OTHER ACTIVITIES

Pool Playtime

Play pools are wonderful for various activities with young children. Kids love to play in water, and it's a great way to cool off! For a child who needs support in sitting upright, try using a bath ring seat in the play pool. If greater support is needed there are a variety of bath and/or waterproof seats available through Sammons Preston 1 800 323 5547(catalogue has complete listing of products). Don't forget pool noodles, blow-up rings, etc. Sometimes a combination of supports (ring seat, pool noodles, neck supports, etc.) can be the answer. Seating support helps your child be more independent, and allows you to face your child to play splash games or to assist with toys. Big Pool Ideas... The big pool is the social hub for our family in the summer. We are constantly looking for ways that our daughter can join in the fun with her siblings, and be as independent as possible in the pool. The following are tips that have been successful for our family and hopefully will help yours.

1) Use a combination of pool noodles, weights and float rings to find what works for your child. When our daughter was small we used both, pool noodles and a floatation device (purchased through Sammons Preston) to enable her to float about the pool and play.

2) A hula-hoop around your child keeps small items close at hand. It floats and keeps toys within easy reach of the child.

3) Although the floatation devices in special needs catalogues such as, Sammons Preston, etc. are great and work well, over the years, we have found that, "sometimes" a combination of pool noodles, weights and float rings from Target or Wal-Mart work just as well. Some swimsuits can be purchased that have floatation devices built-in.

4) Noodle seats can be purchased in most places carrying pool supplies. They are made of mesh, and a noodle slips through one side. The noodle is then bent and straps in the front of the seat slide on the edges to form a floating mesh seat. A second noodle can be threaded through the side spaces to provide more floatation.

Note: Seating support is not a substitute for supervision. Never leave a child unattended.

Fun with Food

Experiment 1:

Supplies:  Plastic Baby Pool, 2-3 large jars of applesauce, a plastic bowl and a hose!

If you have a plastic baby pool use it.  It helps to contain your child and the applesauce.  Applesauce is a wonderful medium to use. It is edible, relatively good for you and it is inexpensive.  Put your child in the plastic pool (no water) and either dump in the applesauce right in the pool or put in a bowl and let your child have at it.  When the adventure is over just rinse your child off with the hose and your done.  This is a great experiment for children of all abilities

Experiment 2:

Supplies:      White Butcher Paper, masking tape, Redi-Whip or Cool Whip and food coloring.

This project can be done in a high chair, at a table, on the floor, outside on the patio, on a lap tray or just about anywhere.  If you are doing this at a table or in a chair you might want to lay newspaper down underneath to ease clean up.  I always tape the paper down to a surface with masking tape before starting a project.  This holds the paper in place and frees my hands to help the child.  Squirt the cream on your paper and add one drop of food coloring.  Have your child move the whip cream around and watch as the color spreads.  You can let the whip cream dry and hang their picture up.  Children love this project.  Again, it is edible and tastes good.

(You can also use pudding, for a change.)

  Many of you may have children that have sensory issues and the above two tasks may be overwhelming to your child.  Our advice is to start small.  Put a little applesauce, pudding, whipping cream, etc. on their high chair tray or on the table and slowly introduce them to it.  Let them explore it in their own way.  Or, if your child is physically challenged and can’t get to the applesauce, then bring the applesauce to them.  I use hand over hand or I plop some applesauce on her hand and have her feel it run down through her fingers.  The point of this activity is to let children experience and explore their environment and however they are able to do that is terrific.  When you are using different foods make sure that they pose no choking or allergic reaction hazard.

Reading

  This issue will be addressed time and time again in future Activity Highlights.  We will start by giving you three simple ideas that will enable you to start your child on exploring the magic of books!

Idea #1:

    For those children that have fine motor issues the following is a great way to adapt a book to enable a child to turn the page.

2.     For children that have difficulty attending to a task, book reading can become very frustrating and difficult.  Our first idea is to make a book of your child’s favorite things or pictures.  You will need a camera, notebook, page protectors and white paper.  You will want to start with your child’s favorite things, i.e. stuffed animal, toy, blanket, Mom, Dad, Grandma, etc.  Take a picture of the item or person.  Paste the picture onto the page with the name of the item printed in bold, large print under the picture.  Put a page protector over the page and put it in the binder.  Make a book of 5 to 10 items.  If necessary combine this with page fluffers.  Read the book with your child pointing out his/her favorite items. 

