BAC OTs Share Their Favorite Activities

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” - Mister Fred Rogers

One of the things we love most about occupational therapy at the Boston Ability Center is that sessions always look like play - but behind every game, swing, obstacle course, or scavenger hunt, there is intention, skill-building, and problem solving happening.

For OT Month, we asked a few of our OTs to share some of their favorite activities they use in sessions - and why they love them!

Sarah’s Favorite: Bolster (Hot Dog) Swing

“I think it’s such a silly, fun challenge for kids and it builds rapport quickly. It also shows how creative they can be to find all the ways to swing on it.” – Sarah

The bolster swing (also known as the “hot dog swing”) is a BAC favorite! Kids can sit on it, lay on their belly, hang upside down, and even kneel / stand on it and try to remain upright while it moves. On the bolster swing, we're targeting core strength, balance, coordination, motor planning, body-in-space awareness, and getting some great vestibular input, as well.

Like Sarah said, it’s also a great way to build trust and connection - and we love seeing kids come up with their own creative ways to use it!

Bella’s Favorite: Scavenger Hunts

“I love utilizing scavenger hunts! They can be adapted in so many ways to support children’s individual needs. I enjoy using their specific motivators to promote participation in tricky activities and can always incorporate goals into a scavenger hunt.” – Bella

Scavenger hunts are one of the most flexible therapy activities because they can be adapted for almost any goal. We can work on following directions, visual scanning in a busy environment, handwriting, fine motor skills, problem solving, obstacle courses with gross motor challenges, physical and emotional regulation, and more - all while kids are on a quest to find something exciting.

Using a child’s interests and motivators helps make challenging tasks feel fun and meaningful instead of frustrating or overwhelming.

Anita’s Favorite: Bean Bags & Imaginative Play

“My favorite piece of equipment to use during sessions is so simple — bean bags! I use them to create closed-ended loops on typically open-ended activities… They’re a great way to add imaginative play into almost anything!” – Anita

Bean bags may be simple, but they’re incredibly versatile! They can be used for throwing, catching, balancing, sorting, building, and all sorts of different imaginative play scenarios.

Something as simple as gathering bean bags and then throwing them into a basket can suddenly become:

• Climbing Mt. Everest to rescue stranded snowboarders

• Delivering pizza across a balance beam

• Feeding animals at the zoo

• Sorting treasure into pirate chests

  
  

Adding a story or mission helps keep kids engaged, builds imagination, and gives a clear goal to activities that might otherwise feel too unstructured or never-ending for a child.

Why Play Matters in OT

In occupational therapy, play is not a break from the work - play is the work.

Through play, we work on:

• Strength

• Coordination

• Fine motor skills

• Visual motor skills

• Sensory processing

• Emotional regulation

• Executive functioning

• Problem solving

• Confidence and independence

• And more!

  
  

We like to call our approach FUN-ctional - because therapy should be fun and functional (helping kids & families achieve real-life meaningful goals) at the same time.

Interested in OT services or have questions about your child’s development? Reach out to our team at 781-239-0100 or frontdesk@bostonabilitycenter.com.