Best Start Occupational Therapy

13/07/2026

🎈 Why Play Matters 🎈
Did you know that play is one of the most important ways children learn and develop?
To a child, play is fun. But behind every game, obstacle course, building activity, or imaginative adventure, important skills are growing and developing.
Through play, children learn to:
🌟 Develop fine and gross motor skills
🌟 Build strength, coordination, and balance
🌟 Practice problem-solving and creativity
🌟 Improve attention and concentration
🌟 Develop communication and social skills
🌟 Learn emotional regulation and resilience
🌟 Gain confidence and independence

At Best Start Occupational Therapy, play isn't just something we do to keep children engaged—it is the foundation of our therapy approach.

Occupational Therapists use carefully chosen play activities to help children work towards their goals in a fun, meaningful, and motivating way. Whether we're building towers, completing obstacle courses, playing board games, creating crafts, or pretending to be superheroes, every activity has a purpose.
When children are having fun, they are more engaged, more motivated, and often achieve more than they realise. That's why play-based therapy is such a powerful tool for supporting learning, development, and participation in everyday life.

Because when children play, they're not "just playing"—they're learning, growing, and building the skills they need for the future. 💙

03/04/2026

🌸🐣 Happy Easter from Best Start OT! 🐰💛

Wishing all our wonderful families a joyful, chocolate-filled Easter! 💐🍫 May this special time be filled with fun, laughter, and lovely moments together.

Please note that Best Start OT will be closed from Friday 3rd April and will reopen on Tuesday 7th April.

Thank you for being part of our Best Start OT community 💙

Have a safe and happy Easter!

20/03/2026

Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March) and some great advice from Raising Children Network to help with conversations on how to celebrate neurodiversity within our communities.

06/03/2026

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month 💚

At Best Start Occupational Therapy, we celebrate the incredible children and families in our community living with Cerebral Palsy.

Every child’s journey is unique, and we love being part of helping children build the skills, confidence and independence to participate in the activities they enjoy most.

Cerebral Palsy can affect movement, muscle tone and coordination. Occupational Therapists work closely with children and their families to support everyday skills such as:
✨ Play and learning
✨ Self-care skills like dressing and feeding
✨ Fine motor skills for writing and using their hands to play
✨ Mobility, positioning and equipment
✨ Participation at home, kindergarten/school and in the
community

Most importantly, we work alongside families to focus on each child’s strengths, goals and to help them to reach their potential.

This month we recognise the resilience, determination and joy of children with Cerebral Palsy and the families who support them every day. 💚

If you would like to learn more about how Occupational Therapy can support your child, our team at Best Start Occupational Therapy is here to help.
📍 The Gap, Brisbane, 4061
📞 (07) 3188 1415
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.beststartoccupationaltherapy.com.au

💚

26/02/2026

🌈 Helping Big Feelings: Supporting Emotional Regulation & Self-Soothing in Young Children

Big feelings are a normal part of growing up — but sometimes they can feel overwhelming for little bodies and busy brains.

At Best Start Occupational Therapy, we support children to understand their emotions, build regulation skills and develop confidence in managing “big feelings” 💛

Here are some simple, practical strategies you can try at home:
✨ Name the Feeling
Help your child build emotional language:
“I can see you’re feeling frustrated.”
“You look disappointed.”
Naming feelings helps children make sense of what’s happening inside.

✨ Co-Regulate First
Before expecting your child to calm themselves, help them feel safe and supported. Sit close, use a calm voice, offer a hug or gentle pressure if they like it. Regulation starts with connection.

✨ Create a Calm-Down Toolkit
Include items such as:
• A favourite soft toy
• A toy to practice deep breathing e.g. windmill toy, bubbles
• Noise-reducing headphones
• A sensory fidget
• A simple feelings visual chart

✨ Teach Simple Breathing Strategies
Try “smell the flower/biscuits, blow out the candle” breathing 🌸🕯️
Keep it playful and practice when your child is already calm. You may like to use some games such as bubbles or blowing onto a windmill toy or feather.

✨ Use Movement to Reset
Jumping, wall push-ups, animal walks or a quick run outside can help regulate the nervous system and release big energy.

✨ Build a Calm Corner
A quiet, cosy space with pillows, books and sensory tools can become a safe place to reset — not a timeout, but a “time in.”

Remember — emotional regulation is a skill that develops over time. With support, practice and patience, children learn how to manage their feelings more independently.

If your child finds big feelings hard to manage, OT can help 💬
At Best Start OT we offer OT clinic appointments at The Gap, Brisbane and mobile appointments for children 0–9 years across Brisbane.
📩 Get in touch to learn more or book an appointment.
[email protected]
www.beststartoccupationaltherapy.com.au

20/01/2026

✨ New Year, New Skills ✨

A new year is a great time to support your child’s independence. Occupational Therapy can help you and your child with big and small goals.

Whether it’s learning to hold a pencil, build confidence with self-care, manage big feelings, or get ready for school, Occupational Therapy supports children to develop the skills they need for everyday life — at their own pace 🌱

At Best Start Occupational Therapy, we work alongside families to set meaningful goals and celebrate every step forward.

📞 If you’re thinking about support for your child in 2026, we’d
love to help. Contact us on:
Email: [email protected]
Ph: (07) 31881415
www.beststartoccupationaltherapy.com.au

📍 Clinic services in The Gap, Brisbane and mobile services
available for children aged 0–8 years.

For the best start for your child. 💙

06/01/2026

✨ Happy New Year from Best Start Occupational Therapy! ✨

We hope you and your family enjoyed a happy, restful holiday season and a wonderful start to the New Year for 2026 💚

Best Start Occupational Therapy is now open after the holiday break, and we’re looking forward to supporting children and families throughout the year ahead 🌈

If your child would benefit from Occupational Therapy support, or if you’d like to enquire about appointments, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re here to help your child build confidence, skills and independence every step of the way 👣

📞 Contact us to book or enquire about OT appointments:
[email protected]
💻 www.beststartoccupationaltherapy.com.au
We can’t wait to work with our wonderful families in the year ahead! 💫

— The Best Start OT Team 💚

24/12/2025