Do you know how simple and incredibly cheap it can be to create your own fun around the house for your kid(s)? If you have kids that are sensory prone, these activities will be especially fun for them! Sensory issues are not all the same and vary from person to person. Below, we list and explain a few simple ways to have some sensory fun this summer, all on a budget. Neither of these take much time to set up and are all child friendly.
First, we start with “Water Sensory Play“. This is very simple and extremely cheap, if you must be reminded. Start off with a plastic bin; fill it with water and add a few drops of blue food coloring for an ocean blue (or whichever your child prefers/is a favorite color). Next, add boats to the mix for some splashing fun. Once that has played out, you can add some bubbles to make a boat bubble bath. This also makes for clean soapy fun. If that isn’t fun enough, here’s another simple addition. Get some ice cubes, put a couple drops of different coloring on them and let your child put them in the water one by one. This can be a fun lesson as you explain primary and secondary colors while the water changes colors (adding a red cube to the blue water makes purple and so forth). Fun and learning at the same time! If he/she isn’t too distracted to listen as the color changes.
Another fun, but a little more messy, sensory safe Summer project is “Ice Cube Coloring“. This method of fun is much easier. Take an empty ice-cube tray and fill it with water. About 30 minutes of freezing, or when still soft enough for penetration, add popsicle sticks in the middle and let them harden up. Once completely frozen, add different food coloring to a few different ones. Let them sit out for a few minutes to thaw. Once they are ready, allow your child to use the popsicle sticks as a grip. Give him/her some paper and let the colorful ice cube fun begin. Eventually the cubes will fall off, but the ice cubes may still be useable to color and have some messy fun with. After all, it’s food coloring. No stains, or hard chemicals to worry about.
Option 3: Edible sand & Rainbow! These 2 combined might be a favorite! They are both super easy to do and there is nothing to worry about if either are ingested. First, for the sand all you need is a blender and crackers. Or you can use something else that is easy to smash, like peanuts or cereal. Get out a bin, some toy trucks or cars and you have a sandbox with sand that is safe to eat! You can also add some milk or water if your child desires it to be more firm and clumpy. Now for the edible rainbow it requires a little more due diligence. For this, get some bread, food coloring, milk and a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor you can use Tupperware to shake and mix. Next, bake/toast the bread to make it a little crispy and then tear it up/blend it to make little pieces. Pause, add small amounts of food coloring and milk to the blender full of bread crumbs and mix again. Not too much or it’ll be overly soggy. Once done, with multiple colors, bake it in the oven to harden all the crumb colors. If you want, you can bag all the colors separately and let your kid make his own colorful rainbow. Wallah! That simple for quick and easy around the house fun.
Do you have any ideas we can share to our followers on social media?!
We all have it and typically deal with it in our day to day lives. What is it? Stress and or anxiety. These two emotions/feelings can often determine the entire outcome of our day before it even starts. This is common, but there is a solution, says Kristen Arquette. Journaling can have quite the impact. She is a marriage and family therapist at New Vision Counseling in Washington state. In the article, which covers anxiety and stress, different therapists and counselors describe how writing down your feelings and thoughts can dramatically have an impact on your body (read the full article here: Is your child showing signs of stress or anxiety? ). Daily Journaling lets all those emotions, feelings, stressful and nervous thoughts escape onto paper, thus freeing your mind! Give it a try, test it out and let us know if you see a difference.
“Children do not always know how to talk about what they’re feeling. Sometimes they are unsure of what they’re feeling, especially in the wake of trauma, when things are unclear and don’t make much sense,” says Jacqui Blue, a hypnotherapist in California who specializes in trauma. Sometimes we all want to curl up into a ball and keep it inside, but that is not the solution to the problem. It will only make things worse in the long run. Let it flow, uncensored and unscripted. There are no drugs or antibiotics on the market that can cure grief or pain.
First and foremost, by no means is journaling a substitute to seeking out treatment or asking for help. It’s an easily accessible means to to letting out what you feel inside without acting out verbally or physically. That alone can go a long way in helping kids, teens or adults externalize their emotions and feelings in an unnecessary way. Something as simple as taking the time to jot down what you feel, think or want to do can also change the way you go about the rest of your day. Don’t bash it before you try it. See if it can help you deal with things you may internalizing and need to get them out.
