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Topic “Physical skills”
In a reactive environment, repeats actions which obtain sensory feedback
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Cause-and-Effect Sensory Play – Toys that respond to actions (e.g. pop-up toys, switches, musical buttons, sound books, light up toys). | 1. Present one cause-and-effect toy within easy reach. 2. Model the action once and allow your child to explore freely. 3. Pause and wait for your child to repeat the action to gain the sensory feedback. | Ensure the sensory response is immediate and clear. Avoid prompting other than modelling. |
| Sound-Making Exploration – Objects that create sound when acted upon (e.g. shakers, drums, crinkly materials). | Keep the environment calm and uncluttered. Accept repetition as purposeful exploration. Avoid demanding variation too early. | |
| Visual Feedback Play – Light-up toys, mirrors, or reflective surfaces. | Keep the environment calm and uncluttered. Accept repetition as purposeful exploration. Avoid demanding variation too early. | |
| Bouncing Exercise ball or trampoline | Use minimal language when giving instructions |
Shifts Attention to another Task or Activity
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Attention Shifting Through Imitation – Familiar toys or materials the child enjoys. | 1. Imitate your child’s current play. 2. Slowly introduce a small change in your own play (e.g. moving to a different toy). 3. Wait to see if your child notices and follows the shift. | Changes should be small and predictable. |
| Sensory Bridge Activity – Two activities with shared sensory features (e.g. water play to bubbles, textured toys). | Linking sensory experiences supports smoother transitions. Observe sensory regulation carefully. Withdraw if the child becomes distressed. | |
| Side-by-Side Activity Change - Two simple activities placed next to each other (e.g. puzzle and blocks). | Model interest rather than instructing. Avoid verbal demands. Accept partial attention or brief glances as successful shifts. |
Uses special interests to engage positively in activities
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporate characters or special objects into learning Character toy or laminated print out of favourite TV or film character | Incorporate your child's favourite character into free flow learning, e.g. 1) If you are learning "We're going on a Bear Hunt", allow the character to go through the grass, mud river etc. 2) If you are learning Three Little Pigs and playing with toy houses, allow the character to visit the houses. 3) If you are learning transport, using a train set, use a laminate of the character and blu tac to allow them to ride the train. | Try to retain elements of the whole class learning so that your child is having new experiences related to the theme. |
| Special Interest Play Session – Toys, objects or media linked to the child’s special interest (e.g. trains, dinosaurs, animals, letters, numbers, cars). | Follow your child’s lead and do not direct the play. Use the interest as motivation for shared attention and enjoyment. Avoid removing or changing materials too quickly. | |
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Engages in interactive play with an adult
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Tactile toys Different materials, fabrics and textures, e.g. feather duster, vibrating massager, fake fur, hand fan | 1. Show your child one of the objects, allow them to explore it, then use their hand or arm to show them how it feels. 2. Look for signs that your child is enjoying/not enjoying the interaction and then continue or stop as appropriate.
| Use minimal communication to reduce demands and allow sensory exploration. Ensure objects are suitable to be mouthed if you think your child may do this. |
| Messy sensory play Use, for example, one of the following sets of items: Sand tray with spades, pots etc. Water tray with pots, sieves, pourers etc Rice tray with pots and pourers etc | Allow your child to explore the objects any way that is safe. Don't ask questions and allow them to spend as much or as little time on each object. | |
| Peek-a-boo - A piece of material - this could be a blanket, a muslin, a cloth, a scarf. | Sit on the carpet or at a table dependent on where is most comfortable for your child. Your child may not respond to their name so you may need to make an interesting sound to get their attention. |
Engages in interactive play with an adult
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive Music Play - Small instruments like a drum, tambourine, or shaker. | 1. Sit with your child and play an instrument together. 2. Encourage the child to make sounds and watch your response. 3. Respond enthusiastically to the child’s sounds by smiling, clapping, or mimicking the sound. | - Pause and imitate the child’s actions to reinforce interaction. - If the child loses interest, pause and reintroduce the activity later. - Avoid using much language |
| Peek-a-Boo / Hide and Seek Game Hands, scarves, or small objects to hide behind. | - Reinforce attempts at interaction immediately with attention and enthusiasm. | |
| Action Imitation Play - Everyday objects like a ball, toy car, or cup. | - Watch for anticipation behaviors, such as the child looking at you before performing an action. - Respond positively to even small attempts at interaction to reinforce engagement. | |
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Refuses an item or activity using body language or gesture
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Texture Touch Refusal Variety of textures (foam, lotion, slime, fabric) | 1. Show your child the texture. 2. Touch a small amount to your child’s hand or arm. 3. Pause and wait. 4. Remove the texture when your child shows refusal (wiping hand, pulling away). | Gently introduce the textures Allow your child to control the duration Honour your child's refusal when they request an activity to stop |
