The Power of Play By Caitlin Razler MOT, OTR/L Occupational Therapist Titus Elementary School

What is occupational therapy? Occupational therapy is a health profession in which therapists and therapy assistants help individuals to do and engage in the specific activities that make up daily life. For children and youth in schools, occupational therapy works to ensure that a student can participate in the full breadth of school activities—from paying attention in class; concentrating on the task at hand; holding a pencil, musical instrument, or book in the easiest way; or just behaving appropriately in class. Occupational therapy practitioners don’t just focus on the specific problem that a child’s disability may present; rather, they look at the whole child and tackle individual tasks, helping students find ways to do the things they need and want to do.

Play Play is the occupation of childhood. It contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well being of children. Allows children to use creativity while developing imagination, dexterity, coordination, physical and emotional strength “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning, but for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” Mr. Rogers “Play is the highest form of research.” – Albert Einstein

What kind of Play? As a recent article published by the American Academy of Pediatrics notes, “Play has been shown to help children adjust to the school setting and even to enhance children’s learning readiness, learning behaviors and problem solving skills” Active Play engages the brain- play involving the whole body and the mind is most beneficial. Play is essential for healthy brain development The decrease in play can be explained by children being passively entertained through television or computer/tablet games. There is ample evidence that this passive entertainment is not protective and has some harmful effects on development if used too much.

Finding the Balance Technology is not EVIL…or avoidable at times…but the key is balance Monitor and set limits for screen time for kids and don’t limit their play to be solely based on technology Incorporate movement into game time and vice versa to get the kids up and moving

Get up and Move Many studies about the benefits of exercise for brain development Physical Activity is cognitive candy Exercise improves the performance of most human functions As we evolved, we were moving, exploring and adapting to different environments, not sitting in a desk for 6-8 hours Kids bodies are designed to move Beginning studies to prove effectiveness of exercise on academic performance

Sensory Integration Sensory processing and integration is a complex process in which we receive information through our senses, organize or process the information, and use it in a way that helps us participate in every day life 7 senses? For children this is especially important in school. Proper sensory integration is essential to achieve the desired level of self regulation required for the activity Every person’s sensory system is unique and their ability to process information at any specific time can vary Self regulation is the foundation for attention which is required for higher level processes such as reasoning, learning, comprehension, and memory

Visual Motor Skills Ability to coordinate vision with the movements of the body including gross motor skills and fine motor skills In school visual motor skills are used for tasks such as reading, writing, copying, math skills, organization, editing, self care skills, throwing/catching skills, playground skills etc. Variety of games and activities can be done at home and within classrooms to strengthen these skills

Fine Motor Skills These activities focus on motor skill development of the muscles in the fingers and hands, strengthening hand grip, and developing wrist movement These skills develop concurrently with gross motor skills and are dependent on the development of these skills as well Core strength, shoulder strength etc. (e.g. tummy time in infants) Integral for pencil grasp, hand dominance, use of tools, dressing and handwriting, posture Incorporating core strengthening exercises as a base for fine motor skill development

Attention Attention is a higher level neurological process that depends on a child’s ability to self regulate, process sensory information, and engage in the learning environment Movement improves attention to task Children that are more active have shown to demonstrate better attention in classrooms, less disruptive behavior, and have better self esteem which all impact academic performance Incorporating movement with learning tasks makes tasks more meaningful and therefore easier for the child to retain the information presented Multi sensory learning experiences are more meaningful for the child

In conclusion… Playing is a vital part of childhood and has a huge impact on cognitive, social, motor, and emotional development. Play and movement are also huge factors in academic learning both in and out of the school environment. Doesn’t take a lot of time or intense level of exercise or movement to make a big impact

Any Questions????