Pushing around a rock builds what?!

ByMonica Healer

Hey Reader!

Bodies develop from the center out. That means one of the last things that children have really good control over is their fine-motor muscles – fingers, hands and wrists are part of this! Today, we’re giving you a few easy ideas to practice fine motor control with fun and low stress! Remember…this is not something any of the children in our care will master while they’re with us, but we can definitely get them on their way to being fabulous writers and maybe a few seamstresses or tailors too? Who knows?!

  • Practice putting a sock on an empty water bottle or a pool noodle cut down to 6-8 inches in length.

    • Helps build finger dexterity, hand and wrist strength
    • Supports balance and problem-solving
    • Critical self-help skills practice that builds independence and confidence
    • Take the socks OFF for additional practice
  • Put a small river rock on a piece of paper and have the child push the river rock around with a marker to create a piece of art!

    • Requires visual perception to follow the rock AND the marker with their eyes
    • Builds critical thinking and creativity to decide how and where to push the rock to create a design
    • Supports finger, hand and wrist strength because the rock is heavy!
    • HINT: if the rock is too heavy, start with a pompom or cotton ball or maybe a lego
    • Replace the marker with a crayon which requires a bit more “pressure” to make a mark.
  • Hold a stuffy next to their body to keep their elbow tucked when they’re trying to cut!

    • Forces the elbow to stay tight to the body
    • Builds shoulder and arm control
    • Forces the child to use the wrist and hands for cutting (rather than shoulder and forearm)

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Have you tried any of these activities with your students? Do you have any fun ideas that your class really likes? Reply to this email and let us know what worked for you!

Cheering you on this week!

-Your ECCN team

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