OT Activities You Can Try at Home

🚀 Obstacle Courses

Tip: Use household items to build a simple obstacle course.
Have your child crawl under chairs, step over or jump over pillows, walk along tape lines or a rolled up blanket, and push a laundry basket. This supports coordination, motor planning, and body awareness.

🎨 Crafts & Games

Tip: Choose activities that strengthen hands while keeping it fun.
Try playdough, stickers, cutting with child-safe scissors, or using tweezers to pick up small toys. These help build fine motor skills needed for handwriting and self-care.

🌈 Sensory Play

Tip: Create a sensory bin using items you already have.
Fill a container with rice, dry beans, or pasta and hide small toys inside. Encourage scooping, pouring, and digging. This supports sensory processing and exploration.

🧠 Regulation Teaching

Tip: Teach one simple calming strategy and practice when calm.
Try “smell the flower, blow out the candle” breathing. Practicing when your child is calm helps them use the strategy when they need it most.

👕 Self-Care Practice

Tip: Build independence into daily routines.
Allow extra time every day for your child to try dressing, washing hands, or opening containers. Small opportunities each day build confidence and independence.

🤝 Social Opportunities

Tip: Practice turn-taking during play.
Play simple games like rolling a ball back and forth or taking turns with a toy. Narrate: “My turn… now your turn.” This helps build social and communication skills.

If you have questions or want to learn more about how OT can support your child, we’re always here to help!