Attachment Therapy Activities
by Christie Q at http://quackenbaby.blogspot.com/
Feel free to share on your blogs.
Be animated, be funny, and be happy!
Popcorn/Jellybeans: When we first get into therapy (and at night now) we need to take our shoes off. So we sniff the air and we smell popcorn or jelly beans. Then we start to hunt around the feet to see if that is where the smell is coming from. Then we take off the shoes and socks to find popcorn/jelly beans. Then we pretend to eat the food/tickle her feet.
Lotion on our Boo-Boos: Next we ask if she has any boo-boos/freckles/etc. we need to look at. And we put lotion on the “boo-boo” (as long as it wouldn’t hurt her).
Climbing Up The Mountain: Next we rub a TON of lotion on our hands, and take her arm into our grip, we then use our hands wrapped around her arm to “climb the mountain”. We sing a little song… “I’m climbing up the mountain, I’m climbing up the mountain, I’m climbing up, and climbing up, and climbing up the mountain”. Then at the top of the mountain (arm pit) we loose our grip and sliiiiiiiiiide down and ask her to catch us and then we boom and thrash around.
Taco Girl: She lays in the blanket aka taco shell. Then we put all of the toppings with different sounds for each. Hamburger, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, salsa, then we wrap her up in the blanket. Next, we pretend to “eat” the taco. Tickling and saying, “this is one very yummy taco” the whole time.
Twinkle Twinkle: Since our Taco Girl is already laying in the blanket, one adult grabs the corners on their end, the other adult grabs the corners on their end, we lift her up and sing, “Twinkle, twinkle, little star WHAT A SPECIAL GIRL YOU ARE, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky, twinkle, twinkle, little star, what a special girl you are”. ---THIS IS A FAVORITE---
Weather Report: This is done in therapy with her shirt on, but at home, we do it shirt off, w/ lotion for her back. She sits facing away, and you sit behind her facing her back. Then, you basically draw out the weather on her back. Tickling, swishing, circling along the way. “Right now it is dark (hands down back) and there is a moon in the sky (draw the moon) there are also lots of twinkling stars (dot out the stars), and some clouds too (clasp fingers together and blot clouds into the sky), OH LOOK, the sun is rising (draw the sun around the bottom of her back like it would be on the horizon, then it rising into the sky) and the wind is blowing (breeze fingers left and right across her back). You can get fun and creative with it… either way it is a favorite for my 4 yr old.
Mirror: Mirror is pretty simple, one of you is the person, the other is the mirror, and you mimic the person’s actions. Do funny faces, wave hands, etc. Personally, I love to do the “I love you” where I point to my eyes, make a heart, and point to her.
Basketball: Get a little stuffed toy/beanie baby and put it on your head, then she makes a basket ball hoop w/ her arms. Then you try and bend your head down to make the toy fall into the hoop.
Hide the Cotton: Take five cotton balls and have your child hide them on herself. Then you try and find them while making funny actions in the process. I love to look in her ears, at her belly button, in her mouth, up her nose… etc.
Cotton Ball Hockey: Take a standard sized pillow, and each of you hold one end. Then you put a cotton ball in the middle and blow it to knock it off. You do this back and forth to try and score points.
Push and Pull: This is where you sit on the floor, knees bent in front, and she holds your hands and pushes you back, while she lands on your shins and you can lift her in the air or just rock forward and put her feet back on the floor. Another variation could be lifting her on your feet like an “airplane” zooming in the sky.
Snack Time: Each therapy session we have a snack. Favorites are Goldfish, Fruit Loops, and Fruit Gummies. Mom needs to feed, and then child can feed mom too. Then we pretend to be an animal or thing. For Goldfish, you could be a whale, or dolphin… and when you want another bite, you make the sound that animal makes. For Fruit Loops, you can be any animal, but a bird is fun. I hold her in my arms and ask if the little birdie wants a snack. She chirps. I feed her the various flavors and describe them as fruits. “Here comes a cherry little birdie”, “Chirp, chirp” “Here comes a blueberry”, “Chirp, chirp”, “Here comes a lemon, lime, orange grape” etc.
I also like to pretend I am picking the gummies from a fruit tree and feeding them to my baby. So I will say, “Oh a patch of strawberries, I bet my baby likes strawberries” she will then cry and shake her head while I feed her. Repeat for every type of fruit the gummy represents.
She loves the snack time! It is a lot of fun for both of us!
Shoe Race: At the end of therapy, the doctor and I do a sock and shoe race and see who can get the shoe and sock on the fastest.
I will be adding video of these the first of next week. I will also add more activities as we discover them in our therapy sessions! My lovely God-Daughter Maddie will be assisting me in the videos, since sadly I can’t record my girls for the public yet! :(
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