• Visual Perceptual Games and Activities

• Sensory Play

• Gross Motor

• Educational

• Arts and Crafts

• Building/ Motor Planning

- Basic Wooden Blocks - Wedgits

Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping for your preschooler!

• Pretend Play Toys | baby doll with stroller and caregiving tools, stuffed animals, pretend kitchen, toddler safe cars and tracks, dress up clothes, “Little People” toys, toddler safe figurines of animals, people, dinosaurs, etc.         

• Music instruments | Remo Lollipop Drum, LP RhythMix Animal Shaker Set, Tom Tom Drum, Maracas
  
  
• Fine Motor Toys | Tomy Hide and Squeak Eggs, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Piggy Bank, Pop up Toy, Wooden Bead Mazes, Jumbo Peg Boards, Wooden Bead Maze toys, Push, Pull, Click, Turn/ Lever Toys (Playskool Play Favorites Busy Boppin Pals)
  
  
• Bilateral Coordination Toys| Jumbo Lacing Beads, Melissa and Doug Wooden Food Set (Velcro), Jumbo Nuts and Bolts, Pop Toobs, Snap-Lock Beads, Fisher Price See n’ Say the Farmer Says Toy
  
  
• Building Toys | Megablocks, Bristle Blocks, Jumbo Cardboard Blocks
  
  
• Visual Perceptual Toys | Knob and Peg Puzzles (Melissa and Doug has an excellent selection, Shape Sorters (Battat Sound Puzzle Box), Nesting Blocks, Mr. Potato Head,  Stack and Sort Boards
  
  
• Visual Motor Toys | Chalkboard or easel, finger paints, paints and large brushes, Dot or Bingo Markers (Do a Dot Art Markers), Large stamps, Stickers (monitor closely), Magna Doodle Boards, Aqua Doodle, Crayons (Finger, Egg Grip, Jumbo Triangular)
  
  
• Toddler Sports | Bowling Sets (Melissa and Doug Monster Bowling), Mini Basketball Hoop, Adjustable T-ball set (Little Tikes), Mini Golf (Little Tikes), Mini Soccer Sets       

• Ride on Toys | Prince Lionheart Wheely Bug, Fly Bike Foldable Indoor/ Outdoor Glide Tricycle, Radio Flyer Spin and Saucer, Sit and Spin, 4 in 1 Tricycles (Joovy, Y Trike, and Smart Trike), Rody the Horse
  
  
  Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping for your toddler!

• Baby gym | Brands we love: Infantino Grow with Me Activity Gym and Ball pit, Baby Einstein Play Gyms, Skip Hop Play Gyms, and Infantino Twist and Fold Play Gym

Mark off days on the calendar as the big day approaches to help your child prepare. A family calendar with pictures and explanations of holiday events can be helpful so that your child can be prepared when the time comes for a new experience.

3. Rely on Stories and Memories
Explain the holiday you’re celebrating by looking through old pictures or reading a picture book. Great resources for social stories can be found here, here, and here.

4. Stay on Schedule
Try to stick with as normal of a routine as possible. Maintain bedtime and wake-up times as they are during school. If your child’s sleep schedule gets disrupted a bit, try moving bedtime 10-15 minutes earlier each day to help them get back on track.



5. Make Merry
Making decorations can help your child feel engaged in the celebration! It is also a great opportunity to introduce your child to some uncomfortable textures, like glue or glitter, they might otherwise avoid, while are motivated to assist with the holiday preparations.

6. Navigating Crowds
When preparing to go to a busy store, have your child help make the shopping list so they feel a part of the experience. Let them help push the cart or carry the basket (a great opportunity for calming heavy work), and provide them sensory comforts like chewing gum, earplugs, baseball cap, or favorite music with headphones to help ease the stimulation of a crowded store. If all else fails, plan your outings during a less busy time.

7. Taste Test
If your child has difficulty trying new foods, or only likes specific textures, bring along some sensory friendly snacks or a special dessert. If you're hosting, have your child help choose recipes that they'd like to eat.

8. Dress Rehearsal
Try on all special or fancy clothes your child plans to wear for occasions to ensure that they’re comfortable in what they’re wearing. Try leggings instead of tights, or clip-on ties instead of neckties for those special outfits. And bring a change of clothes, just in case.

9. Don’t Forget Sensory Breaks
Jump and crash 20 times before sitting down for dinner or traveling. Go outside before or after a big meal (or during if a meltdown begins) in order to run, march, hop, skip, or walk around the block, stomp in snow, or crunch leaves.



10. Practice Makes Perfect
Before going to a party or hosting a party at your house, practice introductions that might be expected (hugging, kissing, shaking hands) before going to a party. Make sure your child has a safe space they can retreat to if they become overstimulated, and bring along a busy bag with some of your child's favorite toys to help them transition to a new place. If you plan to stay overnight, don't forget those bedtime favorites-- pillows, blankets, PJs, nightlight, sound machine, and any other comforts of home.

The holidays are chaotic and stressful for all of us, kids and adults. Now more than ever, it's important to remember patience and flexibility, and plan ahead, to survive this crazy month. Have a great holiday season!

1. Halloween 101

Help your child know what to expect-- explain trick-or-treating and what they will see, hear, and experience!  Give your kids a preview of the festivities by watching shows and reading stories that feature trick-or-treating, Halloween characters and traditions. Try a trick-or-treating dry run knocking on doors around your house, play with flashlights in the dark, and practice sounds they might hear.

2. Dress Rehearsal
Try on that costume!  Let them wear it around the house to experience the different textures and movement restrictions.  Halloween costumes can be itchy, uncomfortable, or made with fabrics not regularly worn by your kids.  If your child is uncomfortable, try layering more comfortable clothes underneath.  Animal costumes are great for softer fabrics, and hand-held masks allow breaks from wearing a mask all night.  If a character costume is too much, try something in everyday clothes (think a Minion in overalls, a Boy Scout uniform, or an all-pink clad Pinkalicious).  Or get into character with face paint and temporary tattoos!



3. Talk Candy
Candy is full of different textures and some candy may have a "surprise" in the center.  Talk about these differences and what kind of candy they might expect, and help them to know which ones to enjoy and which to avoid.  Taste test if you must!

4. Change Traditions
Know your limits- trick-or-treating, or crowded festivals might just be too much this year.  Try dressing up and passing out the candy instead, or visiting a select group of familiar houses of friends and family.  Avoid crowds by trick-or-treating in quiet neighborhoods or earlier in the evening before dark.

5. HAVE FUN!
Whether or not your child dresses up, or goes trick-or-treating, or spits out their candy (more for you!), prepare to be flexible and let them lead the way on what a fun Halloween means for them.  Have fun out there, stay safe, and bring all of your extra candy to your therapists at Good Beginnings (wink, wink)!