Holly's Haven

29/05/2026

Welcome to my new followers! Thank you for joining. X

28/05/2026

Hot weather can feel uncomfortable for many children — but for children with sensory integration and processing differences, it can feel completely overwhelming. ☀️🌡️

Children with sensory processing differences may struggle more in high temperatures because their nervous systems can find heat, humidity, sweating, bright sunlight, noise, crowds, and certain clothing sensations difficult to regulate.

You may notice: • Increased irritability or emotional overwhelm
• Fatigue or shutdowns
• Difficulty concentrating
• Refusal to wear certain clothes
• Distress from sticky skin or sweating
• More sensory seeking or sensory avoiding behaviours

Strategies that may help:
🌸Offer fluids regularly and include cooling snacks
🌸Use cool towels, mist sprays, fans or water play
🌸Choose lightweight, breathable clothing with minimal seams/tags
🌸Plan outings during cooler parts of the day
🌸Create calm, shaded sensory breaks
🌸Use sensory supports such as sunglasses, hats or headphones if needed

Remember — behaviour is communication. A child who appears “difficult” in the heat may actually be overwhelmed and struggling to regulate.

Every child experiences the world differently, and with understanding and support, families can help children feel safer, calmer and more comfortable during hot weather. ☀️🧠

28/05/2026

Low self esteem in children does not always look like sadness or insecurity. Sometimes it appears as perfectionism, avoidance, frustration, people pleasing or giving up quickly when things feel difficult.

Children develop their sense of self through relationships and experiences. Repeated feelings of failure, criticism, difference, rejection or not feeling understood can gradually shape how a child sees themselves and their place in the world.

Play therapy helps children build self esteem and a healthier self concept by providing a space where they feel accepted, valued and emotionally safe exactly as they are. In play therapy, children are not expected to “perform” or get things right. Instead, they are offered curiosity, empathy and acceptance within the therapeutic relationship.

Through play, creativity and emotional expression, children can begin to explore who they are, process difficult experiences and develop a stronger sense of competence, confidence and identity.

Children grow into themselves most fully when they feel seen, safe and valued.

23/04/2026

23/04/2026

Goodbyes can be surprisingly big moments for children. A few words at the door can shape how safe, confident, or anxious a child feels for the rest of the day. When adults name feelings, offer reassurance, and show connection, children learn that separation is manageable and that their emotions matter. These everyday moments help build trust, emotional security, and resilience over time.

Like the photo and comment "BYE" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

22/04/2026

Distal finger control is important because it plays a critical role in fine motor skills—especially tasks that require precision, coordination, and control at the tips of the fingers.
WHY do we care about this skill?
1️⃣Distal control helps kids do things like:
+Button shirts
+Zip jackets
+Tie shoelaces
+Use utensils
+Manage coins or small objects

2️⃣Builds Handwriting Skills
+Proper pencil grasp
+Smooth letter formation
+Writing with appropriate pressure and spacing

3️⃣Promotes Efficient Tool Use
+Scissors
+Tweezers
+Paintbrushes
+Keyboards and tablets

4️⃣Reduces Hand Fatigue
When distal muscles are strong and coordinated, the rest of the hand doesn’t have to overcompensate. This means better endurance for tasks like coloring, writing, or using manipulatives.

5️⃣Builds a Foundation for Complex Motor Skills
Many manipulation skills, like tying knots or doing crafts, require refined, isolated finger movements. These higher-level tasks build from a solid base of distal control.

More activities and ideas for distal finger control: https://www.theottoolbox.com/distal-finger-control-exercises/

22/04/2026

When kids act out, push back, or fall apart, it’s not defiance. It’s a signal.
A signal that something feels too big, too hard, or too overwhelming.

Instead of jumping straight to consequences, try this:
💬 “That was a big reaction — are you okay?”
💬 “Looks like something’s feeling tricky right now.”

This doesn’t mean we excuse the behaviour.
It means we meet the need behind it — and guide them from there.
Because connection is what builds cooperation. 💛

📘 Find more tools like this in my book Guidance from The Therapist Parent — available at www.thetherapistparent.com or via the link in bio.

BigFeelings ParentingWisdom

14/10/2025

💡 Repair is the most underrated parenting tool.
Every parent loses it sometimes — that doesn’t make you a “bad parent.” What matters is how you come back.

👉 Repair teaches kids that relationships aren’t perfect, but they can be safe.
It shows them mistakes can be owned, feelings can be honoured, and trust can be rebuilt.

🔑 How to repair with your child:

1. Take responsibility – “I shouldn’t have yelled.”

2. Acknowledge their feelings – “That must have felt scary/overwhelming.”

3. Reassure the relationship – “I love you, even when I’m upset.”

4. Reconnect – Sometimes with words, sometimes with a cuddle, play, or gentle presence.

✨ The goal isn’t perfection. It’s teaching resilience, trust, and respect.

📖 Learn more tools like this in Guidance from the Therapist Parent → www.thetherapistparent.com or Amazon.

14/10/2025

🍂 Fall Fine Motor Activities
-Pick up acorns or small pinecones with tongs and sort into containers
-Crumple tissue paper into balls to make a fall tree craft
-Use clothespins to clip paper leaves onto string (leaf garland)
-Peel stickers to decorate pumpkins or paper cutouts
-Thread beads or pasta onto yarn to make “fall necklaces”
-Tear colored paper to make a fall collage
-Push small items (like pom-poms) into a pumpkin ice cube tray
-Use a hole punch on leaf shapes to create “leaf confetti”
-Transfer pumpkin seeds with tweezers or a spoon
-Practice tracing or drawing fall shapes (pumpkins, leaves, acorns)
-Wrap yarn around cardboard cutouts of pumpkins or leaves
-Use playdough to press in acorns, seeds, or leaf prints

Here are many more: https://www.theottoolbox.com/fall-fine-motor-activities/

14/10/2025

In Play Therapy, children lead the way. When a child feels safe and accepted within a trusting therapeutic relationship, their natural language of play becomes the bridge to healing.

🎨 Through play, they can:

Communicate what they cannot yet put into words

Re-enact and process overwhelming or confusing life experiences

Try out new roles, ideas, and ways of being

Build resilience and confidence

Gradually widen their window of tolerance – their ability to cope with strong emotions and stress

BAPT Registered Play Therapists® provide that secure, accepting space where every feeling and story has a place — helping children move from surviving to thriving, one play session at a time. 💛