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More research is coming out showing negative impacts in child development. Researchers found that increased use of screen time during infancy was associated with poorer executive functioning once the child was 9 years old, Study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Did you know playing in the snow is a great heavy work sensory activity? Shoveling snow, rolling snow to make a snowman, pulling a sled up a hill, jumping in snow, digging a hole in the snow and carrying a large snowball or buckets of snow are great ways to use those muscles!

Looking for the toy ideas to give as gifts for Christmas and Hanukkah? Try Don't Spill the Beans, Kerplunk, K'Nex, checkers, Tic-Tac-Toe, and puzzles for a fun way to work on fine motor and visual motor skills!

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great first day!

Looking for some winter themed motor activities? Cut out snowflakes and icicles to work on hand strength and control. Crumple scrap paper/old mail into snowballs for an indoor snowball fight- great for strength and fun!

We have officially shifted to snow season! Some fun ways to play in the snow and build fine/gross motor: build a snow fort, make snow angels, make snow balls/throw at a target or have a snowball fight- just putting on their own snow gear is a great workout for kids! Have fun!

Here are 5 great fine motor activities to develop pencil grasp for handwriting: use short pieces of chalk to draw on the sidewalk, peeling stickers, use play dough (pinch and roll the dough), play with letter magnets on the fridge, and use window markers to draw on windows/doors

Return to school means shopping! 6 tips for backpack safety: fit the size to your child's back, look for padding on the straps, choose a light material, less compartments=less weight, remember- backpacks should only weigh 10% of your child's weight

It's a beautiful day outside, perfect for brightening your driveway or sidewalk. Lay down some tape for the edges, and create!

A great sensorimotor activity for the rainy week ahead- make an inside obstacle course! Work on jumping over things and crawling under things. Crawl under the table, jump over some pillows, crab walk around a chair then crawl over the couch cushions.

Play is so important! Using their motor skills, problem solving, and having fun!

Want an easy activity for your child to help develop hand eye coordination? Have your child play with a bean bag or ball- just dropping it from one hand to the next develops hand skills!

Play provides so many opportunities for motor, speech and cognitive development!

Want an easy activity to improve grasp? Have your child thread string through a straw! The motion will help develop the wrist and thumb, both needed for an efficient pencil grasp.

Want a great way to help your child develop their hand? Play a game with dice! Have your child cup their hands to shake up the dice- this helps form the arches of the hand.

Why Children Aren't Behaving, And What You Can Do About It kqed.org/mindshift/5132…

Back to school tips from the Academy of Pediatrics healthychildren.org/English/ages-s…

It is almost back to school shopping time...remember backpacks should only weigh (when filled) 10%-15% of your child's weight. Less is healthier!

Backpack safety-the size should match the student, 2 wide padded shoulder straps(non-padded straps dig into the shoulders causing upper back/shoulder pain and 1 strap can cause alignment problems in the spine), waist strap- it distributes the weight of a heavy load more evenly.

According the to American Academy of Pediatrics, a 2013 study showed that the average child spends 8 hours/day in front of screens (tv, video games, computers, phones). Older children and adolescents are spending an ave of 11 hours/day in front of screens. Time to get outside!