3.     For those children who are physically challenged and unable to turn the pages of a book here are some tips that will help you get started reading with your child.  Use a cookbook holder to hold your book up for both of you to be able to read.  Again, the cookbook holder frees your hands up to assist your child.  If your child can use a switch, program the switch to say “turn the page”.  Have your child hit the switch each time you turn the page.  This will engage your child in the activity.

Halloween / Harvest Celebrations

Harvest Festivals

Harvest Festivals are a great place to go and have fun with your children.  There are usually a variety of activities to participate in and you can almost always find an activity that is appropriate for your child.  If your child is non-verbal be sure to bring some signs or switches.  For a parade, write some fun sayings on the signs, i.e. WOW, YEAH, AWESOME.  Help your child hold them up or have them hold the sign in their lap.  If you have switches use them and if needed help your child to use them.  Festivals and craft shows are great places to go if you have a child that has a hard time sitting still.  You can walk around at your leisure, accommodating the specific needs of your child.  These types of events provide wonderful sensory input and experiences for your child that is sometimes difficult to get elsewhere.

Halloween

Costumes are fairly easy to come by these days.  You can buy costumes at party stores, Walmart, Target, The Disney Store, and the list goes on.  They sell costumes in all sizes.  For a less conspicuous look you can purchase decorated clothing, which also can be found in Target or Walmart.  If your child uses a stroller, specialized stroller or wheelchair, don’t be afraid to decorate them as well.  Incorporate the chair into the costume.  Remember there is nothing cuter than a small child in a costume!

Trick or Treating is exciting to say the least for all children.  Whether they stay home to hand out candy or venture out with fellow trick or treaters.  Depending on the needs of your children, here are some ideas to have your child participate in the activities.  If your child is going out to trick or treat have them practice saying trick or treat and thank you.  If your child is non-verbal have them carry a sign saying trick or treat and thank you.  You can have the sign taped on their candy sack or bag.  If you have a voice output switch, you can also program trick or treat and thank you on the switch and have them hit the switch when appropriate.  This will enable them to participate more on an active level.   If your child is in a stroller or wheelchair have the candy sack attached to their chair.  You can have a switch or a sign, if needed, for the trick or treating.  Remember that trick or treating can consist of going to one house of a good friend to let the child have the experience.  I remember our first Halloween consisted of going to two of our neighbors’ homes and that was it.  We went early in the evening before all the older children were out and our children thought it was terrific.   

Handing Out Candy

Handing out candy is a great way for your child to see all the costumes and excitement of Halloween without the sometimes-overwhelming task of participating.  If your child is able, have them hand out the candy.  They can have a sign that says “Please take just one” or “Great Costumes”.  If you have switches, use them with an appropriate message.  Remember, you can have them do this once or twice, early in the evening when it is a little quieter for the experience. 

SENSORY ISSUES…if you are thinking the above sounds great but my child has serious sensory issues and would not be able to handle the noise or activity level.  Again, as in all our activities my motto is START SMALL.  I think that sometimes we get caught up in that it has to be all or nothing.  With our special children it will more likely be a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Be sure that your expectations going into any activity are that my child will experience this in the way that they are able.  That might be walking down the street, holding your hand, watching other children ringing the bell and saying Trick or Treat.  It might be going to Grandmas and ringing her bell and saying Trick or Treat.  Maybe your child will ride in her/his stroller with a sign that says Happy Halloween.  Baby steps are still steps they are just smaller. 

If your child has noise issues try using earplugs or earmuffs.  The other issue that came up in our family that would have never occurred to me is that my daughter was scared of me when I dressed up.  She didn’t recognize me.  I immediately went and changed my clothing and things went much better.  Something you might want to keep in mind.

P.S.  Participating in community or neighborhood events is a wonderful way to provide our children with rich, multi-sensory experiences.  It provides rich social interactions with peers and adults.  It also provides an opportunity for people in our community and neighborhoods to get to know our children and vice versa.  Depending on your situation you might get the occasional stare or insensitive remark, however, those are inevitably offset but the many positive comments and interactions your child will have with other people.

