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OT Motor Box Challenge by OTPlan

Meghan · August 4 · Leave a Comment

Title image for OTPlan Motor Box Challenge by WooTherapy

Hi…I’m Avital Shuster, a mom of 3 and a pediatric occupational therapist. I’m also the creator of OTPlan .com (a search engine for pediatric activity ideas), Skills in a Box (a subscription service that provides developmental activity ideas based on specific skills), and OTPlanDough (themed homemade play dough kits). I own a private pediatric clinic in Orange County, CA, and prior to that worked as a school-based therapist for 10 years. 

My favorite part about being a pediatric OT, aside from planning activities that work on developmental skills, is interacting with the kids and their families. As much as I love supporting them, I love learning new things from each and every child! I’m so thankful to be able to be part of their lives and do something I love so much!

I’m a big believer in using household and cost-effective materials to create activities that support the development of children! So, here is my list:

Challenge Items from OTPlan

1. Containers and Boxes

The possibilities are endless…but here are a few ideas:

  • Stack them up and try to knock them down with a bean bag or a ball
  • Fill them up with items, let the child put their hand through the opening to guess what’s inside.
  • Use them in crafts.
  • Poke a hole in the lid of a plastic container and let the child insert pom-poms, counting sticks, dried pasta, etc. through.

2. TP Rolls and Paper Towel Rolls

  • Make a shaker/rain stick.
  • “Lace” rubber bands over.
  • Make binoculars.
  • Write letters/words on them and let the child search for them.
  • Draw a maze on them.

3. Pom Poms

  • Use the in a sensory bin.
  • Use tongs to transfer them from one container to another.
  • Use them in craft (i.e. make a caterpillar using clothespins).

4. Jump Rope

  • Tie it to a basket filled with bean bags and have the child pull the basket using the rope.
  • Place the rope on the ground and balance along the rope.
  • Place the rope on the ground and have the child practice jumping over it.

5. Pool Noodles

  • Use it to bounce balloons.
  • Slice pieces and lace them on a large pipe cleaner.
  • Use it as stampers.
  • Make sailboats and use them in a water sensory bin.
  • Use it as part of an obstacle course.
Using cut up pool noodles for gross motor beading.

6. Balls

There are so many activities that can be done with a ball!

  • Throw and catch games.
  • Throw to hit a target.
  • Pass the ball over the head/between the legs.
  • Kick the ball to a target.
  • Hit the ball with a bat/pool noodle.

7. Squirt Bottles/Spray Bottles

  • Great items for hand strengthening and finger isolation.
  • Fill up with water and squirt on the letters/words you wrote with chalk on the ground.
  • Use with pom poms and do a “race”.
  • Fill up with puffy paint and squeeze the paint out to create a piece of art.
A squirt bottle can be used in mant ways for hand strengthening.

8. Chalk

  • Write.
  • Color/Chalk Art.
  • Hopscotch.
  • Make an outdoor obstacle course path.

9. Egg Carton

  • Use it for crafts.
  • Color each “cup” in a different color. Use tongs and colored pom-poms and let the child sort the pom-poms and place it, using the tongs, in the matching colored cup.
  • Work on buttoning skills.
OTPlan uses buttons, egg cartons, and rubberbands to create a fun fine motor activity..

10. Hole Puncher

  • Make lacing cards.
  • Let the child use a single hole puncher to work on hand strength.

11. Index Cards

  • They are a perfect size and have the perfect thickness to practice cutting skills.
  • Make lacing cards.
  • Use for practice writing.
Toilet paper rolls, pipe cleaners, and beads for an DIY abacus.

12. Pipe Cleaners

  • String beads/cut straw pieces and make fun and colorful bracelets.
  • Use them in lacing cards.
  • Practice letters/number formation.
  • Put them through a slit in a container lid.

13. Tongs and Tweezers

  • Work on hand strength by using them to catch and transfer objects such as pom poms, mini erasers, cotton balls, etc.
Using tongs to transfer small items to a bucket.

14. Dry Pasta/Rice/Beans

  • Put them in a sensory bin. 
  • Lace penne pasta on pipe cleaners.
  • Practice letter/number formation.
  • Use them in crafts.

15. Q-Tips

  • Use them to paint.
  • Push them through a slit in a container lid or the bottom of an egg carton.
  • Use them to practice letter/number formation.
  • Insert them through dried penne pasta.

Thank you OTPlan for bringing innovation to this challenge with so many household items. It makes it easy for most people to find a few therapeutic activities for their children at home!

Check out these other Motor Box Challenge ideas:

OT Motor Box Challenge by Cait the COTA

OT Motor Box Challenge by OT.Outside.the.Box

OT Motor Box Challenge by OT_for_School

OT Motor Box Challenge by OT_for_Me.box

OT Motor Box Challenge by WooTherapy

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Filed Under: Parents, Teachers, Therapists Tagged With: bilateral coordination, fine motor skills, visual motor skills, visual perceptual skills

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Meghan Fox | #WooTape™️
📣All children do not develop equally📣 As mu 📣All children do not develop equally📣

As much as some teachers would like all their children to think and behave at a high, expected level, that will NEVER be reality. So many factors influence development, specifically underlying sensory systems, that each child is trying their best to get certain needs met to optimize their arousal and attention during their school day.

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Determine what sensory system they might be trying to arouse or calm down. If this is completely out of your wheelhouse, seek the advice from your friendly campus OT (hopefully you know who they are!!) If you can’t track them down...let’s do a Live or IGTV and I can share my ideas to help you!

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But seriously, this is the most common request I get! And when I go in and the teachers are just waiting to hear which pencil grip I’m going to give them I usually get the 😮 face when I tell them to try these 7 strategies first!!

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