PEDIATRIC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
TOOLS DESIGNED BY
PEDIATRIC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS
As a pediatric occupational therapist, I’m thrilled to share my favorite and most effective tools designed by fellow occupational therapist experts in the field. These handpicked products are things I am always reaching for as a pediatric occupational therapist who works in the school system and can be used in a variety of pediatric settings! The featured products are proven to be invaluable in enhancing the therapeutic experience for young clients and promoting their growth and development.
1. Fun Strokes
Fun Strokes was created by Linda Craig Dennis, M.Ed., OTR/L, who is a highly dedicated and passionate pediatric occupational therapist. The Fun Strokes prewriting program is a readiness program that teaches children pre-writing strokes with developmentally appropriate engaging activities. Children use magnets and pre-writing worksheets to learn how to make simple lines and shapes.
Things I love about Fun Strokes:
Fun way to practice pre-writing strokes
Wide array of uses for the magnets. I love to place the magnets on a vertical surface to address numerous goals in therapy!
Build foundational skills for writing
2. Hungry Cutters
Hungry Cutters is my go to place for pediatric occupational therapy toys and tools for children on my caseload. The tools and toys are designed by Ralph Schrader, a pediatric occupational therapist with over 20 years experience helping children of all ages. HungryCutters products are always the most requested item in my therapy bag. My favorite part is the kids think they’re playing while working on underlying therapy goals!
Something I’m always reaching for is the Hungry Cutters magnets for scissors which promote proper thumbs up positioning and teach the concept of opening /closing scissors. If you’re looking for toys that are occupational therapist approved for therapists, educators and parents then look no further than Hungry Cutters!
Things I love about Hungry Cutters:
- Innovative games and tools that address a wide array of pediatric occupational therapy goals and objectives
- High quality products designed by a pediatric occupational therapist
- The products make every therapy session fun with engaging themes
3. The Functional Hand Tool
The Functional Hand Tool was created by Linda Merry, OTR and Celine Skertich, PT. This tool allows individuals who demonstrate difficulty with range of motion and grasp to grasp and hold items so they can participate in meaningful occupations.
Things I love about the Functional Hand Tool:
- Functional Hand Tool allows my students to be as independent as possible
- You can securely lock in any size tool crayon, pencil, glue stick, cooking tools, etc. into the Functional Hand
- The Functional Hand Tool allows an individual to maintain a cylindrical grasp and meaningfully participating in the activity
4. LegiLiner
LegiLiner was designed by Polly Benson, OTR/L, who is an Occupational Therapist. Polly worked with students of all ages and abilities and realized how difficult it was to carry over handwriting strategies without worksheets with consistent handwriting lines which is how LegiLiner was invented!
Things I love about LegiLiner:
• Compact and portable- great way to add writing lines to any worksheet
• Non-smudging ink that dries within seconds
• Quickly draw various size handwriting lines
5. SnapType
SnapType is an app designed by Amberlynn Slavin, who is a pediatric occupational therapist that developed the idea for the SnapType App during her fieldwork rotation.The SnapType app allows students to complete any worksheet on their iPad or Chromebook. This app is perfect for students who struggle with handwriting. SnapType app makes education worksheets accessible to students by offering typing features which allow a student to add a text box anywhere on the page, text-to-speech, speech-to-text and visual enhancements including pinch to zoom and colored overlays which are great for students with a visual impairment.
Things I love about SnapType:
- Easy to use
- Great resource for school or home
- Improves self-confidence when completing worksheets and assignments