pediatric occupational therapy

Finding your “Cricket”: Navigating your Child Interests

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

A little while ago, we watched the Bluey episode “Cricket.” It featured a pup named Rusty who was so passionate about the game of Cricket that he played it whenever he could. This made my son curious about why someone would be so dedicated to one thing. And so began our quest to help our child discover his own “Cricket.”

My son is currently playing baseball. While he enjoys playing the game, he is not as diehard as most of his friends and sometimes would rather stay home building Lego than practice. This season was the first time he realized that baseball may not be his “Cricket”. When we asked him what he does enjoy doing, he said he liked creating things, climbing trees and being outside, and playing video games. Aside from a few new activities, a few have remained constant: nature and building. So do we pursue the interests we already know, or try new avenues to see what sticks?

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Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Preschool and Early Elementary

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

This has got to be the largest list we’ve put together to date, but not just because we love toys.

Kids at this age are achieving key developmental milestones and improving their executive functions, allowing for better focus and memory. As they continue to refine their skills, they enjoy social play, seek friendly competition, pursue independence by testing limits, try new things, and make new friends.

Not only did we pick a ton of toys and games geared towards these age-range skills, but we also chose practical items to encourage independence, and bigger, family-friendly gifts that include your littlest.

Here are our gift picks for kids 3-7:

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Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Babies and Toddlers

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

It’s that time again: Gift Guide season. We’re sharing our top picks for the holiday gifts, so all you list girlies can prep before Black Friday.

To make the Child(ish) Advice cut, we use these criteria:

  • Is it cool and new?
  • Does it support child development?
  • What makes it stand out from all the rest?
  • What do the reviews say, specifically about durability and longevity?

Here are our gift picks for babies and toddlers, ages 0-3:

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Coffee Chat: Sports Mom-agement

| Patti Webb

Piggybacking off of Tuesday’s post, I wanted to chat a bit about managing our kids and their sports commitments. Growing up, I was always under the impression that kids just did sports as their school allowed. Most elementary schools don’t have sports teams, so any city teams or intramural prior to Interscholastic sports was just for fun. The real competition was when you made the school team and started playing other schools.

When my little sister hit 7-8 years old, my dad signed her up for softball. As a previous baseball/softball player himself, he of course was all in and she was on travel teams from then on. Practices and games became a priority, she didn’t really try any other sports, and I could tell this started a bit of a power shift in their house (I was already out of college and on my own). In addition to my sister playing, my dad was also assistant coaching and travel coordinating. It seemed like softball became much more important than rest or time with family. Eventually, my sister got recruited to play softball at a private high school and my parents moved states to accommodate it. She won multiple State Championships, and then COVID happened her senior year. No last season. No college ball.

I know this took it to the next level, but that doesn’t mean this type of commitment to kids sports isn’t common.

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Youth Sports and Rec

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

When we first enrolled my son in soccer, we wanted to introduce him to a sport with structure and rules. While it was all fun and games in the beginning (he really liked running around and playing with friends), the expectations shifted from just “having fun” to peers yelling, “Stoffel! Learn to kick the ball!”  

By the end of his second season, he told me he didn’t like playing anymore. From people charging at him when he had the ball to multiple teammates screaming at him to pass the ball, the pressure was a bit more than he wanted to handle. That was fine by us. He’s now in his third year of baseball and has been enjoying it much better. The nature of the sport operates at a slower pace and each player must equally contribute both offensively and defensively, without multiple people in his face to make a play.

As our kids get more involved in youth sports, the expectations change. Aside from learning how to be a team player and to appropriately win/lose/enjoy the game, they are now also expected to practice on and off the field and remain on task for at least an hour (and that’s after a full-day of school). Some practices and games may be late afternoon or evening, interfering with daily dinner time and sleep schedules. And, it only gets later and longer as our kids age and advance their skills and commitment.

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