Fine motor crafts that work on scissor skills, using tape, and using two hands together are great for skill-building. But choosing a craft often depends on your child’s abilities. You don’t want to over help, but you do want to make sure that you know when to work on a step together (also known as…
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…
Squishy Sensory Holiday Crafts
Whether your child loves to get messy making projects like slime and putting shaving cream on their skin in the bathtub or is the total opposite and doesn’t even want to touch sticky or slimy things, this craft is still for you! A kid that “loves mess” will have fun making these crafts. The kid…
Parents! Are you Dreading the Holiday Meltdown?
We’ve all been there, right? You are at a birthday party or a holiday party and your child has a meltdown. You eventually have to make the decision to pack your whole family and go home. If you are a parent of a child who gets easily overwhelmed in a busy and noisy environments where…
Thanksgiving Duck Craft
This post is from one of the sensational teens who come to Sensational Achievements. Enjoy! Not everybody eats turkey for thanksgiving. Some people eat duck. My family is from China. We eat duck. So i decided to make a duck hat instead of a turkey hat for Thanksgiving. Now i am going to teach you…
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…
Gift Ideas for a Sensational Cozy Corner
As information about sensory differences and strategies such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and breathing have become more mainstream, items that OTs have used with kids for years to improve self- regulation are readily available for purchase. Here is a list of recommended items focusing on Rhythm, Pressure, and Respiration, the key components of RESTORING activities. …
Do marketers in a digital world know more than parents?
Is it more valuable to have a quick win or long term success? As a parent of a child with sensory, learning, or attention difficulties, sometimes it’s easy to go for the quick wins and immediate rewards. The marketing world tells us that is exactly what we need. Post a cute picture and get…
Crack Nuts to Improve Fine Motor Skills
Use these Tools to Strengthen Little Hands and Improve Coordination this Holiday Season At the holidays, many families have nuts set out with the appetizers. The Nutcracker Toy Soldier has become a Christmas icon. But in addition to this decorative soldier, there are a variety of fun nutcrackers that children can experiment with during the holidays. …
Teaching that one child that keeps you up at night through movement
Photo: LA Johnson/NPR Everyone has that one child….. I recently spoke at a preschool teacher’s conference. I was excited to hear their questions about how to support children with sensory differences in the classroom. As I was listening to their questions and stories, I started seeing a pattern. Everyone has that ONE child that stands out…
