Melissa in Australia Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Twin 1 will, in just over a week, be going into full hip to toe leg casts for 6 weeks (both legs). The plaster casts will be cut off and reapplied every week for the full 6 weeks. He will be able to bottom slide to get around and that is it. His attention span for an activity is less than 5 minutes. I am after any suggestions of activities etc etc etc . My birth children would sit for hours and do things like draw, play Lego and build things. Twin 1 lacks the fine motor skills to draw, and as I said attention span is minuscule. His main activities normally are riding a bike with training wheels around the veranda, and dashing madly from one activity to another. He doesn't sit still ever ( unless strapped into a car seat). He already has an ipad, and only plays with it for the same less than 5 minutes as other activities Does anyone have any suggestions? thank you in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaniemom Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Prehaps a small car garage and some cars. That way he can "zoom" them but not have to move much or since he should be able to scoot a carpet type thing with roads printed on it (my descriptive skills are failing me) and some cars. Another idea if fine motor skills are not quite there, larger blocks like duplos for building. Play-doh is typically a big hit at my house and can be used with regular kitchen items such as cookie cutters. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 I saw an FB post earlier today about how much simple fun kids have with a big cardboard box and crayons. Maybe see if you can find a long one that will accommodate stretched out legs, add a pillow for sitting and let them go to town with colors and their imagination. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 I would get several shoe boxes and fill them with different things such as little cars, dinosaurs, play doh, duplo blocks, crayons and small pieces of paper, kitchen utensils to play with, pom poms and a little pan or bowl with a spoon or big tweezers, wooden blocks, paper and stickers, a movie and special treat, a couple of board books, ect. I have found with ds that by having boxes that are a surprise goes a long way to helping with boredom. I can mix the contents up so the are always "new" and different. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaniemom Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 I saw an FB post earlier today about how much simple fun kids have with a big cardboard box and crayons. Maybe see if you can find a long one that will accommodate stretched out legs, add a pillow for sitting and let them go to town with colors and their imagination. This! When we recently moved I gave several large moving boxes to my children along with paint and crayons. They happily drew on and in those boxes for a large portion of the next week. Even my ds who has fine motor delays was happy to color in the box and tell me what mode of teansportation he was imagining it to be that day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 I'd think about activities that give him intensive sensory input in his upper body. Heavy things to move around and arrange. Maybe a body sock adapted in some way to be top only. Shaving cream or rice or beans to play in. etc . . . 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 How about putting together some sensory bins? Colored rice with little figures and things to explore (make themes), dry lentils and beans, scooping utensils. Put them on big beach towels for the inevitable spills. Finger paint? Trays of shaving cream or pudding to swirl around with fingers. Play Doh. Make some scented play doh with different consistencies. ...pack shoe boxes and bins with different activities - maybe google quiet time bins. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Well, now's the time to work on those fine motor skills by allowing him to use all kinds of art supplies with abandon. I would introduce him to non-representational art and let him go for it. Also: Play-doh or clay, just let him pound it. Make a million play-doh snakes. It's good for them anyway. Play with an electronic keyboard. Doesn't matter what it sounds like. Give him quality headphones and let him play away. If you have an electronic keyboard that allows him to record things, I'd start with teaching him how to record and play it back. Though, four might still be young for that.The nice thing about this is that it is always a worthwhile investment so it's not just for the one child. Sandbox. Lego: I know he doesn't have fine motor skills, so just give him the bigger blocks, not Duplo but the six blocks, regular height, and some big plates. Also, do your local parks have those big swings for special needs kids? Can he swing in those? That might be very nice for a kid who won't get a lot of motion in his life. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermama Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 My wiggly boy will sit still for play dough (if you can find any of the 1980s kits that have the two-sided molds, those are the BEST! but little rolling pins, plastic knives, etc are also cool) and especially the kinetic sand / moon sand stuff. Would he have any interest in those reusable sticker books that have little scenes you can play with? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted November 7, 2015 Author Share Posted November 7, 2015 thank you everyone. sand, small lentils and rice are out. he cannot have anything getting under his casts. He doesn't enjoy playdough at all. we have tried it many times. I will try lots of little boxes with things in them. We basically do that now with largish tubs, one of Duplo, one of toddler maccano, wooden train set, dinosaurs, wooden shape blocks, gears and things, cars, paper and crayons etc his attention span is minutes. stickers just get crunched immediately. ds4fc is a tricky little fella 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 My first thought was to get him a creeper (like this) and let him lay on that and move himself around using his hands. