What Are Self-Care Activities for Children?
Self-care activities for children can be anything from toileting and grooming to dressing and brushing teeth. OTs focus on the common self-care skills that children need in order to live as independently as possible.
Self-care skills are important for children as they help them to feel confident and capable. When a child is able to do things for themselves, it builds their self-esteem and helps them feel good about themselves.
OTs help children to develop their self-care skills, and identify any assistive devices they may need in order to complete these tasks independently. This can be anything from a simple stool for reaching the sink to a wheelchair for getting around.
How Do Paediatric Occupational Therapists Use Self-Care Activities?
OTs will often work with children on common self-care activities, such as eating and brushing teeth. They may use adaptations, routines, and visual schedules to help the child complete these tasks successfully. OTs can also help improve the child’s strength, coordination, and perception skills.
Encouraging Independence for School-Aged Children in Australia
If you’re the parent of a school-aged child in Australia, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Occupational Therapy (OT). OT is a health profession that helps people of all ages participate in the activities they need and want to do, through the promotion of independence and self-care.
For school-aged children, OT can play an important role in developing skills that will help them be more independent in their everyday lives. This may include things like toileting and hygiene, completing school work, playing with friends, or participating in family activities.
The OTs at Spring Forward are passionate about helping children reach their full potential, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Caring for a Child’s Mental Health Through Self-Care Activities
It’s important to remember that self-care is not just about the physical activities of dressing, eating, and cleaning teeth. It is also about taking care of the mental health of a child. An OT can work with a child and their family to support their mental wellbeing through self-care activities.
This might include engaging in calming activities such as mindfulness, deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation. Developing better time management skills can help a child feel more in control of their day, whilst promoting appropriate problem solving strategies for when difficulties arise. Further to this, modelling effective communication skills can reinforce positive behaviour and foster stronger relationships.
Ultimately, paediatric OTs are there to help children to achieve their daily occupations such as self-care tasks, school and play so as to enhance their confidence, self-esteem, social skills and general wellbeing.
Creative Self-Care Activities for Pre-Schoolers
If you have a pre-schooler at home, you can adapt and modify activities they already enjoy to help improve their self-care skills. For example, you can use the same games and toys to do mock exercises like brushing their teeth or washing their face. Visual schedules are also useful for pre-schoolers, who may still be learning language. You can make a simple one using pictures or symbols so that your child can learn the order of steps in completing self-care tasks, from start to finish.
Sensory processing can also be an effective tool in enhancing self-care skills in pre-schoolers. For instance, if your child is having trouble with oral hygiene, you might try using toothpaste with different flavours and textures for them to explore. Or if getting dressed is an issue for your child, you could provide clothing items with different materials and textures for them to enjoy while they dress themselves. Creative activities such as these may make it more enjoyable for your child to complete self-care tasks.
Tips for Implementing Self-Care Activities Effectively with Spring Forward Family Centre
One of the best tips that Paediatric OTs can give when it comes to implementing self-care activities is to do it in a playful way. When incorporating play into your child’s activities, it helps them stay engaged and motivated. Basic activities like brushing their teeth or drying off after a bath can become more fun when you add funny faces and gestures, or sing a song about the activity you’re doing.
At Spring Forward Family Centre, our team of paediatric occupational therapists also recommend incorporating activities that help build various skills, including physical strength/stability, fine and gross motor skills, concentration and planning skills, along with spatial awareness and problem-solving. This way, your child can not only master age-appropriate self-care tasks but also increase their strength/stability so that they require less effort for daily occupations such as school and play.
Conclusion
It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to giving our children the best chance at success, but OTs are the experts and they recommend these activities to help children with their self-care, school and play. If you’re looking for ways to help your child feel confident and happy, look no further than these recommendations from OTs.
