What’s in your therapy bag?

My favorite manipulatives and toys have changed very little over the years.  Here is a sampling of the engaging toys, activities, and tasks that I use on a daily basis.

Books

I feel one can never have too many books.  I have my favorites; some of them I have crafted into matching activities but my new favs are Usborne books.  I have tactile books, some with flaps and some with sticky bandages! For young readers or those who just need a little more incentive to “read”, I suggest using these sorts of books; the ones with something for them to do on each page.  Tactile books are also great for sensory integration.  Books with flaps are great for attention, following directions, and fine motor skills.

Click here if you are interested in exploring all of the wonderful books that Usborne has for kids of all ages!

The books in the photo are the ones that were in my bag.  I rarely read what is actually written on the page.  I will often label what I see, make animal sounds to encourage imitation, and have my kids engage by touching, opening flaps, or placing an item back in the book.

My car is overflowing with books of all shapes and sizes.  One of my kids’ favorites is the oversized The Very Hungry Caterpillar book with caterpillar manipulative who crawls through the holes in the pages.  I’ve had that one for probably close to 18 years!  It is still in pretty good shape but maybe I should find a new one!  All of the other books in the photo are Usborne books that I just adore!  I especially love them for kiddos who aren’t really excited about books yet. The tactile sections and flap pages really seem to draw kids in.

I like to make books with matching pages so kids can take them out and place them back into the book.  Who doesn’t love Velcro? Ripping the pages out is so reinforcing.  I mostly use the books with photographs, especially for labeling items and working on language in general.  I’ve had families who were amazed at their child’s positive reaction to these books because of their past indifference to “reading” or even touching a book.

I make these fun activities by copying the pages, laminating each picture and adding Velcro.  That’s it, you have a great therapy tool that is really so versatile.  For a first introduction, I use the smaller book of animals (two on each open page) or a similar book.  When the child is ready, I move on to a larger book with several matches to a page.  You may even progress to “hiding” the pictures around your  environment to have your child find them and label where she found them:  on the pillow, under the table, on the chair, in the box.

You can also use these for hiding in bean or rice bins.  If you have matching items, you could match the item to the picture.  I encourage families to have activities that can “grow” with their child; activities that remain the same, but you can be creative and make the tasks more challenging when the time is appropriate.  This is definitely one of those activities.

Books with repeated wording and simple phrasing are other favorites.  Books such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and The Very Hungry Caterpillar are two great examples.

I also like to use large laminated pictures for singing, Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

I found these free printables online.  I’ve used these with individual children and also groups of kids while singing.

Puzzles, Shape Sorters and Connectors

I have a variety of puzzles, shape sorters, and connecting toys.  These are a few of my current favorites that I use daily.  I also like puzzles featuring animals and every day items.

I’m usually not a huge fan of puzzles that feature just shapes, but I like these because the shapes make up a picture.

 

I make sure that I have at least a few different connecting toys in my bag.  These are great for fine motor manipulation, as well as hand strengthening, sorting, following directions, imitation, social engagement, and language.  All of the items featured below were bought locally but can also be found online.

Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head make appearances often.  Building toys are great.  I have the usual wooden blocks in a variety of sizes and also larger plastic blocks for my younger kids.

Blocks

My favorites are bristle blocks.  These came in a very large container from Target years ago.  I made a small box of them that I use often. (I think a few of them are lost in my car right now because I know I have more than this)!

The bristle blocks from Target are nice on the hands, (the Parents brand). I prefer these over other bristle blocks out there.

I like using these vehicle toys in four colors.  They are great to use when kids are beginning to put words together.

I have a variety of cars, boats, and trains, but these are my current favorites.  When kids have cars and trucks, we can use theirs.  These small manipulatives can be placed on cards (as shown) or hidden in a bean bin or used with play dough.  They are fun for imitation of vehicle sounds, going “fast” and “slow”, and making them “go” and “stop”.

Pretend, Imaginary Play

My Elmo puppet and plastic food are items I use daily.  Children either really love Elmo or they really don’t!  I learn quickly which category they fit in to.  Almost all of my kids end up loving him and this activity even when they didn’t like him at first.  I have to admit that he looks a little scary in this picture, but we do have lots of fun!

I also love my plastic Velcro food (not pictured).   These are fun for kids that have goals such as using both hands and hand strengthening.  Of course they are good for matching, pretend play, following directions, and language.

Kids also enjoy these finger puppets that I found at IKEA.  You just never know what little goodies you will find when you are out and about!

People and Animals

I work a lot on functional language with my kids.  Play sets are a great tool to use for modeling language.  My set includes a slide, swing, people, animals, food, wagon, chairs, pillows, blankets, beds, and bath tubs.  I also have a set that includes a tent, kayak, car, truck and boat.   Find a set that works for you and start engaging!

I make some of the furniture myself because the hard plastic furniture that these sets come with are just too frustrating for me and my kiddos.  The little dolls slide off of the chairs and sofas too easily.  Some fabric and a hot glue gun is basically all you need to create a few accessories for your little dolls.

My set just happens to include Dora and Diego and these seem to be great for every child, even if they are not familiar with the characters.  I refer to them as “girl” and “boy” more often because kids don’t know them by name.  I also try to incorporate the child’s toys into the mix.  So we will have Spider-Man and Elsa enjoying the slide and swing as well.

Dolls

For my very young kids, I will first introduce baby dolls with a few accessories such as a blanket, bed and bottle.  When they are ready to move on, I like to use dolls or horses with brushes.

Other toys that I use for functional language include dressing dolls in a variety of sizes.  I start out with the doll with snap on clothing and a hair brush.  This one is great for encouraging using both hands, following directions, language, and pretend play.

The magnetic sets are great for children who have more experience with small manipulatives and fine motor skills.

 Other hands-on toys

Having a variety of activities is so important.  Repetition is definitely important, but having a variety of tasks to address the same goals, is really key.  I have a variety of stringing and lacing toys to address different skill levels.  I like having bean bags because they can be used for sensory integration, labeling, and following directions.  This is also a good alternative to throwing other items.

I love my stacking shapes clown, especially for those who have not had much experience with puzzles.  I present one shape at a time.  This is also helpful for children who have concerns with having too many items in front of them.  We start out small and then add more and more pieces as the child tolerates them.  I’ve never had an issue with a child not liking the clown, but I have had a few parents that had to leave the room.  Sometimes it’s baby steps for parents too! (Chuckle, chuckle)

 Music

What would I do without my musical instruments?  Most of my kids love music.  They don’t always love the shaker eggs but then again some absolutely love them.  Playing with an instrument is usually so reinforcing that I use them in between other tasks for a smooth transition.  If I use one of my containers for clean up, transitions from this task goes a lot smoother too.

I will often use the shakers and instruments when singing songs.   I like to engage kids in finger-plays and songs to get them ready for preschool.  Shakers are great to use when singing Wheels on the Bus and other typical preschool songs.  I will model gestures and language: up, down, fast, slow, big circle, little circle, go and stop.

These stars are used while singing Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star.  I like them because they have rounded edges and are easy to clean.  They came with a Dora set many years ago.  I would love to buy more but it’s as if they never existed!  I can’t find them anywhere online. There are many of you who are so much better at finding goodies online, so please let me know if you find them.

These are by no means all of my fun toys but these are definitely the ones I use daily.  Others I love are play dough, magnetic fishing games, Legos, and bean bin tasks.  I also have lots of baby toys that were not listed here.

Let me know what’s in your therapy bag!

  Here is a list of specific toys that I suggest for families with young children.

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