How Can The OT Store Resources Help Your Childs Development?

In the first five years of life, children experience the most significant rate of learning and development that will occur throughout their lifespan. Development refers to the changes that occur from birth to adulthood. There are many facets to a child's development including;

• Cognitive: The ability to think, problem solve and understand the world around you.
• Social: The ability to interact with others, communicate, develop friendships and manage conflict.
• Emotional: The understanding of emotions and the development of control over emotions.
• Behavioural: Actions and reactions to situations and environments
• Physical: The acquiring of gross and fine motor skills, i.e. learning how to crawl or grasp objects
• Speech and language: The skills to say sounds and words, and how we use these to get our message across
• Sensory: The registration and processing of information through the senses

Children progress through developmental milestones on their own trajectory based on a number of factors including their surrounding environment, social interactions and resources. While progress can vary, it is important to ensure children are developing at a relatively comparable rate to similarly aged peers. Health professionals such as you local GP, Paediatrician or allied health practitioners will be able to offer advice around your Childs development.

Due to the rapid rate of learning and development in the first five years of life, children need exposure to a range of opportunities in this period. During the early years of life, the main way children learn is through play. Our range of OT resources are intended to support development by encouraging play and creativity, to help raise thriving children.

So what are the best OT resources at the OT store to support your child?
This depends on the area of learning and development you want to focus on. However,
ultimately, the best resource will be one that is motivating to your child. If they are
motivated to use a resource, you will have greater success with them remaining engaged
for longer durations, problem solving and showing creativity in how the resource can be used.

Some of the most popular resources available at the OT Store that foster development across a range of developmental areas include;