The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA) has published several tip sheets for “living life to its fullest”.  One article, Building Play Skills for Healthy Children & Families, discusses what is play, why it is important and how to develop these skills.  Play is important at all stages of life, but many times it is referred to recreational activities for adults.  This article describes how to develop these skills to promote healthy living during early childhood (infants, toddlers and preschoolers), elementary age, middle school, high school and beyond.

Fine motor skills are very important for children to develop.  These skills require the use of the small muscles in your hands.  Fine motor activities include holding a pencil, coloring, cutting, stringing beads, playing games, buttoning, zipping, etc. This article Help Your Preschool Child Develop Fine Motor Skills explains what fine motor skills are, why some children have problems with fine motor skills, important hand skills children need to develop, and activities for developing hand skills.