Here are some awesome sensory activities, fine motor, gross motor, and just FUN.
gross motor activities you can do at home
fine motor activities and how you can practice them without extra work
sensory activities
outdoor activities
seasonal activities like summer bucket lists for kids
Summer Bucket List Ideas for Kids I’m so glad you clicked! I am so tired of seeing summer bucket lists with things like “take the kids to Singapore” or “Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.” Hey, good for you if that’s your thing. I don’t think for my kids, that will be on their summer bucket list for…
What is Summer School? Summer school has a terrible stigma in this country. And, wrongfully so in my opinion. First, the whole concept of children having summers off is rooted in farm work. In today’s society, children are rarely needed in the summer months to help on the family farm. With the exception of maybe…
Summer Camp Activities (Note: this post was originally written during the 2020 pandemic, so the first couple of paragraphs may not apply. The summer camp ideas and summer camp activities are still great ideas!) Well, here we are. My son has been out of school for 2 days, but still has managed to log 1143…
Outdoor Activities for Autistics Today really reiterated to me that I need to get back to the outdoors and get my kids outside. I had my son at the eye doctor and she is an expert in her field (at a local children’s hospital). She said that they are seeing an increase of young kids…
DIY Weighted Doll File this under, “If I can make a DIY weighted doll, anyone can.” Because I am NOT crafty. I’ll show you step-by-step how I made a DIY weighted doll for my child. Easy to make and any soft stuffed animal or doll can be used. Recently someone suggested that I get Kevin…
Earth Day Scavenger Hunt Earth Day is a great time to get the family outside and learn about the environment around us! One fun way to do this is to go on an Earth Day Scavenger Hunt. You can make a list of items to find, such as leaves of different colors, acorns, or rocks….
Earth Day Craft for Kids Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to get your kids involved in some fun and unique crafts. There are so many different Earth Day crafts for kids you can pick from in this printable. They’ll love learning about Earth day through these crafts. These Earth Day crafts will keep your…
Easter Egg Coloring Pages I recently shared another set of Easter coloring pages. Specifically, those free downloadable printable coloring pages were mostly Easter Bunny Coloring Pages. And, I got some requests to share coloring pages for older kids. Kids who might find the Easter Bunny to be a little too babyish for them. One reader…
Easter Coloring Pages When holidays come near, any parent or teacher will tell you, kids get antsy! Especially if a holiday like Easter is associated with time off from school and work. Like Spring Break. At home or at school, it can be hard to keep kids focused on school work. Especially if they know…
Bumble Bee Activities I think everyone has a love/hate relationship with bees, right? I mean, they’re essential to the planet, but many are afraid of them. But, we can’t appreciate and save what we don’t know–so it’s important to teach bee appreciation early. And, contrary to popular belief, bumble bees rarely sting people! If you…
St. Patrick’s Day Easy Crafts So, you all know that I’m not normally a fan of labeling things with a chronological age. When you’re working with disabled students or adults, skill sets can vary widely. And, to label a teenager who has a lot of needs and limited skill sets as a ‘preschooler’ is infantilizing,…
ASL Color Signs If you are trying to learn sign language, learning clusters or groups of words is a great way to start. Many people start with numbers in ASL, or fingerspelling. But learning common ASL words and practicing them throughout the day is a great way to build up your ASL vocabulary. The great…
ASL Numbers Learning numbers in ASL is one of the quickest ways to be successful in learning the language. Numbers 0-10 are pretty intuitive. ASL is the 4th most common language in the United States. While originally developed for deaf people and hard of hearing, now many parents teach it to babies before they have…
ASL Fingerspelling Learning the alphabet in sign language is a really fun and useful skill to have. While finger spelling out words can take longer than if you know the ASL words, it enables you to communicate with someone. It should be noted that while learning the ASL alphabet is a beginner skill, the child…
ASL for Thank You Many people don’t know this, but ASL or American Sign Language, is the 4th most common language used here in the USA. It’s also becoming more and more common for parents to use sign language with babies and toddlers before they have verbal words. We used sign language with Kevin as…
Recycling Worksheets All right, so before you download and print these recycling worksheets for your preschool or classroom…let me address the irony. Yes, it seems hypocritical to offer a school activity that has a theme of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ or recycling, and said activity is on paper. But, hang with me…what better time to present…
Earth Day Color by Number I am a huge fan of multi sensory learning, and surrounding kids with language and content. Numerous studies indicate that it helps kids learn. And, it can be applied to any content. Like Earth Day! Adding in a kids’ activity like color by number activity can also reinforce the concept…
Daily Affirmations for Kids Honestly, the first and only time I really followed anything about daily affirmations was a satire account for Philadelphia. It just listed nuisances we find in daily life around here, it’s a pretty funny Instagram account. Then, I have this friend. He’s contributed to this site before, as he is a…
Mardi Gras Coloring Pages I honestly just love Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday, even though I’ve never even been to New Orleans or Rio. It’s a fun little holiday that usually happens right at a time when you’re really sick of winter and need a lift. Mardi Gras is so colorful and can be a…
Spot The Difference We love spot the difference worksheets. My whole extended family is really into worksheets and puzzles. They’re great when you need to take a screen break but want to work on some skills Visual clutter is something many kids with learning disabilities struggle with. Spot the Difference worksheets can help with that….
