Growth

As term four starts, we see lots of our younger clients completing some kindergarten transition sessions or programs to help familiarise them to feel confident with the big step of starting school the next year. Transitioning into the primary school setting can be a tricky time for lots of children. It is a very exciting period, filled with new friends, new teachers and new activities. But it can also be a stressful time, as there is a lot of change in our routines, structures and expectations within every day.

What is School Readiness?

School readiness refers to the foundational skills that support a child’s body, mind and wellbeing as they transition into the primary school environment. School readiness skills are about more than just reading, writing and maths; they also incorporate the emotional, social and sensory skill development of each child in ensuring success for them to thrive.

What are the main skills that parents, teachers and the child, need to feel confident in doing for a successful, happy and enjoyable day at school?

• Can they manage their school uniform? Are they able to undo buttons, zips, shoe Velcro or laces so that they can go to the bathroom or put their shoes on and off to go in the sandpit?
• Have they practiced going to a toilet in a public space? This includes closing and locking the door, unlocking and opening the door. If you have boys, do they know what a urinal trough is and how to use this if the school still has a urinal trough?
• Can they open snack containers, water bottles, lunch boxes or bags so that they can access their food and drink with minimal help?
• Do they know how to, or have they had exposure to holding a pencil, using scissors or a glue stick? 
• Can they recognise their own name when it is written even if they do not know the letters or how to write their name?

These key areas along with others such as some foundational social skills like turn taking, cooperation, simple problem solving, as well as gross motor skills including running, kicking a ball and balancing on one leg, are all things that our kindergartener’s will need to support a successful transition to school.

So how can you help support your child in their transition to school?

Make sure you talk with the school and teachers about how transition to school sessions have gone. Ask about the bathroom facilities so you can provide an opportunity to educate your child in how to use them, avoiding scary or daunting situations for them during those first few days and weeks, or ask to check them out if you’re still unsure.

What are some activities you can do at home?

• Encourage your child to open their own snacks and containers.
• Encourage your child to start drinking out of a water bottle.
• Encourage your child to be responsible for their own items, packing them, and then packing them away. 
• Follow a morning and evening routine to support your child’s ability to understand and follow structures. This can be supported by the use of a visual schedule of ordered pictures of each step that needs to be performed. 
• Support transitions within the home with the use of a visual and/or auditory timer to mimic the bell system used within schools and support your child’s understanding of time, space and transitions. 
• Practice with your child getting dressed and undressed with their school uniform once you have purchased it. 
• Practice and role-play the drop-off and pick-up routine ahead of time. Also discuss and role-play changes in routine and unexpected events i.e., somebody else picking them up. 
• Engage your child in arts and craft activities at home. Use pencils, crayons, paints, string and beads, scissors and glue to create masterpieces together. 
• Encourage your child to participate in colouring in activities, tic-tac, toe, mazes, colouring in, dot to dots, etc. 
• Engage your child in card and board games that will teach them turn taking, sharing, and problem solving skills. 
• Play and create obstacle courses within the home to practice your child’s movement and gross motor skills. Include jumping, balancing and hopping. 
• Teach and expose your child to common group games such as tips, hide and seek, bullrush etc. 
• Facilitate safe social encounters with similar aged children for your child to practice play and social skills with. 
• Support your child to identify their emotions and explore and practice different ways to calm their body when in a heightened state of arousal. For example, practice deep breathing, drinking cold water, movement breaks or other tricks that work for them as an individual. 

Check out Explore & Soar’s School Readiness Handbook for your child as a guide and reference to help you with an array of ideas for the coming months.

How can Explore & Soar help?

Explore & Soar can offer an OT assessment to determine your child’s current skill level, provide parent education and interventions strategies such as one on one sessions, home programming with an array of individualised strategies to build confidence or small group program intervention sessions mimicking school activities and peer interactions. 

Our small Group Programs offer opportunities for children heading off to school to attend our Big School STARs small group program. This five day group program is designed specifically for kids heading to kindergarten and provides another opportunity for your child to practice transitions, activities such as sitting on the mat and craft, interacting with different peers while supported by our wonderful OT’s. If you are interested in your child attending this program, please see our News page for more information, fill in our online booking form or if you have more questions, please call us on 0477 708 217. We would love to have your child in our group!

