Professional Development for Teachers and Parents – Online Courses (2025)
Develop Learn Grow offers professional development courses to help school leaders, teachers, and parents in private and public education. Support children in your career as a preschool or elementary school classroom teacher, professional, or therapist. Additionally, you can participate in these professional learning activities to guide you as a parent or caregiver.
The courses were developed by Amy Hathaway MOT, OTR/L, CIMI-2, a seasoned pediatric occupational therapist with 22.75 years of experience. Amy has worked since 2002 as an early childhood and school-based OT. She shares her vast knowledge base to provide education courses and professional learning activities with easy to implement activities and strategies.
Online Professional Development for Teachers, Parents, and Professionals
Develop Learn Grow’s online courses provide professional learning opportunities for adults working with children. Professionals in early childhood programs can benefit from the courses. Additionally, preschool and elementary teachers in grade levels ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade need this information.
Participants complete the courses at their own pace and receive a certificate of completion for their professional development hours. Develop Learn Grow is an approved provider for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. PA educators earn Act 48 credits upon completion of the course.
The self-paced courses include subject areas that help support student achievement.
The Sensory Systems Course covers a large amount of information that supports brain development and learning. This information is great for school leaders and administrators. It guides private and public school teachers to better understand how to meet the rising diverse needs of students.
The sensory course supports student achievement through an occupational therapy perspective. The activities and instructional strategies offered improve attention, focus, behavior, classroom management, and anxiety problems.
The Fine Motor Skills professional development course offers easy to use instructional strategies to support the decline of fine motor skills in children noted in school systems.
Both courses have been beneficial for new teachers as well as veteran classroom teachers who need ongoing support to meet the current needs of students.
Sensory Systems & Learning: Brain Boosting Activities for All Children – 2 Hour Online Video Course
The Sensory Systems and Learning Course, 2 Hour Online Course was developed to enhance children’s sensory processing skills for improved attention, behavior, and learning. It offers easy to use sensory activities that create and strengthen pathways for learning.
The first five modules of the self-paced course provides professional learning to help the participant understand:
- How the Brain and Nervous System Work
- The Basic and Fundamental Sensory Systems and Your Sensory Systems
- Sensory System Development and Its Impact on Sensory Motor Development, Perceptual Development, Attention, Behavior, and Learning
- Sensory Processing Skills in Kids
- Why There Are Sensory Differences and Sensory Difficulties in Children
The last module of the Sensory Systems and Learning Course offers over 460 total sensory activities and 114 total sensory strategies for children:
- 140+ Sensory Activities for School Age Children, 22 Calming Activities, 22 Alerting Activities, 16 Environmental Strategies, and Screen Alternatives
- 133 Sensory Activities for Preschoolers, 24 Calming and Alerting Strategies, and Screen Alternatives
- 101 Sensory Activities for Toddlers, plus 27 Calming and Alerting Tricks
- 88 Sensory Activities for Babies, plus 25 Calming and Alerting Strategies
Additionally, the last module offers resources specific for teachers. It shares a total of 25 pages of resources for preschool and kindergarten teachers and 25 pages of resources for elementary teachers including:
- How to Embed Sensory Strategies Into Class Routines
- Example Sensory Schedules
- Educator Daily Sensory Checklist
There are also individual handouts and resources on the following topics:
- Flexible Seating in the Classroom Environment
- Quick Brain Breaks
- Movement & Balance (Vestibular) Activities
- Heavy Work & Deep Pressure (Proprioceptive) Activities
- Tactile Learning Activities
- Auditory & Listening Activities
- Alerting Sensory Activities & Strategies for School
- Calming Sensory Activities & Strategies for School
- Crossing Midline Activities
- Vertical Surface Activities
- Prone and Floor Activities
- Summary of Links & Resources
Fine Motor Development in Children – 1.5 Hour PDF Course
Elementary school teachers are seeing an even greater decline in fine motor skills. The Fine Motor Development in Children 1.5 Hour PDF Self-Paced Course offers important foundational skills and activities that students need in order to build motor skills.
The various sections of the online course covers:
- Foundational activities that support the development of fine motor skills
- Motor coordination skills needed for fine motor tasks
- Hand skill development in children
- The sequence of pencil grasp development
- How to embed fine motor activities into daily play and learning routines
The fine motor course offers over 485 skilled activities and 73 pages of professional learning information and tips:
- Fine motor activities for the home environment
- Core and upper body exercises, positioning tips, and coordination activities that support fine motor skills
- Activities to improve hand strength, thumb stability, pincer grasp, and skill finger development
- Strategies for grasp development and success with daily fine motor tasks
- Hand dexterity exercises, handwriting warm-ups, and tools that support fine motor development
- How to EASILY embed the fine motor activities into daily learning and play routines at school and at home
Feedback on the Professional Development Courses for Teachers, Parents, and Professionals
School leaders have required their staff to participate in these professional development courses to enrich their teaching profession. The online courses were included in the teacher’s professional development program as annual goals for their school year.
Additionally, professionals and parents from around the globe have taken the courses. Here is what they are saying about the online courses:
With 20 years as an elementary teacher, my job of simply instructing my students has become more challenging. Basic foundational skills are missing… behavior and attention has worsened. This course gave me necessary and critical brain-building skills and activities that help me effectively teach. [Amy’s] holistic approach to teaching the whole brain, has allowed my students to flourish and reach their full academic potential…” -Holly J. 3rd Grade Teacher
“It helped me to identify ways to help increase movement for my preschoolers and better understand their sensory needs. I plan to observe my students and learn how their sensory systems work and how I can best meet their needs with sensory movements.” -Julia Williamson, Preschool Special Education Teacher
“I found the [Sensory] course to be very informative and insightful into the brain development of my baby and her sensory needs. It gave me new ideas for activities to do with my baby, not only while she’s an infant, but also what to do with her in the future as she grows. I found it enjoyable to learn about and I recommend this course to any parent or guardian who wants to help with their child’s development and have fun doing so along the way!” -Alyssa, Mother
Develop Learn Grow encourages school leaders to create a professional development program for all staff. Higher education entities, school districts, and early childhood programs can enrich the learning of college students or education professionals through these professional development opportunities.
So many changes in our society in the United States are having a negative impact on young student success. Sadly, it is not getting better. Educational leadership begins with appropriate professional development activities that are meaningful and helpful. Feedback from the courses show the impact of the information on several public school teachers in different levels of their teaching career. These courses support best practices to meet the challenges teachers face as they are fighting for student success.
In addition to the professional development courses, Develop Learn Grow offers products and resources. These were created for school leaders, teachers, and parents to support student achievement.