At Cutting Edge Pediatric Therapy we offer therapies to help your child achieve the greatest level of physical, cognitive and emotional functioning possible. We help build their nervous systems up so that they can function at their best and highest level. But we don't stop there — we also have therapies that include helping them learn how to do many of the practical skills they’ll need to take care of themselves in the home and out in the world. But did you know we use a kitchen and laundry area to do some of these things?

Here are three ways we use our kitchen to help clients:

1. Preparing food — This kitchen gives our children the opportunity to learn and practice life skills. Our older kids will come into our client kitchen and make, for instance, sandwiches. Making food helps them practice life and job skills in a meaningful way that will help them become more independent. 

2. Laundry — Our kids have come here and learned how wash and fold laundry. Like food preparation, being able to wash and take care of clothes will help them to become more independent in caring for themselves.

3. Motor skills and problem solving — Kids might come into our kitchen and learn a skill like pouring water from a pitcher into different cups, making sure it's all even. Pouring water lets them practice a physical skill, while figuring out how to get all the water in the cups even helps them practice solving a problem that has some meaning to them. 

These are all important life skills that they can learn to not only take care of themselves, but to function in a working environment. Many of these skills can translate into job skills and can help the child become more independent. They learn “the job of living” when they practice these developmentally appropriate skills, and they get a great sense of accomplishment from doing them!

Our goal is to make sure what we do is helping them to be functional, as well as strengthening their nervous system.

For more tips, please join us on Facebook at: Cutting Edge Pediatric Therapy or visit our website here: Cuttingedgepediatrictherapy.com