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If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until next time, 
Lori

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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2025

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World OT Day is 27 October 2025 marking the beginning of OT week – this year has certainly gone by quickly. We love celebrating OT in all that we do, how we help our clients and further continue to build and strengthen our local communities.

We are now ready to deep dive into term four and the last leg of the year and we are really excited to see the year out stronger and bigger than how you started! We use this time to sit and reflect with our clients together with their families on what we are working towards within therapy sessions. This helps to ground us in the what and why of our intervention and maintain the purposefulness and meaningfulness of each session. Some sessions may
require a pivot from what our initial goal was, if life has thrown something unexpected in our client’s direction – and that is ok! As OT’s, we are adaptable and resourceful to move and meet our clients where they need us to be.

Where are you up to in your OT goals?

Have you taken the time to reflect on what your goals or intentions were from the start of the year and where you are up to with them? Have you had to change course slightly or do a full 180º because of what life has thrown your way?

Has this year gone as expected? Have you exceeded your expectations?

You are not alone in this. Even within our team we have noticed our personal and professional goals shift and change as our circumstances have altered over the last 10 months. Some of us have hit massive goals quickly whilst others have tackled new and unexpected goals that showed themselves instead, taking longer with smaller, deliberate steps to achieve. Isn’t it crazy to think how quickly things can vary and how frequently we,
as human beings, are having to pivot or revise plans based on external or internal circumstances.

This only further intensifies and highlights the importance of creating community connections and support during these times to help keep us grounded and moving forward. We hope that how we have focused our year of OT in Action with the Community for Wellbeing has helped you as much as it has helped direct our intentions as a team this year too!
There have been many ways that Explore & Soar have been focusing on Occupational Therapy In Action this year.

Within our Explore & Soar Team Community:

• We have all been working on our own wellbeing through our Wellbeing Planners
• Company and Personal Resilience Plans: every three months, we have been personally and professionally working on reflecting and developing our own resilience, ensuring we hold each other accountable to achieve our goals.
• We have attended professional development courses to expand our knowledge across a broad range of areas that support our clients and families in their own wellbeing through our intervention supports.

Within Our Explore & Soar Outer Community:

• We have created our Monthly Parent & Caregiver Support Group to help build connections with other like minded parents within our local communities.
• Continued to provide small social group programs for ongoing social connections with our clients and families in a positive way in January and July school holidays. Keep a look out for our January 2026 Group Programs, registrations open soon!
• Parent information handouts and monthly blogs for ongoing education and access to OT knowledge that could help promote questions and better understanding of how we can support you and your family.

Quicklinks on other OT strategies and ideas in action: 

Have a read of some of our other past blogs for other ideas on how to use some of the strategies and ideas of OT in your own daily life.

• Mindfulness for parents and carers
• Handwriting and creative writing
• Building resilience for your child and family
• The power of play
• Balanced bodies

As always, if anything peaks your interest or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact us today or speak with your treating clinician. We always love to help!

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If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until next time, 
Lori

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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2025

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Movement is one of our first languages. From the moment a baby rocks in the womb, their brain is starting to build an internal map of movement, balance and space. Long before a child speaks their first words or takes their first steps, their vestibular system is already hard at work, helping them feel grounded in their body, connected to the world and safe in their surroundings.

The vestibular system is a powerhouse. It influences the way children move, learn and relate to others. When the vestibular system is working well, it’s like the body’s compass, helping children stay steady, focused and confident in everyday life. But when it’s struggling to process information efficiently, it can quietly affect everything from posture and play to emotions and friendships.

Why The Vestibular System Matters

The vestibular system lives in the inner ear and helps the brain understand where the body is in space. It’s responsible for detecting motion, gravity, and changes in head position. This information forms the foundation for:

• Building core muscle tone and balance to sit, stand and walk.
• Developing bilateral coordination to dress, write, and play.
• Navigating space to judge distances, move through the environment and engage with others.
• Managing arousal and emotion through co-regulation and regulation – how calm, alert, or connected a child feels throughout the day.

These are not just motor skills but they’re building blocks for identity. As children gain more control over their movement, they begin to develop a stronger sense of self and confidence in their abilities.

