Occupational Therapy Activities for Kids

Kids are curious. They are little explorers, exploring everything around. They love doing things and keep looking for ways to stay engaged. Occupational therapy for kids is full of creative play activities that can keep your child engaged and entertained. These activities can develop and improve multiple skills such as fine and gross motor skills, attention, concentration, sitting tolerance and more.

Here, let’s look into a few OT activities that can keep your child happy, interested and engaged. 

Suggested Reading: Occupational Therapy for Children

50 Occupational Therapy Activity Ideas for Kids

These simple OT activities can help improve your child’s fine motor skills. They help develop small muscles in hand, wrist and fingers and improve their eye-hand coordination and hand dexterity. While choosing activities, keep in mind your child’s interests, present abilities and skill needs. 

• Use tweezers to pick small objects like beads.
• Make fingerprint butterflies and ants using finger paints.
• Make play dough and create different shapes with the dough.
• Create your own puzzles by cutting magazine paper and arranging them.
• Sort different types of buttons or pasta.
• Move small beads using a spoon from one box to another.
• Pick coins or beads and put them in a box.
• Build towers with blocks and build bridges.
• Build sandcastles.
• Paint a picture using paintbrush.
• Tear paper to small strips.
• Fix fun stickers on paper.
• Play games like Ludo that involve rolling dice.
• Colour pictures with crayons or coloured pencils.
• Sort different coloured small beads.
• Use punch hole and create designs on paper.
• Cut different shapes from magazines and create a picture collage.
• Trace your hand and colour them using multiple colour crayons.
• Fold paper to strips and make paper fans. Use different types of paper.
• Put rubber bands around teddy bear’s body, hands, face and legs.
• Play hand clapping game.
• Make colourful pasta garland.
• Play card game.
• Arrange coins into piles.
• Stack coins as tall as possible.
• Play catch.
• Fold clothes.
• Make paper planes and fly them to land on specific spots.
• Sort shells on beach.
• Create shapes in clay using a cookie cutter.
• Cut straws with scissors and make a necklace.
• Create pictures on styrofoam using toothpicks or pegs.
• Clip clothespins on book or toys. Use different fingers.
• Sort different types of grains.
• Transfer water to ice cube trays.
• Draw a self portrait on sandpaper and colour using crayons.                         
• Stack cups and make cup towers and cup bridges.
• Pop the bubble wrap.
• Fill water balloon and throw it to a specific spot.
• Soak the sponge in water and squeeze it to fill a bowl.
• Transfer water using a spoon or eye dropper or syringe from one cup to another(depending on material easily available at home).
• Use a spray bottle to water the plants.
• Hang the soft toys on a makeshift clothesline using clothespins.
• Play Angry Birds or your favourite characters with finger puppets.
• Create your own finger play songs.
• Squeeze a smiley ball or sponge ball.
• Help Mom in the kitchen. Knead atta and roll with a rolling pin and let the child make his/her own small bread.
• Practice tying shoes, buttoning and snapping.
• Crumple a paper using one hand.
• Pick multiple beads or objects using one hand and then put them in a box one at a time.

Suggested Reading: 

Occupational Therapy Activities at home

While planning OT activities at home, make sure of the involvement of parents, siblings and other family members. This ensures safety, adds more fun and bonds relationships further in the family. 

Some of these activities can be messy but you can teach your child how to tidy up. Home is the place where they feel free and most comfortable. Learning happens most when your child is comfortable and involved. These simple OT activities can help lay the foundation and prepare them for more complicated tasks at school.

Suggested Reading: Occupational Therapists Responsibilities and Duties 

Create your own occupational therapy activities!

We hope this blog has inspired you to find more occupational therapy activities in your own home. Create your own OT activities and don’t forget to share them with us in comments.