Prepping for the week as a school-based occupational therapist is no small task. Between juggling caseloads, scheduling, IEPs, paperwork, and direct sessions, it’s easy to feel like you’re constantly chasing the clock.
The truth? A little prep upfront saves you hours of scrambling later—and ensures your students get the most from every session. Below are my best tips for differentiated activities, easy data systems, and practical routines—plus how my Year-Long OT Calendar can transform the way you plan.
Anchor Your Week Around OT Priorities
Instead of trying to do “all the things” every day, structure your sessions around core OT domains:
– Fine Motor/Hand Strength
– Visual Motor/Handwriting
– Sensory Processing & Regulation
– Executive Functioning & Organization
– Self-Help/Functional Skills
This ensures you’re hitting the breadth of OT practice consistently, while giving you a clear focus for prep.
Use Differentiated Activities (One Prep, Many Levels)
Prep one activity that can be easily scaled up or down. When you have an activity that meets different levels, you can use the same theme for various students in your group session or throughout your day.
Example:
– A cutting activity with differentiated cutting (ie: snips, straight lines, curves or shapes).
– Differentiated handwriting pages that includes just letters, copying, or sentence writing options.
Check out my differentiated crafts here for various levels of cutting and differentiated handwriting levels that includes tracing, uppercase letters, letter boxes and copying.
– A sensory bin where one child sorts by color, another uses tweezers to pick out items and another practices bilateral scooping.
This saves you from prepping multiple separate activities while still meeting diverse needs.
Prep Your Data Sheets First
Check out this blog post on data collection!
Your data system is your best friend. Set up sheets that align with your weekly focus so you’re never scrambling for proof of progress.
Examples:
- Pre-printed data sheets for common goals such as copying letters, sentence writing, prewriting lines, scissors skills etc.
- Looking for already created data sheets for many of the OT skills? Check out my data collection sheets here.
- Quick checkboxes for accuracy, speed, or level of support.
- Pre-printed goals with space for tally marks.
- Codes for common supports for yourself (F = fidget, V = visual, H = hand-over-hand).
- Motivate students by using themed data sheets so that it can fit right into your themed session!
- Check out monthly data sheets for both uppercase and lowercase letters for letterboxes, 3 lined paper and single line.
When data is streamlined, your daily notes, IEP and progress notes write themselves.
Rely on Your Year-Long OT Calendar
No more Sunday night stress. The Empowering OT Year-Long Calendar gives you ready-made activities aligned with skill areas and seasonal themes—so you can plug them directly into sessions.
- Saves hours of planning.
- Covers scissor skills/prewriting, writing and gross motor.
- Keeps activities engaging with holiday and seasonal themes.
- Includes “use anytime” activities if you do not want to use the seasonal activities.
- Grab your FREE calendar with only the plan of activities (no products included)
- If you are looking for the calendar with ALL ACTIVITIES to save you time and energy, check it out here! or download it by joining my VIP email list!
Take back your Sunday nights and make prep effortless.
Batch Prep Materials
Set aside 20–30 minutes at the start of the week to copy worksheets, baggie manipulatives, and pre-set bins. Think of it as your OT ‘meal prep.’
Build in “No-Prep Backups”
Keep a stash of dot marker sheets, quick yoga visuals, simple mazes, and fine motor challenges. These lifesavers keep sessions going when schedules fall apart.
Create Visual Menus for Yourself
Instead of rifling through bins, use a laminated “activity menu” sorted by skill area. This quick-grab list reduces decision fatigue mid-session.
Align Prep With IEP Goals
When prepping, glance at your caseload list. Ask yourself: Which IEP goals can I hit with this one activity? Building with goals in mind ensures every session is billable, purposeful, and efficient.
Rotate Core Tools Weekly
Designate a “tool of the week” (e.g., clothespins, therapy putty, tongs). Use it across multiple activities—writing warm-ups, sorting, sensory breaks. This builds mastery while reducing prep clutter.
Looking for clothespin and velcro activities that includes writing and cutting? Check these out!
- Make a pizza velcro activity
- Make a gingerbread house velcro activity
- Make an ice cream clothespin activity
Color-Code and Label Bins
Assign a color for each skill area: blue = fine motor, green = sensory, yellow = visual motor. When you grab a bin, you already know what skill you’re targeting.
Pre-Plan Data Collection Moments
Don’t wait until the end of the session. Build in 1–2 natural checkpoints (e.g., after 5 minutes of cutting, after 3 handwriting lines) so you can jot quick data without interrupting flow.
Use “Theme + Skill” Pairing
Seasonal hooks keep students engaged. Pair them with skill goals:
– Pumpkin seed tweezers → pincer grasp
– Snowflake tracing → visual motor control
– Spring flower cutouts → scissor skills
This keeps prep fun but functional.
Looking for seasonal activity ideas? Check out resources here:
Reflect and Reset Each Friday
Spend five minutes wrapping up your week. Jot down:
– Wins
– Struggles
– What you want to repeat or change
Future you will thank you.
Quick Takeaways for OTs
– Anchor your week around OT domains with differentiated activities, not random activities.
– Prep data sheets first—make them simple and repeatable.
– Differentiate activities to meet multiple needs at once.
– Lean on your Year-Long OT Calendar for built-in, ready-to-go ideas.
– Build habits like batch prep, color-coded bins, and Friday reflections.
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