Disclosure: A copy of the book being reviewed was given to me at no cost. However, no agreement was made prior to this post about the opinion I would share. The opinion you read here is completely my own and is not influenced by any other party. This post also contains affiliate links for your convenience.
I have to admit that I jumped at the opportunity to review this book. I love Holly and Rachel’s blog, Kids Activities Blog, because of the plethora of well, kid’s activities. Their activities are often easy to pull together and give kids the simple kind of fun they are really looking for. Needless to say,I couldn’t wait to get my hands on their first book, which was released in June. Not surprisingly, I wasn’t disappointed.
Beyond sensory activities, which of course can have a big affect on your kid’s eating (if I’ve lost you click here and here), I was thrilled to see oral-motor activities as shown in the picture above. (Oral-motor refers to the strength and coordination of the muscles in our mouth.) Some kids with speech delays and “picky” eaters have poor oral-motor skills. This activity is awesome for a variety of reasons, but what I see is a fun innovative way for kids to work the muscles needed for eating and speech. Straw drinking and blowing activities are one of the best ways to promote this. Moreover, blowing through a straw provides loads of calming/organizing sensory input and is a great activity to have as part of a sensory diet. There is more than one straw blowing activity in the book!
Besides the activities I tabbed that specifically addressed sensory processing and oral-motor skills, every other activity promoted dynamic, hands-on learning. I am so glad that I have this as a fixture on my book shelf.
Here is an amazon (affiliate) link to this awesome book: 101 Kids Activities That Are the Bestest, Funnest Ever!: The Entertainment Solution for Parents, Relatives & Babysitters!
The photos used in this post are from 101 Kids Activities by Holly Homer and Rachel Miller, printed with permission of Page Street Publishing June 2014″
