We made hundreds of new OT friends last week during our time at the AOTA Annual Conference & Expo! Our team shared how to make handwriting fun and easy while spending a few days in “The Big Easy.” Here’s a recap of our AOTA experience.

Learning Without Tears is featuring a new blogger this month. Her name is Courtney, and she’s an occupational therapist

Take advantage of this special time set aside for appreciating the written word by having your students write their own poem. Here are a couple tips to get you started:

There’s nothing quite like the grip of a good book—something that captures your attention and makes turning the pages almost effortless. In 1958, the American Library Association sponsored National Library Week to ignite interest and appreciation in reading, libraries, and everything that libraries have to offer. This week, we’re celebrating National Library Week from April 7–13 and are as excited for this special celebration as we are when reading a page-turner.

Did you know April is Occupational Therapy Month?

In order for children to write fluently, they have to have a good grip. Grip needs to be explicitly taught when children are first holding pencils and crayons. It can be remediated in later grades, but it’s best to build good habits from the start.

Happy first day of spring! After being cooped up indoors all winter, your students probably can’t wait to get outside and clock some time outdoors

Answering this question requires an assessment of their understanding of the most important foundation skills, such as capital letter formation, colors, numbers, words, and shapes.