![]() If you want to really work on developing age-appropriate grasping skills, you can use the Baseplate Builder. I have noticed more often than not, the kids are utilizing a fine-pincer grasp to pick them up and then manipulate them to put them together. In this case, Plus Plus' are just the right size to encourage appropriate grasping skills. Improves Grasping and Manipulation Skills-sometimes the simpler something is, the better it is. In addition to all the things already mentioned, Plus Plus blocks can be used to work on the following occupational therapy goals: Any opportunity a child has to learn these types of things in a multi-sensory and playful way, the more likely they are to learn them at a faster pace. ![]() One thing that I have seen done with them is to practice building letters, numbers or shapes. My daughter happens to love everything rainbow and unicorns and built this awesome two level waterfall and rainbow scene using two baseplates while she was building a few weeks ago. It acts as a platform for kids to be able to build scenes or anything else they want with the blocks. The Baseplate Builder is similar to the baseplate for Legos. One of the newest products from Plus Plus also happens to be another one of my favorite occupational therapy tools. I have been using them to help some of my younger kids learn their colors while they build. Like the regular Plus Plus blocks, they come in a variety of bright or pastel colors. For smaller hands or children who might not have the strength and dexterity to use the regular size Plus Plus, you can use the Plus Plus Midi which are the same design but bigger and easier for smaller hands to manipulate. For some of my older kids, I might tell them they need to use a certain number of pieces in whatever they create because even though I want them to be creative, I also want them to gain strength in their hands. The most important thing is that they have fun. There is no right or wrong thing to build or story to tell. I have been encouraging kids to make whatever they want using the pieces and tell them they will have to tell me a story about what they built after. There are a variety of colors, so you can work on having kids learn their colors or work on matching and sorting when using them. ![]() They are a great tool for any occupational therapist's tool chest because even if you move around from school to school or between homes, they are lightweight and take up very little space. I can't believe that I waited so long to bring these into work (or introduce them to my own daughter). ![]() There were several times I had them in my hand to purchase and then looked at those little pieces and thought about kids putting them in their mouths or getting frustrated if they were hard to put together. I am not stranger to the Plus Plus products, and there have been many times in which I walked into different toy stores over the years and would be drawn to those little tubes filled with little pieces that look like plus signs. One of the first things that I purchased from the recommendation of Lizzie from the Workspace for Children were Plus Plus construction toys. So the more opportunities that children have to engage in open ended play, the more we are preparing them to be successful in school. There are also a number of cognitive benefits of open ended play including working memory, self-regulation, organizational skills and so much more. Through open ended play, kids can develop a variety of social and emotional skills such as empathy, cooperation, problem solving, and improved self-confidence and self-esteem. What I learned about open ended play is that it it is crucial for the development of imagination and creativity in children of all ages. So, with some inspiration from the Instagram feed from the Workspace for Children, I began exploring the idea of open ended play with Quinn. I was watching her become more anxious about things and not enjoying them as much as she should have. She was constantly worrying about whether or not things were right and would like what she was doing or would they be disappointed with it. My interest was initially peaked by watching my daughter during the school year and how her structured routine over the course of the week was having an impact on her ability to "play" without us helping her decide what she should do and how she should do it. One might wonder what my sudden interest in open ended play is. ![]()
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