I am always looking for ideas to shake up my OT treatments and try to get creative with activity tolerance activities, because it is just NOT functional or occupation based to have our clients standing and putting in pegs into a board (unless they find this fun!). So if you haven’t dug into 14 Occupation Based Kit Ideas For Your OT Department or Best Occupational Therapy Treatment Ideas for Men, these are a few more blog posts that will give you some treatment ideas.
Client centered care is so important in providing better outcomes, improvements in functional performance and quality of life (Choi, Yun, 2019), but further research is needed as even though it is recommended, it is not always implemented. It also helps patient motivation, as these are activities that the client has identified themselves as meaningful or fun per assessments such as the occupational profile or the modified interest checklist.
So I am going to help you get creative, give 5 different treatment ideas to work on activity tolerance in your clinic and then give you a downloadable pdf with 20 More Free Occupation Based Ideas for Endurance/ Activity Tolerance Treatment Ideas to keep your creative juices going!
I love to use games as a means to:
1) work on OT goals,
2) be purposeful,
3) have FUN,
4) have a good time and laugh
Most can be put up and taken down due to limited clinic space, which is an extra bonus!
5 Activity Tolerance and Standing Tolerance Activities:
1. Vertical Card Match:
Step 1: Gather supplies including:
- 2 decks of playing cards,
- Glue,
- Velcro pieces with sticky backs, and a
- Trifold cardboard display board
Step 2: Glue one deck of playing cards to the cardboard display board in random order, alternating colors
Step 3: Stick the soft side of the Velcro pieces in the middle and on the front of each playing card that is affixed to the display board
Step 4: Stick the rough side of the Velcro pieces on the back of each playing card in the new deck
Step 5: Play! Ideas are endless including matching colors, making patterns, putting them in order, games, etc
2. Life Sized Connect Four:
Step 1: Gather supplies including:
- Bed sheet or large butcher paper,
- Velcro
- Permanent marker and
- 2 colors (21 of each color) of disposable plastic plates
Step 2: Trace plates 7 across and 6 down on bed sheet or butcher paper
Step 3: Place velcro strips in middle of circles on the bed sheet
Step 4: Place velcro strips on the back of and in the middle of the disposable plates
Step 5: Play! Here are the rules for Connect 4
3. Scrabble:
This may be a little more involved, but after it is set up, it would be a great activity to not only work on activity tolerance, but standing tolerance, visual scanning, adaptive equipment use, etc.
Step 1: Gather supplies including:
- 2-3 large poster boards
- Permanent Marker
- Colored paper to differentiate the points of each letter or write how many points each letter is worth on the paper (laminate)
- 2 oversized scrabble tile racks
Step 2: Measure out and create 10×10 squares on the poster board
Step 3: Place “free” spaces on the board, laminate
Step 4: Put letters on each colored paper, laminate
Step 5: Play! Instructions here for rules
4. Checkers:
Step 1: Gather supplies including:
- Bed sheet or large astroturf rug
- Paint
- Red and black plastic plates (12 of each color)
Step 2: Paint 64 checker squares on the bed sheet or rug
Step 3: Play! Instructions here for rules
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Want 20 More Free Occupation Based Ideas for Endurance/ Activity Tolerance Treatment Ideas for older adults?
Sign up below and get access to this and all the resources available in the Free Level of the OT Flourish Membership
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Tic Tac Toe:
Step 1: Gather supplies including:
- 2 poster boards or check out LivingWell.com‘s floor tic tac toe game with a drop cloth and bean bags)
- Painters tape
- Velcro strips with sticky back
- 3 black and 3 red plastic plates
Step 2: Tape the poster boards together, laminate
Step 3: Measure out and create 3×3 squares (6 total)
Step 4: Stick velcro piece to the middle of each square on the board
Step 5: Stick velcro piece to the middle and the back of the plastic plates
Step 6: Play! Instructions here for rules
I’d love to hear what you would add to the list! Share and comment below!
