Sue Dacre OT

10/06/2026

04/06/2026

Today’s post is around INDEPENDENCE!

As parents we want to do the most to give our children the best skills and start in life, and an important part of this is allowing them to do tasks for themselves 🏅

Here’s a few examples:

Your 2 – 3 year old can undress themselves and put their clothes in the wash basket 👕

Your 3 – 4 year old can pack their toys in (more or less) the right place 🧸

Your 4 – 5 year old can set the table and do simple chores such as sorting pairs of socks. They can dress independently with a little help for zips etc 🍴

Your 5 – 6 year old can make simple snacks (salad, sandwiches) and help with more complex recipes such as baking cupcakes. 🧁


As with any skill, start them off with lots of help and gradually reduce support.

✨ When you praise them, comment on something they did well rather than general gushing as that will mean so much more. For example “I like the way you checked in the mirror to see that your t-shirt was the right way round”

28/05/2026

Swinging

Swinging on a trapeze style swing is a great way to build shoulder control, give proprioceptive and vestibular input. 💪

And it's fun 😁

21/05/2026

5 fun ideas for using balls in play 🏀

The large ‘yoga’ balls are a fantastic resource, but should always be used under adult supervision
- Roll older babies and young children forward and back while they lie on their tummy and back, gradually increasing the arc to develop their vestibular system
- Roll your child forward while holding their legs to collect something from the floor wheelbarrow style to strengthen their neck and trunk 💪
- When its screen time, let your child sit on a ball small enough to put their feet on the ground to maintain postural engagement when doing a passive activity

Little (soccer type) balls can be used from a young age. ⚽️
- A toddler will ‘walk’ into a ball and get the idea of cause and effect
- Throwing and catching builds eye hand coordination 🎾
- An obstacle course that a child must kick a ball through, teaches coordination, how hard/soft to kick, patience

Enjoy some outdoor play this week ☀️

14/05/2026

Today lets talk PUZZLES! 🧩

Puzzles are one way of building visual perceptual skills, spatial and planning skills, as well as proprioception.

Children can start from around 1 with formboards (fitting simple shapes into a background)

From 2 they can join 2 piece puzzles.

Each year, the number of pieces they will build increases, but the most important thing is to slowly build on their skills – move from a 2 to a 6 piece puzzle, then 12, 24, 36 etc.

It doesn’t matter if they build edge and inside, or according to the picture.

They will only copy a picture from around 24 pieces, and only start doing border and inside from around 36 pieces.

Let them try and problem solve first with matching and orientating the piece, and only give a little bit of help at a time – this is a great way to figure out spaces, directions and the analysis and synthesis of pictures.

With the chilly winter weather, enjoy a puzzle marathon by the heater! ❄️

07/05/2026

Imaginative Play

Sometimes we’re so focused on structuring ‘developmental’ activities, we forget that a huge part of development is letting a child create and develop their own imagination which is essential for brain growth 🧠

Between 2 and 3 children will ‘pretend’, using similar things to act out real tasks, for example a stick being a pretend spoon

From around 4, play becomes real but not every day, so they might pretend to be doctors or pilots, or a cat

As they move towards 5 and Grade R, they start imagining what they could create, and this is when super hero play emerges, or imaginary lands.

Also at this age, they love to explore and create, and toys that are open ended are really important.

3 ways you can stimulate imaginative play

👗A dress up box – pieces of material, hats, tutus, a feather boa – whatever you can think of
🖍️Toys and games without specific rules – blocks, crayons etc
🏠An open mind about household items – a patch in the garden where they can make mud and build tracks for their trucks, or pillows, chairs and blankets for making their fort.
Have fun!!

30/04/2026

One of our ‘hidden’ senses is PROPRIOCEPTION!

This is knowing where our body is in space and is really important for motor as well as spatial skills. 🧠

Children who seem clumsy, press too hard or softly when writing or often seem to have things backwards or upside down might need a little boost to their proprioception.

3 fun activities to try

🛏️Make a tunnel using bedding, chairs and cushions. Wriggle through
💪Heavy work – pushing, pulling, hanging off monkey bars
🐻Animal walks – take turns to choose an animal and walk like them. Use all 4 limbs to increase the amount of weight bearing

These games will build proprioception, and also help to regulate your child, so they’re great to do just before they need to do a focused / table top task

23/04/2026

Fun stuff around the house 🏠

Today – flour.

Five fun ways to use flour

🫟Playdough – there are many recipes on line, but I use 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, a bit of oil and a bit of water. Let your older child measure, and mix first with a spoon and then by hand. The activities are endless!
❄️Snow – put a few toys on a tray. Put a bit of flour in a sieve and spread by tapping the sieve. Great for bilateral coordination

✏️Tracing – Sprinkle some flour on a tray. Trace shapes, letters and pictures

🌈Kinetic sand – mix a little oil in flour and it makes a lovely combination of sprinkly/sticky sand – a great start for tactile sensitive children before using the more gritty one from the shops. Hide some items inside and let their little hands dig them out wearing a blindfold

🧁And lastly - baking! – take a simple recipe, and draw the ingredients as pictures. Let them follow the steps as a great way to improve planning

16/04/2026

Early handwriting✏️

Handwriting is a culmination of a number of skills including postural control, fine motor skills and visual perceptual skills.

So when you are playing games from playdough to matching games, these all build towards good handwriting.

Here are three activities for your pre or early handwriter

✍️Use lots of mediums, not just paper and pencil. Write with a stick in sand, with your finger in flour or in shaving cream against a mirror.
🖍️Use playdough to make letters, trace them on sandpaper, or mark them with chalk on the floor to walk around.
〰️Letters are made of patterns, and if the basic patterns are right, the letters will flow. So a white board or wipe clean surface is a great way to practice the basic patterns of circles and lines.

09/04/2026

Todays post is about cutting skills ✂️

Cutting skills are part of our fine motor development, but also needs skills like eye hand coordination, planning and use of the 2 sides of our body.

Between 2 and 3 years old child will start to coordinate the ‘open close’ movement and snip paper

A 4 year old should be able to cut lines and start with corners and a 5 year old more complex lines and shapes.

Some ideas to encourage cutting

💪Cutting needs strong shoulders, warm up first with some wheelbarrow walking.
⚠️Always encourage cutting away from the body, and turn the paper rather than the scissors for better control.
📍Start by cutting thin cardboard. It holds its shape and is easier to control.
🫟Paper/card doesn’t have to be the only thing we cut. Playdough is really fun, leaves, material and other items allow for better sensory feedback.

For younger children – cutting is best as a supervised activity to keep their fingers (and hair) in tact! 🌈