10 Benefits of Building Blocks

Did you know the benefits of development when it comes to building with blocks or legos?

1. Problem Solving 

Problem solving is beneficial in block building as it requires the builder to think about how to make this block structure stand on it's on. Problem solving on how to place the pieces to benefit the structure. 

2. Imagination

Imagination comes into play when the builder decides what to build. Sometimes it is thought of beforehand and sometimes the structure just comes together as they problem solve. They get to follow their own plan or work together as a team to create the structure they envision. 

3. Self-Expression

When children get to express themselves through art no matter if they are drawing, dancing, or building they are expressing their thoughts and in turn themselves. 

4. Mathematics

Carefully calculating the number of blocks on each side or tall is vital in the building process. You must calculate out the blocks in order to create a sturdy structure. 

5. Continuity & Permanence

Building block engages spatial awareness and mobile abilities. It can be in the sense of parallel play or working together as a group. 

6. Creativity 

Along with self-expression, children get to be creative on what they build. They use their imaginations to come up with a concept and problem solve to make it come to life!

7. Science

This activity is an opportunity to test hypotheses and build scientific reasoning through play and imagination. 

8. Self-Esteem

Children discover that they have ideas and that they can bring their ideas to life by creating, transforming, demolishing, and re-creating something unique. 

9. Social and Emotional Growth

Blocks help children learn to take turns and share, develop friendships, become self-reliant, increases attention span, follow directions, and develop confidence in their abilities. 

10. Fine Motor Skills

Using your fingers to manipulate different size and textures of blocks helps in the development of fine motor skills. 

Summer Sensory Activities

There are many benefits of sensory activities. 

Sensory play is extremely beneficial to children with developmental delays and is often used in Sensory Integration Therapy. It has been proven that sensory integration therapy improves daily function in children with autism. 

It's not just children who have difficulty with sensory integration who benefit from sensory play; it's all children!

These activities help to stimulate your child's senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing. Sensory play also supports language development, cognitive growth, fine & gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction. 

Frozen Fractals Ice Art is an activity I recommend you try this summer. This activity allows your child to have creative freedom and is less structured than others. It is a messy activity, so make sure you take it outside on a sunny day! 

Erupting Ice Chalk is another outdoor activity I highly recommend! Just make sure when it is time for the vinegar portion of this activity that your child does not touch their eyes. 

Click here for more sensory activities to try this summer!

St. Patrick's Day and a birthday!

To start I want to wish Paige, one of our speech therapists, a very happy birthday tomorrow!  We all enjoy working with her and hope that she has a wonderful day.

I really enjoy how many events and activities that go on in our area and especially around holidays.  St. Patrick's day is coming up and there is no shortage of fun events to attend.  New activities and events are a great way to foster new language and build vocabulary.  Below is a great article detailing family events for the holiday.

Go Green: Your Guide to the Best St. Patrick's Day Events

To continue in the holiday festivities I will also post a cute craft that I found on Pinterest.  It has the potential for a lot of language opportunities!  Please see the link below the image.

Rainbow Binoculars

You could target practicing specific sounds as you make the craft or target language building by playing "I Spy" with the binoculars.  Either way many children love to look and search for things!

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday.

-Cassee

Enjoy the Super Bowl

Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching.  

Here are some fun ways to include your kids in the Super Bowl 50 fun!

Carolina Panthers vs. Denver Broncos in San Francisco

1. Prep game snacks and food together.  Search the internet to turn your favorite ingredients into a delightful treat.
2. Point out shapes on the field: The field is a rectangle, the ball is oval, the uprights are almost a square, the coins used for the toss are circles.  See how many different shapes you can find.
3. *Football scoring is odd.  Make it a math game. 
4. Bingo.  Laura at makelifelovely.com made free printable cards.  You can find them here:  bingo cards     
5. Talk with your kids about the colors, teams, players, rules, and sportsmanship. 
6. Learn about the teams’ home cities (Denver and  Charlotte) online before the game or at half-time.  Have you been there?  Would you want to visit? Why?
7. Have a dance party during half-time.  Coldplay and Beyonce will be playing.
8. Get moving.  Decide ahead of time what signals on the field will mean for your group.  Give different categories of commercials a body movement, too.  Here’s what I will be doing:

• false start: 5 jumping jacks
• field goal: 3 push ups
• touchdown: run in place for 30 seconds   
• candy commercial: jump 10 times
• car commercial: pretend to drive

I hope the whole family enjoys the game,

Elizabeth

*Most common scores:

• touchdown = 6
• kicked point after touchdown = 1
• 2-point conversion after touchdown = 2
• field goal = 3

  

Thankful Turkey Craft

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Here is a fun little craft you can do with the children in your family during this fun holiday. It is an easy project that can also double as a writing activity.

 

What you will need:

-Paper bag

-Colorful feathers

-Glue

-Scissors

-Construction Paper: red, orange, black & white (or Googly eyes to add extra fun)

-Markers/crayons

Directions:

1. Have the top rectangle of the paper bag at the top facing you (this will make the bag become a puppet).

2. Glue eyes, beak, and gobble on the top rectangle area.

3. Have the children write what they are thankful for on the body of the paper bag or have the child tell you and you can write it.

4. Turn the bag over and glue some colorful feathers on!

This is a perfect time to have your child work on their speech and language skills! While making a Thankful Turkey you can talk about how the feathers/paper bag/construction paper feel different. Using describing words (such as smooth, soft, fluffy, colorful, bright, long, triangle, and round) are great for expanding their vocabulary. You can use the following sentence to get started, ‘The (object) feels/looks (describing word(s)/adjective)’. Then have your child retell the steps they completed to make their Thankful Turkey. It is also a great time to target speech sounds ‘k’, ‘g’, and ‘th’ with the words: cut, glue, stick on, thankful, and feather(s).

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

-Kirsten