Monday, January 7, 2019

Items That Create Occupational Therapy Kits For Children

By Joshua Kennedy


Occupational therapy practitioners are usually helping many children every day, either school-based or in their own practices. These children are often of various ages and need different activities to help improve their skills. Given how busy they are, it is very important to have the occupational therapy kits for children ready and planned for any skills or needs they may need to work on.

They are not standard, and they can contain whatever the therapist thinks it is necessary. Still, there are some items that are considered must-have and are a great starting point. For example, colored pencils of different colors, erasers, crayons, scotch tape and rubber bands, straws or tissue paper.

Many therapists choose to create themed occupational therapy kits for children, such as an Easter or Christmas themed one. You can get supplies for them during that season or even off-season, at a cheaper price. Then they think of the skills they need to work with and activities suitable for the task. They work to improve the visual or oral skill, fine motor skill, handwriting, dressing and many more, and each of these require different items. Also, based on the purpose of the task: classroom inclusion, screening, trail, etc.

For starters, make a list of what you need, what is urgent and what can be bought or used later. Some items are super versatile and can be used in a ton of different ways for your activities, and these are the items you need to go for. Also, it is a good idea to get multiple containers and store kits separately and classify the kits by size, use, age, whatever you feel it's the best. Keep in mind that you can also ask a colleague to help if you are unsure about some items in the kit.

The items you have do not need to be expensive, so feel free to check dollar stores, big retail chains for weekly sales or seasonal sections or even the craft sections. It is advisable to choose items that are versatile and can be used for various activities or combined in multiple ways.

Some other must-have items that are very versatile and useful in a lot of activities can be the jump ropes, clothespins, wind-up toys. Also, hole punched pieces, along with a hole puncher is needed in every classroom. Balls, various sizes and types, such as puffer or tennis balls, can be used with kid of all ages.

Another versatile item is the play dough, and can be used at various ages and for multiple activities. It can also be homemade, if you like to craft your own things. Posable figurines and small manipulatives are very fun for the kids as well, and they are important for some activities. Beads and tongs are also used widely for coordination activities.

Stickers and strings are always present in therapist's kit for children, given that they come in many shapes and colors and are very fun to use. There are so many items that a therapist uses, and it is almost impossible to get them all from the beginning. Once you learn which ones you need and use most you will get more fun things for your kit.




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