Tumble n' Dots

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year from the Tumble N' Dots team! We are so grateful for our amazing families and the trust you place in us. We wish your family a season full of special moments, love, and laughter. Looking forward to all we'll accomplish together in 2026!

12/22/2025

Our Mindful MasterChefs ended the holiday session with making their very own cake pops ❄️🧁 Crumbling and rolling the cake into balls supported tactile tolerance, sequencing, and fine motor skills. We also took time to reflect on all we learned this session and celebrated all the teamwork we shared along the way!

12/20/2025

Our kiddos are having so much fun with this menorah food craft 🕎 💙 There are so many ways to "grade up" or "grade down" food crafts to fit the strengths of any kiddo. With this craft, you can use pre-sliced bananas or have your child peel and cut the banana themselves. By grading activities up or down, your child can still engage in food exploration and challenge their fine motor skills, all while feeling the accomplishment of completing their craft!

12/18/2025

12/18/2025

❄️ What to Know Wednesday! ❄️ Let's talk about supporting your kiddo through Winter Break...

Winter break can feel exciting, and yet totally overwhelming for neurodivergent kids. Routines shift. Expectations change. Sensory input goes way up.

For many neurodivergent kids, school provides structure, predictability, and clear expectations; all things their nervous systems love. When that disappears, behaviors often show up before words do. Predictability, visual schedules, and built-in downtime can make breaks feel safer and more manageable.

Here are some tips to support your kiddos during winter break.
- Keep wake-up and bedtime routines consistent
- Preview changes before they happen
- Schedule “nothing time” (yes, it’s important!)
- Lower expectations—regulation first

A little routine and a lot of grace can go a long way.

12/15/2025

We're learning about Hanukkah through different modalities! From obstacle courses in our sensory gym to matching dreidels in our sensory bins, the kiddos are learning about holidays through different kinds of play 🩵💙

12/13/2025

We are so thankful to celebrate our incredible team and the end of another wonderful year at Tumble N Dots! The night was filled with laughter, warmth, and gratitude alongside all these passionate and talented people. Our team is what allows us to make the Tumble N Dots' mission possible 💙❤️

Cheers to another year of growth and many smiles to come! Thank you for allowing us to serve this amazing community and become a part of your family's journey.

Wishing everyone happy holidays and joyous rest of the year!

12/11/2025

❄️What to Know Wednesday❄️ Let's talk about the importance of play...

Play is the work of childhood and one of our favorite things to work on as pediatric occupational therapists.

When kids play, they’re not “just having fun”, they’re building fine motor skills, problem-solving, motor planning, social-emotional skills, sensory processing, and confidence all at once. When your child is stacking blocks, pretending to cook, zooming cars, or creating silly stories, they’re building all these skills.

As an OT, we look for:
✩ How they explore toys
✩ How they use their imagination
✩ How they interact with peers
✩ How they navigate challenges and transitions
✩ How their sensory needs show up during play

Here are some ways to support play at home: follow their lead (kids learn best when they feel in charge), offer a mix of simple, open-ended toys, join in but let the kids set the pace, celebrate creativity over perfection.

Remember: every playful moment counts. Even 5 minutes of connection can make a big difference.Your child is learning, experimenting, and discovering their world one playful moment at a time.

12/08/2025

Our Social Explorers are having sensorimotor fun! With a mix of crafts, movement games, and sensory bins, we're practicing skills to build strength in everyday tasks 💪

12/06/2025

Our Social Superheroes are spreading kindness one coaster at a time! We learned how everyone feels sad sometimes and how sadness is a normal emotion we all experience. We focused on different strategies like playing with a favorite toy, giving gifts, or spending time with others can help us with our sadness. By decorating their very own coasters to share, our kiddos practiced their fine motor skills and kindness 💙🩵

12/04/2025

It's What to Know Wednesday! Let’s talk about joint attention...

Joint attention can be described as the foundation for connection, learning, and early communication. It’s that moment when your child notices something, then looks to you (or a peer!) as if to say, “Did you see that too?” It’s when they look at something and then look at you—inviting you into their world.

Joint attention helps children notice, respond, and share experiences with others—skills that make playground games, pretend play, and group activities feel more natural and fun.

If your little one needs support in this area, start with simple routines like peek-a-boo, rolling a ball back and forth, or pointing out something fun together. Consistency, patience, and playful interaction go a long way.

Every shared glance is a step toward deeper connection 🌟

12/01/2025

Our Game Changers are playing the board game "Pandemic" to practice their social problem solving skills, visual processing, and teamwork! Aside from board games, our kiddos are also using their sensory breaks in our gym to develop meaningful connections. There are so many skills we can grow through play 🧩