The OT Toolbox

Your Prescription for Fun: The Occupational Therapy Blog You Need.
All ADHD ADHD kids affordable game Breathing Activities busy-toddler child development children's focus classroom focus cognitive concentration tools ding ding ring early development educational toy educational toys South Africa emotional regulation executive function fidget tools fidget toys fidget toys for school fidget toys South Africa fight-flight-freeze fine motor fine motor skills fine-motor-skills gross motor development gross motor skills imaginative play intentional-parenting loose parts play memory game nervous-system occupational therapy occupational-therapy open-ended play Oral Motor oral sensory OT at Home OT tips OT-advice OT-approved OT-curated OT-curated toys paediatric OT parenting tips parenting-tips Pediatric OT play-based learning pour and play pretend play Remedial teaching Rooted and Regulated school OT school support screen-free-play Sensory Avoider sensory development sensory diet sensory feedback sensory integration sensory modulation sensory play sensory processing sensory regulation sensory room Sensory Seeker sensory tools sensory toys sensory-meltdown sensory-overload sensory-play sensory-processing sensory-regulation sensory-tools South-Africa-parenting tantrum-vs-meltdown tantrum-vs-sensory-overload tiny tree toys toddler behaviour toddler biting toddler development toddler-behaviour toddler-development toddler-meltdowns toddler-tantrums toy boredom toys for toddlers Travel game tricky fingers wobble stepping stones
Indoor Gross Motor Activities for Winter

Indoor Gross Motor Activities for Winter

— Ezette Potgieter
Tagged: ADHD ADHD kids affordable game emotional regulation gross motor development gross motor skills imaginative play OT-approved screen-free-play toddler development

When winter shuts the garden and the kids start climbing the walls, your home is already a gross motor gym. Here's how to build muscle tone, balance, bilateral integration, midline crossing, and ball skills with nothing more than masking tape, couch cushions, sock balls, and a balloon, plus a few Tiny Tree pieces (Wobble Stones, Balance Board, Giant Daisies, Stepping Stones) to extend the play when you're ready for more.

Fidget Toys in the Classroom: Tool or Toy?

Fidget Toys in the Classroom: Tool or Toy?

— Ezette Potgieter
Tagged: ADHD kids children's focus classroom focus concentration tools fidget tools fidget toys fidget toys for school fidget toys South Africa occupational therapy OT tips school OT school support sensory processing sensory regulation sensory tools

Fidget toys can be genuinely powerful for children who struggle with attention or anxiety in the classroom, but only when used correctly. As an occupational therapist, I see both sides: the right fidget tool can transform a child's ability to learn, while the wrong one just becomes an expensive distraction. Here's how to tell the difference.