“Every child has some spontaneous mutations,” explains Iossifov. “But in some unlucky children these mutations severely affect the functioning of a particular gene. Autism affects so many children in today’s world and the numbers are only increasing; at an alarming rate if you are unaware. In a 2 year span, the diagnosis has jumped 15%, from 1 in 68 children, to 1 in 59. Boys are affected far more than girls, at about a rate of 4 to 1. Unfortunately we don’t know what has caused or continues to cause this uneven ratio. “Some of the change in prevalence is said to be caused by improved autism identification which is important, because children identified early with autism and connected to services are more likely to reach their fullest potential.” (read more here). So you ask, where does it come from? How does our child have a developmental delay if neither of us do? How is one child on the spectrum and not the other(s)? Autism genetics expert Ivan Iossifov explains it simply as “spontaneous mutations”, generating from how the sperm and egg interact in the mothers womb. Read the full article and watch the short “Unified Theory of Autism” video below.
You will not know immediately if your child is showing symptoms of Autism, but detecting this at an early age can be very beneficial in their life. At a young age, some of the most prevalent and indefinable symptoms are listed below to help you determine if you may need to have your child evaluated for autism. Behavior Frontiers uses an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Training Program with an Autism Specialization to explain the symptoms. The 3 key problems they specify are identifying 6 or more problems in socializing, communicating, and repetitive and inflexible behaviors. In the video link, they display and explain in-depth scenarios of each situation to help you identify prevalent autistic symptoms.
Pretty much everyone admits they probably spend to much time at home in front of their TV. computer, tablet or phone. So here’s a summertime challenge! Increase your active participation in play and parenting by UNPLUGGING FROM YOUR ELECTRONICS! I’ve noticed too many parents constantly tuned into their own electronic devices (Candy Crush, anyone?) or using electronics as a babysitter for their children easily keeping them quiet and occupied…until you try to take it away, then it’s Meltdown City!
Did you know since 1998 the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended 2 hours (or LESS) of screen time per day for school aged children? Infants and toddlers (under age 2) should not be spending ANY time in front of screens (television, movies, video games, iPad, etc.)! Why? Young children do not have symbolism in order to understand the picture on the screen is a representation of a real person or object. They do not have the ability to learn from the language (tone of voice, inflection, etc), body language, and fast paced auditory and visual input that is glowing on the screen. In fact, there are concerns that television actually rewires the brain through over-stimulation! It is important to remember that many children may be much older than age 2 before symbolism is reached (especially children with Autism Spectrum Disorder). Despite these recommendations, very young children are constantly the focus of many marketing schemes (Baby Einstein, Leap Frog, VTech, etc). Please consider that toy manufacturers are looking to make a profit and are not experts at child development! Slap the word “learning” onto an electric screen and sales go up regardless of long term risks.
Research has not been able to keep up with our technology boom. Most of the research I found is only focused on the effects of television and movies. We do not even know the long term effects of using so many electronic screens at such young ages and so frequently throughout the day which is negatively impacting play and social interaction (both with peers and with parents). Even when only parents are absorbed into the digital world, or if the TV is on “in the background” there are negative effects.
My primary concern is the lack of reciprocal interaction, shared attention/engagement, and communication between parent and child. One study found that for every hour of television watched per day the child had a 10% higher risk of developing attention problems. Another study found that the parent used 770 LESS words to interact with their child while the TV was on. Risks of high electronic usage include: increased aggression, poor emotional regulation, decreased attention (higher risk of ADHD), delayed language development, obesity, reading difficulties, irritability/fussiness, decreased executive functioning (defined as self regulation and working memory), decreased creativity and “self talk”, and poor sleep.
Bottom line: Eliminate electronics if under age 2 (this includes preschool products such as LeapFrog); limit screens to 2 hours per day (or less) for school aged children; and remove the TV from the bedroom! GO PLAY TOGETHER!
