Pediatric therapy sessions typically involve a lot of play time! Why? Children learn about their world through play and imitation of adults, and play is much more motivating than sitting at a table completing worksheets. When a child plays with a car, here are a few of the skill areas that are targeted:
Cognition while playing with cars:
- Experiencing cause and effect relationships, such as when a car drops down a ramp
- Labeling basic parts of a car
Fine Motor or Hand Skills while playing with cars:
- Strengthing hand-eye coordination skills and improving hand dexterity while building a toy car. Consider building a visual model for your child to copy
- Improving hand coordination and hand dexterity while repairing a car using toy tools. Facilitate this by placing your hand on the child’s and physically moving his hands if necessary
- Practice using both hands simultaneously while turning a steering wheel
Gross Motor or Whole Body Skills while playing with cars:
- Improving strength and coordination while climbing in and out of child-sized car
Speech and Language while playing with cars:
- Vocabulary – Parts of a car:
- Wheels
- Buckle
- Steering wheel
- Seat belt
- Door
Early Learning Concepts while playing with cars:
- go/stop
- fast/slow
- on/off
- up/down
- smooth/bumpy
Have fun playing with cars with your child, and know that they are really learning in the process!
