We all get stuck in a rut with our therapy sometimes. It’s always nice to have fresh ideas, so every Tuesday, I hope to bring you something new.

Tuesday’s Treatment Idea

I had been using the older version of the Crayola Color Switchers, the Crayola Changeables for quite some time and they were becoming harder and harder to find. I was so excited to see this updated version at my local office supply store!

You use the colored side like a regular marker, and the white side is used to change the color. I use these a lot for tracing, especially the basics like lines and shapes. They really help the kids get the concept of tracing. When they go past the line, nothing happens, so it’s easy to redirect them to go back and trace right on the line. You could also easily practice tracing letters, numbers, and the child’s name as well.

I also use these with the older kids, to practice their proprioceptive awareness when writing. I have them write a “secret message” with the white side of the marker. We let it dry, then color over it with the colored side. Hopefully their letters are legible and well formed and spaced correctly, even with minimal visual feedback! And if I can’t “decode” their secret message, we practice again!

It’s great that the new version now has the white marker on each end of the marker. The older version just had one white marker, and when it would start to dry out, the whole set would be pretty much useless.

I’ve recommended these markers to several parents and teachers, and they all really liked them. I love these markers so much, I gave them to all of my OT friends for Christmas!

Have you used Crayola Color Switchers? How else do  you use them for therapy?

Hello, I’m an OT, and I like to share.

That’s basically the premise of this blog. I often find websites and ideas and resources for occupational therapists that are so great that I want to share them with other OTs. Or my colleagues share something with me, and in turn I want to share it again with even more people.

Occupational therapy is an ever changing and growing profession, and I think we should always be growing and learning along with it. Even within a specialized field such as pediatrics, there are so many subspecialties, such as sensory integration, feeding, school-based practice.

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