My Day Board

Children who are verbal ask their parent or caregiver, what are we doing today? Where are we going next? What are we doing tonight? Throughout the day these questions keep coming up. Children want to know what and when they are doing things. However, what about the non-verbal or difficult to understand child? They do not have the same opportunities to ask these types of questions and yet, from observing a verbal child we know this type of information is desired. Talking to children about their daily routine and activities can reduce anxiety, provide opportunities to practice predictable language, and it is an opportunity for the parent or caregiver to present to the child information in a sequential, left to right order which is a skill children will need in the future to learn how to read! The ‘My Day” board is an easy 1-2 hour project that you will find a multitude of uses for!

You will need:

Foam Board (thick poster board – sturdy like cardboard!)

Velcro (tape and dots)

Pictures and/or symbols of activities your child does and places your child goes on a regular basis.

Step 1

Cut your foam board to the size of 36” length x 4” width. Take the Velcro (fuzzy or female side) and run it the entire length of the foam board on both sides. You will attach the pictures for the daily schedule on one side and on the other side have a place to store extra pictures and symbols.

Step 2

Gather pictures and symbols that represent activities and routines in your child’s day.

For activities done on a daily basis gather specific pictures that represent that activity. For example, if your child goes to the same speech therapist every week, obtain an actual picture of that therapist to use on the “My Day” board. You could use a napkin from McDonalds and attach it to file folder for sturdiness. Another idea is cutting the label out of a favorite breakfast food for breakfast. Be creative. For activities done every once in a while try to pick a more general picture or symbol that could represent a variety of activities. For example, a party hat and/or balloon could represent a birthday party, a neighborhood picnic or a potluck at church. In this case the picture represents a generic special event or gathering.

Mayer Johnson Symbols and/or Minspeak Symbols can be used. If your child uses a communication device with one of these symbol based languages it is a good idea to use the same symbols (with text) on the “My Day” board. Check with your Speech Language Pathologist for the symbol software.

Under the picture, symbol, or cut out write the text that corresponds to the picture. You can do this on a self adhesive label which can easily be attached to the picture, etc. This is a nice way to connect pictures and text.

Step 3

Place a Velcro dot (rough or male side) on each picture, symbol or cut out. Attach all items on one side of your foam board.

Step 4

To use the “My Day” board, pull out the appropriate symbols for the day and place them in sequential order, left to right on the empty side of your foam board. What will make the use of the board successful is to have it in a place that is easily accessible early in the day, i.e. near the bed, by the toilet, at the breakfast table. When talking to your child about the day ahead, point to each picture with text and discuss the day ahead. This is a great opportunity for language exploration for your child. Use the "My Day" board every morning so the child begins to expect it as part of their daily routine. You can also refer to the board throughout the day as to what comes next, etc.

Peer Play

This is a very sensitive subject for most parents. Parents want their children to have friends. This can be a challenging issue for some of our children with special needs. Depending on your child’s special needs there may be many challenges to overcome. These challenges might be behavioral, physical, emotional are a combination of any or all of the above. Here are some tips and strategies that may be helpful to you in helping your child build relationships with peers.

Tip 1 – WHEN AND WHERE

First, identify where your child plays and interacts most successfully. As you watch your child, try to identify the areas you see your child as most successful. It may be that your child is more successful in a group setting rather than one on one with a child. Possibly your child is more successful at a park than at home. Your child likes to go to the zoo or the movies or out to eat. Once you have identified where and how your child plays most successfully, you will want to build your peer play activity around that situation.

Tip 2 – KEEP IT SHORT

There seems to be a magic number of minutes that is the maximum time for a successful play date. This time period varies from child to child. It is always best to err on the short side than the long side. Always have a contingent plan ready in case of a complete break down! If your child has a favorite book, movie, toy, snack, etc. have it handy in case of an emergency. Food and snacks can usually distract children for a time (always check for food allergies).

Tip 3 – MAKE A PLAY DATE LESSON PLAN

Be prepared to facilitate the play date from beginning to end. Make a time outline for the play date. Either in your head or on a piece of paper, outline the activities your child and his/her friend are going to do, including time for a snack. Make sure you have all of the necessary materials on hand and ready to go for all activities planned.

