An OT, SLP, and a PT are serving up gift recommendations for your kids this year. See what they have in store for them.
by Molly Buist, OTR/L
November 16, 2023
An OT, a PT, and an SLP walked into a toy store. Here's what they picked out for your kids. 🎁
Gifts Ideas From the Occupational Therapist
- Yogibo Cushions: These durable and modular cushions provide positive sensory integration for people with sensory processing disorders. Save 25% sitewide on their Black Friday Sale now.
- The Original Nugget: The original play couch is infinitely configurable: designed with four foam pieces (base, cushion, and two triangle pillows) and covered in a washable fabric cover in the color of your choice.
- Play-Doh Sets: This classic toy is an easy and effective means for building fine motor skills and it provides a tactile sensory challenge with proprioceptive sensory feedback.
- Magna-Tiles: Certified STEAM toy, per Dr. Gummer’s Good Play Guide, in partnership with The Toy Association, for aiding in the development of fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, cognitive skills, executive functioning, creativity, and more!
- CapeAble Weighted Blankets, Vests, and Capes: The weight and compression of products like these can help a person feel calm and focused. It resembles a firm hug and who doesn't need one of those?
Gift Ideas From a Physical Therapist
Newborns + Toddlers
- Smart Stages Piggy Bank Interactive toy piggy bank with 40+ songs, sounds, and learning phrases for infants and toddlers ages 6-36 months. Drop the coins into Piggy’s back or press the nose for fun songs, sounds, and phrases.
- Spinning and Stacking Rainbow: Stack according to the shape, size, color, or randomly. Helpful for practicing grasping ability in the process of playing, improving hand-eye-brain coordination.
- Leap Frog Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket: Perfect for pretend picnics. Match the shape of the food pieces with the interactive shape sorter to hear the basket recognize the food and say the shape and color of each one.
- Bright Starts Oball Easy-Grasp Rattle: Newborns and up.
Kids
- Hey! Play! Snowball Maker Tool: Encourage outdoor play in the winter! It can also be used with wet sand or mud. Long handles are comfortable to grab.
- Flexible Flyer Snow Fort Building Block Mold: Build snow forts and igloos to stay safe from snowball fights! Can also be used with wet sand or mud.
Gift Ideas From a Speech-Language Pathologist
- Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart: Build memory and sequencing skills to craft a toy ice cream masterpiece for pretend customers.
- Mess-Free Coloring: Colors appear only on special Crayola Color Wonder Paper, not on skin, clothing, or carpets.
- Outer Space Toys, Sensory Bin: This self-contained bin is an out of this world toddler sensory experience, and galaxy-themed gift for kids!
- Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pad: The Melissa & Doug Habitats Reusable Sticker Pad includes 5 colorful backgrounds and 150-plus repositionable stickers.