Winter can be the perfect time to get creative with therapy activities that make the most of the snow and cold weather. Here are some fun ways to incorporate outdoor winter play into both occupational therapy and speech therapy goals:
Snowball Toss for Coordination and Strength
- OT Focus: Throwing snowballs helps improve gross motor skills like hand-eye coordination, muscle strength, and balance. Kids can practice targeting specific areas by aiming at a snowbank or tree, encouraging focus and improving upper body strength.
- Speech Focus: Incorporate language goals by having kids describe what they’re doing. Use action words (throw, catch, aim) and expand their vocabulary by asking them to describe the snow or the different types of snow they feel or see.
Snow Painting for Fine Motor Skills
- OT Focus: Fill spray bottles with water and food coloring to create “snow paint.” Kids can use this to “paint” the snow, practicing fine motor control, hand strength, and grasp. They can also engage in purposeful tracing, which helps with hand-eye coordination.
- Speech Focus: Encourage kids to describe their artwork, helping them practice full sentences and specific vocabulary (colors, shapes, feelings about the art). Older children can even narrate a story about their snow masterpiece, working on story structure and sequencing.
Sledding for Strength and Balance
- OT Focus: Sledding isn’t just fun—it’s also great for core strength and balance. Climbing up the hill engages the muscles in the legs and trunk, while the downhill ride requires balance and coordination.
- Speech Focus: Practice prepositions (up, down, over, under) while climbing the hill, or use the ride to ask your child to predict what will happen next. “What do you think will happen when we go down the hill?” is a great way to encourage language and problem-solving skills.
Winter Scavenger Hunts for Sensory Exploration
- OT Focus: Create a scavenger hunt in the snow! Looking for specific objects (e.g., pinecones, icicles, animal tracks) allows children to use their sensory processing skills. Exploring textures like snow, ice, and tree bark helps with tactile discrimination and sensory integration.
- Speech Focus: Have your child describe the objects they find (color, size, shape) or use their AAC devices to request and comment. This activity is perfect for practicing descriptive language and expanding their vocabulary.
Snow Shoveling for Motor Planning and Task Completion
- OT Focus: While it may seem like a chore, shoveling snow can actually be a great motor planning activity! Children can practice sequencing steps (get the shovel, lift the snow, throw it), working on their motor planning and coordination.
- Speech Focus: Have children explain each step of the process as they go along, using action words and sequencing phrases like “First, we…” and “Then we…” This will help improve their ability to organize thoughts and communicate clearly.
Building Snowmen for Social Skills and Communication
- OT Focus: Building a snowman involves multiple fine motor skills such as rolling, patting, and shaping the snow. It also encourages bilateral coordination when both hands are used together.
- Speech Focus: This is a perfect time for collaborative play, which is great for social skills. Take turns building different parts of the snowman while practicing conversational skills like asking for help or giving directions.
Winter Walking for Sensory and Motor Integration
- OT Focus: Take a winter walk through the neighborhood or a nearby park to practice balance and coordination on snowy or icy surfaces. Walking through deeper snow can help with body awareness and muscle strengthening.
- Speech Focus: During the walk, talk about the winter surroundings—what the snow feels like, how the air smells, or what animals might be out and about. This gives kids a chance to practice descriptive language and build their vocabulary.
At Step Forward Therapy, we love finding creative ways to incorporate the outdoor world into our sessions. Whether it’s sledding, building snowmen, or just exploring the sights and sounds of winter, we bring nature’s beauty into therapy to make learning engaging, fun, and effective. We also offer an exciting opportunity through our Outdoor Therapy Camp, where we visit local nature centers and forest preserves to combine the outdoors with occupational therapy. It’s a wonderful experience that helps children develop skills in a natural setting, and we encourage you to join us this year at our Outdoor Camps for a unique, therapeutic adventure!