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted November 7, 2015 Author Share Posted November 7, 2015 My first thought was to get him a creeper (like this) and let him lay on that and move himself around using his hands. Great idea. HIs Occupational Therapist is already looking into something along those lines. sort of a cross between a creeper and a skateboard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Does he eat bubble paper or could he enjoy popping it? Just throwing stuff out there. Also sensory: Tin push top (holy crap this is expensive, maybe there's a cheaper version... I got ours at Target): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VQQTSA/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687642&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00FJ54HF0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0CN3MTKZB3JZ2K2RBD72 My kids also liked the jack in the box: http://www.amazon.com/Schylling-JJB-Jack-In-The-Box/dp/B00000IRZ6/ref=pd_bxgy_21_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=184Q22P5KVKH68VCYRWY Very sensory and require some strength but even at three and four my kids could repeat those for a very long time. Here is a toy that I have literally seen guest children scream about leaving (kids were usually 2 - 3 but all the kids loved it, and I'll bet a kid stuck on his butt would enjoy it, there is a VERY satisfying click and ding it makes): https://jet.com/product/detail/ceec152b7f6e4dfd9595be823af82ea4?jcmp=pla:ggl:brands_toys_games_a3:toys_pretend_play_play_money_banking_a3_other:na:na:na:na:na:2&code=PLA15&k_clickid=49ff5aa2-aa7d-4b2f-9ef9-16dcb0e57265&gclid=CK63m47M_cgCFU9rfgodxPAILg I mean for real, like kids had flipping fits, neurotypical kids. They could put those coins in and push the buttons forever and ever. It was such a satisfying click! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 I know you didn't say sensory stuff but my kids are very sensory and these were toys that kept them from climbing the walls. Also, what about ribbons? Like play silks? What about a beanbag toss? Anything to help him get out some energy, poor little guy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted November 7, 2015 Author Share Posted November 7, 2015 great ideas no ribbons as his twin brother ties everything around his neck , tight. I might get a cash register and give it a go. we had a metal jack in the box. he broke it within 5 minutes :glare: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeenagerMom Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 A Lot of his time will be spent just scooting around on his bottom. I suggest cast covers like long socks to protect them and your floors. DS13 had a year of limited mobility at the same age due to surgeries on his leg. He used a skateboard to scoot around the house. We took a LOT of walks in his wheelchair. He liked this http://www.amazon.com/Shake-Go-Crash-Ups-Crash-Course/dp/B000NW2AMG as well as Thomas the Train sets, video games on a game system (using an actual controller), watched a LOT of television. He also liked board games. It really kept his interest better when someone was interacting with him playing them. Maybe a set of basic building blocks that he could build towers and destroy them if he's the destructive type. We could also take DS out in the yard and give him a trowel and he would just dig holes for the sake of digging. A way to keep things out of his casts that would allow more sensory activities would be to put a set of girl's tights or leggings on him over the casts so the tops are tightly covered! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 have you googled tot trays to see if there's anything inspiring? One activity my DD loved was so simple - a little salt and pepper shaker from the dollar store, plus some little cupcake decorations - I think ours had ghosts on top as Halloween had just passed, they were like decorated toothpicks. She'd put the toothpick part in the S and P shakers holes. Over and over. She also liked sorting some little acrylic acorns and leaves. Not small enough to fit into a cast, but still small. She sorted into small bowls by shape or size or color. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 If you can lift him down to it, how about a sit-n-spin? How about indoor basketball hoop, corn hole game, indoor bowling set? Do you know any songs you can teach him with hand motions (look at happy llama, sad llama on youtube)? Maybe also give him some tasks to do: wipe down a table you push him up to, sit with a pail of soapy water and clean knick knacks, sort out pieces of something (buttons?)? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderchica Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Will he be UNABLE to stand and walk or is he not SUPPOSED to stand and walk? Because I can tell you from experience, kids who are casted for things like tight heel cords are still gonna try to walk around :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Could he hammer golf tees into a pumpkin? Or into a slab of clay? You can use a crab hammer (wooden mallet) or a (heavier) rubber mallet. What about large brush painting at an easel or pinned to a large box (or paint the box)? Paint is easier than crayon. Can he play with a spray bottle outside? You could supervise and drape a plastic sheet over his cast. What about a tinker tray with natural objects? I use a silverware tray and some very small bowls, and fill with small objects (pom poms, tiny pinecones, small sticks--really small, popsicle sticks, conkers/buckeyes/acorns, glass gems, etc.) and give an empty frame or a blank sheet of paper and have child do transient art. How about a felt board and some figures to retell a story that is familiar? (Here, I use gingerbread man a lot or another simple fairytale) Maybe a marble run? Or tape and tubes of various sizes, and things to put in them and see how they go--cars, marbles, small blocks,etc. You can make ramps and change the angles of the tubes. I have super big sturdy ones from a printers, along with paper towel and toilet paper tubes. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Will he be UNABLE to stand and walk or is he not SUPPOSED to stand and walk? Because I can tell you from experience, kids who are casted for things like tight heel cords are still gonna try to walk around :) Hee hee--my then-almost 2yo son, casted for shortened heel cords, took his first steps in his casts! He was allowed to, though. :hurray: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Hee hee--my then-almost 2yo son, casted for shortened heel cords, took his first steps in his casts! He was allowed to, though. :hurray: That's adorable. Re: the jack in the box: they do break easily. I think ours lasted a week before I had to constantly fix it. I imagine a child lacking motor skill control could do a lot of frustration related damage though. The top was sturdier. If you get the cash register he could be the cashier and the other kids could go through the house "shopping". 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 Will he be UNABLE to stand and walk or is he not SUPPOSED to stand and walk? Because I can tell you from experience, kids who are casted for things like tight heel cords are still gonna try to walk around :) unable. HIs legs will be sort of frog position like this https://www.google.com.au/search?q=casts+for+talipes&hl=en-GB&rlz=1T4GGHP_enAU471AU472&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CDUQsARqFQoTCN2a4_7D_8gCFYgUlAod0GMDDQ&biw=1920&bih=907#imgrc=qgN4rugDNt0NcM%3A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 thank you everyone for all your suggestions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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