Brighten Pediatric Therapy

08/29/2025

Easier Said Than Done 💥

✍️ Handwriting Engages the Brain Like Nothing Else! 🧠

Research shows that handwriting stimulates more complex brain activity compared to typing! Using EEG technology, scientists found that writing by hand activates key brainwaves:

Theta waves: Critical for working memory and learning new information.

Alpha waves: Boost focus and long-term memory.

Typing, with its repetitive finger movements, can’t match the rich experience of handwriting, which involves vision, motor skills, and body awareness. Handwriting isn’t just a skill—it’s a brain workout! 🖋️✨

08/27/2025

WEDNESDAY WIN OF THE WEEK 🎉 🎉 🎉
🎉 Big SHOUTOUT to one of our OT SUPERSTAR STUDENTS that completed the USA puzzle of the 50 states by himself! With good effort, good attention to task, and great problem solving skills.
Cheering them on!!!

08/25/2025

OT can be fun, functional and FREE!! There are everyday things in your kitchen that build fine motor skills!! And sensory enrichment, no extra charge! Use what you have. And have fun!

08/06/2025

WEDNESDAY WIN OF THE WEEK 🎉 🎉 🎉
🎉 Big SHOUTOUT to one of our OT SUPERSTAR MOMS who let us know that they have had more positive reports from daycare this week!
Cheering them on!!!

08/06/2025

More play.

"So many parents are often worried about why their child is not able to write by the age of 4 and why instead of writing, the teacher is allowing them to play, or be creative with intricate or fine motor materials?

This picture explains why.

Up until 6 years of age, their tiny hands are still developing and are not fully formed. Children require progressive development in their hands to enable them to grasp and hold things and eventually develop their writing skills.

Like any muscles, we must train them, strengthen them and ‘work out’ to get them stronger - this is just the same for the muscles in children’s hands.

So what should be done to support this?

PLAY! Playdough, colouring, tearing, sensory play, beading, picking cotton balls with tweezer/cloth clips, cleaning, wiping, holding, grabbing, sweeping, cutting, planting, digging etc.

These types of activities may not seem like education to you, but they are the foundations of what is to come. Rush the process and the results will be catastrophic.

We must allow our children to develop their fine motor skills which in turn, develop the skills required for early, emergent writing and later full writing skills.
When children are ready to write, they will. No need to rush them, they will show you when they are ready.

© Gavin McCormack— at National Child Development Center - Antipas.

08/02/2025

👀✋ Visual Motor Skills: More Than Just Catching a Ball

Eye-hand coordination is what helps kids see something… and then do something with it. That’s visual motor integration—and it’s essential for school, play, and everyday tasks. Kids use visual motor skills to:
✏️ Write within lines
✂️ Cut along a path
🧩 Build puzzles
🎯 Throw and catch a ball
🧦 Put on socks
🍽️ Eat with a spoon

When these skills are a struggle, Occupational Therapy helps with:
✅ Improving eye tracking
✅ Coordinating movement with vision
✅ Practicing purposeful, daily tasks
✅ Building confidence and control

Seeing + Doing = Growing. 🌱🌟🖍

08/01/2025

🎒 Back-to-School Ready ✏

It’s not just about pencils and backpacks—it’s about routines, regulation, and readiness.
As kids head back to school, you can help prepare minds and bodies for success with these key skills:

✅ Morning routines: practice getting up, dressed, fed, and out the door
✅ Fine motor prep: zippering, cutting, holding a pencil
✅ Sensory regulation: calm bodies = focused brains
✅ Following directions: one-step, two-step, and transitions
✅ Desk posture + endurance: build core strength for sitting and writing

🏫 Start practicing 1–2 weeks ahead with:
🕒 A simple daily visual schedule
🧩 10-minute calm-down breaks
🎒 Try-on backpack practice
🥪 Lunchbox test runs

💛 Let’s build confidence, calm, and coordination—because readiness is more than being on time. It’s being able to participate, engage, and thrive.

07/30/2025

WEDNESDAY WIN OF THE WEEK 🎉 🎉 🎉
🎉 Big SHOUTOUT to one of our OT SUPERSTARS who has improved from rolling to scooting to hands and knees over the last few weeks!
Cheering them on!!!

07/28/2025

Routine Isn’t Rigidity—It’s Regulation

For many children, routine isn't about control—it's about feeling safe. It helps reduce anxiety, increase independence, and prepare the brain for success.

That’s why pre-training expectations (previewing what’s coming) can make a big difference.

✅ Try this:

📸 Use a visual schedule or checklist

🕒 Give advance notice before transitions

💬 Practice or role-play upcoming tasks (“First we wash hands, then snack”)

🔁 Keep routines predictable, especially for new or challenging events

🎯 The goal? Help the nervous system feel prepared, not surprised—so learning can happen.

Because when a child feels safe, they can shine. ✨

07/26/2025

️‍🥇🏅🏅Repetition Builds Champions🥇🏅🏅

Olympic athletes don’t master their skills in one try.
They repeat.
Again. And again.
Until the movement becomes automatic, efficient, and strong. 💪

In OT, it’s the same.
Whether a child is learning to put on their socks, write their name, or calm their body.
Repetition is the training ground for success.

🏅 Every small skill practiced over time becomes a building block for independence.
So when your child practices that “easy” task over and over, remember:

They’re in training.
And they’re winning.

Send a message to learn more

07/26/2025

Slow, Rhythmic, Repetitive = Nervous System Calm

The most calming movements for everyone aren’t wild and fast—they’re:
🌀 Slow
🔁 Repetitive
🎵 Rhythmic
Think: rocking, swaying, humming, deep breathing.
These movements signal safety to the nervous system.
Want better regulation and sleep? Start with rhythm.

07/23/2025

WIN OF THE WEEK 🎉 🎉 🎉
🎉 Big SHOUTOUT to one of our OT superstars who crossed the balance beam all by himself this week for the first time.
Cheering them on!!