Why and How Do Pediatric Occupational Therapists Play Games?
Why do pediatric occupational therapists (OTs) play games? Pediatric therapist are often asked why we spend time “just” playing games with our clients. In addition to being engaging to children, games are powerful tools through which we work on a variety of skills including fine motor, visual-motor, gross motor, strength, social, emotional, sensory, and attention, planning and other executive functioning skills. OTs are experts in adapting games to fit a child’s goals. A competent occupational therapist will never “just play” a game with a child. The game itself and many aspects of the game’s set-up will be consciously chosen and adapted on a minute by minute basis so as to support the child’s…
Everything I Need to Know About Grit, Perseverance and Frustration, I learned from Soccer
Soccer is one of the most frustrating sports, which is why my husband and I hope our kids choose to play someday. You might wonder why on earth a prospective parent would actively desire that their child experience frustration. My reasoning is simple: frustration is an unavoidable part of life. By being chronically exposed to frustrating situations and learning to persevere through them, you develop grit and perseverance, which will be more beneficial long term than being sheltered from negative experiences. Additionally, recent research suggests that grit and perseverance are more correlated to lifelong success than traditional measures such as IQ or grade point average. Of course, all sports help…