Are you looking for gift ideas for OT practitioners or students? (Or for yourself?) We found the most popular books, movies, and products among our OT crowd. You’re bound to find something the OT peeps in your life will love.
Coloring Books
Zolocolor
The Zolocolor coloring book series from Simon and Schuster have simple but bold shapes. These are great for beginners as it’s much simpler than some of the other more popular coloring books for adults.
Coloring Book for Men
Coloring is not just for women! If you want to make sure your coloring page designs appeal to men, check out The Amazing Colouring Book for MEN.
Bonus: Zentangle!
Does the person you’re shopping for like to doodle? We haven’t featured this one before, so it’s technically not a most popular gift, but the OT and OTA students National Student Conclave loved learning to Zentangle! Learn about it here and there are tons of books available to give as gifts.
Books
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Set in rural Alaska, this novel is about a near desperate family seeking a new beginning. After the main character has a brain injury, he receives occupational therapy.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
A neurosurgeon finds out at 36 that he has stage 4 lung cancer. Kalanithi began writing this memoir as he went from being a physician treating the dying to a patient struggling to live.
Umami by Laia Jufresa
A quietly devastating novel about learning to continue living after losing a loved one. You hear individual stories at different points of time from a variety of characters ranging from young children to older adults.
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
You probably are not used to laughing out loud when reading about dementia, but Khong made me smile, laugh, cringe, and cry. It is a diary-like tale of an adult woman moving home to help her parents as her father’s dementia takes him away from a job that he loves.
The Unspeakable by Meghan Daum
If you like laughing out loud but then walking away with a really profound conclusion, this collection of personal essays is for you. Daum covers everything from losing her mother to the decision to not have children in an honest (but also hilarious) way.
Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira Lee
A story of the bond between two sisters—one with a mental illness and the other who would do anything to help her.
Occupational Therapy-Themed Gifts
Clipboard with Privacy Cover
What’s better than a clipboard? One that has a cover to protect your private information! Your colleagues loved this OT-themed clipboard.
An OT-themed Pen
You’ll need a pen to take notes, so make sure to pick up a few occupational therapy-themed pens!
Anything OT-Rex
OT-Rex has kind of become our mascot. Get the unstoppable dinosaur on a t-shirt and it’s sure to make the OT peeps in your life laugh.
Movies
Life, Animated (2016)
This Oscar-nominated documentary tells the story of how a young man with autism used Disney films to develop communication skills. Watch a trailer. Fun fact: find out how occupational therapist Kristie Koenig was involved with the film.
Cake (2014)
If you work with clients who have chronic pain, you’ll want to watch this film, which won a SAMHSA Voice Award for educating the public about behavioral health.
Downsizing (2017)
Looking for a cozy night in? You could rent or buy the movie Downsizing, which features Matt Damon playing an occupational therapist. Invite your OT friends over and discuss the portrayal of occupational therapy. Check out our review of the movie here.