Sunrise Therapies Last-Minute Gift Guide: Gifts for All Ages & Stages
By Jessica Jordan, MS. OTR/L
Age-Appropriate Gift Ideas from an OT’s Perspective
During the holiday season, we often get asked, what are the best gifts for building and/or developing fine motor skills, gifts that target imagination, individuality, and more! Here at SUNRISE Therapies, we have created a list of some of our favorite items.
Gifts That Support Fine & Visual Motor Development
Fine motor skills refer to the use of the small muscles of the hand for grasping, prehension, and manipulating objects for play, exploration, functional tool use, and activities of daily living. On the other hand, visual motor skills refer to the coordination of visual, perceptual, and motor abilities for task performance. Both come together playing a vital role in the function of daily activities in a variety of contexts (i.e., school, home, the community, etc). Here are a few of our favorite items that target fine & visual motor skills.
Gifts That Build Gross Motor & Praxis Skills
Gross motor skills refer to the use of the large body muscles (limbs and torso) for positioning (sitting, standing), locomotion (walking, running), balance, and coordination activities. Praxis is the ability to spontaneously sequence, time, and organize movements in a coordinated fashion to complete unfamiliar or novel tasks. Here are a few of our favorite items that challenge gross motor and praxis skills. For a bonus, so many of these recommendations also offer proprioceptive and vestibular input!
Gifts That Spark Imagination & Creativity
Imagination, as we know it, refers to the idea of visualizing or forming a picture in the mind’s eye of something that may not exist, has not yet happened, or that one has not yet experienced. Creativity helps to develop a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development, and we are here for that!
Gifts That Promote Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive, interpret, demonstrate, control, evaluate, and use emotions to communicate with and relate to others effectively and constructively. Emotional intelligence is something that all human beings can work on throughout their lifespan. Here are a few of our favorite items/ways to target that!
Gifts That Support Self-Regulation Skills
Self-regulation is the ability to monitor, reflect, and manage your energy states, emotions, thoughts, and actions in ways that are safe and produce positive results, such as well-being, loving relationships, and learning. Regulations skills are a combination of emotional intelligence and praxis skills. For those who are neurodivergent, specifically autistic, initiating the action to engage in regulation tools can be challenging. Some gifts below are more active (yoga), while others are more passive (weighted blankets). Please consult with an occupational therapist who really understands the mind-body connection and how regulation and co-regulation can be achieved for all brains and bodies!!
Weighted blanket (should be ~20% of individuals body weight)
Lycra swing (2-point connection is important!)
You can also check out our “Shop” page on our website for even more suggestions!!
Helpful Links
If you found this post helpful, you’ll love our therapy resources! Whether you’re a parent or therapist, our apraxia and autism courses are here to offer practical tools, compassionate guidance, and real-world strategies you can use every day.
👨👩👧👦 For Parents & Caregivers: Autism Training | Online Course for Parents and Caregivers
🧑🏫 For Therapists: Therapist Course for Apraxia and Autism | Mentorship for OTs and Therapists
🏥 Work With Us: In-Person Occupational Therapy (San Diego & Long Beach Areas) | Virtual Coaching
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