Happy Thanksgiving! Check out our ideas for kids and parents!

November 2015
Happy Thanksgiving! We are trying out a new mobile friendly version of our newsletter and would love to hear your feedback.  Please take a moment to let us know what you think!
Starfish Updates

New Occupational Therapist
We would like to welcome Ritu Shah to our Starfish Therapies team!

Motor Smart Kids
Our developmental playgroup is still going strong!  Check out our web page for more information.

San Francisco Clinic
We continue to have clinic availability in San Francisco on Monday afternoons for physical therapy.  Location and other information 

Thanksgiving Activities Looking for some ideas for your kids as you prep for Thanksgiving?  Check out some of these fun Pinterest ideas! 
baby
How to get through Diaper Changes, Brushing Teeth, and Stretches?!

Once we have children we realize so many activities are not enjoyable but necessary. Who hasn't had a battle over a diaper change, brushing teeth or completing a stretch? How can we lessen the battles that occur over uncomfortable and undesirable activities?

One way to do this is to reframe the activity in one's own mind. Washing my child's hair can become a wonderful activity because it is the only time I get to spend time close with him as he does not want physical attention. A diaper change can become a fun activity that is based on undivided attention, tickles, songs, and love.

How do we turn this around? We start with reframing the activity in our parental mind. Second realize that the battle may derive from the fact that the child does not understand that the activity is finite and will end soon. If we believe a situation is uncomfortable and do not understand that the end is soon we also battle and fret. Help the child understand the end point is near. Try setting a timer for the activity. Once the timer rings the activity ends, even if it is not to our liking. Once the song is over the activity ends or once we count to fifty the activity ends. The child begins to learn that the activity is finite and the battle lessens. Once this basic lesson is learned we can slowly and slyly extend the time by setting the timer a bit longer, or singing the song more slowly, or asking for help while counting.

Lastly remember that most of us enjoy novel experiences. During the undesirable activities, have a basket of books or toys that are only available during said activity. Silly putty, a lava lamp, a glue and glitter bottle are all easy, enjoyable and distracting items. Here is a link to making a glue and glitter bottle. These are a wonderful distraction!

Have you figured out anything other activities that work? Please let us know so we can pass on the information to other parents.
Slightly different version of 'lap bounces'!
Knee Bounces, Lap Bounces, and Lap Jogs

Different names but all one and the same activity. Do you remember these from when you were young? Sitting as child on an adult lap and bouncing or swaying in time to a tune or poem. Knee bounces are a wonderful activity for so many reasons. Common benefits include a child spending time engaged with the parent or learning new rhythms and vocabulary from poem or hearing and feeling a beat at the same time. Not commonly known are the therapeutic benefits from knee bounces.

Lap bounces can be a wonderful way to encourage eye contact and language. When a child requests more, as therapists and parents, we typically ask for eye contact and the initiation of movement or the utterance of a word or phrase or sign. These help with the development of language by having a shared, enjoyable activity that elicits communication to repeat the desired activity.

More sneaky therapeutic benefits are trunk strengthening and balance responses. Completing the knee bounces slowly and pausing at the end range is a fun way to work on trunk strengthening and giving the child the chance to initiate a response to the loss of balance in a secure and fun way.

Another therapeutic benefit includes eye (ocular) and inner ear (vestibular) exercises. When a child is being moved in space and their eyes are locked onto their reflection in a mirror or to the parent's face it helps to teach them how to use these two senses to tell where they are in space and how to right themselves.

Please give lap bounces a try. Look up lap bounces on the internet and see what you find or click on this link for one example, YouTube Video.

Please let us know what you find and if this works for you.
  Starfish Therapies| 650-638-9142 | admin@starfishtherapies.com | www.starfishtherapies.com
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