Must See New Therapy Toy - Squigz

Occasionally, a new toy comes along that really excites me as a pediatric physical therapist.  I received an email from Fat Brain toys recently about their new product Squigz.  I ordered it right away.  This is a great toy to add to your therapy tool box.  It is basically a bunch of two or three sided suction cups in different shapes that you can push together or pull apart.  

Here are some ideas to do with the Squigz:

• You can build towers and various shapes by sticking them together.  
• Pulling them apart takes some strength, bilateral coordination and eye hand coordination.  This toy is loaded with pushing and pulling (aka proprioceptive input).  I do have to add that it is not easy so if a child has a significant decrease in muscle strength he/she may not be able to pull them apart. 
• Not only great for playing on a table or floor for OTs but also wonderful to incorporate in gross motor activities.  
• Nice adaptive tool - place on a table top for a small child to help stabilize that hand while the other hand is busy working.   If a child has a significant amount of increased muscle tone they will pull the suction cup off the table.  But for an extra cue, for example to keep one hand down while using the other hand for feeding, this might do the trick.
• Draw dots on a white board in a horizontal or vertical plane.  Make sure your white board is mounted very well on the wall.  The child can stick and un-stick the squigz on each dot.  For the horizontal plane, you add in crossing midline.  For the vertical plane, you sneak in some shoulder strengthening.  Draw parallel lines with circles.  Can the child place the suction cups on each circle up the lines?  See picture above.
• They stick on the wall or floor so you can add them to obstacle courses.  
• Scotter board around the squigz that are stuck on the floor and gather each one as you go.  
• Put them on a white board or chalk board and draw lines connecting them all.    
• Give the child a bucket.  Stick them all over a floor and time how long it takes the child to remove all of them and put them in the bucket. 

As far as I know, only Fat Brain toys is selling these right now.  You can find them at Fat Brain toys.  
Watch the video below to get a better idea of how they work. 

PS - I was not financially compensated for this review, nor did I receive the product for free and I don't have an affiliate link in this post.  I just liked this toy!