What We Notice When Vestibular Processing Is Off Track

We have supported children who seem constantly in motion, always jumping, spinning, crashing, because their nervous systems are craving movement to feel stable. Others avoid swings, slides or climbing equipment because their vestibular system isn’t sending clear messages of safety. Some struggle to sit upright at a table, slouching or lying down because their body just doesn’t have the postural endurance yet.

One child we have worked with would often lie across the classroom floor in the afternoons, unable to sit upright and engage. It wasn’t defiance, his body simply lacked the postural endurance to stay engaged. Rather than expecting him to push through, we introduced short bursts of movement across the day e.g. linear and rotational play on a scooter board, bouncing and crashing into pillows with an exercise ball, crawling over uneven surfaces and sliding down ramps. These vestibular activities with intensity, helped his body build the tone and stability he needed. Over time, we saw steady changes, not just in his posture, but in his ability to attend, regulate and join in with group learning and play.

Another child we have worked with was overly cautious in movements up off the ground or through space, struggling to climb and interact on uneven or unpredictable obstacles. His body interpreted the unpredictable movement and changes as threatening. It wasn’t fear, it was about survival, resulting in the vestibular system not feeling organised or safe. Instead of pushing through the activity, we shifted to more slow and supported vestibular input with gentle bouncing on a therapy ball while singing, slow rhythmic rocking and rotations. Over time, as his system became more integrated, he became more confident, exploring new surfaces with greater ease, reducing his heightened state and expanding on social interactions where he could show more of his personality and playfulness.

Supporting Vestibular Development Can: 

• Help a child feel less anxious in a new environment.
• Increase stamina to keep up with peers at the park.
• Improve confidence in group games and sports.
• Reduce emotional outbursts or meltdowns linked to fatigue or overwhelm.
• Make transitions (like from home to school) smoother and more successful.

When children feel steady in their bodies, they’re more open and confident to try new things, fail, and try again, join in with group play, or explore new places. Feeling secure like this helps them connect with others and build a stronger sense of belonging in their community.

When to Seek Occupational Therapy

If you notice your child is regularly avoiding movement, is known for being clumsy, struggling with balance, spatial awareness or having trouble keeping up with peers, it might be time to check in with an occupational therapist.

At Explore & Soar, we gently assess a child’s vestibular processing and create playful, meaningful activities to build confidence and capacity. 

We also work with families and educators to embed helpful strategies into real-life settings, so progress isn’t limited to the therapy session. 

Supporting vestibular development doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to be intentional. With the right support, children can build a strong foundation for movement, emotion and connection. And when they feel balanced on the inside, the world around them feels a little easier to navigate.

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If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until next time, 
Maddie

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2025

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Self-care is a significant part of our lives, often taking up periods of time in daily and weekly routines. It is a part of us; routines are established when we are newborns as our parents or caregivers navigate new routines for our sleep, eating, toileting, bathing and playing. The first 2 years of life are critical for understanding and laying the foundations for self-care skills and mimicking these self-care activities and routines within our play. This leads to a greater understanding of how self-care activities significantly contribute to our lifelong wellbeing, meaning in the world, transitions and supports our ability to show up everyday for ourselves, family members, work colleagues and connections within our communities.

What is self-care? 

Self-care within occupational therapy is often referred to as activities of daily life. This includes activities such as dressing, showering, grooming tasks including brushing our teeth and hair, sleeping and eating. These are all vital skills and activities that are completed each day. However, everyone’s definition of self-care differs, as can the activities or the time spent on them each day can too. Whenever I think of self-care, my mind goes to skin care and exercise – these are personally meaningful self-care tasks that support my wellbeing and enable me to confidently show up and be myself everyday at home, work and in the community. 

Self-care tasks are vital to contributing to your whole wellbeing. Engaging in these activities can support your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, play and occupational (school/work) wellbeing. Here are just a few examples of what self-care activities can look like and the contributions they play in your everyday life.

Supporting your development in self-care!

Sleep is one of the most impactful self-care activities that we can do. Sleeping is so important to support our health and wellbeing. By prioritising our sleep and ensuring we get enough each day has significant impacts not only on our emotional and mental health but our social wellness as well, by supporting our ability to engage in our community in social situations and build connections with others. However, for some people, sleep doesn’t always come easily. As OT’s, we love being able to support our children and families with a range of strategies to help or problem solve with you around how to better improve sleep. Check out our blog for more ideas or share your concerns with one of our OT’s today. Here is a link to a blog all about improving sleep hygiene to support your child’s health. 

