Goal work ... this is what we work on all the time in therapy with our kids. This is the time of year, though, that we all take pause to do a little self reflection, and come up with our own self goals. Hence, the New Year's resolutions! It's also a great time to reiterate some of the goals some of our kids have (related to interventions, therapies, and such that our kids are receiving). Why not make it fun? Our kids have been hearing a lot about New Year's resolutions this month, in particular. Why not create a fun game, activity, and/or craft project to map out applicable goals.
Another thought that would be easily replicated at home is to rewrite an already familiar song (i.e. "Twinkle, ,Twinkle", "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "Hokey Pokey", or use a more current song that your child likes). Focus the lyrics around goal work ... what area(s) you want to work toward on a daily basis. Most of you are familiar with Social Stories, and how effective they are. Setting social stories to music takes it one more step further, making it more exciting (fun!) as well as making them easier to memorize and recall on spot. Also, we all know how a certain tune can get "stuck in your head", right? Why not use this concept to your advantage? It's what was done with the ABC song, and look how effective that has been! It's used in every commercial you see for a reason. Sing the song (maybe even have pictures or some visual prop to accompany) in the mornings and/or just before the related task (goal related task).
Jessica
