ARTICLES
Why Play Is Essential To Learning
In a world where standards, test scores, and academic achievement reigns supremely important and even drives funding for educational districts, what essential component to healthy living is being dismissed? So we ask, why is play essential to learning?
Creating a Calm-Down Corner: A Sanctuary for Stress Relief
In today's fast-paced world, stress and anxiety have become increasingly prevalent in our lives. Whether it's the demands of work, family responsibilities, or the constant barrage of information from our digital devices, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. That's why the concept of a "Calm-Down Corner" is a simple yet effective way to promote relaxation and emotional well-being. This post will explore a Calm-Down Corner, why it's beneficial, and how you can create one for yourself.
How to Create An Ideal Calming Corner For Your Child
Creating a calming corner for your child is a thoughtful way to provide them with a safe, serene space to relax, de-stress, and manage their emotions. Here's a guide to designing a calming corner that is functional and comforting for your child.
How Leisure Promotes Health and Well-Being
In today's fast-paced world, where the demands of school, family, and daily responsibilities can be overwhelming, the importance of leisure activities can easily be minimized. However, engaging in leisure pursuits isn't just about fun and relaxation; it can have a profound impact on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Let's explore how leisure activities can promote health and well-being, providing compelling reasons to prioritize them in our lives.
What Does OT Look Like for My Older Child?
Pediatric OT is often associated with a gym-like environment that offers a place for kids to swing, crash, and bump on mats and jumbo pillows. This can be helpful in providing sensory input that a child may crave and need for their development. By adolescence, children start honing their logic and critical thinking skills. At Playright, we offer an inspiring, creative space for children to learn about themselves, gain insight and perspective on how to be mindful and regulated and develop effective strategies for daily life.
How Creative Activities Boost Executive Functioning in Adolescents
Adolescence is a crucial period of growth and development, marked by numerous physical, emotional, and cognitive changes. Among these changes, the development of executive functioning skills plays a pivotal role in shaping an adolescent's ability to succeed in school and beyond. Executive functioning encompasses the cognitive processes responsible for planning, organization, decision-making, and self-control. Engaging in crafts and creative activities during this time can significantly benefit adolescents by enhancing their executive functioning skills. Crafting serves as a powerful tool for nurturing these essential cognitive abilities.
How Can You Help Your Child With Self Awareness In A Positive Way?
The journey of childhood and adolescence is the playground where we learn who we are, who we want to be, and hopefully, but not always, how to bridge that gap. As the brain continues to develop and abstract thought becomes available, there is an opportunity to self-reflect and use constructive feedback to be more self-aware, so we can explore our individual interests and face challenges along the way with resiliency and determination.
What Can You Do To Help Your Teen Feel Comfortable In Their Own Skin?
The terminology "self-regulation" suggests that individuals are supposed to be able to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and actions independently. However, human beings are social creatures, and we need interdependence. Each of us experiences times in our lives when we feel on top of things, and times when we need help from supportive friends, family, or colleagues. It is important to let our children know it is typical to go through periods of time when we may feel awkward, uncomfortable, and unsure. This will pass, and we emerge stronger and more confident when it does. To make the time spent in this transition easier, we can rely on each other for support.
How Do You Know When To Seek Professional Intervention For Your Adolescent Child?
How Do You Know When To Seek Professional Intervention For Your Adolescent Child?
As adults who were once teenagers, we can speak from experience that the teen years are fraught with discomfort and insecurity. While there is no such thing as "normal," we can honestly say that feeling awkward, highly sensitive, self-conscious, and prone to mood swings is "normal" during the teen years and, for many, can persist into the early twenties.
Playright Offers Social-Emotional-Cognitive Groups
Here at Playright in Huntersville, North Carolina, we are working to develop social-emotional-cognitive groups for children of all age ranges. A sensory-safe place where they can be guided as they learn to understand the subtleties of building and maintaining friendships.
How Do I Help My Child Improve Attention and Concentration
Does your child spend too much energy avoiding what they need to get done? Do they complain that their work is too boring, or do they seem frustrated and overwhelmed because tasks seem too daunting and they are falling more and more behind? Perhaps they have even said they wish they could concentrate better, but they don't know how.
Playright Can Help Improve Functional Participation in Daily Activities
Does your child relate to any of the following? There is never enough time. I don’t know where to start. There is too much to do and it stresses me out. It’s too hard to concentrate. I wish I could get more done each day. If so, they may benefit from a tailored program to help them increase their ability to fully participate and function in their daily activities.
Playright Can Help Improve Visual Perception
Visual perception refers to the process by which the brain interprets and makes sense of visual information from the eyes. When visual perception is impaired, it can affect the development of many functional skills, including recognizing and distinguishing visual information, accurately judging movements through space relative to other people or objects, difficulty discerning foreground from background, challenges with recalling visual details or sequences of symbols, difficulty reading, difficulty writing and drawing, challenges achieving independence with daily tasks.
Playright Can Help Improve Mindful Movement, Balance and Coordination
Mindful movement is a practice that combines the principles of mindfulness with physical activity to promote health and well-being while decreasing stress and anxiety. It involves paying close attention to the present moment and being fully engaged in the movements of your body.
Playright Can Help Your Child Improve Hand Function, Fine Motor Control and Efficient Handwriting
Do you have trouble reading your child’s handwriting? Does your child avoid writing more than the absolute minimum? Do they struggle with opening containers and operating tools on a daily basis? Do they avoid wearing clothes with small buttons, belts, and tie shoes? Do they complain that they are all thumbs when it comes to dexterous activities?
Eight Great Parks In Huntersville, NC for the family
It's often a challenge to find fun things to do with your kids close to home. Here's a list of Eight great parks in Huntersville, NC for families with kids.
Mindful Movement for Stress Reduction
We hear a lot about mindfulness nowadays and it has become a hot topic for many books and programs for children. What does “mindfulness” mean and how can it impact the daily lives of our children in a positive way?
Seven Places in Huntersville, NC for Kids to be Social
It seems like “good old” public or private school would be the only place that kids need to meet other kids, but oh how that is not the case. With so much academic and social pressure in our private and public schools today, it’s more than a challenge for kids to create meaningful friendships in the random chaos that is the school playground or campus, especially for the sensory-sensitive child.
Five Pediatric Occupational Therapy Clinics in Huntersville, NC
Oftentimes, it's hard to find the right fit for your child when it comes to a therapist. Here is a list of all the pediatric occupational therapy clinics we could find in our city of Huntersville, NC to help you with your research. Playright Occupational Therapy Services, 10224 Hickorywood Hill Avenue, Suite 101B, Huntersville, NC 28078
Small Social Group Classes for Homeschoolers in Huntersville, NC
I am putting together some fun and educational small-group classes for families who homeschool in the Huntersville area to help children socialize. The classes will be scheduled in the mornings weekly and are targeted to be age-appropriate. Take a look at some topic ideas listed below and reach out to me as we build a list of interested families.