Chicago Occupational Therapy • Feb 4, 2022

Fun Fine Motor Valentine’s Day Crafts

Joanna Pasheluk, MS, OTR/L, is a registered and licensed occupational therapist who brings specialized pediatric expertise and infectious enthusiasm to every therapy session at Chicago…

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Joanna Pasheluk

Joanna Pasheluk, MS, OTR/L, is a registered and licensed occupational therapist who brings specialized pediatric expertise and infectious enthusiasm to every therapy session at Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center. Since joining the team in 2017, Joanna has helped hundreds of children develop the foundational skills they need to participate fully in daily life—from self-care routines to classroom activities to playground interactions. Joanna's educational foundation began at the College of Charleston, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Spanish in 2010. This background in communication studies laid important groundwork for her future work helping children express needs, follow directions, and engage socially. She went on to complete her Master of Occupational Therapy at the University of Illinois Chicago in 2015, where she developed expertise in pediatric development, sensory processing, and therapeutic interventions. In her clinical practice, Joanna specializes in several key areas: sensory integration therapy for children who struggle to process sensory information, fine motor skills development including handwriting, cutting, and manipulation tasks, self-care skill building such as dressing, feeding, and hygiene, and social interaction skills that help children connect with peers and adults. Her treatment philosophy centers on play-based interventions—she believes the best therapy doesn't feel like work. Instead, Joanna designs activities that children find genuinely engaging while secretly targeting therapeutic goals. Beyond direct patient care, Joanna serves as co-leader of Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center's multidisciplinary team. In this role, she facilitates collaboration between occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, and behavior analysts, ensuring each child benefits from coordinated expertise. She champions evidence-based practices and continuous learning within the team. Joanna's family-centered approach means parents aren't observers—they're partners. She actively involves caregivers in treatment planning and provides coaching so skills transfer beyond the clinic walls into real-world settings where children live and learn.

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Valentine’s day is right around the corner! Here’s some craft ideas to wash those winter blues away and add some colorful decorations to your house, all while working on those love-ly fine motor skills!

Heart Card – Great activity for children to work on hand strength, visual-motor skills including scissors and lacing.

Materials: 2 different colors of construction paper (white, red, pink, purple – whichever you have), scissors, markers, hole punch, yarn, glue
Fold the paper in half. Starting at the crease, draw half of the heart.
Keeping the paper folded, have the child cut out the heart. Repeat steps 2-3 with a different colored paper, making the heart slightly smaller than the first.
Glue smaller heart onto larger heart.
Use hole punch to punch holes along the outside edge of the larger heart.
Tie a knot at one end of the yarn and string yarn through the holes.
Decorate the heart with stickers, markers, glitter glue, etc!

Yarn Heart – Simple, fun activity for children to work on using both hands together.

Materials: Cardboard cut out in the shape of a heart, ball of yarn
1. Optional: Cut out little slits in the cardboard heart
If completing with 2 children, have one child hold the ball of yarn and the other child hold the cardboard. Or, the adult can hold the yarn to help with tangling and the child can wrap it around the heart.
Wrap the yarn around the cardboard heart until the heart is covered in the yarn.
Hang it from the ceiling or on the wall for some dangling hearts around the house!

Celery Heart – Stamped Valentines

Materials: celery (can use individual stalk or a bunch), washable paint, construction paper
Either have the child draw and cut out a heart or have the heart-shaped paper ready to go.
Using the celery ends, dip the celery into the paint and then ‘stamp’ the celery on the heart. You can use one piece of celery at a time or use a bunch together!

Now that you have some new ideas, it’s time to get crafting. Remember, it’s ok to get messy, be creative, and have fun! See?! Fine motor and sensory motor can be fun, creative and enriching all the time! For more help with these fine motor tasks for your little one, contact our creative pediatric occupational therapists for guidance and help for your child at 773-687-9241! Happy Valentine’s Day!