Now that the holidays are over, children may need a few reminders on how to interact in a positive way during therapy sessions, in the classroom, or at home when doing homework. Try reflecting on what behavior management strategies worked during the first half of the year and if there are new ones you may want to implement. Below are some strategies that can help prevent problematic behaviors before they start to make it a great homework, therapy, or classroom session for everyone!
1. Set therapy rules and make them known at the beginning of each session. Post a list of “class rules” along with pictures so students know what is expected. The rules can be positive statements like, “we will raise our hand when we want to speak,” and “we will listen to the teacher and follow directions”. Keep in mind that some students may not know what it means to “listen to the teacher”. Social Thinking has a great visual called “Listening Larry” which teaches students what “Whole Body Listening” looks like. To learn more about this and to purchase the poster, visit https://www.socialthinking.com/Products/Whole%20Body%20Listening%20Poster
2. At the beginning of a session provide students a visual schedule of what will happen in therapy that day. This way students see what is coming next and when the session will end. You can create these on smart boards,.
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Holiday Gift Picking Guide
Choosing a gift for a child during the holidays can be fun, but it can also be an overwhelming experience when you walk into the toy store and see so many different possibilities. You may often think, which toy is the best for my child? Toys can help a child explore the world, gain new knowledge, increase fine motor skills, and improve language and social skills. The American Occupational Therapy Association published a checklist about what to look for in a toy to further help develop skills.
http://www.aota.org/~/media/Corporate/Files/Practice/Children/Browse/Play/toy-shopping-checklist.PDF
Toy Ideas
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- Blocks- The possibilities are endless when using blocks. You can practice fine motor skills by stacking, engage in pretend play by building houses, castles, etc., discuss colors, and use prepositions to talk about where you’re putting the blocks.
- Lacing Beads in a Box- By: Melissa and Doug- Practice fine motor skills by having your child string the beads on a string. You can also talk about the colors, numbers, and shapes of the beads, take turns putting the beads on the string, and practice one to one correspondence while counting the items on the blocks.
- Band in a Box Drum! Click! Clack! By Melissa and Doug- Kids can pretend like they are in a band, play the instruments along to music, dance.