Can we talk activities, toys, & interests with SN's?

[rafiki]

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[Dobela]

I was always scratching my head trying to figure out why the "popular" items (even curricula, but I'm talking non-curricula for this thread) mentioned on the board were always flops at our house. You would think with three kids one or the other would have liked them.

 

Just to name a few, Playmobil - flop, Wedgits - flop, Snap Circuits - flop, Kapla blocks - flop, Pattern blocks - flop, even basics like Matchbox cars were rarely touched and I have three boys.

 

 

My son had nothing to do with most of those things pre vision therapy. Although he still doesn't care much for legos. He did like cars though because he would use them alongside his train sets.

 

Would you share what your SN's child is/has been really "into"? I think it is going to vary according to the child. For my son it was mud, dirt, and trains. Swimming and riding his bike were the other big ones. That is all. Now that he has had VT though he likes video games, sports, board games, and is just more rounded overall.

 

My dd is 4 and is very girly. We are in some ways just in the beginning of her deeper special needs. She doesn't like the trains but loves dirt. Swimming and bikes is not 'comfortable' sensory wise to her so she avoids them. She prefers the small Polly Pocket sized dolls, and those with molded hair are the only ones she will play with.

What are/were their absolute favorite toys?

For my son, anything trains. We started with Thomas then moved into Lionel. He is now very much into N scale. The next closest were dump trucks and anything he could use in the dirt.

What do/did they do during their free time?

My son - trains, digging up my yard, and riding his bike were the big ones. Right now my dd just does the girly things - dolls, dress up, swing set, annoying her brother. :lol:

 

Are there any activities you wish you would have encouraged when they were younger instead of dismissing as a personality or preference thing that they didn't like? We have always followed our children's lead. If my son wasn't interested, we didn't force it necessarily. The only activity I have continually had him do that he does not like is taking art classes. I think art is very important and for him it has been more difficult.

 

Anything else to add? :bigear:

[peacefully]

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[Critterfixer]

Would you share what your SN's child is/has been really "into"?

Fans--all kinds, the bigger the better. We have to tour a greenhouse at least every month so that he can go see the fans. Helicopters and windmills are also favorites. He likes anything that spins. He is also into flowers, especially lilies. Lately he's been bringing me a pink primrose flower in the mornings, because I showed him how to breath in and make it "kiss" his nose.:001_smile:

 

What are/were their absolute favorite toys?

 

 

Tinkertoys. Hates Legos and blocks. He also has his stuffed tigers and leopards that he loves. He rescued a Mother Goose languishing in a junk shop. Yesterday it was sitting in a nest made of his blankets and pillows on the end of my couch sitting on hard-boiled Easter Eggs with strict orders not to disturb!

 

What do/did they do during their free time?

Chases the chickens, builds roads in the dirt, arranges the large fans in the garage so that one fan makes all three rotate, and builds dams with his brother in the creek. With all the rain we've had floating boats down the drain to see them come out on the other side has been a favorite activity.

He's been known to swarm up trees, and he actually loves his bicycle now! Six months ago you could barely get him on it. Then one day he decided to give it another try and he loves it now.

 

Are there any activities you wish you would have encouraged when they were younger instead of dismissing as a personality or preference thing that they didn't like?

More drawing. He's got some talent in it, but doesn't like it very much. However, he is now beginning to do more drawing on his own, so he may be coming around now that his fine-motor skills are getting better.

I am glad that I have always said that he has to try things multiple times before he decides that he doesn't like them. The bike was one of those things that we just kept pushing in a gentle way, and finally he's decided that he really does like it after all.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

zach's interest in "regular" kid toys has been hit/miss. He really hasn't played much with toys that aren't electronic. He's always been drawn to video games-computer games.....plays with lego every now and then...played with matchbox cars when he was a toddler but lost interest as he got older.....he loves to play outside on his swingset/slide....will throw the frisbee/balls with me and his dad....we have some snap circuits and are going to do those-we have a model of the solar system we want to get put together-he loves to paint---he draws pictures sometimes as the notion hits him.....but he always goes back to his faves--video cameras,computers,video games......:D I might have a little director on my hands......

