As we make our way through kids games this month, they will get slightly more complex and grow with age. So while Candyland is one of the easiest games to learn and play, we’ll introduce other games that start incorporating strategy, team play, finer coordination, and different game board configuration.
Next up on the board game roster is Guess Who?.
Author: Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L
Candyland

I always enjoy using board games when working with kids. Games are a familiar medium and improve a variety of skills, but they’re also fun. And if the kids are having fun, the better they’ll take to their new skills.
Because April is Occupational Therapy Month and board games are a frequent go-to for pediatric OTs, they’ve become our awesome #OTMonth blog theme. First up, CANDYLAND!
Continue readingThings I Learned on Netflix: Babies

I enjoy good documentaries and Netflix has an abundance of them out right now. So when I came across the docuseries Babies, I had to check it out for the blog.
Babies explores the new research surrounding child development within the first year of life, following 15 newborns from around the globe. While I’d like to think I’m pretty well informed in this arena, there is still a great deal that I didn’t know and that was quite refreshing. It would be crazy to think that what I learned in grad school about babies 15+ years ago hasn’t been challenged or expanded upon since.
Continue readingCourse Notes: Early Development and Intervention
To round out my CEU courses for the year, I finished with Effective Early Intervention: Innovative Solutions to Build Motor, Balance, and Social-Emotional Skills to Improve Overall Development. While this lecture was geared towards therapists, there is still some great information that parents can use about child development and what early intervention provides.
Continue readingCourse Notes: Torticollis and Flat-Head Syndrome

When the Back to Sleep campaign kicked off in 1994, there was a noted decrease in SIDS. However, the number of babies with developmental delays rose. Interestingly enough, the cases of torticollis and flat-head syndrome (aka plagiocephaly) dramatically increased as well. Coincidence? I think NOT!
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