Sensory Calm: Sensory Processing, Nutrition...

HEAVY WORK ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS TO DO AT SCHOOL

This list of heavy work activities are ones that occur naturally throughout the school day and/or can be done right within the classroom. So if your child needs a quick body break at school, then these heavy work activities for the classroom are perfect for that!

Erase chalkboards or whiteboards

Sharpen pencils with a manual pencil sharpener

Fill plastic crates with books to take to other classrooms

Stack chairs

Move packs of paper for the printer/photocopier

Staple paper, especially onto bulletin boards

Take down chairs at the beginning of the day

Place chairs on desks at the end of the day

Rearrange desks or furniture in the classroom

Help the gym teacher move mats, hang them up, etc.

Ride a scooter board around the hallway

Carry books with both hands, hugging tight to chest

Open and hold doors for people

Help the janitor or caretaker empty garbage cans, recycling, mopping, sweeping, etc.

Climb on playground equipment

All children become anxious and stressed out at one point of their education with tests, homework, big projects and understanding new concepts. However, anxiety is becoming a bigger issue for many of the children we see on a regular basis and it is much more extreme than normal stressful situations. Many of these children haven’t fully developed their limbic system that can lead to emotional grounding issues.

These types of emotions are often manifested in the classroom, at home and in social situations. Many children act out or are known as a “behavior problem” because they are emotionally immature for their age and don’t know how to self-regulate to calm their bodies and their emotions.

If we don’t develop these important areas of the brain, higher learning processes are often disrupted. For example, a child’s executive function is developed at the top level of the brain (cortical level) and is often responsible for a child’s reasoning, organization and planning. If the limbic part of the brain remains underdeveloped, there become gaps in the child’s executive function, which is normally displayed in the child’s emotional state.

Toys for Calming an Anxious Child

If your child hasn’t fully developed their limbic system or if they don’t know how to self-regulate their emotions in the classroom, there are a few techniques you can try at home and at school. To calm an anxious child, you can do some breathing exercises, incorporate some calming activities in their routine or you can use different toys and fidget items to help regulate their emotions in the classroom.

5 Preschool Listening Games - Discover Explore Learn

Name That Noise

Have your child close their eyes or use a blindfold.  Make a variety of noises around the house and have the child identify what the noise is.  Examples include: closing a window, dropping a book, knocking on a door, turning on a light, or opening a drawer.

Play “I Spy”

Give 3 clues about something in the room.  Have your child try to guess what you’re describing.  Then, switch, and let your child give the clues while you guess the item.  My boys love to play this game when we are stuck waiting somewhere (doctor’s office, car repair shop).

Story Time Follow-Up

Read a favorite storybook to your child.  Afterwards, have them answer some questions about the book.  Ask what happened at the beginning, middle, and/or end of the story.  Have your child draw a picture about it, and then tell the story to someone else.  Have your child come up with an alternate ending to the story. Talk about the differences between their ending and the original ending in the book.

Monkey See, Monkey Hear, Monkey Do

Produce sound sequences with objects from around the house (spoons, whistle, pans, blocks) by tapping, banging, etc.  Encourage your child to repeat what they hear.  Start simple, and increase the difficulty as your child becomes more proficient.

Play “Simon Says”

This classic game is wonderful for teaching children to listen carefully.  Explain that they should only do the action if they hear “Simon Says” beforehand.  Example:  If they hear “Stand on one foot”, they shouldn’t do the action, but if they hear “Simon Says stand on one foot”, they should do it.

Take turns, so the children have a chance to test your listening skills as well.  My 4 year old loves this game, and finds it hilarious when I inevitably mess up and perform an action that I wasn’t supposed to.

Learning to listen (and to actually follow through with the requests) is an ongoing process in early childhood.  In most cases, children are not being defiant or disrespectful by ignoring or “tuning out” the things you say to them, but rather, they are so absorbed in whatever they are doing, that they simply don’t acknowledge your words unless it’s necessary.

With time (and practice), children can learn to become better listeners.

Main Findings

About half of nonpregnant women reported any alcohol use* and about 1 in 5 reported binge drinking† in the past 30 days.

Among pregnant women, 1 in 10 reported any alcohol use and 1 in 33 reported binge drinking in the past 30 days.

Among pregnant women, the highest prevalence of any alcohol use was among those who were

Among women who reported binge drinking in the past 30 days, pregnant women reported an average of 4.6 binge drinking episodes. This was higher than the average of 3.1 such episodes reported by nonpregnant women. The intensity (largest number of drinks consumed per episode) of binge drinking did not differ between pregnant and nonpregnant women.

Among nonpregnant women who reported binge drinking, those aged 18-20 years reported the highest frequency and intensity compared to other age groups.

35-44 years

college graduates