Activity Highlight: Let’s Talk About Tape!
Updated: Jul 23
As an occupational therapist, I have a soft spot for gadgets. Walking through a toy store or scrolling through Instagram, I often spot new equipment or therapeutic tools that I can envision using with my clients. Yet, if you asked me to choose my absolute, desert-island essential, I would likely reach for something you already have at home: tape.
Tape is one of the most budget-friendly, portable, and versatile therapy tools available. I appreciate high-tech gadgets, but for parents (myself included), the best tools are often the ones tucked away in our junk drawers. Tape is the ultimate "on-the-go" therapy tool because it’s inexpensive, easy to carry, and offers fantastic opportunities for skill development. Read on to discover how you can seamlessly incorporate OT-clinic level activities into your daily routine in a low-cost, mess-free way!
Why Tape? The Therapeutic Benefits
The best tools are those that work on a variety of skills simultaneously. Inside every sticky roll lies a world of therapeutic benefits:
Visual Boundaries: Tape creates clear "start" and "stop" lines for children learning spatial awareness.
Fine Motor Development: Peeling tape off a roll or a surface strengthens tiny fingers, building the muscles needed for buttoning shirts and holding pencils.
Bilateral Coordination: Using two hands together (one to hold the roll, one to pull, and both to rip a piece) is a natural way to practice coordination.
Zero Stress: When the activity is over, simply peel it up and toss it. No batteries, no missing pieces, no mess.
Activity Highlights
Here are some engaging activities to try at home or during your next therapy session!
1. Animal Rescue
The Setup: Use small strips of tape to secure plastic animals, cars, or large coins to a tabletop or a vertical surface like a fridge or wall (the more vertical, the better for shoulder stability!).
The Goal: Ask your child to "save" the toys by peeling off the tape.
Variation: Use a muffin tin to hold the animals with a piece of tape placed atop. Challenge your child to use scissors to snip the tape and free their animal friend!
Skill Focus: Visual motor skills, pincer grasp strengthening, bilateral coordination, upper-extremity stability.
2. The Hallway Tightrope
The Setup: Lay down a long strip of tape (or create a zigzag pattern) along your hallway floor.
The Goal: Have your child walk "tightrope style" (heel-to-toe) without stepping off the tape.
Variation: Challenge them to carry a plastic cup of water or a beanbag, walk backward, or skip. The possibilities are endless!
Skill Focus: Balance, postural control, coordination.
3. Tape Art
The Setup: Provide your child with a piece of cardstock paper and have them rip several pieces of tape to create a criss-crossed design. After placing the tape, use any art medium (paint, marker, crayon) to cover the white space. Once it dries, remove the tape to reveal the artwork!
The Goal: Challenge your child to find the "top" layer of tape and peel it off first, working their way down to reveal their art.
Skill Focus: Fine motor strengthening, fine motor precision, visual scanning, visual motor skills, sequencing.
4. The Sticky "Laser" Maze
The Setup: In a hallway or between pieces of furniture, stretch strips of tape from one wall to the other at various heights and angles.
The Goal: Your child must crawl under, step over, and wiggle through the "lasers" without touching them.
Variation: Have your child help create the course and strategize ways to "level-up" between successful trials to enhance motor planning!
Skill Focus: Body awareness, visual scanning, motor planning, feedforward/feedback.
Conclusion: Endless Possibilities
The possibilities with tape are truly endless! I encourage you to explore these activities and discover new ways to incorporate tape into your daily routines. Let us know in the comments what your favorite way to use tape is!
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