Bird Watching Coloring Pages and Activities Calling all bird nerds! Here is a huge list of Backyard Bird feeders and bird watching activities for kids. A great way to get your kids to appreciate and conserve nature is to engage them in bird watching, have them build a bird feeder or other fun activities. We…
Basketball Word Search We are just all about the basketball around here! My younger son loves it and plays in two different leagues. We love watching March Madness and the NBA games. Of course, since we spend so much time talking about basketball, I wanted to involve Kevin, beyond taking him to his brother’s games….
St. Patrick’s Day Activities Growing up, I don’t have great memories of St. Patrick’s Day. My dad would play record albums of Irish Folk Music like the Clancy Brothers and drink too much. Yep, the stereotype. It never occurred to me until I had kids that St. Patrick’s Day Activities for kids existed. I had…
Color by Number St. Patrick’s Day I have posted several other St. Patrick’s Day coloring pages, but kept this one separate. That is because the color pages are color by number, but still with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. Color by number can not only be fun for the kids, but can also practice and…
St. Patrick’s Day Arts and Crafts If you’ve been to a card store lately, you know how expensive they can be. So why spend $5 or $7 on a pop up card, when this St. Patrick’s Day craft is so easy to make? I’ve included photos and step by step instructions. It really can be…
St. Patrick’s Day Word Search Here we go with another fun activity to incorporate all kinds of skills with a fun holiday. This time, I’m sharing two free PDFs-a St. Patrick’s Day word search and a St. Patrick’s Day word scramble. Since my site largely focuses on kids with various learning disabilities, please be mindful…
St. Patrick’s Day Bingo Bingo is one of my family’s favorite things to do. Mind you, I’m a middle aged adult, and I’ve only recently discovered the joy of bingo. Mostly due to my youngest son. For whatever reason, he loved playing any kind of bingo at a very young age. Then, one time we…
Valentine’s Day Word Search Hi there and Happy Valentine’s Day! Sure, it’s a corny holiday. But, a holiday dedicated to celebrating love and friendship? Count me in! This Valentine’s Day Word Search is a free printable in PDF format. Just download it and there you go! If this word search puzzle is either too easy…
Free St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Pages Happy St. Patrick’s Day! These free St. Patrick’s Day coloring pages will keep kids happy and occupied for an afternoon or even longer. Coloring is a great fine motor skill, so why not incorporate some holiday fun? The St. Patrick’s Day coloring pages are all free for you to…
ASL Signs for St. Patrick’s Day Depending on which set of statistics you look at, ASL or American Sign Language, is the 3rd or 4th most popular used language in this country. Many people are unaware of this. Pretty amazing, huh? While it is predominantly used by the Deaf community, teaching sign language to babies…
St. Patrick’s Day Lunch Box Jokes Looking for a fun activity for kids for St. Patrick’s Day? Why not print and use these adorable lunch box jokes? Not just for lunch boxes–put them in homework, backpacks, near their phone or device, even a coat pocket!
Fry’s First 100 Words I recently provided you all with some of the Dolch sight words and some activities to go along with the Dolch list. But, actually, there is more than one frequently used list of sight words. Another one is called Fry’s First 100 Words. You may recognize some of this list as…
Teaching Music to Students with Learning Disabilities We all know that music has tremendous health and wellness benefits that extend far beyond just enjoying music. There are countless studies out there that students who study music often perform better than their peers in other areas too. If your child has an IEP or disability of…
Story Map Graphic Organizer Most people have read a book, and then went to see the movie. Or, saw the movie and then went back and read the book, right? Chances are, that is a book that you can recall with more detail that other books you have read. Because it was a multisensory approach…
Symmetry Activities When snow and ice come around, many schools move to an online format. It can be hard to keep kids engaged when all they want to do is go out in the snow! One way to overcome this is to use winter and snow themed activities to teach the skill you’re trying to…
Valentine’s Lunch Box Jokes Hey, here’s a fun little freebie for you–printable valentine’s day lunch box jokes. Print them, clip them….and put them wherever you want to insert a smile in someone’s day. In the lunch box of course, but also on the bathroom mirror, on a car dashboard, in a briefcase or backpack. Enjoy!
