Theraputty is a bit like playdough and slime, but it can be stretched and can be a variety of different strengths. We use Theraputty at De Silva Kids Clinic in many of our occupational therapy sessions. Below are some reasons why we love the versatility of Theraputty and a fun school holiday recipe to make you own at home.
Why do we love Theraputty so much?
Theraputty provides:
- A fun way for increasing strength and range of motion of the hands and fingers against resistance
- A tactile sensory input to increase motivation in engaging with the activity and assist with initiating calm and to increase tolerance to a variety of tactile sensations
- Bilateral hand coordination when use both left and right hands at midline
- Helping with force grading when manipulating the putty
- Attention and concentration, not only to the task but to attending to verbal directions
- Play and creativity is developed through a motivating activity
- Imitating and copying actions being modelled – important for learning new skills. This includes rolling, pushing, pulling, pinching and squeezing
- Motor planning combined with finger strengthening to manipulate the putty within an activity
A fun activity this school holidays may be to make your own Theraputty at home.
- 1 cup white glue
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon borax
- Food colouring
- Mix glue and cold water in a bowl. Stir as best you can. Add food colouring here to make your Theraputty a fun colour.
- In a separate bowl mix warm water and box until all of the borax is dissolved
- Pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture. You may try to mix this with a spoon but using your hands and getting messy is the best way to bring the putty together
- You can experiment with more resistance in your putty by using less water in either of the above steps!
It is always important to check with your childs therapist for specific recommendations around use of Theraputty at home. If you have any questions about your childs fine motor skill development, please feel free to contact De Silva Kids Clinic to chat with an occupational therapist.
Written by Alannah Santomartino, Occupational Therapist.
