Carmen Knight, MAT, Early Childhood & Special Education

As an Early Interventionist or Therapist, travel is part of the job. You may travel from room to room or from house to house and in either case, being organized is essential for a productive therapy session.  SmileMakers can help make your visits an organized dream with their  Nylon Carry-All Storage Tote and Large Locking Storage Bins with Lids.  

Many items that are key to an effective session will fit nicely into the nylon tote.  Keep patient notes and records handy as well as items you'll need for your sessions. The large, open-top tote is great for organizing and transporting items, but it's also a great tool to use as part of a fun therapy session.  The open top encourages curiosity and excitement from your patients.  Smiles, laughter and pointing give way to honing language skills as you ask the child to request the toy they would like to begin their session with.

A simple idea to create language development is to attach an index card with numbers on the pockets of the tote using a paperclip. The numbers on the pocket are an easy, effective way to engage your patient. Older kids can work on number identification and following directions.  Ask your patient to tell you what number pocket has a certain item or ask that they get the toy out of a numbered pocket to help work on following directions.  Younger patients can work more on hand gestures by pointing to the pocket that has the dinosaur, ball or other toy you've brought for the session.  Depending on the need of the patient, you can put large or small items in pockets to help work on fine motor skills.  Ask for items to be taken in and out of pockets or get your little patients to clap as you pull a prize from the tote.

SmileMakers also has a great set of large locking storage containers that are a perfect companion to the nylon tote.  They are sturdy with locking lids that will help secure small items and keep them from falling loose into the bottom of your bag.  Wouldn't it be great to have everything you need for a session in one place so that you're not wasting time getting set up?  Use these containers to organize items by patient, so that you can quickly grab a container that has everything you need for a session.  

While these containers are great organizers, they are also useful for creating a sensory box that meets the needs of patients with sensory integration disorder. Simply fill the container with rice and small SmileMakers items that will fit in the rice. Your sensory integration disorder patients will experience new sensations while having fun learning about each toy they retrieve from the box.  Use the containers to increase communication skills by encouraging the child to name or request items in the container.  
      
Being mobile can present challenges for therapists, so having the right tools to make the most out of your therapy sessions is a must.  SmileMakers has organization and storage items that will help minimize the stress of being sure you have all the items you need to make the most of your time with your patients.  An added bonus of these items is that they serve a dual purpose by providing a fun way to interact with the children.  Organization = fun!