[rafiki]

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[Storm Bay]

Legos were a big hit for ds who was born with low muscle tone and, we have just learned, needs vision therapy and has some reflexes left that should have been gone by age three. By 5 ds was into airplanes for 5 years minus one 6 month diversion into trucks. Ds also liked his train set, etc, when he was younger.

 

A new author I just learned about from ds's vision therapist is Sally Goddard Blythe who has written several books. He told me that she has tests to see if your dc has any of these left over. My ds has some sensory issues and sometimes gets overwhelmed emotionally. When the optometrist noticed this, he did a test for one of these reflexes and found that ds still has it (some adults do, too.) http://www.amazon.com/Reflexes-Learning-Behavior-Non-Invasive-Approach/dp/0976454300/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304601156&sr=8-3 This is the book he showed me, and he told me that she also has a book of exercises, which I believe is this book http://www.amazon.com/Well-Balanced-Child-Movement-Learning/dp/1903458633/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304601156&sr=8-2 . I just ordered those two this week. I didn't order the one for c. $60.

 

These reflexes can cause quite a number of issues for at least some of the dc with them (I haven't read it yet, so can't be more specific.)

 

Two other books I recommend are Brain Gym and Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head. There is also The Dominance Factor. I have those three. I ordered only the Teacher's Edition of Brain Gym, but have just ordered the other one because it explains things in more detail; there are a few things I can't get just from the photo.

[PeterPan]

Karin, thanks for sharing those! I hadn't seen those. The OT seemed to blow off my questions about retained primitive reflexes, which was really weird. The VT didn't find them. In any case, I still wanted the chance to read about them and see for myself, kwim?

 

On the Brain Gym, I'm unclear. Are you saying there's an additional book besides the tm?

[wapiti]

I ordered only the Teacher's Edition of Brain Gym, but have just ordered the other one because it explains things in more detail; there are a few things I can't get just from the photo.

 

Also try searching YouTube for a particular Brain Gym exercise.

[Storm Bay]

Karin, thanks for sharing those! I hadn't seen those. The OT seemed to blow off my questions about retained primitive reflexes, which was really weird. The VT didn't find them. In any case, I still wanted the chance to read about them and see for myself, kwim?

 

On the Brain Gym, I'm unclear. Are you saying there's an additional book besides the tm?

Yes, there is as far as I know because this is sold new with free super saving shipping at Amazon as is the Teacher Edition. http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Gym-Simple-Activities-Learning/dp/0942143051/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304717655&sr=8-1

[sparrow]

Lego, Lego, and more Lego. It's the only thing my son has really played with since he grew out of Thomas the Tank Engine :001_smile:. Now that he is older, he makes Lego stop-motion movies.

 

By the way, everything you mentioned was a flop at our house except Snap Circuits....which were exciting for about a month.

[samba]

My son's favorite things to play with are his tool bench and stuffed animals. I always thought stuffed animals were the biggest waste of space but they have been played with more than anything else--for years. If he's outside he can spend hours with sticks. All the normal favorites you mentioned have also been flops here.

 

Carolyn

[mamatohaleybug]

My daughter has a congenital brain malformation, hydrocephalus, ADHD, hypotonia, dyspraxia, vision issues, SPD, and anxiety. I've had a lot of trouble finding toys, activities and interests for her over the years. For us, these have been the hits:

 

Lego duplos (she's quite the builder)

Barbies (after age 6)

Indoor swing (from IKEA, she uses this every day and has for 4-5 years)

TV (usually while doing headstands on the couch or while swinging)

Jumping on the bed

Riding her scooter

Being read to

Drawing

Computer games (animal jam, webkinz, etc)

Swimming

 

We're going to get her back into horseback riding. She loved that. She also loved drama camp last year. We'll be doing an art camp and a drama camp this summer.

 

Right now (age 8.5) she has a stuffed animal she loves. First time she's ever had a doll or animal she loved.

