We love to incorporate holidays and themes into our therapy sessions and Valentine’s Day is no exception. Here are some sweet ways that we are celebrating the season of love, friendship, and family!
Cupid’s Arrow Toss
Supplies: paper plates, arrows (we made them out of felt and popsicle sticks)
Our children are practicing using a good pencil grip to hold the arrow and aim before tossing the arrow at a target. Then they are working on their numbers by saying what number their arrow landed on or completing simple math for the older kids. This activity encourages fine motor development, eye-hand coordination, number recognition, and motor planning just to name a few!
Box of Chocolates
Supplies: Empty box of chocolates, pom-pom balls, tongs
Our kiddos love filling up a box of chocolates with pom-poms using tongs! This activity encourages fine motor development, cognitive skills for sorting sizes or colors, and provides the sensory experience of smelling the sweet aromas of chocolate which can be calming!
Will you be my VALENTINE?
Supplies: Pink or Red paint sample cards (2), clothespins
The children matched the letters on the sample cards and connected it together with a clothespin! We added handwriting practice to the activity by having the children trace or write the letters. This activity encourages fine motor skills, bilateral coordination skills, matching, and visual motor skills.
More ideas for Valentine’s Day themed home activities!
-Valentine’s cards: Have your child practice folding the little cards that they make for their friends, practice tracing or writing their name in different colors, peal and put stickers on the cards, sort cards based on characters or colors.
-Make cookies: Have your child help make sweet treats at home by scooping, measuring, pouring, and mixing the dough! Use pincer grasp pattern to put sprinkles on or practice utensil skills by spreading icing. Involve your child in the clean-up process as well!
-Play dough: Use heart shaped cookie cutters and pink or red play dough to make pretend “cookies” with play dough. First roll play dough into a ball, then press it out flat (or use a rolling pin), then push cookie cutter into play dough. Decorate the cookies with small beads.