. 
February isn’t just about chocolates and valentines; it’s the perfect time to celebrate the health and vitality of our little stars! At Leaps and Bounds Therapy, we’re passionate about nurturing not only physical development but also the active spirits of the children we work with.
Fun Physical Therapy Activities
- Dance Party
Turn up the music and let the kids boogie! Dancing is a fun way to get moving, express creativity, and boost mood. - Obstacle Course Adventure
Create an indoor or backyard obstacle course with household items. Crawling under chairs, hopping over cushions, and balancing on a line make exercise exciting and playful.
Engaging Occupational Activities
- Placement activities can serve as a valuable stepping stone to writing. By requiring kids to pick up, grasp, and place small objects, these activities strengthen hand-eye coordination and build the fine motor skills essential for writing.
- Tracing is a great way for kids who are just beginning to print letters to get more comfortable holding writing instruments. This activity also helps with hand-eye coordination and strengthening the small muscles in the hand. Plus, kids can color in the entire printable after they’re done tracing for added fine motor skill practice and fun!
We’re sharing a variety of Occupational Therapy Activities designed for children, along with printable Valentine’s Day-themed exercises. These activities are perfect for practicing basic cognitive and motor skills in a playful, engaging way. Along the way, kids will gain confidence and self-esteem as they celebrate their achievements.
Spectacular Speech Activities
Valentine’s Day makes me think of chocolate and the color pink. This might hold true for many people, but this holiday is much more jam-packed with ways to target your child’s speech and language goals than you think – and all you need are a few things that you probably already have on hand!
Here are some activities for your little ones!
- Use the paper hearts to learn about colors or size. Have your child help you sort the hearts into piles while talking about what color or size they are, then use the hearts to make one of the crafts mentioned above!
- Following very basic directions: “Give the heart to_____” “Put the heart______”
- Cut a slot into the top of an empty chocolate box (or any box with a lid) and “send” the paper hearts as valentines to people. Use words like in, out, send, heart, and people’s names (Mommy and Daddy, siblings, etc.) to give your child specific vocabulary to use while pretending to send these valentines to their loved ones.
- Draw your own valentines! Ask questions and talk about who/what the child is drawing on their valentine to ramp up how much language your child uses during this activity. Or, instead of coloring, use the paper and candy hearts you have been playing with to make valentines and target verbs such as cut, glue, color, and make, as well as other vocabulary such as colors, valentine, hearts, give, etc.
The great news? You don’t have to be an OT or PT or SLP to incorporate these benefits into your child’s daily life. Parents can easily use simple games and crafts to engage their child’s senses, foster development, and make learning enjoyable.
📌 Tip for Parents: Encourage gestures during play and everyday routines—it’s a fun way to grow their skills.
At Leaps and Bounds, we celebrate every milestone moment and love supporting children as they build strong communication foundations. 💙