Eating is another way to continue to improve your wellbeing. Finding a balanced diet that suits your individual needs, fostering energy, growth and enjoyment in your daily life is vital to building upon your wellbeing. This can look different for each individual as no one size fits all. There are a range of recommendations out there, however, what we love about food is that it can be a tool for connection. It is a great time to sit down at a dinner table and connect with your family. Or, a way to connect with your extended family and friends throughout different times of the year, especially when life can get busy. We are known for enjoying a shared meal, such as having a barbeque at the local park, going out to dinner or for a coffee, as a way to connect/reconnect with others in our support network as well as provide opportunities for others to share in the joy of food and company together. Do you have other favourite ways of connecting with others through food? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Exercise is a self-care task that is known for its ability to not only improve your physical wellbeing, but your emotional, social and mental wellbeing too. There are a number of ways you can utilise exercise to support your engagement in the community. Here’s a blog about gross motor movements and engaging within the community. 

Personal care further assists in achieving wellbeing. This term encompasses an array of tasks that include styling your hair, brushing your teeth, shaving, skin care, applying deodorant. While these may not be tasks you can complete socially, they help us to feel and be clean, to refresh, to feel stylish and express ourselves, and stay physically healthy,  which in turn enables us to access the community with confidence.For me, completing my skin care routines assists me to feel refreshed, clean and supports my overall energy and wellbeing in actively participating each day in everything I find joy in. Do you have routines that help you start or end the day feeling good or productive? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

I love that the way I dress is another form of self-expression. We all share who we are to the world via the way we dress. It can be used as a way to support appropriate and safe access to the community by supporting our spiritual, emotional and mental health through true expression of ourselves. Often allowing for how we dress can assist in the creation of connections. For example, wearing the same pokemon or minecraft shirt as someone else, or the same sparkly dress can be a great ice breaker and quick form of connection with others when out and about. Additionally, we have our own biological rhythms that help us identify the temperature outside, and any additional environmental demands that support us in making decisions on how to best to dress to suit the conditions such as rain, wind or sun directly assist us in achieving wellbeing. 

The Power of Self-care 

Overall, self-care activities are everyday tasks that we complete and they may be second nature. Some are conscious everyday decisions, others need more direction because we know it’s what we need but may not enjoy them as much. That is ok. We all have activities that we love and those we don’t. 

The power we do have over self-care activities includes doing the necessary ones, often known as non-negotiables, and then choosing which activities help us, make us feel good, bring us joy and allow us to be the best person we can be. Finding the comfort in these activities and sharing to the world who you are and what you enjoy only increases your opportunity for connection, with you and everyone around you benefiting greatly. 

At Explore & Soar, we love working with our clients, helping them figure out who they are as people, sharing themselves, building their independence in self-care skills and developing these routines. If you want to know or learn more, reach out to one of our clinicians today.

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If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until next time, 
Sophie

PUBLISHED AUGUST 2025

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At Explore & Soar, we believe that skills grow best when they are nurtured through connection.

Over the past few years, we’ve shared insights into how fine motor skills form the foundation for many essential childhood tasks, from handwriting to self-care to creative expression. But as we move into our theme of Community for Wellbeing, we’re reminded that development doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s through relationships, shared experiences and everyday interactions that children learn how to use their hands and how to belong.

Fine motor development is often associated with pencil grip or using scissors and it also plays a powerful role in fostering participation, collaboration and emotional connection. When children use their hands to contribute to a group activity either at home, in therapy or within their school, they’re not just practicing motor control – they’re discovering what it means to be part of something bigger.

What are fine motor skills and why do they matter?

