What are the opening hours?

Monday 8:30am - 7:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 7:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 7:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 7:30pm Friday 8:30am - 7:30pm Saturday 9am - 5pm

Great Kids Place

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United States
Rockaway, NJ
Great Kids Place

Pediatric occupational therapy specializing in sensory processing disorders, dyspraxia, & ADHD Parents are encouraged to participate in every session.

Great Kids Place offers sensory and relationship-based occupational therapy services to address challenges in sensory processing, motor skills, learning, engagement, social interaction, attention and emotional regulation. We work with children and their families using our own unique play based model to address sensory motor and social emotional development simultaneously. At Great Kids Place, pare

nts and therapists play side by side our great kids. Therapists meet with parents to set functional real life outcomes for goals and work with the family in each session. We also offer parent meetings to review progress, strategies and goals. This approach significantly improves carryover and enhances relationships.

07/18/2025

Dear Families and Friends of our Great Kids Place Community,

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the devastating news that our beloved founder and director, Michele Parkins, passed away unexpectedly yesterday.

Michele was a devoted wife, a loving mother, mentor, and a passionate clinician whose life’s mission was rooted in sensory emotional engagement and integration—anchored in the power of relationships and play. She was more than the visionary behind Great Kids Place—she was its heart and soul. Her work was never just about therapy; it was about connection, joy, and the shared journey of growth between children and their families.

Through her unwavering dedication, Michele created a model of care that has touched the lives of thousands of children, helping them thrive and empowering families to feel seen, heard, and supported every step of the way.

Some of her happiest moments were spent in the gym—playing, laughing, and learning alongside your incredible children and families. She often said there was no better feeling than walking through the halls of GKP and hearing pure joy and laughter echo through the air. That joy, and her vibrant energy, were the essence of everything she built here.

Michele didn’t just create a practice—she built a community. A place where compassion, expertise, and hope come together. She also built a strong, deeply committed team that wholeheartedly embraces her vision. We are united in our commitment to continue her legacy with the same passion and care that she infused into every corner of this practice and her work.

In this time of sorrow, we ask that you join us in lifting each other up—as a community, and as a family. We are deeply grateful for your offers of support, kind words, and memories shared. We will share details about memorial services to honor Michele and her incredible legacy as soon as they become available.

With love and deepest sympathy,

Your Great Kids Place Family

P.S. Take time to play today.
In honor of Michele, we invite you to pause and play—even if just for 15 minutes. Whether it's through creative games, hands-on activities, or sensory motor experiences, play is more than fun—it helps us process the world around us, deepen emotional connections, and begin to heal. Michele believed deeply in the power of play, and she would have wanted nothing more than for each of us to embrace it today and always. ❤️

07/15/2025

With summer often comes vacations, and it’s important to remember that Sensory Emotional Kids tend to express their SEPs more vividly during vacations. Why? Because vacations often involve a break from routine and a flood of novel sensory-motor, social and emotional experiences. These changes can bring out new or more intense social-emotional responses—some that may not usually show up in day-to-day life. 🛫⛱️🚗🧳

When we use a Sensory Emotional Lens, we recognize that the way we take in sensation and move our bodies affects how we feel, act, and interact with the world. At the same time, how we feel, act, and interact influences how we experience sensation and movement.

🎙️Tune in to episode 54 of A Sensory Emotional Lens as we dive into each Sensory Emotional Personality (SEP) and explore strategies tailored to each one, as well as some general strategies worth keeping in mind when going on your next vacation.

Please listen, subscribe, and share! 🎧🔔

▶️ Now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music

Is there a topic that you’d like to learn more about? Send us a message!

▶️ https://greatkidsplace.com/podcast/

07/12/2025

We are all sensory beings ❤️ This article perfectly demonstrates how sensory systems are fluid - changing all the time - and how that relates to how we act and interact.

I love this the most...

“Understanding and addressing these issues, and providing support earlier, could be transformative, enabling health care providers to offer the vital emotional and social support patients need at a potentially confusing and distressing time...”

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250611/Rethinking-dementia-through-the-lens-of-sensory-changes.aspx

07/11/2025

Our young sensory friend transformed into a fearless construction hero, fully equipped with his trusty tools and an ultra-cool construction vehicle (complete with mat and blocks stacked on his scooter board). He was ready for anything the day might throw his way. 🔨🧰

But trouble struck fast—an evil villain (ahem, the therapist) triggered a massive earthquake that brought a building crashing down! Fortunately, our hero wasn’t alone. With Mom as his superhero sidekick, the two sprang into action, rebuilding the city brick by brick. 🧱

Just as calm returned, the villain made another move—she’d captured six superheroes and released six mischievous minions across the city! It was up to our brave builder and his sidekick to rescue the heroes and defeat the bad guys. 🦺

This scattered, yet intentional and passionate dude tackled it all with creativity and determination—building confidence through construction play, good guys vs. bad guys, and an epic rescue mission.

At the end of his adventure, he was beyond proud and said, “I love the City Room! I loved my story!” He especially loved his construction vehicle (which he designed himself—and wanted to be sure he was pictured with it!).

In the end, our hero came up with ideas, planned the sequence of actions, and adapted plans in the moment – he saved the day, defeated the villain, and restored peace to the city—with confidence and imagination. 🛠️

07/04/2025

This 4th of July, as the smells of barbecues fill the air, families and friends gather to laugh and play, and fireworks light up the sky, we’re reminded of a deeper kind of freedom — the freedom to be our whole, sensory-rich selves.

For the great kids we support as therapists, freedom looks like the ability to move, explore, connect, and feel just right in their own bodies. It’s not just about fireworks — it’s about the spark that ignites when a child feels safe, seen, and supported.

