6 Tabletop Activities To Help Children With GDD Improve Their Focus

After Miguel’s recent occupational therapy session, his teacher told me that he did quite well with his activities for that day. However, she emphasized that we should work on Miguel’s concentration since she noticed that it was a little challenging to persuade him to do the activities. In fact, Miguel was crying while he was accomplishing his tasks but he was able to finish them, nonetheless.

Tabletop activities to help children with GDD improve their focus

6 Tabletop Activities To Help Children With GDD Improve Their Focus


    I asked her what we could do about it and she said that we needed to supplement his usual sessions with more activities at home. At the very least, we should target a minimum of one-hour daily sessions to be able to make an impact on Miguel’s attentiveness. It need not be a full home therapy session; we can just do our usual tabletop activities so as not to exhaust Miguel.

    Anyway, here are six activities that we found to be the most effective and enjoyable for Miguel.

    1. Matching shapes using a formboard


    Educational formboard for children with GDD to improve focus

    The formboard, whether vehicles or letters, is one of Miguel’s favorite activities. It’s one of the tabletop activities that he quickly learned when we began his occupational therapy sessions and home program.

    Buy it here.

    2. Shape sorter


    Shape sorter for children with GDD to improve their concentration

    The shape sorter is also one of Miguel’s favorite toys. He was already playing with it even before he was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay.

    Buy it here.

    3. Loop educational toy


    Educational loop toy with beads to help improve the focus of children with GDD

    We like that this toy is able to work Miguel’s hand and eye coordination. We still do hand-over-hand assistance when we do this activity but Miguel is quite cooperative the entire time.

    Buy it here.

    4. Stacking using a wooden stack toy


    Wooden stack toy to help children with GDD improve their focus

    It’s one of the easiest tabletop activities for kids but it works well in practicing their aim, focus, and hand and eye coordination.

    Buy it here.

    5. Lacing activity


    This is admittedly one of Miguel’s least favored activities and he would often complain when we do this. Again, this activity is highly recommended for improving concentration and coordination.


    Lacing activity to help improve the focus of children with GDD

    Plus, you don’t really need to buy a piece of equipment for this activity because you just need a piece of thread and another sturdy material where you can punch holes (like cardboard).

    6. Dot marker activity


    Dot marker and worksheet for children with GDD

    We love how simple yet educational this activity is. At the same time, we can see Miguel and even Rafa enjoying coloring the dots in the worksheets. We got ours from Casa Valenzuela and we like that the items are of excellent quality at an affordable price.

    Buy it here.

    Epilogue


    Previously, we used to do activities only when Miguel was in the mood. However, I was told by his teacher that he should already have some sort of discipline when doing our daily assignments. As such, we need to set a time and stick to it even if Miguel is trying to resist.

    How about you, do you have a favorite educational activity that you love to do with your child? Feel free to share them in the comment section below.

    PIN THIS POST
    Ivan On The Move

    Hi, I'm Daddy Ivan, aka Ivan On The Move // Dad On The Move, a blogger since 2006. I'm a family travel and dad blogger in the Philippines. I write about traveling with kids, kid-friendly restaurants, the joys of fatherhood, the ups and downs of modern parenting, and autism awareness and acceptance. In my blog, you will find tips for traveling families in the Philippines, as well as stories about special needs parenting. I'm also an author, having written and published a travel book called "Select Travel Stories from the Different Regions of the Philippines." I was also part of an international book project called "100 Men On Becoming A Dad" where I shared my very own fatherhood story. As one of the dad influencers in the Philippines, I like to share photo updates & stories on social media.

    Post a Comment

    Feel free to share your thoughts! Relevant comments are welcome on this site. However, spam and promotional comments will not be published.

    Previous Post Next Post