Our therapists at Collaborative OT Solutions enjoy taking a fun theme and making it functional! We utilize Birthdays, Seasons, favorite animals, and of course Holidays. This Valentines day we want to help you incorporate different skills into your February. Here are some Valentines Day play ideas for Fine Motor Skills and Gross Motor Skills.
Fine Motor Valentines Day Game: We all remember the small candy’s with the sayings “Be Mine”, “XOXO”, “Hug Me”. Find a bag of these candies and a pair of tweezers. Can you separate each color into separate bowls? Can you pick up one piece at a time using the tweezers or tongs? If you do not have these items, show your child how to simply pick up the candies with their “pinching fingers” meaning their index finger and their thumb. Can you stack them into a tall tower? Can you glue them down to make a craft? These tasks can strengthen the grasp and hand strength of your child while potentially indulging in a sweet treat as well!
Gross Motor Valentines Day Game: There are lots of different ways to incorporate running, jumping, climbing, pushing, or pulling into OT games. Some ideas we would like to share at Collaborative OT Solutions include making paper hearts “stepping stones” for your child to walk on or jump to. Try forming them into a Hop Scotch formation. Add an extra challenge by writing words such as Jumping Jacks, Push Ups, Hop on 1 Foot, Spin, Toe Touch on each paper and playing “Musical Hearts”. When the music stops, your child will have landed on a fun Gross Motor action to complete.
