Hop Along Kids Occupational Therapy

09/04/2026

This makes my heart happy on so many levels…..firstly as an Occupational Therapist…..this amazing boy is being so well supported in a mainstream public school….and personally, this is the primary school that I attended…..Tenambit Public School 💙❤️

Deaf teacher teaching Australia’s first mainstream Deafblind class 💙🏫

Tenambit Public School quietly made history earlier this year, when kindergarten student, Ari, started attending the first deafblind class in an Australian mainstream primary school – established for him on Wonnarua country.

Ari is deaf, blind and lives with cerebral palsy, and his class shares a room with students who are deaf and/or hard of hearing (DHH).

Polly Van Aardt is his teacher, a deaf woman who was already excited to become the first teacher of a deafblind class in a mainstream school in the NSW public education system.

Ms Van Aardt and the team at Tenambit Public School have continued to build trust with Ari through consistent routines, predictable structures and sensory regulation strategies to help him feel safe and understand his new environment.

“Over time, I have seen growth in his engagement, confidence, and ability to communicate his needs and preferences,” Ms Van Aardt said.

“Small steps are very important, and each achievement is significant.”

23/03/2026

Thanks to The Regulated Classroom for this…….we as OT’s agree 100%🥰

01/02/2026

Thinking of all the kids and our clients going back to school tomorrow…….and the ones starting their school journey…..anxiety can be huge for kids, parents and teachers! 🥰

19/12/2025

And that’s a wrap for another year here at HOP ALONG KIDS! It’s been a crazy busy year with lots of OT sessions, assessments and never ending reports!! It’s time for us to have a well deserved break and spend time with our loved ones! Merry Christmas from Aliza, Leanne, Vanessa, Madi, Abbey, Olivia and Hannah 🌟🎁🎄🎅🏼💕 See you all in 2026!

16/12/2025

Thank you Karen Young - Hey Sigmund for sharing this in light of the horrific events that occurred at Bondi on Sunday

When terrible things happen, we want to make sense of things for our kids, but we can’t. Not in a way that feels like enough. Some things will never make any sense at all.

But here’s what you need to know: You don’t need to make sense of what’s happened to help them feel safe and held. We only need to make sense of how they feel about it - whatever that might be.

The research tells us so clearly that kids and teens are more likely to struggle after a tr@umatic event if they believe their response isn’t normal.

This is because they’ll be more likely to interpret their response as a deficiency or a sign of breakage.

Normalising their feelings also helps them feel woven into a humanity that is loving and kind and good, and who feels the same things they do when people are hurt.

‘How you feel makes sense to me. I feel that way too. I know we’ll get through this, and right now it’s okay to feel sad/ scared/ angry/ confused/ outraged. Talk to me whenever you want to and as much as you want to. There’s nothing you can feel or say that I can’t handle.’

And when they ask for answers that you don’t have (that none of us have) it’s always okay to say ‘I don’t know.’

When this happens, respond to the anxiety behind the question.

When we can’t give them certainty about the ‘why’, give them certainty that you’ll get them through this.

‘I don’t know why people do awful things. And I don’t need to know that to know we’ll get through this. There are so many people who are working hard to keep us safe so something like this doesn’t happen again, and I trust them.’

Remind them that they are held by many - the helpers at the time, the people working to make things safer.

We want them to know that they are woven in to a humanity that is good and kind and loving. Because however many people are ready to do the hurting, there always be far more who are ready to heal, help, and protect. This is the humanity they are part of, and the humanity they continue to build by being who they are.♥️

13/12/2025

Thank you to the amazing staff (Jo, Sue and Jen) at Our Italian Table for hosting our pasta making class for our 2025 Xmas party! Such a stunning location to celebrate the wonderful Hop Along Kids team! You would have thought we were in Italy 🇮🇹…….The pasta dishes were amazingly delicious🍝!! We were in food heaven! I’m so very blessed to work with such wonderful OT’s and OTA’s that continue to provide such amazing Occupational Therapy support to so many children, families and schools in our local area! 🥰

09/12/2025

We are looking for another wonderful Occupational Therapist to join our expanding team of paediatric OT’s and OTA’s! We love supporting our local families, schools and preschools by providing assessment and intervention (both individual and groups). Flexible working arrangements with an amazingly supportive team. New graduates are welcome to apply and will be well supported by senior staff. Applications close 22nd December 2025 ☺️

10/11/2025

Thank you to Kurri Kurri Public School for inviting us to their Kinder Expo! Our OT stall was a success and we even had the Year 6 school leaders give us their approval as “the fun stall” 😝

06/11/2025

Thanks for sharing this wonderful analogy Phil Bird Psychology 🥰🌿💦☀️

04/11/2025

It’s been a while since we posted activities that we have been doing with our clients…….today was a great engaging day……working on lots of different goals in our OT sessions 🥰

28/10/2025

Celebrating our wonderful profession and feeling grateful for having such a wonderful team of Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants at Hop Along Kids Occupational Therapy. We love making a difference in people’s lives 🥰

27/08/2025

Celebrating 9 years of a small business that I created…….Hop Along Kids Occupational Therapy! From just myself as the sole OT to where we are today…..4 OT’s and 3 OT assistants! I couldn’t be prouder of my team who continue to support, encourage and guide so many families and assist children to increase their independence and skill development. We love what we do! Thank you to everyone that has supported Hop Along Kids OT 🥰