Fine Motor, Visual Motor, and Perceptual Skills
Cutting Tips
= Bold the outline with a highlighter or marker.
= Hold scissors and paper with “thumbs on top.” You can place a sticker on your child’s thumbnail as a reminder.
= Begin first with cutting straight lines, then basic shapes, then complex shapes.
= Use hand-over-hand assistance as needed.
Gluing Tips
= When gluing, put the glue on the object being glued and NOT the paper.
= Make a mark or draw a line as a visual of where the glue should go.
= Try glue sticks for children with decreased strength.
Pencil Grasp Tips
= Use broken crayons and short pencils to encourage an efficient grasp.
= Have your child hold a small coin or cotton ball with their pinky and ring fingers leaving on their ring finger, middle finger, and thumb available to hold the pencil.
Hand Strengthening Activities
= Hand weight baring activities such as wheelbarrow walks, crab walks, push-ups.
= Lego and Playdoh play: roll into balls, make a snake, press with stamps, hide and find pegs or beads, etc.
= Pinch clothespins, paint with eyedroppers, & pick up items with tweezers.
= Crafts, such as beading, lacing, ripping paper, to make a collage, and hole punch activities.
= Use a spray bottle to play in the bath, help with cleaning, etc.
= For in-hand manipulation, place coins in a piggy bank or make your own with a coffee can with a slot in the top.
Visual Skills Activities
= When reading use an index card or ruler to help isolate one line or word at a time.
= Activities such as mazes, cryptograms, Dot-to-Dot, word finds, puzzles, ball or balloon toss, etc.
= To view more visual perceptual activities, visit the free website: www.eyecanlearn.com
Writing Skills
Proper Posture when Writing on a Table Top
= Feet flat on the floor (a footstool or thick book can be placed under the feet to assist if feet do not reach the floor.) Sit upright in chair.
= Wrist supported on table.
Letter Formation
= When printing, prompt your child to use a top down formation: “Start at the top.”
= Try this routine: You write the letter, your child writes the letter, you write the letter, your child writes the letter.
Spacing
= Have child use their finger or a popsicle stick after each word to create an appropriate space before beginning the next word.
= Use graph paper to give a visual cue for spacing out words and letters.
= There are many types of writing paper. Be sure to check with your child’s therapist on the best type of paper or strategy for your child.
Letter and word placement
= Draw a green line along the left margin of the paper and a red line on the right to signal where to “start” and “stop”.
= If your child has difficulty writing on the line, darken the bassline with a marker.
= Use a highlighter to indicate where to write between the lines.
Typing
= To work on typing skills, visit one of the free websites below:
o www.freetypinggame.net
o www.funtotype.com
o http://games.senselang.org
Practice Writing Skills
= Schedule a 10-minute interval daily to practice writing.
= Encourage your child to write about a preferred topic of choice.
= Help your child make greeting cards for family and friends.
= Write a grocery list together.
= Make lists: favorite TV programs, movies, things to pack before a trip.
Self-Regulation and Sensory Processing
- Self-regulation is the ability to control one’s thoughts, emotional responses, actions, and the level of alertness/attention. It can be influenced by several different factors including sensory processing. Sensory processing is how we process the world around us as well as what is going on inside of us to produce an appropriate behavioral response.
Calming Activities
= Play games that reinforce structure and require waiting/turn-taking: red light green light, freeze dance, Simon says.
= Yoga, meditation, and belly breathing will help child develop better control of their physical body, thoughts and emotional states. You can start by sitting still with eyes closed with a slow count of 5.
= Routines, structure, and clear expectations will help your child with self-control. Review any changes to normal routine early.
= Provide a quite personal space for your child to calm. Relaxing music, a bean bag chair, or soft pillows to burrow in may be helpful.
= Encourage a variety of play/work positions such as standing, lying on the floor, kneeling.
= Offer your child a chewy snack to provide organizing sensory input (i.e. Twizzlers, dried fruits, bagels, etc.)
= “Heavy work” activities (carrying heavy items, push/pull activities, etc.)
Energizing Activities
- Have your child jump on a mini-trampoline, do jumping jacks, or play hopscotch.