What is Home Carryover and Why is it Important?

When a child begins occupational or speech therapy services, their therapist will start recommending activities to engage in at home. Home carryover refers to the practice of applying and reinforcing therapeutic strategies and interventions outside of the clinical setting, specifically in the child’s home, school, or community. A clinician’s goal is to create individualized play-based activities for at home that are motivating for the child so they can have fun while learning new skills! By incorporating therapeutic techniques into home life, caregivers can provide consistent support and create an environment that fosters progress. The continuity of care and practice at home is the key to enhancing a child’s independence, confidence, and participation throughout everyday activities.  

Examples of home carryover

Depending on a child’s goals and areas of vulnerability, the child’s therapist and caregiver can work together to find the just right balance for home programming. This might include a specific list of activities, a schedule, or frequency and length of time for each activity to most effectively support the child’s progress. 

Occupational Therapy

• Sensory Integration Activities: Sensory bins, sensory diets, and tactile play 
• Fine Motor Skills: Beading or stringing, playdough or putty manipulation, cutting practice, coloring and crafting, and sticker activities
• Visual Motor Integration Skills: Puzzles, drawing and tracing, mazes, and connecting the dots 
• Gross Motor Skills: Yoga, core strengthening exercises, and bilateral coordination activities
• Motor Planning/Praxis Skills: Obstacle courses, animal walks, ball play, multi-step tasks 
• Oral Motor/Feeding Activities: Oral motor exercises, learning about and introducing new foods, and respiration activities
• Self-Care Activities: Dressing practice, hair or teeth brushing, and feeding skills

Speech Therapy

• Articulation Activities: Speech sound worksheets, eye spy, “I’m going on a picnic…” game, scavenger hunt, and read books that emphasize target speech sounds (“Hop on Pop” – /p/ sound). 
• Language Development Skills: Books, intentional modeling during play, and talking about animal sounds
• Social Language: Social scavenger hunt, social modeling videos, journal reflections, and finding friends with similar interests
• Executive Functioning Activities: Recipe making, homework, and memory games
• Executive Functioning Supports: Utilize a timer at home during daily routines, and make a schedule with a parent

These are just some of the many examples of home carryover programs a therapist may implement.

Home carryover reinforces skills

So why practice all of the skills at home if the child comes to occupational or speech therapy? Home carryover is essential for reinforcing skills learned and ensuring progress beyond the therapy session. By practicing techniques and exercises at home, children gain consistency and confidence when applying skills in new or challenging environments. When we practice an activity over and over again, our brain creates neural pathways that can enhance the ability to adapt and strengthen connections. Consistent home carryover will support a child’s overall growth, confidence, and overall success in daily activities. 

Generalization

Generalization refers to your child’s ability to apply learned skills in various settings and situations beyond therapy. Practicing skills in different settings, such as school, home, and the community, can strengthen a child’s confidence in their skills. Within these settings, your child will learn real life applications with the skills they have worked hard to master in occupational and speech therapy. Learn more about feeding generalization with this handout! 

Tips to be effective with home carryover

Life is busy, and adding another thing to weekly routines may seem daunting at first. Setting a schedule for home carryover can help ensure that the practice becomes a regular part of the day, rather than an occasional task. Below are some tips to increase the effectiveness of home carryover:

• Make it sustainable
• Incorporate what is meaningful to your child
• Involve other family members
• Teach others about the child’s needs to increase awareness and understanding

Lastly, have fun with it! Creating new games, being silly, and playing through the activities can help children stay engaged and forget they are working hard.

Conclusion

In conclusion, home carryover plays an important role in reinforcing and generalizing skills. By creating a consistent schedule, integrating therapy activities into daily routines, and involving the whole family, children will have more opportunities to practice and strengthen their skills. Remember to give yourself grace as you enter this new routine, as you may have to change your language and lens to fit your child’s needs.

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