School holidays are a great time for children to relax and recharge, but they can also be a unique opportunity to give your child a boost in their occupational therapy journey. Our Holiday Intensive OT Sessions offer focused, tailored support that helps children work towards their individual goals in a short, concentrated timeframe. Intensive OT sessions can be in addition to, or an alternative to weekly therapy. For some children can be more beneficial for making progress towards their goals.
What are Holiday Intensive OT Sessions?
Holiday Intensive Sessions are short-term bursts of focused therapy, typically delivered across several days during the school holidays. These sessions are tailored to your child’s individual goals and designed to support skill development through repetition, consistency, and hands-on engagement.
They’re a great fit for:
- Children currently on waiting lists for support.
- Families who can’t attend weekly or fortnightly therapy sessions during the school term.
- Children who need a boost or fast-tracked support in a specific area.
- Parents wanting to learn more ways to support their child at home.
What skills can be targeted?
Intensive sessions can suit children across a wide range of ages and developmental levels and typically focus on one specific goal. Some areas of focus include:
- School readiness skills: Support to help your child build the foundational skills needed for a successful start to kindergarten. This can include fine motor skills, self-care and self-management, following group instructions, and turn-taking.
- Handwriting and fine motor skills: From letter formations to pencil grip, children can get extra practice in a supportive and encouraging environment.
- Self-care and independence: Dressing, feeding, using cutlery, brushing teeth, or other self-care tasks can be targeted during intensives OT sessions. It will help children become more confident and independent in their daily routines.
- Emotional regulation and sensory support: Reviewing emotional regulation and sensory strategies and providing parent education to support at home.
- Executive functioning and life skills: Planning, organisation, and daily living skills to support children’s independence at school, home, or out in the community.
What Makes a Holiday Intensive Sessions Successful:
- Parent collaboration: One of the most valuable parts of our holiday intensives is the collaborative work we do with parents and caregivers. You’ll be supported by your Occupational Therapist with parent coaching, resources, and tailored strategies to help embed the skills into everyday routines at home and school. When parents are actively involved, children have more opportunities to practice their new skills in real-life contexts, which strengthens learning and accelerates progress. Collaboration also ensures that therapy goals are meaningful and aligned with your family’s priorities. It also empowers you with practical tools and confidence to support your child well beyond the therapy sessions.
- Specific goal setting: Before starting your holiday intensives, we work closely with you to set one or two clear, meaningful goals that will guide the sessions. Goals will be centered around your child’s needs and your family’s priorities. We focus on goals that are achievable, functional, and relevant to your child’s everyday life. Whether that’s getting dressed independently or managing emotions at school or something else. With your input, we ensure the goals are realistic, measurable, and tailored to fit naturally into daily routines. This focused, individualized approach allows us to track progress clearly and support meaningful growth in the areas that matter most.
Why do they work?
Skill development often requires repetition and consistency. Research shows that intensive therapy is an evidence-based approach that can accelerate progress and allow for skill-building in key areas. Daily or frequent sessions allow your child to build on what they learned, creating strong neural pathways and boost confidence. When combined with consistent follow-through at home, this approach can lead to significant and lasting improvements in functional skills.
Want to book or learn more?
Our Holiday Intensive OT Sessions are available during each school holiday. October Events now live.
If you’d like to find out more about whether an intensive program is right for your child, contact us. Or you’re ready to book—please contact our team today at hello@occupationaltherapy.com.au or 02 9913 3823
