A child’s main occupation is PLAY! It is his or her primary method of learning, developing, interacting, and growing. Play encompasses a variety of areas, including: gross-motor, fine-motor, sensory-motor, pretend, and most importantly, interaction with others. Using skills based on Floortime/DIR, our occupational therapists work with children by taking their lead, challenging them to continue to progress through developmental stages (such as problem-solving, thinking, and frustration tolerance), and working with them to help expand on their play through creativity and dynamic engagement.
Working on motor planning is also an essential part of play. Motor planning consists of three parts: coming up with an idea, planning what to do, and then executing the plan. This is an essential process that occurs in an ongoing manner through play. It works on the creative and interactive aspects of play, as well as the physical movement part of the process. Motor planning is used in all forms of play. Some examples include: figuring out how to climb on various pieces of playground equipment, how to come up with ideas for pretend play, and how to manage the feeling of “I’m so bored.” If you have even seen an empty paper towel roll used as a pirate’s telescope, this is an example of creatively using toys and objects in ways that are different from only their initially intended use.