Tu B’Shvat Is Here!
Here is an idea for turning arts & crafts into a sensory activity that will help my child speak (PRT style)
When I look back on my childhood, I realize that I did not like doing arts and crafts at any stage of my life. Being a mother to children with autism I found myself delving into arts and crafts with my kids. I would love to tell you about an activity I found myself doing on Tu B’Shvat, and how it helped me work on some goals.
My Children’s goals:
- Improve language and communication while taking part in sensory and creative art activities
- Using a helping hand while doing arts and crafts
My goals:
- To be a mother who does arts and crafts
A tree painting made of glue and colored sands:
My daughter Michal would make pictures of trees by using glue and colored sandstone. We would take turns using the glue and scattering the colored sand. During the activity, there are many opportunities for communication – who will paint with the glue, disperse the sand, and pour the unnecessary sand into the trash.
Handprint tree made with paint and cotton:
Another idea is to draw the contours of a hand instead of the trunk and branches. Each can draw the other’s hand or the child can draw his own if working him crossing his midline. The top of the tree is created using a blotch of lively paint and glued cotton balls. Here, the adult actually creates the stains, while the child points where he chooses to place the blotch you can express the Shared Control. The child may also choose the color of the stain or select the amount of paint (a weak or strong stain). Moreover, shared control is executed by trading materials: the cotton balls are in your hand and the paint in the child’s hand or vice versa.
Looking forward to seeing beautiful and colorful trees,
Keren
