BY DANA FERNANDEZ, OT
Summer in Minnesota has been buzzing with sunshine, laughter, and, hopefully, lots of outdoor adventures! As the days start to feel a little shorter as we enter fall, it’s the perfect time to soak up the last bits of warm-weather fun. Here are five approved activities you can enjoy with your child!
1. Water Balloon Toss
A classic summer pastime! Fill up some water balloons and toss them back and forth.
- Grading Difficulty: Start with large, under-filled balloons for easier catching and gradually move to smaller, fuller ones. Increase the distance between players as skills improve.
- Bilateral Coordination: Encourage your child to use both hands to catch the balloon.
- Sensory Exploration: For kids who enjoy tactile input, the sensation of the water can be a fun bonus! (Be mindful of those who are sensory avoidant; maybe start with beanbags instead.)
2. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of natural items for your child to find in your backyard, a local park, or even on a short nature walk.
- Sensory Exploration: Encourage your child to describe the textures they feel (rough bark, smooth stone, soft leaf). This helps build their sensory vocabulary and tolerance for different tactile experiences.
- Following Directions: Provide a list of items in a specific order to work on sequencing and following multi-step instructions. You can even add positional words. (“Find a smooth stone under a big leaf.”)
- Visual Perceptual Skills: Identifying specific items amongst natural surroundings enhances visual discrimination skills.
- Gross Motor Skills: Walking, bending, and reaching during the hunt to promote movement and coordination.
3. Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course
Grab some sidewalk chalk and design a simple obstacle course on your driveway or sidewalk. Include things like hopping in squares, walking on a straight line, crawling under a drawn “tunnel,” or stepping over drawn “puddles.”
- Motor Planning (Praxis): Navigating the obstacle course requires your child to plan and sequence their movements.
- Gross Motor Skills: Hopping, walking, crawling, and stepping all target different muscle groups and improve coordination and balance.
- Body Awareness (Proprioception): Successfully moving through the course helps your child understand their body’s position in space.
- Creativity and Fine Motor Skills: Let your child help design the obstacle course for an extra dose of fun and ownership!
4. Making Homemade Ice Pops
Who doesn’t love a refreshing ice pop on a hot day? Get your child involved in making their own!
- Fine Motor Skills: Tasks such as measuring ingredients, stirring, pouring liquid into molds, and inserting sticks all work on hand strength, dexterity, and coordination.
- Sensory Engagement: Your child will engage with different textures (sticky fruit, smooth liquids), temperatures (cold ingredients), and smells.
- Following a Recipe (Executive Function): This activity provides a great opportunity to practice following multi-step directions.
- Oral Motor Skills: Enjoying the ice pop afterwards can also provide sensory input and oral motor practice.
5. Backyard “Car Wash” for Toys
Set up a simple “car wash” station for your child’s outdoor toys or your own car using buckets of soapy water, sponges, brushes, and a hose.
- Fine Motor Skills: Squeezing sponges, scrubbing with brushes, and manipulating the hose all work on hand strength and dexterity.
- Gross Motor Skills: Reaching, bending, and moving around the “car wash” area promotes gross motor coordination.
- Problem-Solving: Your child might need to figure out the best way to clean different types of toys or your car.
- Imaginative Play: This activity encourages creativity and imaginative storytelling.
