We invited occupational therapist assistant Trish Cauthon to the show to help you equip your young children for their two primary occupations—playing and learning. The field of occupational therapy encompasses multiple key areas such as: motor skills, sensory processing, emotional social skills, self-regulation, and executive functioning. Learn how long you can expect a child to pay attention to a cognitively challenging task. Get multiple suggestions for making learning more memorable so that it sticks. And find out if your expectations for your child are reasonable or not.

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01:52 What is a COTA and what does occupational therapy provide?

01:07 A simple trick with cotton balls to help kids regulate a sense of time.

05:24 Key skills needed at the preschool level.

07:32 A rule of thumb for how long kids can focus.

09:22 Why early elementary grade children can sometimes get overwhelmed with what seems like a simple project.

12:05 Children don't yet know how to react to mistakes and learn from them.

12:52 Some of our concerns/frustrations with our kids arise from not understanding what's developmentally appropriate for them.

14:51 The tremendous need for variety and breaks.

17:19 Learning how to learn.

18:49 Learning preferences.

19:50 Motor memory.

20:57 The value of asking questions when a child is struggling.

26:20 Ways to make homeschool lessons more tactile.