If your kids are afraid of jumping in the water or laying back in the water, try this sensory circuit on dry land first!
🐻Bear Walks: Crawl on hands and feet (hips up, legs straight like a bear). Keep your head looking forward.
🪵Log Rolls: Lie flat with arms extended and roll slowly in a straight line across the floor, keeping the body long and together.
🪖Commando Crawl (Army Crawl): Keep your tummy on the ground, use elbows and legs to move forward. Focus on moving opposite arm and leg.
👼🏻 Wall Angels (or Floor): Lie on your back with arms in a goal post shape, slide them up and down like you're making a snow angel, keeping contact with the ground.
🥾Cross-Crawl Marching: March slowly in place, lifting each knee and touching it with the opposite elbow. Go slow and cross the midline fully.
🌉Bridge Hold with Head Turns: Lie on back, lift hips into a bridge, and slowly turn your head left and right while holding.
⭐ Starfish Jumps: Start curled up in a ball, then explode into a big X shape with arms and legs outstretched, then return to ball. Repeat 5 times.
💫Slow Spinning and Freeze: Slowly spin around 2 times with arms outstretched, then freeze like a statue. Add deep breathing after the spin.
Repeat the circuit 1–3 times, depending on your child's age and stamina. Allow 1–2 minutes of calming/rest after finishing. To make it even more fun or motivate hesitant kids, use a fun theme like jungle explorer, ninja training, or animal adventure. Be sure to encourage slow, controlled movements rather than speed.
This circuit provides the perfect pre-swim nervous system training, especially for kids with coordination delays, anxiety in water, or motor planning challenges.
#sensorydiet #sensorycircuit #motorplanning #learningtoswim #motorskills #primitivereflexes #ottips #seattleot #creativebeginningsot
This sensory activity is doing a lot more than meets the eye 👀
Walking a balance beam while blowing up a balloon challenges your child’s core strength, breath control, fine motor skills, and multitasking—all at once. 💨 🧠 💪
It’s a fun way to build body awareness, coordination, and regulation (plus it might just improve their lunch capacity, too 😉).
Balance + breath = brain and body working together!
#SensoryPlay #OTFun #MultitaskingSkills #BreathControl #BalanceChallenge #PediatricOT #CoreStrengthForKids
Mother’s Day is in the books—and I hope you felt celebrated in all the ways that matter most. We kept it low-key with King Donut, board games, a home-cooked meal from my husband, and our traditional photo in front of the rhododendron. Sending love to all the moms easing back into Monday after a day of being appreciated. 💐
#creativebeginningsot #seattleot #mothersday #happymothersday
Simple game, big sensory wins! 🙌
In this activity, kids follow the instructions “forwards” and “backwards” as they move toward and away from cones. It’s more than just movement — it builds body awareness (hello proprioception!), strengthens cognitive planning, and helps kids learn how to organize their bodies and brains at the same time.
Easy setup, tons of skill-building! 💪🏼 🧠
#sensorydiet #sensorygame #cognitiveplanning #motorskills #pediatricot #creativebeginningsot #seattleot #seattleoccupationaltherapist
If your middle schooler often holds it together all day—only to fall apart once they walk through the door—you’re not alone. 😮💨 That after-school crash is real, and it’s often a sign their nervous system needs a reset.
Enter: the after-school Sensory Diet Menu 🧠💥🍽️
It offers specific activities that provide movement and calming input—all tailored to help kids decompress, transition, and regulate after a long day.
These activities aren’t rewards—they’re nervous system support. And they can make a huge difference in how the rest of your afternoon goes. 💛
#sensorydiet #preventingmeltdowns #decompression #ottips #sensorymenu #seattleot #seattleoccupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapist #creativebeginningsot
Grownups - you can hack your day with a sensory diet too! 🙌
Just like kids, adults benefit from activities that support focus, emotional regulation, and task initiation.
This sensory diet menu for adults includes things you’re probably already doing—just a little more intentionally. Whether you’re working from home, managing a household, or juggling both, a few small shifts can help your nervous system stay regulated and ready.
Simple, realistic, and no Pinterest-perfect routine required. 💻🧺🌿🧠
#sensorydiet #sensorydietmenu #ottips #emotionalregulation #executivefunction #occupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapist #seattleot #seattleoccupationaltherapist #creativebeginningsot
Happy National Occupational Therapy Month! 💚 I couldn’t resist jumping on the doll trend😂
Comes with: ✔️ Sensory swing ✔️ Chewy tube keychain ✔️ Bin of kinetic sand ✔️ A heart full of patience and creativity 💪💛
Here’s to all the amazing OTs supporting kids and families in playful, meaningful ways every day!
#nationalotmonth #otmonth #pediatricot #chatgptdoll #otlife #occupationaltherapist #occupationaltherapy #creativebeginningsot #seattleot
Climbing dome with a twist! ⬆️⬇️
In this game, the kids respond to "over" and "under" while navigating a climbing dome—turning it into a full-body brain workout.
They're building hand-eye coordination, strengthening muscles, improving proprioception (body awareness), and practicing auditory processing by listening and turning instructions into action.
This kind of play builds confidence, coordination, and listening skills—plus, it’s just plain fun!
#climbingdome #sensorygame #motorcoordination #handeyecoordination #proprioception, #auditoryprocessing #ottip #occupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapist #otmom #seattleot #creativebeginningsot
✨ Does your child struggle with changes in routine, working independently, or feeling overwhelmed? You're not alone—and there’s support.
This parent shared how executive function coaching helped them build confidence, improve focus, and better support their family. With compassionate and adaptive strategies, we help kids and caregivers develop the skills they need to thrive—like task initiation, time management, and organization.
We believe that when grownups feel empowered, kids benefit too. Let’s work together to build skills for home, school, and beyond.
"The therapist used tailored strategies to address challenges like time management, organization, and task initiation. Through engaging and practical exercises, I noticed significant improvements in my ability to plan, prioritize, and stay focused on daily tasks. This helped me build confidence to work on my children's skills. The therapist's approach was compassionate and adaptive, making the sessions both effective and enjoyable. I highly recommend this therapy for anyone struggling with executive function challenges at their home."
#executivefunction #seattleot #occupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapist #seattleot #seattleoccupationaltherapist #creativebeginningsot
This colorful finger game packs in way more than meets the eye 👀🎨 Using UNO cards and matching colored dots, this student is working on finger isolation, visual processing, dexterity, sustained attention, and cognitive speed—all while having fun.
Activities like this are great before writing, reading, or any task that needs focus and fine motor control!
#OTInAction #FineMotorFun #VisualProcessing #ExecutiveFunction #FocusSkills #OTTools #HandwritingPrep #creativebeginningsot #seattleot #seattlepediatricot
