It’s Spring and time to spring into action for the school holidays! For families engaged in regular therapy, the holiday period can be a beneficial time for reinforcing strategies and integrating skills learned. While it may be tempting to hit the pause button, Therapy Connect is open during the school holidays, so no matter where you are for your break, you can always log in for a session with your therapist.
Here are some holiday activities that can help maintain this momentum while providing some much-needed fun and relaxation for the family.
Activity 1: Outdoor Sensory Scavenger Hunt
How it Helps:
A sensory scavenger hunt encourages children to engage multiple senses, helps them with grounding techniques, and practices mindfulness.
How to Do it:
- Prepare a list of items or sensations for the child to find or experience—something to touch, something to smell, something to look at closely, etc.
- Head to a safe outdoor environment and let the exploration begin.
- For each found item or experience, discuss what senses are being used and how they feel, thereby integrating therapeutic goals into a fun activity.
Activity 2: Recipe Following and Cooking
How it Helps:
Cooking involves a wide range of skills like measuring, timing, and following step-by-step instructions, thereby helping with language comprehension, fine motor skills, and executive functions.
How to Do it:
- Choose a simple recipe suitable for your child’s skill level. Try the Choc Coconut slice that Katri, one of our Dietitians, recommends!
- Encourage your child to read each step out loud before performing it.
- Assist where necessary but aim to let your child take the lead in assembling the dish.
Choc coconut slice
Ingredients:
- 4 Weet-Bix
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 3/4 cup pitted dates
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/3 cup pepitas
- 2 tbs honey
- 2 tbs water
- 2 tbs melted dark chocolate
- Extra coconut and pepitas to sprinkle on top
Method:
- Add all ingredients except for the dark chocolate into a food processor.
- Blitz until combined, the mixture should stick together when pressed between your fingers.
- Pour melted chocolate on top and spread with a knife.
- Sprinkle coconut and pepitas on top.
- Set in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour before slicing.
Activity 3: Nature Art
How it Helps:
Creating art from natural elements can be both calming and therapeutic, offering a unique medium for emotional expression.
How to Do it:
- Go to a natural setting and collect leaves, twigs and flowers.
- Encourage your child to create their own artwork using the collected items.
- Use this time to discuss any feelings or thoughts that arise during the activity, subtly incorporating therapeutic discussions into a relaxing and creative day out.
Activity 4: Board Games and Card Games
How it Helps:
Board games and card games offer a structured way to practice social interaction, emotional regulation, and strategic thinking.
How to Do it:
- Pick games that are age-appropriate and engaging.
- Use the game to facilitate discussions about fair play, taking turns, and talking about feelings that arise with wins or losses.
Activity 5: Daily Journaling
How it Helps:
Journaling helps with self-reflection and can provide valuable insights into thought patterns and emotional regulation.
How to Do it:
- Encourage your child to spend a few minutes each day writing down or sharing with you what they did, how they felt, and what they are grateful for.
- Make it a family activity by sharing one thing everyone wrote in their journal that day.
School holidays offer a lot of opportunities to blend therapy strategies into daily activities. In doing so, not only are you helping maintain continuity of therapy, but you are also setting the stage for a more enriched, fulfilling holiday period for the whole family. From all of us at Therapy Connect, we hope you enjoy the Spring School Holidays!
