Play Table: This is a great tool for the growing child. The legs come off so you can use the table on the ground when babies are learning to lift their head in prone (on their stomach) and work on weight shifting and reach. They can also use the flat table for practice sitting. As they grow and learn to move their bodies placing two legs on at an angle is a great way to help your child learn to roll and transition from the ground to sitting. Then all four legs can be placed on for practice with kneel to half kneel to stand. The kids love the lights and music from all the cause and effect buttons on the table as well.
Shape Sorter: Shape sorters are wonderful learning tools for children starting around two years of age. This helps them learn colors, shapes, and matching skills. This basic shape sorter is wonderful for learning shapes and colors. You can block some of the holes on top to make it less visually distracting and give the child success as they are learning their shapes and matching skills.
Ring Stacker: This is a great visually and auditory stimulating toy which adds music to fine motor and precision skills. The kids I work with love the bright light up colors and dance along to the music often.
Small Pop Beads: Small pop beads help a child develop the small intrinsic musculature in the hand. It helps develop a pincer and tripod pinch as well as targeting the hole to put it in. This game can be graded down for young children by just creating chains. I have found children even 2 1/2 years of age loving to create long chains of pop beads. However, at the young age they should be supervised in case they are still in an oral phase. As children get older the klutz books are great for developing visual perceptual skills of form constancy, spatial relations, visual discrimination, and figure ground by copying the designs given in the book.
Sticker Activity Books: Sticker activity books are great for getting children interested in books in an interactive way. This activity also utilizes fine motor skills as children need to obtain a to a pincer pinch to take off and put on the stickers. Depending on the book used it can focus on visual perceptual skills, imaginary play skills, and sharing. The books can also be re-used many times.
Pegboard: There are many skills that can be worked on with a pegboard. It helps to increase a child’s fine motor skills for grasp and release of larger objects. It also helps with proximal stability for stacking blocks. The child does not need to be precise enough to balance the pegs as they fit easily into one another. It is also a great beginning for learning colors and shapes, as there are five shapes included in the one below. Mr. Potato Head: Mr. Potato head is a great bilateral coordination game as a child needs to add strength with both hands to push and pull the pieces on and off. It also assists with learning facial features and body orientation. Children find it fun to mess up the facial features as well and make silly faces.
Play Piano: The play piano is a great cause and effect game with lights and sounds. The piano shown below also has legs which help for learning transitional skills of sit to stand and stand to sit in a controlled manner. I have found music to be extremely motivating for most kids.
Hammering Games: Hammering toys are wonderful for fine motor skills. It helps children target the item they want using eye hand coordination and allows them to see a cause and effect result. It requires fine motor strength as well in order to hold onto the hammer. You can also use finger isolation with a pointer finger to push the balls or pegs through the holes.
Pop Up Toys:. Great for learning cause and effect. At first kids learn and love to push the windows down and you will have to manipulate it for the. But soon they will learn to increase their fine motor manipulative skills and learn cause effect at the same time.
Stringing Beads: Stringing beads is a great bilateral coordination activity. The Alex brand allows kids success by having a longer wooden dowel than just a shoe lace. I have found kids love to make a string and then pull it across the floor with them. You can also create a story about the animals on the string.
Rock Crayons: Rock Crayons are my favorite to help promote a tripod grasp. They place your fingers in the correct position. They are also really fun, because they look like rocks! Broken crayons are great when using things you already have.