Martin Luther King, Jr: I Have a Dream. MLK Day can be fun, serious, educational and thoughtful. Here are activities and projects for kids to make the day memorable, including “I have a dream speech” activities. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I…
Valentine’s Day Directed Drawing I like Valentine’s Day for a lot of reasons. Sure, I can concede that it’s partly a made-up holiday fueled by the American marketing machine and consumerism. But, I can’t hate on a day dedicated to celebrating love and friendship. Plus, it’s a bright spot in a dreary part of the…
Lunch Box Jokes If you asked my son, he’ll tell you that he’s too old for me to be putting things in his lunch box, like printable lunch box jokes. He’s 12. He rolls his eyes at dad jokes, which are plentiful around here. And, he dutifully packs his own lunch every evening. It’s part…
Snowman Snowflake Coloring Pages Once the holidays are over, it’s time to start thinking about snowflakes and snowmen. I find them just as festive as the holidays and I keep many snow themed decorations up until about Presidents’ Weekend. Since I try to make everything multi sensory for Kevin, it’s only natural that I would…
Groundhog Day Activities I’m born and raised in Pennsylvania, so maybe I have a skewed vision of Groundhog Day. I mean the day, not the movie. Groundhog Day is a big deal here, as the whole world looks to the little town of Punxsutawney PA every February 2. Punxsutawney Phil has been predicting the weather…
Virtual PlayDates The Covid pandemic has made some permanent changes in how we live. Doing everything from school to family dinners virtually started out as a survival mechanism, but is probably here to stay. Many companies are not bringing employees back to an office to work, opting to keep them at home. The same goes…
New Year’s Activities for Kids It can seem like such a drag to suggest that you print and do worksheets with your kids over holiday break. I get it! Sometimes the last thing we want to do is more ‘homework.’ But sometimes these activities can not only break up boredom but have tremendous value too….
LeapPads Games Everyone loves a good freebie and a free Leap app is a great freebie. The free LeapPad app codes are below but just wanted to let you know a few things. I update this post often with the latest and greatest deals on Leap Pads and LeapPad accessories. So make sure you read…
Got Cheap Pool Noodles? Pool noodles are like the simplest yet one of the greatest inventions ever. There are so many uses for a pool noodle. So simple, yet creative, fun and educational! Yes, educational pool noodles. The other day I was out shopping, and there was a ton of summer stuff on clearance. Sure,…
Mindfulness Meditation for Kids Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition Is your brain on overload the way mine is? And your kids’ too? This is why I am looking into mindfulness. To help me with the mental clutter. I’m pretty…
Elkonin Boxes for Phonemic Awareness Just the other day, an advocate friend of mine was in an IEP meeting with a young-ish School Psychologist. And, this person said during the meeting that “you can’t test for dyslexia until the child is in 3rd grade.” It amazes me that myths and misconceptions like this are still…
Social Emotional Learning Activities “Ugh!” (and insert eye roll) “You want to talk about feelings again,” is what my 12-year-old recently groaned. I hope that as you read my site and participate in the Facebook group, that there is so much more to social skills besides exhibiting the actual traditional social skills. Social emotional learning,…
Football Bingo Are you planning a Super Bowl party or another football-themed event? Looking for some free football bingo cards to print? Well, welcome! This football bingo game is a great way to involve all ages and abilities on the day of the big game. Five months out of the year, football talk is everywhere….
