Melissa Petcu MS OTR/L, occupational therapist at the Midtown office of Child and Family Development, has an interesting take on a classic Easter activity:
While the kids are busy hunting for Easter eggs, sit back and smile because your children are working hard on developmental milestones!
Eyes and hands-on visual and fine motor skills:
- visual scanning when searching for the eggs
- bilateral coordination skills when opening the eggs
- fine motor coordination when picking up the small pieces inside the eggs
Communication is key! Talking and listening practice:
- expressing themselves
- following directions
Throw in gross motor skills and coordination for extra fun by having your child do one or more of these while hunting:
- hop on 1 or 2 feet
- skip
- crab walk
If the Easter bunny provides written (or drawn) clues to find the basket or eggs, kids are also improving:
- reading skills
- oculomotor skills
- cognitive processing
Who knew Easter could be so educational!?!
