Can you believe it? Summer break is just around the corner! Before summer break begins, we have an opportunity as school-based therapists to collaborate with our students and their families by programming fun activities that they can participate in at home. There are so many fun, play-based activities that our students can complete at home or in the community to improve their fine and gross motor skills, social skills, and stay physically active while school is out of session.
You may ask, “Why or how does this benefit my students?” Let’s break it down. Summer activity programs can…
★ Help our students maintain the progress that they have made during the school
year
★ Begin to introduce new skills through fun, play-based activities that they enjoy.
★ Facilitate communication with our students and their parents/families/caregivers
about what is important to them. For example, maybe the family likes to go
swimming or for bike rides together. We can help by programming activities that
support the students’ participation and independence with these family goals.
★ Create opportunities for students to explore new hobbies, physical fitness, or
leisure interests that can prepare them by taking the initial steps towards
enrollment in extracurricular activities during the school year. For example,
working on ball skills can help to build their confidence towards joining a T-ball
or adapted softball team.
“What activities should I send home?”
★ Be sure that you are selecting individualized activities that will benefit that
particular student, in order to target their specific strengths, interests, needs, and
goals.
★ Start by asking questions to your students and families…
○ What do they have planned for the summer?
○ What is important to them?
★ What activities has your student been working on this school year that they can
continue to work on at home? Are they ready to start building upon these skills
in preparation for the next school year?
★ Is there a transition taking place next school year? For example, moving to a new
building, new tasks, or routines in their school day? Are there activities you can
trial before the end of the school year, and encourage your students and
families/caregivers to continue practicing them at home over break? For
example…
○ Using a combination or key lock at home prior to having to use it at school.
○ Using a visual schedule at home to help with routines or daily self-care tasks.
○ Traveling on ramps, curbs, stairs, or accessing handicap button-operated doors.
○ Carrying their own plate of food at home to set on the table before eating.
○ If there is a new school playground, families may be able to visit and practice
the new/different outdoor equipment.
Here’s a list of outdoor gross motor activity ideas:
★ Sidewalk chalk obstacle courses, sensory paths, or hopscotch
★ Scavenger hunts
★ Washing the car
★ Gardening
★ Walks, hikes, bike or scooter rides
★ Water play- water table, sprinklers, squirt guns, or pools
★ Jump rope games
★ Yard games- tetherball, corn hole, beachball volley, basketball, T-ball, etc.
★ Playing catch with a partner, velcro mitts, throwing at a wall target, or kicking a
ball to a goal
★ Visit a park or playground to work on a variety of play skills such as running,
climbing, swinging, etc.
Here’s a list of outdoor self-help, fine motor, sensory, or visual motor activity ideas:
★ Sidewalk chalk writing and drawing
★ Picking flowers, fruits, or vegetables
★ Playing “I spy”, you can incorporate letters.
★ Hide and seek (finding objects, i.e., finding nature items)
★ Spray bottle to use to water flowers
★ Water play with incorporating toys
★ Sand play with incorporating toys
★ Gardening- planting seeds, weeding the garden
★ Engage in nature play- water, sand, leaves, dirt
Here’s a list of indoor gross motor activity ideas:
★ Yoga, exercise, or dance videos
★ Animal walks
★ Indoor scavenger hunt
★ Create an indoor obstacle course with items like painter’s tape
(walking on the line, jump to the lines), pillows or stuffed animals
(stepping on, over, or around obstacles), pool noodles
(crawl under arch, step or jump over), or cones.
★ Simon says or “mirror me” imitating movements
★ Laundry basket or wall target sock toss
★ Balloon volleyball or balloon kicks
★ Trampoline jumping, trampoline park, or rock climbing park
★ Roller skating
★ Indoor swimming
★ Bowling
Here’s a list of indoor self-help, sensory, fine motor, visual motor, or ADL/IADL activity ideas:
★ Writing a letter or postcard to family or friends
★ Crafts- jewelry making, artwork, painting, cutting, or coloring
★ Playdough
★ Legos, building blocks, or puzzles
★ Kitchen skills- making simple recipes, chopping, or using tongs to transfer food.
★ Cutting open packages with scissors
★ Playing musical instruments such as the keyboard, drums, or recorder
★ Sensory play (rice, sand, water, dirt, paints)
★ Self-care skills- brushing hair or teeth, washing face/hair/body, hygiene skills,
dressing skills (buttons, zippers), and shoe tying.
★ Create a summer journal (gratitude, summer fun, etc)
★ Make a sensory calming bottle (multiple recipes online)
★ Eye contact games (staring contest, charades, Simon Says, role play)
And don’t forget those chores! Household chores are a great way to build strength, coordination, balance, independence with daily living skills, and safety awareness.
★ Make a grocery list, carry, and put away groceries
★ Carrying, washing, and drying clothes
★ Folding and putting clothes away
★ Loading and unloading the dishwasher
★ Washing/drying dishes
★ Assisting with yardwork as appropriate
★ Making the bed or changing sheets
★ Using a spray bottle and wiping off tables and counters at home to clean
surfaces
★ Setting the table for meals/dinner
★ Caring for pets or plants
★ Cleaning up the room or toys
★ Preparing meals or snacks
Once you have identified what skills and activities to target, you may also want to consider creating a self-monitoring chart with your student so that they may track their activities or progress. This will allow your student to take ownership and responsibility for their work, building accountability, self-confidence, and motivation! Depending on your student’s needs and preferences, this could be a paper chart or a digital copy. Then, at the end of summer, the student and their parents/caregivers can share the self-monitoring chart with you, via email, picture text, or paper copies.
And don’t forget to share any of your community resources with families, such as summer camps or programs, and adapted fitness/leisure groups! You can also locate and provide information on accessible playgrounds in your county. These can be a really important resource for students and their families to access. Our students with special needs are at an especially high risk of being left out of social groups with their peers. Finding activities that they enjoy will not only help to keep them active but will also help to facilitate friendships and foster their sense of belonging and fulfillment.
Every student has unique needs. Use your creative therapist superpowers to see what you, your students, and their families/caregivers come up with for summer fun!
Have a wonderful summer!
– Katie Heilman, PT and Casey Kingsley, COTA/L