🌟 Whole-body movement — jumping in sprinklers, rolling down grassy hills, dancing with sparklers — is not only fun, it’s foundational. These big, joyful movements support regulation, coordination, and emotional connection.

🎨 Sensory play — whether it’s sticky popsicle fingers, the boom of fireworks, or the tickle of grass underfoot — can be a celebration of individuality. Every child processes the world differently. And that’s not just okay — it’s beautiful.

💙 Through the Sensory-Emotional Engagement Model (SEEM), we recognize that regulation, engagement, connection, and emotion are deeply intertwined. A child’s ability to play, learn, and relate is grounded in how they feel — in their bodies and in their relationships.

As we celebrate independence today, let’s also celebrate the right each child has to be uniquely themselves — to feel deeply, to wonder, to be passionate, to be compassionate, to think deeply, to step back or jump in — and to find freedom in being exactly who they are.

Here’s to big movement, big feelings, and big love this 4th of July. 💥

07/03/2025

🎆 Because over sensory responsivity and anxiety influence each other (and are in the same pathway of the brain), kids who are over-responsive to sound can become anxious during fireworks - and kids who are anxious about the fireworks in general, may become over-responsive to sound and touch, even if they don’t normally have this response in their day-to-day life. 🎇

Here are some tips and tools to help everyone, especially our anxious yet deeply feeling kiddos, prepare, feel in control of over stimulating experiences, and to have fun! 🤩

07/01/2025

Q: Why did the squishy slime feel so happy?

A: Because everyone loved hanging out with it—it really knew how to stick around!

Happy International Joke Day! 🤣

Share your best kid-friendly jokes in the comments!

06/30/2025

☀️ Summer can bring freedom and fun — but with its new sensory and emotional experiences, summer can also be sensory overload, emotional fatigue, and unexpected challenges for kids with unique sensory-emotional profiles (SEPs).

🎙 Tune in to episodes 52 & 53, Surviving & Thriving Summer through a Sensory Emotional Lens, as we dive deep into how to support your child’s SEP through summer’s shifting routines, hotter days, unstructured time, and newly structured time. Whether your child is Anxious yet Deeply Feeling, Unaware yet Deep Thinking, Confused yet Full of Wonder, Needy yet Compassionate, or Scattered yet Intentional and Passionate, we cover specific strategies for home life, navigating camp, and managing parent-child SEP clashes.

🎧🔔▶ Please listen, subscribe, and share!

▶ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music

💌 Is there a topic that you’d like to learn more about? Send a message or comment below!

https://greatkidsplace.com/podcast/

06/27/2025

Taking a small "trip" together—whether it's a hike nearby or a visit to a new playground—allows everyone to be fully present. This shared experience helps us "emotionally refuel" AND improves and enhances stress regulation, attention, concentration, motor planning, and the ability to learn!

"When you take your child to an enriched environment, you are supporting their explorative urge, a vital resource for living life well, and their capacity to play. In adulthood, this translates into the ability to play with ideas, essential, for example, to the successful entrepreneur."

Read more:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/family-holidays/the-science-behind-how-holidays-make-your-child-happier-and-smarter/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKq4L9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGbUo0VjhEczJpa3gzN1BPAR7vRx-_gf1F6wMHJ5AoPiJW-AC7RYXgkV1cvgxMsH7cpJtCiG4gow3YXxVI3Q_aem_PecMrwJxCXzF1n5uY0L1XA

06/20/2025

☀️ Hello, Summer! ☀️

The first day of summer is here—and with it, a perfect reminder to slow down, play, and connect. The heart of growth lies in playful interactions, strong relationships, and meaningful moments shared between greatkids and their caregivers.

This summer, we invite you to: 🌻 Take time to P.L.A.Y.! 🦋 Wonder and explore together 🖐️ Experiment with movements, textures, sounds, 🤝 Help each other through connection and co-regulation 🌈 Discover the joy in small sensory-emotional moments

So, get out there and practice your ninja moves while jumping in the pool, dig for gold at the beach, go on a mystery walk and see what you discover, create new movement games, or build an epic obstacle course - just take time to PLAY this summer! 💛

06/19/2025

Each and every day, we celebrate the remarkable journeys of our Great Kids! Special thanks to them and their families for sharing the new growth and beginnings they celebrated (and continue to celebrate) this Spring. 🌸🎉

06/15/2025

🌟 Happy Father’s Day! 🌟
Today, we celebrate the incredible dads, grandpas, stepdads, uncles, and father figures who show up every day with love, strength, and patience.

At Great Kids Place, we know how powerful a father’s presence can be in a child’s growth—especially when it comes to sensory, emotional, and relationship-based development. Whether you’re playing on the floor, going on nature walks, becoming a chef, or simply being a calming presence in a busy world, you’re helping your child build the trust, confidence, and connection that fuels lifelong learning.

Thank you for being an anchor, a safe space, and a partner in your child’s journey. 💙

Address

Rockaway, NJ

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 7:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 7:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 7:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 7:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 7:30pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+19735868396

Website

http://www.greatkidsplace.com/, https://greatkidsplace.com/podcast/

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Sensory Kids are Great Kids!

Play is the occupation of children. As kids grow, it is through play that they develop their motor and motor processing and integration skills through exploration and discovery. At Great Kids Place, in our state of the art sensory gym, we use play to optimize engagement and participation in occupational therapy sessions to work on the development of sensory, fine motor, gross motor, core strength, motor coordination, motor planning, visual and handwriting skills.

At Great Kids Place, parents and therapists play side by side our great kids. Parents are encouraged to participate in every session. Therapists meet with parents to set functional real life outcomes for goals and work with the family in each session. We also offer parent meetings to review progress, strategies and goals. This approach significantly improves carryover and enhances relationships.