10 Household Items That Double as Occupational Therapy Tools for Kids

Introduction: Therapy Tools Right in Your Kitchen Drawer

Supporting your child’s development through occupational therapy doesn’t have to mean expensive equipment or a clinic setting. In fact, some of the best therapy tools are likely sitting in your home right now!

With a little creativity and intention, everyday household items can be transformed into engaging therapy tools that promote motor skills, sensory processing, coordination, and independence.

10 Everyday Items That Make Great OT Tools

These simple items can spark big developmental gains—and best of all, they’re budget-friendly and easy to use in daily routines.

1. Kitchen Tongs

Perfect for building hand strength and fine motor coordination. Have your child pick up small toys, cotton balls, or snack pieces and sort them into containers.

2. Painter’s Tape

Create hopscotch on the floor, balance beams on the carpet, or maze paths for mini cars. Great for spatial awareness, gross motor planning, and visual tracking.

3. Muffin Tins

Use them for color sorting, counting games, or fine motor challenges like placing one small object in each cup with tweezers or fingers.

4. Sponges

Cut them into shapes and use for water squeezing games or painting. These activities build hand strength and offer great tactile input.

5. Coins and Piggy Banks

Dropping coins into a slot promotes a pincer grasp, hand-eye coordination, and patience. It’s also a wonderful way to work on bilateral hand use.

6. Laundry Baskets

Turn them into “push carts” for heavy work, or use them for tossing games with rolled socks or beanbags to develop gross motor and eye-hand coordination.

7. Clothespins

Clip them to cards, string, or the edge of a box. Opening and closing clothespins strengthens finger muscles and supports endurance for tasks like writing and cutting.

8. Straws and Cotton Balls

Blow cotton balls across the table to encourage breath control and oral motor development. Make it into a race or obstacle course for extra fun!

9. Ziplock Bags

Fill them with hair gel, glitter, or beads to make squish bags. Tape them to a table or window for a calming, tactile experience that can double as a visual motor activity.

10. Cardboard Boxes

Boxes are open-ended tools: crawl through them for motor planning, turn them into drawing canvases for visual motor integration, or build forts for pretend play and creativity.

Why This Matters: Empowering Parents With Simple Solutions

OT doesn’t have to happen only during sessions. With a little guidance, parents and caregivers can integrate therapeutic activities into daily life using tools they already have. These simple activities support the same developmental goals we work on in therapy—fine motor precision, sensory regulation, gross motor coordination, and more.

By making therapy feel natural and accessible, we boost consistency, confidence, and connection between kids and their caregivers.

Encouragement for the Journey

If you’re using tongs at snack time or playing with painter’s tape in the hallway—you’re doing OT! Progress happens in small, playful moments. By turning everyday items into therapy tools, you’re helping your child grow in ways that are fun, meaningful, and deeply supportive.

Ms. Haley