Putting Therapy Into Practice
Cut out different sizes and colors of hearts. Have your child talk about how the hearts differ in appearance. Next, have your child sort the hearts into categories such as size and color. Then, have your child count the number in each category and talk about which group has more and which has less. Finally, have your child use the hearts to make cards for their friends and family members.
Monthly Activity
Fruit Salad
What you need:
- a variety of fruit
- a bowl
- a plastic knife
- a sharp knife for grown-ups
- a melon baller
- cookie cutters (i.e. for pineapple)
What to do:
At home, make a shopping list of fruit you need from the store. Encourage your child to think of new fruits they have not yet tried. Take your child to the grocery store with the list. In the car ride there, ask them to recall 2-3 of the fruits you will purchase. Talk about where you find fruit in the grocery store. When you get home, discuss with your child the steps necessary to make the fruit salad such as: first peel the banana, next cut the banana, then put the banana in the bowl. After all of the fruit is in the bowl, have your child mix the fruit together. Enjoy!
Melissa’s Recommended Activity
I highly recommend Rory’s Story Cubes by Gamewright for children in elementary and middle school. Rory’s Story Cubes make a great activity for play dates, game night with your family, or even for individual play. A set of Rory’s Story Cubes includes about ten cubes, with varied images on each cube. No two images are the same.
Suggestions for creating a cooperative story:
• The first “story teller” will begin a story by rolling a cube, landing on a picture and initiating a story related to the image.
• The next player to go rolls another cube and must find a way to connect the first element of the story with the new image.
• Continue the activity by rolling subsequent cubes and adding more to the story for each new image uncovered.
• Another option would be for you and your child to pre-select the images you’d like to use for the story.
• To simplify this activity, start with fewer cubes and model ways to connect the images to create a story.
• Model use of terms like first, next, then, after that, last which help with time sequencing when telling a story.
This activity targets language skills including narrative development, sequencing, and the ability to express cohesive messages using specific vocabulary and correct syntax. When using in a group, Rory’s Story Cubes also address social skills such as turn taking, flexibility and verbal problem solving.
Upcoming Events
- February 6th from 10:00-6:00 : Chinese New Year Festival at Luther Jackson Middle School
- February 15th from 1:00-3:00: George Washington Birthday Parade in Old Town
- February 28th at 6:00: Metro Mamba “Time Machine”
Ongoing Events
- AMC Theatres offers sensory friendly films once a month on Saturday at 10:00 AM
- Meet a Farm Animal at the National Zoo every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00
- Special Needs Night at Flight Trampoline Park on the first and third Tuesday of every month from 5:00-7:00