 

Other things she's somewhat interested in:

 

Lincoln Logs

cleaning the house :lol:

 

Everything else has been a bust. LOL

[Shelly in VA]

Thank you for posting this! My biggest frustration with my 5yo SN son (autism spectrum, sensory issues) is that he will not play with toys. Even if I play alongside him, it is a struggle. The few things I have found that will engage him are a trampoline, play-doh and clay, and tape (not a toy, but he treats it like one; we give him rolls of painter's tape, masking tape, and scotch tape for gifts and he is happy!). Other than that, he is drawn to anything electronic, which is very frustrating to me. Wii, computer games, Nintendo... it is a battle to get him to physically do things that aren't electronic.

 

Not much help, I know, but that's all I can offer!

 

Shelly

[prairiewindmomma]

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Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma

[Shelly in VA]

Thank you for mentioning those resources; I've seen some, but not all, of them before. Also, someone mentioned searching on YouTube for Brain Gym videos, and I have found that to be very helpful. I do see a difference when we incorporate these things into our day, but saying that it is like pulling teeth to get ds to do these exercises is an understatement! It seems to me that they would be fun and appealing, but apparently I'm wrong when it comes to ds.

 

I will say that we have been involved in martial arts (Shotokan karate, to be specific) for ~ 2 years now, and while that is sometimes a struggle, overall it has been a great experience for my kids. It's sort of a mix between a team and an individual activity, and there is the physical as well as the emotional/focus perspective. I would highly recommend finding a good studio and trying that with SN kids. I say 'good studio' because I know there can be a wide range of philosophy and instructors, and I think that can make a huge difference.

 

Shelly

[JessicaLady]

It's so interesting to see how different all our kids are!

 

My son was completely overwhelmed by electronic toys and I already had the rule instated at his first Christmas (6mos old) he was not to be given anything that took batteries. As a small child he like things with wheels but only to make them spin. He'd just turn the truck upside down and spin those wheels forever.

 

However, his favorite thing to play with for as long as I can remember (he's almost 6 yrs old) is a cable. Yep, a AV cable for a tv. He winds it up/unwinds, tucks it into something, over and under all through the playroom and attaches it to something at the other end. He ties knots with it, ties toys together. It's frustrating. We have to take it away b/c he obsesses over it. We've used trains as a substitute which he loves but again, becomes obsessed. It's all he'll talk about. All he will draw. He will pretend to BE a train. So, then those have to be taken away.

 

He's been into mega blocks, then duplos, and now little legos (which are a whole new level of pain to step on). However, he doesn't build typical stuff.

 

I have every single little people set created in hopes it will trigger his imaginary play but he really doesn't enjoy them. I make a point of playing these with him and it still doesn't help.

 

I actually have an attic full of awesome toys. I rotate all the toys in the playroom every 2-3 mos. He never has the same toy all year. Otherwise he will perseverate and never move past that one thing.

 

We've still never introduced electronic or battery operated toys into his playroom. First he cries and then he just wants to dismantle them to see how they work.

 

J

[Critterfixer]

As a small child he like things with wheels but only to make them spin. He'd just turn the truck upside down and spin those wheels forever.

 

:001_smile:My son did this--still does sometimes. I remember doing this a LOT as a child--for some reason it was necessary to turn my bicycle over and pedal until the wheels were a blur..I think I spent as much time with the bike upside down as I did riding it.

 

We've used trains as a substitute which he loves but again, becomes obsessed. It's all he'll talk about. All he will draw. He will pretend to BE a train. So, then those have to be taken away.

 

I have every single little people set created in hopes it will trigger his imaginary play but he really doesn't enjoy them. I make a point of playing these with him and it still doesn't help.

 

 

I doubt either of my sons would play with figures of people. I know I never did. My mother got my a Barbie doll once or twice. I chewed the feet off. I had to try very hard if I was at another person's house not to chew the feet off of their Barbies.:tongue_smilie:However, I loved imaginary play--as long as I controlled the characters, plotlines and dialogue. My son does this with his stuffed animals and sticks and stones, just as I did with my pillow, cucumber (dear, little Kuey) and my one friend who just happened to like the way my mind worked, bless her.