By creating fine motor activity kits for elementary-age children, occupational therapy students are putting their education into action.
This week, CUAA’s OT program students are constructing fine motor activity kits for 120 children in Sterling Elementary School’s after-school program. Sterling Elementary serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
During the winter months, the school’s after-school program plays an especially important role, offering children a safe, structured space where they can stay active, engaged and supported when opportunities for enrichment are limited. CUAA students are embracing the hands-on opportunity to apply what they are learning while supporting children beyond the classroom.
Learning through service
Guided by Emily Paul, OTD, MOT, OTRL, assistant professor and admissions committee chair in the Occupational Therapy Department, students in the OT class of 2028 designed and assembled fine motor kits with both fun and function in mind.
The winter-themed kits include snowmen made with modeling clay, snowflake trees, snowflake suncatchers and a snowman wooden bead craft. Each activity was designed to support fine motor coordination, visual-motor integration, bilateral coordination, executive functioning and the ability to follow directions.
For many OT students, experiences like this reinforce why they chose to pursue occupational therapy. Each kit was prepared with care, with materials separated and step-by-step visual instructions created to ensure accessibility for children of varying ages and abilities.
CUAA student voices heard
Gillian Dietz shared that she feels deeply thankful to be able to give back to the community and grateful that her OT career is beginning with service at its heart.
Wyndhem Reid echoed that sense of purpose. “It makes me so happy to be part of something that brings OT into the community,” she said. “Knowing these activities will help children build their skills while having fun makes this experience feel especially meaningful. It reminds me why I chose occupational therapy — to support kids and families in ways that really matter.”
For Trevor Durfee, the project made classroom learning tangible.
“I love being out in the community and really feeling like I’m part of it,” he said. “It makes this work feel more real and meaningful, knowing that these kits will support kids as they build skills and confidence. Being able to connect what we’re learning in class to something that directly helps families is what makes me excited about becoming an occupational therapist.”
No shortage of care
These students will graduate and move on to address needs wherever possible across the country. According to the Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association, there is an industrywide shortage of occupational therapists, including those serving in K–12 settings.
Paul said that while the occupational therapy program is not providing hands-on therapy at Sterling, the kits introduce students to activities commonly used in classrooms to support the development of fine motor skills.
To help address the nationwide shortage of occupational therapists, CUAA offers a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program.
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