The Power of Play
64. Play Therapy Time for Travel (Getting There is Half the Battle) WRITTEN BY ANNA CLAIRE PRITCHARD, MOT, LOTR
S
pring has arrived and summer is just around the corner. This means it is time for family vacations, and your little ones will be in the car for long hours on the road. It may be your first trip traveling with children or you may be a car seat loading, snack packing pro, either way, traveling with children has its challenges. From what to pack to how to get there, a lot of work goes into a successful family vacation… especially how to keep them happy and entertained on the road. We know it is wonderfully convenient and super easy to hand them an electronic device or put on their favorite movie. Mine would be content watching Toy Story on repeat for hours, but time on the road can also give our kiddos a great opportunity for learning and fun without the trusty screens. These are some of my favorites for travel play. This list of items offers a variety of options to encourage fine motor skill development and cognitive learning… Don’t worry, they don’t know they are learning, they are simply playing and that makes for happy children and happy parents! 64
Anna Claire is a pediatric occupational therapist at Building Futures Pediatric Therapy Center. Her love of occupational therapy began at a young age. She incorporates fun, creative facets as well as holistic approaches to better assist her clients in reaching their goals. She has experience in a variety of settings from a multidisciplinary center for children with Autism and communication disorders to home health and an outpatient clinic for children and adults with a wide variety of diagnoses such as traumatic brain injury, CVA, cerebral palsy, Sensory Processing Disorder and dysgraphia. Her diverse population of patients is one of her favorite aspects of occupational therapy. Due to her innate love for children, she chose Pediatric occupational therapy as her focus. Anna Claire cares for all of her patients on a personal and professional level.
