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Friday, December 23, 2016

Developing skills to Screw and Unscrew covers as part of Ring Stack Activity


My clients love using the curvy "snake" ring stack that is made from a bird mister. I came across one at a yard sale and have bought several on Amazon (see Affiliate link below) because it requires reaching, using both hands, an upright posture, promotes visual attention and is visually stimulating to watch as the rings twirl down. I use rings that have small openings and  therefore, require force to push on with individuals who have good motor control and seek deep pressure sensory stimulation.  I use very large rings such as the ones shown when the person has decreased eye hand coordination and it needs to be easy to use.

In this situation I turned the activity into a 2 step process so that they have to unscrew the covers and learn that only the open rings go on the stack and the yellow covers go into the bag.  This activity meets the needs of people with different skills. Some individuals are great at screwing them together tightly and some are better at unscrewing the covers. 

The covers and screwing pieces are made from the abundant thick- It containers I find at work ....

Notice that the ring stack is positioned  according to the person's needs (in the video) and you see it on the table, on a chair and on the person's lap.
Source: DIY Fine- Motor Activities for Toddlers by RecyclingOT on Rumble

      

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Deep Pressure Sensory Rings

Make "sensory rings" by filling socks or sleeves of an old fleece shirt with plastic bags and sew ends. Size to be tight when child puts them over the head and pulls down to the waist. It creates nice deep pressure and motor activity when they put it on and off. The client in the photo has a big smile on her face after putting three of these on and wearing a weighted bag on her lap.   


The sensory ring I demonstrate in the video is fairly large and loose so that it can be used in motor activities such as pull down the body and stepping out of it.