“The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Television on Young Children’s Executive Functioning” by: Angeline S. Lillard and Jennifer Peterson (Pediatrics2011;128:644–649)
“Infant Self-Regulation and Early Childhood Media Exposure” by: Jenny S. Radesky, Michael Silverstein, Barry Zuckerman and Dimitri A. Christakis (Pediatrics2014;133:e1172–e1178)
“The effects of infant media usage: what do we know and what should we learn?” By: Dimitri A. Christakis (ActaPædiatrica2009;98,pp.8–16)
“It’s official: TV linked to attention deficit” by : Jean Lotus
When the weather gets cold, children often spend their days watching TV or playing videogames. Here are some simple ideas for active indoor games to keep everyone warm and busy:
Make an obstacle course using items from around the house. Jump over pillows, spin around a chair, perform 5 jumping jacks, crawl under the table, and race to the finish line!
Use a book or a song with action words and act them out.
Dance to music or play a game of Freeze (where when you turn the music off, everyone has to freeze in the position they were in).
Masking tape on the floor can make an excellent balance beam and is easily removed.
Masking tape can also be used for indoor hop-scotch.
Make a treasure hunt. Hide objects around the house and have the children hunt for them. Use pictures of the objects for children who might need a little more guidance on what they are finding. To make it more difficult, make them perform a skill on the way to find a particular item, such as jump, skip, hop, or crawl.
Basketball using balled up socks and a laundry hamper.
Enjoy your days inside instead of dreading them. The kids will thank you!
With school back in session and the holidays quickly approaching, it can be very difficult to find that “one on one” time with your children. Research studies have shown that it is not the amount of time spent with your children, but the quality of time that matters. Spending time with your children does not always have to include going out for activities. Quality time can easily be enjoyed at home. If you commit to at least 10-15 minutes per day with your child you can create sweet memories and experience many other benefits. These benefits could include enhancing your child’s social/emotional well being, developing fine motor or gross motor skills and best of all building a special bond between you and your child.
This list of easy steps can help you start today!
Set aside 10-15 minutes everyday regardless of your child’s behaviors that day. Build this time into your calendar.
Never threaten to take the time away as punishment.
Be consistent. Stick to the 10-15 scheduled time.
Do activities that require interaction with your child, not passive activities such as TV or computer.
Two-three minutes before the activity is to end, give a signal (such as a timer going off) to let them know their time is almost up and to help with transitions.
Using this time will not only help create a special bond between you and your child, it will also let them know that you are
available. Your presence is important and will help give them a sense of security that they need at a young age.
Here are 10 fun activities that you can do at home:
Play with blocks or Legos. This is great for fine motor skills. Build something simple and let them copy your design.
Make homemade play dough and keep it in the fridge to use for sensory input.
Go to the backyard and search for fall leaves. Take the leaves, put them under construction paper and color over the leaf. The impression of the leaf will be seen on the paper. This is a great fall project and perfect to display on the fridge!
Color together. Keep any broken crayon pieces. Grasping the small pieces is another way for your child to develop fine motor skills.
Chalk on the driveway or patio. Start with simple strokes – vertical, horizontal and circular.
Play with a ball. To make it more challenging change the size of the ball. Have them throw at a target like a colored picture or a picture of an action hero you print from the computer.
Now it’s time to create some special memories. Have fun! I promise you won’t regret it, and neither will your child!
Did you know since 1998 the 
My primary concern is the lack of reciprocal interaction, shared attention/engagement, and communication between parent and child. One study found that for every hour of television watched per day the child had a 10% higher risk of developing attention problems. Another study found that the parent used 770 LESS words to interact with their child while the TV was on. Risks of high electronic usage include: increased aggression, poor emotional regulation, decreased attention (higher risk of ADHD), delayed language development, obesity, reading difficulties, irritability/fussiness, decreased executive functioning (defined as self regulation and working memory), decreased creativity and “self talk”, and poor sleep.
With school back in session and the holidays quickly approaching, it can be very difficult to find that “one on one” time with your children. Research studies have shown that it is not the amount of time spent with your children, but the quality of time that matters. Spending time with your children does not always have to include going out for activities. Quality time can easily be enjoyed at home. If you commit to at least 10-15 minutes per day with your child you can create sweet memories and experience many other benefits. These benefits could include enhancing your child’s social/emotional well being, developing fine motor or gross motor skills and best of all building a special bond between you and your child.
Here are 10 fun activities that you can do at home: