Blog - Kids Place Therapy Services

Anxiety in kids and best ways to respond to our anxious kiddos.

Every school year brings new and exciting challenges for our littles. New friends, growth spurts, and new knowledge are all exciting for some but can create anxieties in others. Anxiety in littles can present in many ways from nail biting , lack of sleep, tummy issues, diarrhea, and nausea.. just to name a few. We have gathered some helpful lists for parents on how to best address our anxious kiddos along with some coping skills that our kiddos can use to calm and create a productive outlet.

August 22, 2022/by Kam Wyruchowski

Backpack tips for all our kiddos heading back to school

Uncategorized

Back to school shopping has commenced and soon our little BIG kids will be filling their backpacks with all supplies and books. Here is a helpful link to best understand the correct weight per child and positioning.
https://fb.watch/eM-F4ZmnQ5/

:Back pack tips :

The weight of the backpack should not exceed more than 10% of your child’s body weight.
Put the heaviest items closest to your child’s back (the back of the backpack).
Check and make sure your child is not carrying extra books than needed.
If the backpack is too heavy, consider carrying a book in hand or using a backpack on wheels.
Wear the backpack on BOTH shoulders.
The bottom of the backpack should rest on the curve of the lower back. If it is too low, adjust the shoulder straps.
Choose a backpack that is the correct size.

In addition, Schaumburg Library is hosting a health and wellness for the caregiver class on August 11, 2022; 7-8:30 called “Back to School-Back to You”. You can RSVP at this link. https://tacanow.salsalabs.org/rsvpforilcaregiveraug1122/index.html

August 8, 2022/by Kam Wyruchowski

July is National Picnic Month!

Uncategorized

Picnics are a great way to spend time with your family while also working on speech and occupational therapy goals – and your child can be involved in each step of the process! Have your child help you prepare the food by washing fruits and vegetables, collecting plates and utensils, and making sandwiches. You can narrate what you and your child are doing as well as talk about how foods feel, look, and taste. Once the food is ready, your child can help you brainstorm or find other things you need like a blanket and picnic basket. Don’t forget to put on that sunscreen! This is a great opportunity to talk about body parts and spatial concepts (front, back). After you arrive to your picnic destination, you and your child can lay out your blanket and enjoy your picnic! At each step, you can work on speech therapy goals such as following directions, using action words, combining words into phrases, asking and answering questions, asking for help, and labeling everything you and your child see. This is also a great opportunity to work on feeding goals by having your child involved in food preparation and building tolerance of different foods on the picnic blanket or their plate. Because picnics are outside, you can get messy with food with little worry about clean up. Most of all have fun!

July 14, 2022/by Kam Wyruchowski

National Great Outdoors Month

Uncategorized

June is National Great Outdoors Month! The outdoors are an amazing place to work on your child’s goals for speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Some ideas for celebrating National Great Outdoors Month include swimming in local lakes and ponds, fishing, biking, camping, and hiking. If travel plans are not in your future for June, your backyard is a great place to start celebrating National Great Outdoors Month. If you have a tent already or some sheets and chairs, you can have a backyard camping night. Bring in some s’mores snacks, flashlights, books, and more! Some speech targets and activities might include:

Stars: how many you can see, what stars look like, the constellations they make
Snack: ingredients, texture (crunchy versus soft/chewy), taste (sweet versus salty), verbs (eat, scoop, chew, chomp)
Books: actions with the book (turn the page, look, read, close the book, open the book), what you see in the pictures, how characters feel, ask questions
Flashlights: use flashlights to play “I spy” in the dark
Nature: talk about temperature outside, wind, texture of the grass, feeling of sheets/pillows/blankets, sounds of the leaves in the wind
Songs: sing songs such as “Bear Hunt” while also using motor movements with your hands/arms

June 23, 2022/by Kam Wyruchowski

June is National Fruit and Vegetables Month!

Uncategorized

Nutrition is key for every child’s growth and development! As parents, it can be difficult to make sure your child gets their daily amount of fruits and vegetables due to busy schedules, picky eaters, cost, and other obstacles.

Some helpful ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables include:

1. Adding fruits and vegetables to existing favorite foods (adding fruits to cereal, yogurt, pancakes)

2. Eating fruits and vegetables with dips and sauces like peanut butter, yogurt dip, or vegetable dips

3. Try frozen fruit

4. Make smoothies with vegetables mixed in

5. Be the model and eat more fruits and vegetables yourself in front of your child

6. Grate zucchini or carrots into meat mixtures

7. Put cauliflower into mashed potatoes

8. Cut fruits and vegetables into fun shapes

9. Involve children in shopping, preparing, and cooking fruits and vegetables

10. Make popsicles and ice creams in ice cube trays using fruits

June 3, 2022/by Kam Wyruchowski