Healthy Solutions for Focus & Fuel
We applaud inventive companies that are coming up with innovative and fun ways for kids to lead healthier, more productive lives. This
[1] article will explore creative product approaches for fiddling fingers, active feet and festive foods.
What do hands and feet have to do with a child’s mental abilities to focus and attend? Amazingly a lot. Some children need sensory input to calm over-energetic hands and feet which allows them to mentally concentrate on tasks like reading, listening or writing.
Fiddle Focus Busy Hands [2] does this by offering a fabric square with a sensory-rich array of touch and texture for fingers to feel, stroke and fidget with. It’s like a handy minisecurity blanket for kids’ bodies and minds.
Bouncy Bands for Desks [3] is a creative and clever way for kids to keep their feet moving without getting out of their chair or disrupting the class. By playfully pushing their foot against a tight rubber band that sits snug between a typical school desk’s front legs, kids get a sensory kickback that satisfies their need for physical stimulation and repetitive muscle movement.
So let the hands and feet play while the mind finds a way to calm, transition, or just regulate a child’s behaviors.
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Often habits formed in childhood last forever, and that can include eating habits. Meet Kidstir [5]. This company took nutritional education and cooking and made it a playful, positive, participatory way for kids to engage with food, understand the basics of nutrition and build a positive relationship with food for their future. Cooking instructions are as friendly and visual as a children’s book and the recipes appeal to young appetites looking for fun and fuel.
So keep those hands and feet moving to clear the way for further focus. And get kids cooking with a kit that explores fresh, fruitful culinary fun.
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Reviewed by Ahren Hoffman
Helpful Books for Parents of Children with Special Needs
[7]
Silent Running: Our Family’s Journey to the Finish Line with Autism
by Robyn K. Schneider with Kate Hopper, Triumph Books
Robyn Schneider’s book shares her family’s remarkable story of triumph in the face of enormous hurdles, and the passion that has fueled their fight. It is an extraordinary and inspiring story of perseverance and hope, and of never giving up. It is the story of how running saved their lives. Eventually, they reach a place where running, rather than autism, defines them.
Amazon [8]
Goodreads [9]
Thriftbooks [10]
Products You Can Use
MyBuckleMate
One-of-a-kind vehicle accessory makes using seatbelts easier
[11]MyBuckleMate makes buckling and unbuckling easier for parents, kids and individuals with limited dexterity due to Arthritis or other disabling conditions. It fits in tight spaces and securely, allowing seats to be folded down without removing it and without altering the buckle in any way. MyBuckleMate also provides an important safety measure allowing for ease when buckling and unbuckling. MyBuckleMate is the only product of its kind. Made in the US
www.mybucklemate.com [12]
Do you have a product you would like to share with our readers? Please fill our form describing your product. We are happy to review your product. Visit https://www.parentingspecialneeds.org/submit/product/ [13] for the form.
Read More Products You Can Use [14]
You May Also like
- 100 + “Mom Approved” Gifts for Kids with Special Needs [15]
- 18 “Mom Approved” Gifts for Kids/Teens with Special Needs [16]
- Holiday Gift Guide: Give Gifts That Fuel Creativity, Create Music and Challenge Your Child to Learn [17]
- Special Resources: This Season Give the Gift of Knowledge [18]
- Gift Guide from the Fitness Guy [19]
This post originally appeared on our May/June 2015 Magazine [20]