What it means:
Helping kids strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers to complete activities like writing, cutting, buttoning, and tying shoes.

When it’s needed:
If your child struggles with grasping crayons, using utensils, manipulating small objects, or completing daily self-care tasks like zipping jackets.

Major Milestone:
By 5–6 years old, kids should be able to use scissors to cut simple shapes and form most letters correctly when writing.

Quick Tip:
Encourage play with building blocks, playdough, and tweezers to boost hand strength and coordination in a fun, pressure-free way.

What it means:
Helping kids better process and respond to sensory information — like sounds, sights, textures, movement, and body position — in a way that feels comfortable and organized.

When it’s needed:
If your child is overly sensitive (or not sensitive enough) to things like touch, noise, movement, or has trouble staying calm, focused, or coordinated.

Major Milestone:
By around 4–5 years old, most children can tolerate a variety of everyday sensory experiences (like getting messy, hearing loud sounds, or wearing different clothing textures) without becoming overly upset.

Quick Tip:
Expose your child to a variety of textures, smells, and experiences early on. Encourage messy play without wiping their hands/cleaning up until the end.

What it means:
Helping kids learn the skills they need to be as independent as possible with activities like dressing, feeding, brushing teeth, and using the bathroom.

When it’s needed:
If your child struggles with self-care tasks that are expected for their age, or avoids them altogether.

Major Milestone:
By 5 years old, most children should be able to dress themselves independently (like putting on shirts, pants, socks, and shoes).

Quick Tip:
Break tasks into small steps or use pictures to show each step of a routine.

What it means:
Helping kids develop the hand strength, coordination, and visual-motor skills needed for drawing shapes, writing letters, and eventually writing sentences.

When it’s needed:
If your child has messy handwriting, tires easily when writing, has trouble forming letters, or avoids writing tasks altogether.

Major Milestone:
By 5 years old, children should be able to write their own name and copy basic shapes like circles, squares, and triangles.

Quick Tip:
Make writing playful — practice with sidewalk chalk, shaving cream, or finger painting to build writing muscles without using a pencil right away.

What it means:
Helping kids coordinate what their eyes see with how their body moves — important for tasks like copying from the board, completing puzzles, or catching a ball.

When it’s needed:
If your child struggles with puzzles, copying shapes or letters, lining up numbers in math problems, or bumping into objects frequently.

Major Milestone:
By 4–5 years old, children should be able to complete simple puzzles (4–8 pieces) and copy simple shapes like circles and crosses.

Quick Tip:
Play games like "I Spy" or do mazes and dot-to-dot activities to build visual tracking and coordination skills.

What it means:
Helping kids develop the skills needed to plan, organize, start, and complete tasks — like remembering instructions, managing time, and staying focused.

When it’s needed:
If your child has trouble following multi-step directions, keeping track of belongings, staying organized, or completing tasks independently.

Major Milestone:
By age 6-7, children can follow multi-step directions and increasingly manage daily tasks with less adult support. However, they may still benefit from reminders or structured routines to reinforce these skills.

Quick Tip:
Use visual checklists or simple schedules to help your child stay organized and feel more independent.

What it means:
Helping kids develop the ability to explore, imagine, create, and interact through play — which is essential for building motor, social, emotional, and cognitive skills.

When it’s needed:
If your child struggles with exploring toys, playing with others, using imagination, following simple play routines, or switching between activities.

Major Milestone:
By 2 years old, children should engage in simple pretend play (like feeding a doll or pretending to be a firefighter) and show interest in playing near or with other children.

Quick Tip:
Follow your child’s lead during play — join in their games and gently expand on their ideas to encourage creativity, social interaction, and flexible thinking!

What it means:
Helping kids recognize their emotions, respond to feelings in a healthy way, and use strategies to calm down, cope, and stay in control.

When it’s needed:
If your child has frequent tantrums, struggles to calm down after getting upset, becomes easily overwhelmed, or has trouble handling frustration or changes in routine.

Major Milestone:
By 4–5 years old, children should begin to use simple coping strategies (like deep breaths or asking for help) to manage big feelings with some adult support.

Quick Tip:
Model calming strategies during everyday moments — show your child how you take a deep breath or count to five when you’re feeling frustrated, so they can learn by example!