As Thanksgiving approaches, families gather to celebrate gratitude and togetherness. For children participating in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and/or speech-language therapy, this season can also be a wonderful opportunity to incorporate therapeutic activities into the festive fun! Here are some creative ideas to help kids work towards their therapy goals while enjoying Thanksgiving:
Turkey Trot Relay
Set up a turkey trot relay race in the backyard or a spacious indoor area. Children can walk, jog, skip, or move like a turkey between designated points while holding a feather or other Thanksgiving-related object as a baton. This activity enhances gross motor skills and overall endurance, as children develop strength, balance, coordination, and spatial awareness.
Sensory Cornucopia
Create a sensory cornucopia by filling a large basket or container with various textured items such as dried corn, smooth mini gourds, fuzzy fabric scraps, and scented pinecones. Encourage children to explore the textures using their hands and fingers, promoting fine motor skills as part of the tactile experience. Add another layer by labeling and sorting items by type, color, shape, size, or texture.
Thanksgiving Feast Bingo
Design a Thanksgiving-themed bingo game with pictures or simple words related to traditional feast items (like turkey, pie, or mashed potatoes). Use this game to encourage children to practice articulation, vocabulary, and sentence structure as they describe each item when it’s their turn. This promotes language skills in a fun, interactive way!
Gratitude Tree Craft
Create a gratitude tree using construction paper leaves and other art supplies, like crayons, markers, scissors, and glue or tape. Children can write or draw things they are thankful for on leaf-shaped pieces of paper and attach them to the tree branches. This activity promotes fine motor skills involved in cutting, writing, and drawing, while also encouraging expression of feelings.
Twin Turkeys
Channel your sillies and take turns with your child pretending to be turkeys. Move your body like a turkey, as you flap your wings and shake your tail feathers. And don’t forget to unleash a cacophonic turkey call, complete with clucks and gobbles! As you encourage one another to imitate vocalizations and body movements, children are working on speech sounds, breath control, pretend play, coordination, body-in-space awareness, and motor planning skills.
Feather / Leaf Balance Challenge
Grab a feather or leaf and have your child practice balancing it on different parts of his body, like his forehead, arms, or foot! Up the ante by incorporating additional balance challenges, such as standing on foot, standing on a balance board or bosu ball, or walking along a balance beam or a taped line on the floor. In addition to targeting balance, this activity works on core strength and stability, coordination, and even self-regulation skills as children focus on keeping their bodies calm.
Tips for Enhancing Fun and Function:
Modify and Personalize Activities: Tailor activities to each child's specific therapy goals, abilities, and interests. Don’t be afraid to change things up if you’re finding that the activity is too hard or too easy!
Use Positive Reinforcement: Encourage and praise your child’s effort throughout the activities. The finished product is worth celebrating, but we also want to acknowledge the process - all of the moments when a child perseveres, problem solves, and simply enjoys getting caught up in the creative flow.
Involve Family Members: There’s no need to single out your child and insist that he MUST complete this therapy “homework” all by himself. These activities are designed to incorporate multiple therapeutic concepts while still being FUN and engaging for family members of all ages & abilities! We hope you enjoy making new memories (and maybe even starting some new traditions!) together this holiday season.
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