Depression in children is not an entirely uncommon diagnosis, especially in teens. ADHD, behavior problems, anxiety, and depression are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children (cdc.gov). Approximately 1.9 million kids between the ages of 3-17 have been diagnosed with depression. When a child is diagnosed with a different disorder, the likelihood of depression may increase.

February is American Heart Healthy month, an important time to acknowledge the ways in which we can keep our hearts healthy. More and more often in recent years people of all ages have suffered heart health issues due to things that could be changed or recognized sooner.

Sort and stack snowflakes by size and design to build a sparkling "snow tower."

Telling time and counting down is much more fun with our clock craft! This template comes in different parts so you can adjust for your skill level. Simply choose your template, cut out the pieces, fasten the clock hands to the middle point with a brad or pin.

Print out this easy template to create your own celebration popper card! There are many options to create the card, so kids can exercise their creativity and imagination.

Make your own firework ring at home! This is a very simple craft, which only requires one item: pipe cleaners. You can find pipe cleaners in different colors, including metallics! Making your ring is four steps.

You can use your creation as a fidget or calming toy to destress and reduce anxiety related to online learning. Print free instructions to make a DIY stress ball at home, and read our article: Promoting Success with Online Learning via Regulation Strategies.

Create this fun and interactive craft to help your child develop their language skills and fluency in a fun way. This activity focuses on articulation, language, fluency, and social skills. Use sentences instead of words on the fish or change the activity to best suit your needs.

This versatile activity can be changed up throughout the year to a different theme. Different winter theme instead of tree trunk with snow flakes could build a snowman. If you don’t have a scooter board, the kiddos could do animal walks to and from point A to B.

This DIY confetti popper activity promotes visual and fine motor skills with creating and decorating your very own reusable confetti poppers. Sensory motor comes into play with the different textures of the supplies.

This simple game encourages children to explore their surroundings and associate objects with their corresponding letters.

Exercising together can be a fun way to build a foundation for the future - focus on moving together in the New Year!

Create a helpful resource to stay motivated througout the year! Creating a vision board can help articulate what is important or motivating - for both kids and adults!

Oral motor skill development and breath coordination is important skills in eating and speech. This activity increases lip closure, lip strength, breath coordination, and visual-motor planning to adequately move the snowballs from one container to another.

Promotion of visual-motor integration and fine-motor skill development for tracing, cutting, gluing, and increased creativity to construct the winter scene!

This activity is great for sequencing, following direction, auditory processing skill development, and sensory input for calming.

Remote learning presents challenges for students, parents, families, and instructors in different ways. For students, it may have been difficult to adjust to distance learning instead of going to school. They may have found it much more difficult to concentrate and may have many more distractions on hand. There are ways to set your family up for success with online learning by implementing regulation strategies.

While many people have heard of therapy with horses, many might not know the word assigned to the practice. Hippotherapy actually applies its form from physical, occupational, and speech therapy and can help your child’s development in many ways.

National Birth Defects Awareness Month Since the 1800s, the majority of births in the U.S. correlate with the seasons. The change of seasons brings cooler temperatures and shorter days, encouraging people to spend more time indoors. In the northern part of the states, there is an increase in births in the summer months (between June and July), and in the southern states, there is an increase in births in the fall months (between October and November).