Home Carryover Activity: Baking Cookies!

by Elizabeth Sowell, MS, OTR/L

This is a great (and delicious) activity because it incorporates a variety of skills that may be addressed in occupational therapy.

(See the bottom of the page for a sugar cookie recipe from All Recipes.)

Skills that baking can help with:
- bilateral coordination
- visual motor
- strengthening
- body awareness
- motor planning
- fine motor skills
- handwriting

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups white sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

Stirring the ingredients in a bowl incorporates bilateral coordination and strengthening!​

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Rolling the dough incorporates bilateral coordination, visual motor integration, and strengthening!​

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Have a dance party while you wait to work on coordination, body awareness, and motor planning!​

​4. Decorate!

Decorating cooking with icing incorporates strengthening and visual motor integration. Using sprinkles or other fun decorations helps with fine motor skills!

Try this out and tag us on Facebook or Instagram - @arisetherapies
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​Happy Baking!