Thinking Outside the Box (...and into the ball pit)

I've mentioned it before, but I'm extremely lucky that I get to work with both Physical and Occupational Therapists at my job. We all collaborate and it helps us better consider the child as a whole. I'm sitting in an early morning session this week, with a little kiddo who, quite frankly, just didn't want to be in speech. We'd been through this before. This kiddo did not like the sounds we were targeting, and sat there, arms crossed, eyes downcast. Well, this is NO fun for anyone! I had to think of something. I'd been through all of the usuals. I'd tried the visual timer, and had attempted to entice this kiddo with every toy or board game in my room. Luckily, I remembered reading this article that one of our OTs had posted online. Written by a pediatric Occupational Therapist, it explains that some kids just NEED TO MOVE. They need to move to learn. I decided to give it a try, and think outside the box. Sitting at a table wasn't getting the job done. We left my therapy room. For the rest of the session, my kiddo turned into Tarzan. After jumping into the ball pit, my kiddo happily said the target words- MULTIPLE times. My kiddo watched my models, listened to my prompts, and started saying the sounds correctly. Most likely, you don't have a ball pit in your workplace. But I'll bet you could maybe borrow a jump rope, bouncy ball, hula hoop, or bike from the school gym teacher. Maybe you could even set up a little "Articulation Hopscotch" in your room? Who knows! The possibilities are endless, but don't forget... THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX ;-)