Mommy's Helpers

Everyone knows that a Mommy's life is very busy and is a lot of hard work. Olivia and I wanted you to know that we do our best to be good little helpers ... We'll let you decide who is most helpful :-)

- Daddy and Olivia

Activities

Here are a few activities we are doing at home these days

This is the Lucky Duck game and Olivia practices grasping with it.   Taking ducks off the pond and either handing them to me or placing in basket. This seems to be helping her gain control over her cup and fork and plate. Much less tossing and more handing them to me.

We are trying stickers on paper, but it is still very hard for her.

These are counting bears but I am using then to encourage her to use a pincer or tripod grasp and place them into the small hole.  She uses a palmar grasp a lot still.

We are talking about shapes.  Here is one exercise we did with circle.

This is a sand table. At first she hated it!  Now she loves to go up to it and play and scoop. We are using moon sand.  Yes it is messy, but it took her all summer to get accustomed to playing in her sand box and I did not want to loose that sensory adaptation over the winter.   We have sand all over the house some days. But we keep saying that sand box play makes kids smarter!  We believe that!   Children develop their brain through their senses.

This is a grasping transfer exercise.  Two small bowls and some pasta. She likes to do this and is rather good at it.
   She also likes to throw the pasta.  But such is progress.

Again encouraging pincer grasp. Putting penne pasta into the large hole of a salt shaker

Gee!  Guess what! Pouring!  We use pasta.  Beans and rice go right into her mouth and water gets dumped to the floor immediately.

Again encouraging pincer grasp with pasta into a small hole in a mustard jar.  She also likes to put the cap on and off.

This is her practical life box.  I just have some kitchen things in it and she loves to explore.

This is a better photo of the Lucky Duck game.

This is a splurge! A zipper dressing frame from Neinhuis!  I don't buy much at all from them but I really like three of their toddler dressing frames and could not find a comparable else where.  She will be using these for some time to come as these activities are tough ones and so very important.

This is how I have one shelf set up for her to choose her work and put things back.  I don't know if you can see the bristle blocks and duplos. She likes to work with them taking them apart mostly, but it encourages her to strengthen her hands and use them.  With Ds the hand work is tough!  I am always thinking of new ways to get her to use her hands.  I welcome suggestions!!!!!