Occupational Therapy Fun for Kids

Puzzle Fun! Playing with puzzles helps develop important skills that children need in school and life.  Read all about it by clicking on these links. Research study on benefits of puzzle play Skills One Can Develop with Puzzle Play Spread out a jig saw puzzle on the coffee table and have the whole family put it together.  Here is a puzzle app where you can make a puzzle out of your own picture.  http://learninginhand.com/blog/2013/7/15/make-and-share-jigsaw-puzzles-with-up-in-pieces

Mechanical Pencils can help improve handwriting skills. Here are some tips from the blog Sugar Aunts Sugar Aunts Blog Use a Mechanical Pencil to help with common handwriting problems A  mechanical pencil  can help with both of these common handwriting issues.   When a child writes so hard that they break the pencil tip or smudge the words, using a  mechanical pencil  can help kids become more aware of the pressure they are exerting through the pencil.  If they try to push too hard on the mechanical pencil, the very thin lead will break.  The mechanical pencil requires a child to press lighter.   Children can learn to monitor the amount of pressure used and it will provide feedback on modulation of pressure. A pencil with  .7mm lead  or a  .9mm lead  is better to start with for heavy writers. A  mechanical pencil with a built in grip  can help as well. When a child presses so lightly that you can not see the written work, a  mechanical pencil  can help because the thi