| Offering object during sensory play or sensory story Fan Water spray Bubble wand Vibrating toy Tickles | Pause to wait for your child's response Honour your child's refusal when they request an activity to stop | |
| Unwanted Item Presentation Non-preferred toy, food, or object | Pause to wait for your child's response Honour your child's refusal when they request an activity to stop | |
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Investigates items and activities
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sound-Making Toy Exploration Toys that make sounds (rattle, bell, crinkle toy) | 1. Briefly activate the toy to gain interest, then pause. 2. Let your child explore by shaking, tapping, or squeezing. 3. Use single-word comments linked to your child’s actions or sounds. 4. Continue while your child remains engaged. | Follow your child's lead Avoid over modelling and asking questions |
| Object Exploration Basket Basket with a variety of everyday objects (spoon, cup, ball, soft toy, lid) Objects should be safe and easy for the child to manipulate | 1. Place the basket within reach and wait for your child to choose an item. 2. Allow your child to handle, turn, bang, mouth, or visually inspect the object. 3. Observe and follow the child’s lead, positioning objects so they are easy to see and reach. 4. If child loses interest, take another object out of the box, showing excitement to try to regain attention. | Allow your child to explore the objects any way that is safe. Don't ask questions and allow them to spend as much or as little time on each object. |
| Household Object Play Safe household objects (cups, spoons, lids, boxes) | Let the child control which object is explored and for how long. Avoid showing the “correct” use of the item too quickly. Pause and wait to allow independent investigation before introducing a new object. | |
| Cause-and-Effect Toy Play Simple cause-and-effect toys (pop-up toy, push-button toy, spinning toy) | Give the child time to experiment through trial and error. Do not overprompt; investigation is more important than success. Repeat actions only if the child shows continued interest. | |
| Sensory Tray Investigation Tray or bin with sand, rice, water, or jelly Small objects hidden inside (cups, animals, blocks) | Allow messy, hands-on exploration. Follow your child’s preferred sensory actions. Avoid rushing your child to find all objects. | |
| Container Play Containers with lids, boxes, bags Small toys or objects to place inside | Exploration is more important than completing the task. Let the child attempt problem-solving independently. Keep language simple and responsive. |
Explores toys or objects
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sensory Play - Sensory toys and materials for messy play (e.g. trays with sand/ cornflour and water/jelly). - The best toys are those that the child can manipulate easily to produce a result. | 1. Guide your child's hands and visual attention to toys/trays of material(s) that they can touch and look at. 2. Let your child explore the toys/materials in the tray and encourage them to investigate all their properties, stimulating all of the child's senses as far as possible (colour, smell, texture). 3. You may need to draw the child's attention back to the activity if the child becomes distracted. Use your voice to regain their attention (e.g. a drawn out "ohhhh!", or an intake of breath). | Do not continue with something the child has lost interest in, but wait a while before introducing another object. |
| Textured Toy Play Toys with different textures (soft, bumpy, smooth, squishy) | Allow your child to explore the objects any way that is safe. Don't ask questions and allow them to spend as much or as little time on each object. | |
| Household Object Play Safe household objects (cups, spoons, lids, boxes) | Allow the child to lead the play. Let them play with the objects in the way they choose, they do not need to use the objects functionally. |
makes marks
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Imitates vertical strokes Writing tools and paper Washing up brush and bucket of water Sand tray Play dough | (1) Start by making big vertical strokes with a washing up brush and a pail of water outside on a fine day. Say "Down ... down" (2) Give the brush to the child (3) Reward any attempts to make a downward stroke for example with clapping, praise etc. (4) Follow this procedure in the sand or in a rolled out piece of play dough etc. (5) Use a chunky crayon (not too long) and a piece of paper. Say 'Down ......down.' (6) Give the crayon to the child (7) Reward success with praise or reward toys. (8) Use a ruler to make two vertical tramlines on the page and then help the child draw between the lines in a downward motion. (9) Draw two or three tramlines on a page well spaced - and see if the child can start at the top and draw down. (10) Draw big dots in a downward line and make the starting off dot big and red. Model for the child drawing a downward line roughly along this line of dots. You may need to start the child off and stop half way down the line for the child to complete. (11) Use different colours and writing tools to make the task more interesting. Reward attending to the task with social praise or a reward toy. |
Smiley face group progress sheet
Neil Thompson
Quick therapy/lesson evaluation sheet - using a rating scale of four smiley faces.
The idea is for the child/person to evaluate themselves in terms of how well they were able to do the activity. This helps the person running the activity to select harder or easier activities as time progresses - keeping them at a level where there is generally a high degree of success.
Created 16 February 2012; updated 16 July 2015.