Fine motor skills involve the precise coordination of the small muscles in the hands, fingers and wrists. These movements are necessary for daily activities such as:

• Holding and using utensils
• Buttons and zips on clothing
• Using scissors or craft tools
• Manipulating toys and puzzle pieces
• Drawing, writing, or building
  

As with all motor development, fine motor skills do not emerge in isolation. They are supported by underlying systems such as postural control, visual input, sensory awareness and strength. Key foundational components include:

• Whole arm development: refers to the development of gross motor skills including strength of the shoulder, upper arm and forearm.
• Hand and finger strength: provides foundation to grasp and stability for gripping, squeezing, and stabilising objects.
• Finger isolation: is an important stage in the development of grasp. It is the ability to move certain fingers apart from the rest of the hand/fingers.
• Thumb opposition: refers to the ability of the thumb to rotate and reach to touch all other fingertips of the same hand.
• Pincer grasp: using the thumb and index finger to pick up and manipulate small objects.
• Bilateral coordination: using both hands together with purpose.
• In-hand manipulation: moving and adjusting an object within one hand.
• Tactile discrimination: identifying texture, size, shape through touch.
• Visual-motor integration: coordinating hand movements with visual input, e.g. coordinating what we see with how we move.

While therapy can help target each of these skills individually, we’ve found that the most meaningful growth occurs when fine motor activities are embedded in relationships, shared routines and joyful experiences.

The power of participation: why connection matters.

One of the biggest questions we hear from parents is, “how do I keep my child engaged in therapy activities at home?” Our answer: make it social, make it meaningful and make it shared.

When fine motor activities are framed as moments of collaboration, rather than tasks to complete, they become less about performance and more about participation. Here are some everyday opportunities where families can build connection and capability…

Cooking together

Cooking is a natural fine motor workout and an opportunity for shared purpose. This can include:

• Peeling and grating: builds hand strength and control.
• Pouring and measuring: enhances grip precision and bilateral coordination.
• Using tongs or picking up ingredients: strengthens pincer grasp and refined hand movements.
• Stirring or whisking: supports upper limb coordination and endurance.
• Mixing or kneading dough: builds endurance and upper limb coordination.

TRY THIS!
Host a weekly ‘Family Pizza Night’. Children can grate cheese, spread sauce, and decorate their own pizzas. Each action supports motor skill development, while also giving children a sense of contribution and joy in shared mealtimes.

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Creating through art and craft

Art projects offer endless fine motor opportunities with the added bonus of expression and imagination.

• Cutting with scissors: enhances bilateral coordination and motor planning.
• Drawing and colouring: supports pencil control and visual-motor skills.
• Threading beads or using lacing cards: develops eye-hand coordination and precision.
• Gluing and sticker play: promotes finger isolation and in-hand manipulation.

TRY THIS!
Crafting with a shared goal, such as making a birthday card for a grandparent or decorations for their room, helping children see the value of their efforts and strengthening social-emotional skills.

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Games and construction play

Play is a child’s primary occupation. Play can not only support fine motor development, but moments of play also build patience, frustration tolerance and social connection, all essential for long-term wellbeing and family connections.

• Board games with small pieces: promote refined grasp, finger dexterity, and turn-taking.
• Card games: require in-hand manipulation and strategic thinking.
• Construction play (e.g. Lego or magnetic tiles): supports bilateral coordination, hand strength and visual-spatial reasoning.

TRY THIS!
Plan a family Lego challenge where each person contributes to a shared build, maybe a house, a zoo, a spaceship OR plan regular family games nights where different family members can select the game.

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Reframing therapy: from task to togetherness

Fitting home therapy into days that already full can feel overwhelming. But, when those goals are part of moments families already value, like dinner prep or playtime, it feels less like a chore and more like time well spent. By embedding therapeutic goals into enjoyable, shared activities, we reduce resistance and increase participation.

This approach allows for:

• Increase carryover of skills to real-world settings
• Stronger emotional connections between children and caregivers
• Reduced pressure on families to ‘get therapy right’ to simply connecting

Children, in turn, are more likely to feel included, successful and motivated. Therapy then becomes less about compliance and more about shared experience and growth.

Final thoughts

Fine motor skills help children do things, but even more importantly, they help children connect. When we weave these skills into our daily routines through mealtime, art or play, we not only build hand strength and coordination but emotional security, family culture and a child’s sense of place in their world.

At Explore & Soar, we know that helping hands don’t just build towers or hold pencils. Helping hands build relationships. That is the foundation of wellbeing. They wave to friends, stir the cake mix, pass the game pieces and craft birthday cards and self-expression.

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If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until next time, 
Maddie

PUBLISHED JULY 2025

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