Tip 4 – REGULAR PLAY DAY

If peer play dates are important for you and your child, set aside a regular day and time to have children over to play. When play dates don’t happen spontaneously, having a regular play day will ensure that you and your child will have many peer play dates. Also, don’t get discouraged if your initial efforts don’t go as anticipated. It takes practice for you and your child to have a successful peer play experience.

Tip 5 – START WITH FAMILAR PEOPLE

When starting out, plan your play dates with people you and your child know well. This will enable you to practice and work out the kinks that come up during the play dates.

Examples:

For children who have a hard time with peers one on one…

Pick a place that has a variety of activities for children to enjoy, for example, the park or zoo. Invite another Mom or two to meet you at the park or zoo for a picnic lunch and play time. It is a start and a very non-threatening environment for everyone.

For children that do better one on one…

Invite a child over for an hour play date at your home. Plan a variety of activities and have the children choose which one to do. For example, you can have a craft available, outdoor play time with bubbles or water balloons, a sensory table set up with kitchen toys, a video ready to go and a computer game. Another activity that goes over great is having the children make their own snack, for example, slice and bake cookies or fruit kabobs.

One thing to note is that you, as the parent of a child with special needs, will most likely do most of the inviting and event planning. Do not let this discourage you. The goal is to teach your child how to have friends and to teach other children how to be a friend to your child. Try not get caught up in who invited who last and stay focused on the goal. Don’t forget; you are the most important person in the play date and if you are involved and facilitating the play it is much more likely to be successful.

Toys Toys Toys

Choosing toys for children with special needs can be a challenge. Many toys look terrific on the shelf and then when you get them home it is another story. Over the next year we will give you some ideas on how to use different toys to best fit your child’s needs. One thing to remember; most young children have a very short attention span and they play with a toy for a ‘nanosecond’ and then they move on to the next toy. What we want to balance is the time it takes to adapt the toy versus the time the child is going to play with that toy. Hopefully, we will strike a nice balance. This month we are going to look at Activity Frames and how to use them for play and choices.

Activity Frames:

Activity frames are plastic frames shaped like an upside-down “U”, from which toys can be hung. They are similar to “Baby Gyms” that are available for infants. Activity frames can permit children with motor impairments to access toys that would otherwise be out of their range, or would be dropped. They may be placed on the floor, attached to a table, or attached to another piece of equipment, such as a wheelchair laptray or stander. These frames are also great for children with attention issues. They keep the toys in one place for children to return to time after time. Floor-based and wheelchair-based frames can be made out of ½” CPVC (plumbing pipe). Please see the picture below.

Many different types of toys can be hung from these activity frames. Slinkies, rattles, musical instruments, etc. can all be hooked to the activity frame by using links (see picture below). For older children you can link favorite stuffed animals, books, etc. If you can punch a whole in it; you can attach it. Of course be thoughtful of safety issues. These activity frames keep the toys at hand and close to the child that is playing.

Activity frames make wonderful choice boards for children. With Velcro,you can attach almost anything to the activity frame for your child tomake choices. Cut out pictures of different snack choices, draw pictures of the different book reading options and play options. Remember to always include the written word on the pictures.

If your child does not immediately play with the toys on the activity frame don’t give up. Present them at different times of the day. Depending on their individual personalities it might take them a while to be comfortable enough to explore the toys. If your child does not make a choice right away, when you are presenting choices on the activity frame, model the behavior for them first. For example, “Johnny, if I was having snack I would pick the ice cream cone, yummy!” Point to the ice cream cone picture, take it off the frame and say “yummy”. Then put the picture back and say “Johnny, it is your turn to pick a snack, which one would you like?” Then be sure to point and read the name of each selection. If you still do not get a response, don’t give up! Make a choice for yourself, modeling how you want your child to choose and then go get the snack for yourself. For example, “Mommy is choosing ice cream for snack and boy is it yummy.” “Why don’t you choose a snack Johnny, and we can have snack together.” If you still don’t get a response, again don’t give up. Make the choice you think your child will like and then again, model the behavior and reinforce the behavior. “Johnny, I think you would like to have chips for snack, so we will get some chips.” Then pick the picture of the chips and show it to Johnny and then go get the chips and hold the chips next to the picture of the chips. This will model the behavior you want from your child and reinforce the meaning or point to the choice making. You might have to do this many, many times. Just keep at it!