Best Toys for Autism I used to dread holiday shopping and buying birthday gifts. A phase where I loathed walking through the baby/toddler department of a store, looking for toys for my son who is neither a baby nor a toddler. But I got over it. Now, having this blog for almost 10 years, parents often…
Sensory Break Ideas My son recently gave me his Garmin Vivofit. He no longer uses it and I was interested in one. I’ve been wearing it for about a week. I work from home, and yeah, a lot of it is desk work. Every few hours, my Vivofit lights up says MOVE. Even the folks…
Including Kids in Fantasy Football Leagues My husband has been in a family Fantasy Football league for several years. In recent years, he allowed our younger son (who loves football!) to help him make decisions on players and stuff. Then, I added a team. Another uncle left the league, we expanded the league size, so…
Kindness Challenge I was inspired by a friend who was doing some volunteering. When someone asked her what prompted her to do it, she said, “Well, I figured I could be mad and shout at my TV. Or I could do something.” A family kindness challenge with my kids–I can do that! I’m feeling very…
Sensory Activities for Teens It often feels like when it comes to sensory activities and cool crafts, older kids get left out. Like their sensory needs just disappear when they are a tween or teen, right? No, they don’t! Light Play activities are popular and beneficial for all. But take a look around on the…
Printable Chore Chart for Kids Parents from all regions and cultures of the world remain divided whether they should or should not hand out chores to their children. Some parents believe that kids must rather do schoolwork or extracurricular activities than sweeping the floor. However, child psychologists urge you to think otherwise because delegating household…
30 Book Challenge My son hates to read. Nope, no dyslexia or ADHD. He’s actually several years ahead in all of his reading skills. My niece, who is the same age, she always has her nose in a book. I did too, as a kid. I want my son to enjoy reading. I have purchased…
Physical Activity for Kids Being physically active is important for all ages, kids included. Do you have kids who drag their feet when it comes to being active or simply prefer to play video games all day, but you want them to be more active? Me too! These past 15+ months have been hard on…
Dolch Sight Words In 1936, Edward William Dolch published his list of what he called “Sight Words.” Dolch, an advocate of the ‘whole word reading’ approach, argued that his list of 220 words were used in up to 75% of all school texts, libraries, newspapers and magazines. This is why I made sure to point…
Educational Apps | Pros and Cons According to NPR, 53% of American kids over 11 have their own smartphone, and 84% of American teenagers. But, with doctors and other professionals constantly reminding parents not to allow too much screen time, we want to be sure that at least some of the time our kids spend…
Making Sensory Bottles Sensory Bottles or Calm Down Bottles are a huge trend right now. And why not? They are great for all ages and abilities, and you can make sensory bottles that match any kid’s interests. A sensory bottle is an umbrella term for any clear bottle that is filled with stuff that is…
Benefits of Playdough Play Dough is such a great thing for kids and adults. There are many ways to foster development in many skill areas. In looking for benefits of playdough for adults, it really is the same list as children. As far as activities, I don’t worry too much about what is age-appropriate. If…
Benefits of LEGO Lego bricks are an excellent way to encourage creativity in our kids. You can purchase Lego bricks and pieces by themselves. Or you can purchase complete sets with specific instructions that have a main build in mind. What are the benefits of LEGO? What are some of the best LEGO sets to…
Dolls with Disabilities Kids need dolls and toys that resemble them. Sure, it’s great to have toys that you aspire to be, like an astronaut or scientist. But if every astronaut or scientist you see is an able-bodied white male, it changes the way a child thinks. If a child is disabled, they need disabled…
Educational Board Games Board games are a great way for children to learn skills without even realizing that they’re learning. And, with so many families staying at home more, and parents worried about screentime, board games are really having a moment right now. And hey, everyone loves a good game of Candyland or Monopoly and…
Patriotism for Kids Patriot. It’s a word that gets tossed around a lot lately. And misused a lot, in my opinion. Yes, here in America you can publicly disagree with your leaders and your government. But, the mere act of disagreeing does not make you a patriot. Hate is not a part of patriotism. You…
Gross Motor Activities for Special Needs Does your child have sensory breaks in their IEP? Or need them? Are you worried about loss of PT sessions, gym class, recess, organized sports and all the other things that may make our kids more sedentary? And hey, not everyone has a sensory room in their house, right?…
Sign Language Animals This past year, my son went through a full Assistive Technology evaluation. One of the two modalities that we are going to focus on is signing. I had gotten away from it as his health declined. But, now that he’s on the rebound, he seems to be using it more. He is…
Adult Coloring Book Pages I just love this new trend! It’s what moms have known for generations, coloring is fun! But it made international news when some adult coloring books made the Amazon top seller list. Kids love coloring and it’s easy to see why. It’s calming and peaceful. And now researchers are finding some…
Fishing with Disabilities I grew up in a fishing family. My dad and my brother are both avid fishermen and I married one as well. As a kid, I certainly enjoyed dangling a bobber in the water. As a teen I went on some deep sea trips with my parents and got sea sick. That…
Shark Week Crafts and Activities for Kids Do you love Shark Week? We do! My husband says that the newer Shark Weeks aren’t as good as the older ones, but my kids still enjoy it. And like most things, I try to do an all-around, multi-sensory activities for an event. In other words, when it’s…