Occupational Therapy

Handwriting involves many coordinated skills—posture, core and shoulder stability, finger strength, eye‑hand coordination, visual memory, and movement planning—so a weakness in any area can cause wobbly letters, poor spacing, and fatigue. Occupational therapy (OT) addresses these underlying factors by assessing posture, grasp, visual‑motor integration, and sensory regulation, then using activities such as animal walks, wall push‑ups, Theraputty, finger‑isolation games, visual‑motor tasks, and sensory strategies to build stability, hand strength, a mature grasp, visual‑motor skills, and regulation. OT sessions typically begin with whole‑body warm‑ups, progress to fine‑motor play, and end with targeted handwriting practice, tracking progress with measures like letters per minute and legibility. At home, parents can set up an ergonomic workspace (feet flat, hips/knees at 90°, tilted paper, non‑slip mat), use short 5‑8‑minute practice sprints, write on vertical surfaces, incorporate tactile activities (chalk letters traced with a wet sponge), and focus praise on clarity and effort rather than speed.

Executive Function for 7–12 Strategy, Sports, Music, and Brain Teasers What’s growing now School-age kids can handle multi-step plans and longer projects. They benefit from games and activities that steadily increase in complexity across home, school, and community life. Play ideas that work Strategy card and board gamesRummy sets, Spit, Hearts, and classic strategy like

Executive Function for Early Elementary 5–7 Games That Teach Brains to Plan What’s growing now Kids this age are ready for rules with real strategy. The sweet spot is games that are challenging but not overwhelming — and kids learn even more when they help remember and enforce rules themselves. Play ideas that work Remember-and-match

Executive Function for Preschoolers 3–5 Imagination, Movement, and Little Plans What’s growing now Preschoolers rapidly expand self-regulation. They can plan short play scenes, follow simple rules with fewer reminders, and switch between ideas with support. Your goal is to give structure, then step back as they’re ready. Play ideas that work High-level pretend playSet up

Why Integrating Reflexes Matters for Your Child’s Growth When children are little, their bodies rely on reflexes to survive and grow. Think of reflexes as automatic movements that babies are born with, like sucking or grasping. These movements are important in the early months of life, but as children develop, those reflexes are meant to

Executive Function for Toddlers 18–36 Months Play That Builds Focus and Flexibility What’s growing now Toddlers are exploding with language, which fuels planning, following rules, and talking about feelings. Using both home languages supports these skills. Play ideas that work Active start-and-stop gamesFreeze Dance, Ring Around the Rosie, and “Motorboat” invite movement, pausing, and starting

Understanding Sensory Processing: The Cup Analogy for Parents What Is Sensory Processing? Sensory processing is the way our brains receive, interpret, and respond to information from the world around us. Most people are familiar with the five basic senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, but we actually have eight sensory systems. The additional three

Executive Function for Babies 6–18 Months Simple Games That Build Big Skills What “executive function” means at this age Think of executive function as your baby’s early “brain manager.” It helps them notice what matters, remember simple patterns, and begin to pause before reacting. In the first year and a half, these skills grow through