Fine motor skills to support writing skills
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Link Cubes Linkable cubes | Play games linking these together and pulling them apart. Who can build the biggest tower? | Have fun with the activities in this area. The activities are designed to build up both skill and strength with thumb and forefinger as a precursor to writing. . |
| Tweezers and clothes pegs Puppets Cotton wool Containers Tweezers Small things to pick up | Can the child put pegs on the puppet's hand/nose/arm etc? Can the child rescue the puppet from the clothes peg monster which has covered the puppet in pegs? Can the child be the clothes peg monster and cover the puppet in pegs? Can the child use tweezers to pull off bits of cotton wool and hide them/put them into a container/give them to a hungry puppet? Can the child feed a teddy small bits of paper balls/sponge etc using tweezers held in finger and thumb? | |
| Card Threading Lace and card with holes | Can the child follow a line to thread the lace through the pre-cut holes? Can the child undo the threading to start again? | |
| Necklaces Beads Threading lace | ||
| Toy nuts and bolts on a board. | ||
| Pegboard and pegs | ||
| Silly putty and small objects to hide | ||
| Stress balls | ||
| Bubble wrap | ||
| Shape sorter |
Improve pencil control and use a tripod grip
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Developing pencil control Graffiti Wall Large piece of paper Crayon or chalk | Stick a large piece of paper onto an open wall. Allow the child (or works well as a group activity as children will imitate each other) to go up to the wall and freely scribble onto the paper. | A vertical surface to draw on will build the child's arm and shoulder strength. |
| Rubbing Wax crayon Coins Letter stencils | ||
| Hand tracing Paper short piece of crayon or chalk | ||
| Colouring with a short crayon Simple pictures to colour in Short pieces of chalk or crayon | It is important that a short piece of chalk or crayon is used because it requires the child to use the fingertips correctly. |
writes on a screen
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Writing on a computer screen Computer Symbol for computer Mouse Attractive programme like 'dazzle' for paint effects. You can make a symbol card using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint. | 1. Show the child a symbol of the computer and lead the child to the computer holding the symbol for the child to see. 2. Model clicking on the mouse to make a change to the computer screen. 3. Comment on the change. E.g., 'Look... its gone red.' 4. Gradually give the child less and less help to click with the mouse. 5. Print out some of the screens that the child has made by using the mouse. 6. Comment on the print outs using one or two words e.g. 'Look......... green'. 7. Help the child take this print out to another adult for comment and praise. 8. Make a scrapbook of the printouts. Write the child's name under the print out. | Gradually fade out any help and allow the child to complete more and more of the task till they are doing all the task themselves. Give lots of praise or offer a reward bag for a task completed. |
form lower case letter shapes
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Formation of a letter / linking to it's sound (1) Some or all of the following: Feely letters / magnetic letters & bag (or water tray) - use lower case letters Play dough (or similar) (LDA Rol 'n write alphabet letters and marble, if available - see www.ldalearning.com) Small sand tray with dry sand or salt Finger paints?! (Messy but fun!) Rough surface (e.g. carpet) Smooth surfaces Paints Big white board & pens Small white board & pens Selection of coloured pens / pencils | 1. Child closes eyes - selects feely letter or magnetic letter from a bag (or water tray). 2. Child guesses letter by feeling the shape. (Make sure they holding it the right way round.). 3. Child opens eyes & watches while adult models using forefinger to trace over the shape of the letter saying the sound - child copies. 4. Child makes the shape of the letter using play dough and / or in similar material. 5. Child rolls the marble on the Rol 'n' Write letter (if available) watching the direction the marble rolls, then goes over the letter with forefinger, saying the sound. 6. Child traces the shape of the letter with forefinger (while saying the sound) on different surfaces - rough carpet, smooth table, soft cushion, etc. 7. Child copies the shape of the letter (while saying the sound) using different writing tools - painting, wax crayons, big white board / pens in different colours etc (as available). 8. Go onto the next activity 'Formation of a letter / linking to it's sound (2)', or end with adult tracing a letter shape on child's back / child guesses it. | This activity is best done one to one - especially for children struggling to remember grapheme phoneme correspondences (gpc's). Child should already be able to recognise (read) the letters by sound or name. As a general rule - work on two or three letters at a time but move at child's pace. Child will need the necessary motor skills in order to do this work - although these activities could also link to a child's Occupational Therapy work. Additional activities: Could also - make the lower case letter shapes in collage, in pegs on a peg board, in Lego or in cooking with a letter shaped pastry cutter. Or outside - in soil, in wet sand, 'water' paint on the ground etc / try to link to child's interests. Links with other TAP activities: This activity links to TAP Activity ER P8 recognise half the letters of the alphabet - but can be used for digraphs and trigraphs as well. It also links to "PA Phon listen for beginning and ends of words") on www.commtap.org. |
| Formation of a letter / linking to it's sound (2) (Based on the principle of 'Multisensory Links' from the Dyslexia Institute) Small white board & Pens A4 sheet of paper divided into quarters Pencil Coloured pencils or felt tipped pens | This activity follows on from the previous activity. Remember to Teach: *Correct grip of writing tool *Use of hand rather than whole arm movements *Correct sitting *Correct position of paper. If the child knows the letter names as well, instead of just saying the sound when writing the shape of the letter, encourage the child to say for example: "SSSS" (letter sound) "is Es" (letter name). For letters that are frequently confused or reversed e.g. b / d - it will help to have a picture clue to show from step 1, and focus on the starting point of the letter - so for letter b have a picture of a bat and ball and focus on the top of the handle of the bat as the starting point (unless the school encourages full cursive writing in which case all letters start from the baseline - check the school policy). Further activities Link to ICT - useful letter formation demonstration and activities: Words and Pictures Magic Pencil Handwriting at https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize. |
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