Little Steps Pediatric Therapy News
November 2019
Announcements
*SPACES LIMITED: GLENVIEW & HIGHLAND PARK*
WHAT: promotes early learning for children who have not yet met preschool age. The program tries to teach alongside the requirements elementary schools are most currently looking for. Our PRP works with various aspects that try to engage our children socially, intellectually, physically, and emotionally.
The program focuses on hands on activities so children can explore and learn in their environment to create curiosity and promote learning. Social interaction also creates a unique peer learning environment that encourages children to reach their highest potential. Activities are created alongside the children and their needs in order to reach achievement and ultimately academic success.
The teachers come up with monthly themes with correlating projects and stories
Our Preschool Readiness Program Practices:
- Social Interaction
- Peer Learning
- Fine Motor Skills
- Gross Motor Skills
- Pre-writing Skills
- Pre-language Skills
- Pre-Reading Skills
- Math, Science, and Reading integrated activities
- Aid in transitioning from activity to activity
- Creating a positive learning environment
AGES: 2-3 years old
WHEN & WHERE:
Glenview: Friday:
- NEW SESSION: October 4-December 20 (11 weeks, OFF Thanksgiving week)
- 9:00-10:30 (younger 2's) -
- 10:30-12:00 (older 2's & 3's)
Highland Park: Friday, 9-10:30am
- Session 2: November 1 - December 20 - OFF Thanksgiving Week
- Boomer will be coming to group too! :)
Speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists aid in the learning of each child.
Getting Ready for Independent Walking
If your child is cruising along furniture but not yet taking independent steps, here are some ideas of how to making cruising a bit more challenging and encourage him or her to take those first steps!
1. Cruising around corners: If your child can cruise along a straight surface, the next step is to navigate corners. Use couches, coffee tables, play tables, or chairs for this activity. Encourage your child to navigate inside corners by having her reach between the two straight sides. You can make this more challenging by moving the two surfaces further apart. Then encourage her to navigate outside corners, which are a bit harder because she has to move around the corner to get back in contact with a flat surface. Navigating corners will help get her comfortable cruising with less support.
2. Cruising between parallel surfaces: Start with two surfaces close together – a couch and coffee table or two chairs work great for this activity. Encourage your child to reach between surfaces. He will have one hand on the couch, rotate his trunk, and reach to put his other hand on the coffee table. Slowly move the surfaces further apart so he has to stand with no support and take steps to reach the opposite surface. He may lunge toward the surface as it gets further away so be prepared to catch him if you need to.
3. Sit to stands: Have your child sit on a small step stool near a support surface. Start with the step stool close to the surface so she can use her hands for support as she stands – even though she isn’t taking steps from this position, she is strengthening her leg and hip muscles in preparation for walking. Slowly move the step stool away from the support surface so she has has to take steps to reach it. Again, she will often try to lunge toward the surface so be prepared to catch her if you need to. You can provide a hand for assistance to encourage taking steps rather than lunging forward.
Remember these new tasks are challenging for children so they have to be motivated. Put their favorite toy (or even a small snack!) on the surface you want them to move toward.
Thanksgiving Gross Motor Activities
Turkey Tag
· What you need: Clothespins, markers, googly eyes, construction paper, glue
· How to play: Each player starts with three turkey clothespins attached to their shirt and has to try to snag as many of the other players’ pins as possible without losing their own. Lose all three pins and you’re out.
· Make it easier: For a traditional game of tag, take turns letting the tagger wear the turkey.
Make it harder: After all your turkeys are gone, do 20 jumping jacks to get back in the gamePumpkin Relay Races
· What you need: Small pumpkins, broom
· How to play: Divide players into two teams. Set up a starting line and finish line for a relay race. Give each team a broom and a pile of small pumpkins. Players take turns using the broom to push all the pumpkins over the finish line. The first team to push all pumpkins across the line wins.
· Mix it up: Try relay races by positioning kids in a line and having them pass pumpkins over their heads, through their legs, or sideways using both hands. Try having kids balance a mini pumpkin on top of their head and walk to the end of the line to give it to the next child.
Stuff the Turkey
· What you need: One large paper bag, two small paper bags, white tissue paper, scrap pieces of paper, stapler, glue
· How to play: Make the turkey: fold down the top of a large brown paper bag, fill small brown bags with scrap paper and twist the top for legs, staple white tissue paper to legs, glue legs to big turkey bag. Wad up pieces of different colored paper to throw and stuff the turkey.
· Make it easier: Stand closer to the turkey bag.
· Make it harder: Try throwing underhand or from further away. Create different point values for the different colors of paper and try to get the most points.
HOW TO MAKE A THANKSGIVING APPLE TURKEY CRAFT
This activity helps promote bilateral coordination, fine motor coordination, visual motor integration, and ability to follow directions. Your child is exposed to different scents and textures as well. Enjoy!
SUPPLIES:
· large, round apple
· toothpicks
· spice drops
· candy corn
· large marshmallow
· raisins
· red fruit snack or red gummy candy, cut in half
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Poke 3 spice drops onto several toothpicks to make the turkey feathers. Insert the ends of the toothpicks along the back of the apple. If your apple starts to teeter one way you have to balance it with more feathers on the other side.
2. Poke a large marshmallow into another toothpick and poke it into the front of your apple. Fill in your apple turkey’s face by poking in raisins for eyes, a candy corn beak and half of a red fruit snack for the waddle.
3. Poke one spice drop onto the ends of two toothpicks and then insert them into the front of the turkey for the turkey legs and feet.