Go to the Playground

Summer is a great time to head out to play.  Take the kids to the playground for some great gross motor play!  Playgrounds provide lots of room to run and jump and have fun equipment to slide on and climb on.  Swinging is a great sensory and coordination activity.  Improve muscle strength and coordination by climbing and using the monkey bars (although not a great idea to let little children dangle by their arms- provide some support).  Bring a ball and throw it to your child while he is sliding down the slide.  Playgrounds provide lots of gross motor fun, but also provide great opportunities to practice social skills with the other kids at the playground.  Allow your child to play with the other kids and have fun!

Remember to work on school skills this summer

Yes, we know it is summer, and it is supposed to be time to rest and recharge.  It's a time of easy schedules and time for fun.  However, don't forget to continue working on those academic skills needed for school.  Remember to continue writing and reading.  For the younger children, continue to use those fine motor skills needed for school. Have your child do some cutting every day (or at least once a week).  Draw pictures with your child.  For a variation, take chalk outside to the driveway and draw.  Have the older child write a story about what they have been doing this summer.  They could write a letter to a far away relative.  Be creative so that your child wants to color or write.  Make a mud pile outside and have them use a stick to write, or draw, in it.  Sand is another great medium to write in.  Just be sure to devote a little of each day to some sort of academic/ fine motor activity so that your child does not lose any of his learned skills. 

Home Made Bouncy Balls

Home made bouncy balls!  Great fun to make, great fun to play with. 
Items needed:
2 tbsp hot water
1/2 tsp borax
1 tbsp glue
1 tbsp corn starch
food coloring

Directions:
Pour the water and borax into a cup and stir until it is dissolved. 
Pour the glue, corn starch and food coloring into another cup and mix.  Then add the mixture in the first cup into the second cup.  Let stand for 15 seconds and then stir.
Once the mixture becomes difficult to stir, scoop some out of the cup and form into a ball. 
Have a great time playing with your home made bouncy balls!

Swing Kick Ball

Here's a game that my daughters made up- swing kick ball.  It's simple, yet fun to play and can be played with only 2 people or with teams.  Same concept as regular kick ball, except the kicker sits on a swing to kick.  The person/people in the field try to catch the ball to get 3 outs.  Lots of fun for the kids, plus it is great for visual motor skills, eye hand coordination, balance and endurance.  Give it a try! 

Jelly Fish

Here's a cute kids' craft- jellyfish plates!  Have your child paint a paper bowl and add streamers and any other decorations to make jelly fish!  You can hang them from the ceiling with fishing wire to create a sea of jellyfish.

Dino Skeleton Painting

Great, fun, easy way to develop fine motor skills and cause/effect... the bigger the better!  We used large white bulletin board paper, found at teacher supply stores.  Or try drawing the skeleton out on many regular sized pieces of paper, have your child paint them, then try to put it together like a giant puzzle...

Draw any kind of dino skeleton on white paper with white crayon.  Have the kids paint over the paper with watercolors to see the dinosaurs.  It's easy and the element of surprise keeps them entertained while they are working!

Summer Sensory Play

Summer is a great time to incorporate sensory play into your child's day.  It's warm, sunny and the days last longer- so get out and enjoy your days.  Here are some ideas for fun that also provide great sensory input:
1- Go to the playground
      The playground is an excellent place to enjoy the outside and provides lots of opportunities for sensory input. Climbing, jumping, swinging and running are all great for sensory play.  A playground is an ideal place for a child with motor planning difficulties to gain awareness of himself and he/she may be able to model other children's movements to learn to navigate the equipment. 
2- Go Swimming
     Water is not only fun and refreshing, but provides lots of sensory input.  Try to swim as often as you can this summer, it's not just great exercise and good to increase endurance and strength, but provides sensory benefits and well as social benefits.  Note that indoor pools may have too many auditory inputs that may be overwhelming to some children.
3- Play messy art outside
     Take shaving cream outside and allow your child to finger paint.  Put a big piece of paper on the clothesline and have your child fling paint at it using a paint brush.  Draw with chalk and then use a squirt gun to erase it.