, and respiration are the key ingredients for promoting calming and destressing. While for some kids a hug will do, for others with sensory differences, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation, they need more frequent opportunities to engage in supportive movement exercises. Exercises like the one below provide restorative input, slow down the heart rate, and…
