Here are some more activities to do when patching.
For Babies:
- Put a mobile or pictures that contrast with the ceiling and wall
- Play with bold colored blocks with patterns
- For tummy time, use a solid-colored blanket that contrasts with play toys
For Toddlers:
- Memory Game – limit the choices based on the age, we sill just do 6 cards
- Hi-Ho Cherry Oh game – I like the Target version with 4 different color fruit as we end up sorting the little fruit to their matching tree
- With Pony Beads (found at most craft stores) or Color Cheerios
- Stringing beads on a bright colored nylon thread
- Sorting by colors into muffin tins
- Putting on pipe cleaners to make a rainbow
- Picking them up from the floor after they fall =)
- Feather flying party – we had a blast throwing, blowing and trying to catch feathers
- Practice drawing or copying basic shapes using Black Felt Tip Pens
- Make a whole bunch of little circles on a piece of paper and have them put a sticker on each circle
And as always, please add what you are doing with your little ones! It sure makes the patching time go by faster when I have new activities!!!!
For Little Eyes 
Fun ideas! I was just thinking about playing with feathers since they fall so much slower than things like balls.
I found this page posted on Prevent Blindness America: http://www.eyecanlearn.com/ – there are a bunch of visual exercise games and puzzles. I think they’re almost all above Zoe’s level, but some of the older kids might enjoy them.
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Always love to see more ideas for patch time. If you have an older child (my son is almost 5) that can play computer games I’ve found that Treehouse http://treehousetv.com/kids/games/play.aspx and Sesame Street http://www.sesamestreet.org/home both have a lot of good games and colouring pages that work well. Since we only allow our son to play the games during patch time he actually requests to do patch time because he loves the games.
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Belle mostly I’ve been letting go to town with coloring and craft activities. Since she just had her 4th birthday a lot of people gave her all sorts of coloring and craft sets. So, we’ve been using scissors and cutting and coloring and glueing… also, stickers. Its rather MESSY here but she is having a blast and when she is busy she isn’t thinking about the patch and wanting it off!!! And, she’s getting more confident also – before she never really wanted to color or draw, and I think it was because she perceived that she wasn’t “good” at it – especially when compared to some of the other kids in her class who are older than she is. She LOVES that I smile and love her creations.
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Ann- I had my first follow up today. I’m 63 days into my therapy. I was so nervous about the appointment, I really wasn’t noticing a difference in my daily life. But my doctor says we’re seeing improvement!! We still have a ways to go, of course. But I am feeling quite encouraged after hearing that! http://rootsandrings.wordpress.com/
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Thanks for the update Chelsea! That’s great news that your doctor is seeing improvement. That’s got to make it easier to keep going!
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I’ll preface this by saying we have not yet done this while patched…but will be trying soon.
Blowing bubbles and catching / popping them.
If it’s anything like yesterday’s action…it challenges coordination, perception, depth….and stamina. Good night Mr. Exhausted…zzzzz.
a blast…
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Great ideas! I actually had the easiest hour of patching yesturday when we went to feed the baby ducklings at a pond nearby. She only tried to take the patch off a few times and I just said, “no, it’s patch time,” and handed her another peice of old bread to crumble and throw. WOOOOO HOOOOOO
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Thank you for the suggestions and support. My 2.6 year old son was born with a very thin optic nerve in his right eye. For sometime, his eye would wonder in so we were suggested to wear the patch for 2 hours a day. We were lucky, in the beginning, to get 30 minutes. He HATED it. Kicking, screaming, ripping it off several times. We wore one too but that didnt matter. We would get him disracted by dancing, coloring or building but only for a few minutes. Then “take it off”. We’ve explained why its needed, we have given him stickers, rewards but even now, after several months and up to an hour a day, he still wrestles with us and protests. Do any of you, even after doing it for awhile, still experience challenges?
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