Building upper body strength in kids can be made fun with several different exercises! Today I'm sharing with you some of my favorite exercises that work on upper body strength and weight bearing for kids! ...
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Ball Activities For Kids
As a mom with a background in pediatric physical therapy I've found a simple ball is one of the most flexible pieces I can have on hand in both therapy and play. There are so many different ball activities for kids that you can come up with for a variety of skill levels and ...
Fun Exercises For Kids Using Color Dots
It's been a while since I posted! I've been moving. The last time I moved, I could fit everything I owned in a car. It's a lot different moving a family of 5 this time. That being said, I really wanted to get out this ideas on using color dots for fun ...
November Gross Motor and Fine Motor Activity Planning
With November nearly here, it's time to start thinking about November gross motor and fine motor activities planning! In true Pink Oatmeal fashion, the November motor planning ideas are all about themes. The themes for the month include Thanksgiving, Football, Dinosaur and ...
Action Songs For Kids – Examples and Benefits
Whether you are working with children in the home, clinic, or school, action songs for kids are an effective way to promote a variety of skills. Regardless of the setting, action songs can be used during transition times, as an intervention to promote specific skills, as a fun, ...
Monster Activities For Kids
Making gross motor, fine motor, and physical activity fun is what Pink Oatmeal is all about. This week it is all about monster activities for kids! There are several great ways that a monster theme can be incorporated into gross motor, fine motor and physical ...
Movement Breaks In The Classroom
Movement breaks in the classroom can provide numerous benefits to children, including improved attention, improved ability to regulate emotions, and an increase in cognitive skills. When we consider the demands a child must meet in order to be successful in the classroom, there ...
October Gross Motor and Fine Motor Planning Ideas
Can you smell and taste the pumpkin in the air? Nothing says October more than pumpkin patch visits and Halloween. The October gross motor and fine motor planning ideas take a look at the themes pumpkin, fire safety, space and Halloween! Read all about fun ways ...
Space Themed Gross Motor and Fine Motor Activities
Many teachers, therapists and parents love to use themes when working with their kids. A space theme is just one of several great motor planning theme ideas. I'm excited to share with you several different ideas for space themed gross motor and fine motor activities ...
Fire Safety Gross Motor and Fine Motor Activities
Fire safety is an important topic that our children learn about from an early age. Fire safety week falls in the month of October, but fire fighter and fire safety themes happen all year long. Adding gross motor and fine motor skills right into the fire safety theme ...
Adapted Physical Activity Ideas For Kids
It is generally well-known that the benefits of physical activity and exercise for children are wide-ranging. Physical activity can help children maintain attention, sleep more effectively, maintain a healthy body weight, improve mental and emotional health, and perform better ...
Fall Yoga and Movement Story
Nothing is better than adding themes and stories to movement. If you have ever tried a movement based story, you may find out the kids are great at listening. They keep waiting to hear what their next move will be! Creating movement stories that are ...
Why OT’s Love Crossing Midline
If crossing midline was a product or company, I would be their brand ambassador. I mean, I really, really have this nerdy obsession with crossing midline. I love talking about it, educating about its importance, and seeing how many times in a day I can set up environments to ...
Community Helpers Yoga
Have you ever wanted to add a little extra to your community helpers theme? How about something beneficial like movement? Combining movement and learning is always a win. When you add it to your theme it's even better. Community helpers yoga is one way of ...
Farm Themed Motor Planning Ideas
The farm theme is one of the best themes for both gross motor and fine motor planning activities. With all the animals and fun things happening at the farm it's easy to incorporate farm themed fine motor and gross motor activities. Today I'm going to share with you ...
September Motor Planning
Hello September! It's this time of year that almost everyone is back in school or heading back to school. It's also a great time for apples and the beginning of fall. I love September motor planning as it feels like a fresh start with the new school year in full ...
Community Helpers Theme – Movement Activities
Community helpers are a very popular theme in the preschool setting or kindergarten classroom. This theme involves discussing all of the different helpers out in the community. Adding gross motor or movement to this theme can easily be done through yoga/movement cards ...
Visual Discrimination Activities
Have you ever heard the term visual discrimination? What exactly does it mean? Why do we need it? Visual discrimination is the ability to recognize details in visual images allowing for the ability to see differences and likeness. This means that you look ...
May Gross Motor Activities Planning
May is just around the corner. For many, the weather is warming up and the end of the school year is approaching. It's also a time where there is lots of energy to be burned. Gross motor planning for the month of May includes camping, sports, safari, and cowboy/cowgirl themes. ...
Yoga For Kids – Themes and Ideas
At Pink Oatmeal we are all about making all types of yoga and movement fun for kids. One way of doing that is with yoga. To make yoga for kids even more fun we've come up with all sorts of different themes. The themes turn traditional kids yoga poses into fun ...