All posts by Allyson Locke, M.S., OTR/L

hand holding a pen and writing

Good Handwriting Starts At The Core!

What do the muscles of the core have to do with good handwriting? The simple answer is, a lot! The five main muscles of the core are the pyramidalis, rectus abdominus, external obliques, internal obliques, and transversus abdominis. These muscles are important for many day to day activities; for a deeper dive into this topic check out the free, recorded webinar Postural Control as a Base of Support for Upper Extremity Participation presented by Celine Rosati Skertich and Linda Merry. When it comes to handwriting, the core muscles are key to providing the stability from which our hands can work from. Without the stability provided by the core muscles, the arms would have difficulty positioning the hands and the hands would have difficulty holding writing utensils steadily. In order to make handwriting successful, it is important build a strong foundation from which students can work from! In this blog we will explore fun ways to develop and strengthen core musculature.

Alternative Seating

black kore wobble stool

Adding dynamic movement to seated tasks, is a great way to build core muscle strength. There are a multitude of alternative seating options that allow for dynamic movement while sitting. Examples include, The AlertSeat, Kore Wobble Chairs, and therapy balls. For more information on this check out the blog post, Flexible Seating Options in The Classroom & Home Learning Environments. It is important to remember that using alternative seating to strengthening core muscles should be done during fun, non demanding activities such as watching a movie or playing an easy table game.

Scooter Board Fun

Scooter Board

Scooter board activities are fun and engaging; depending on positioning, scooter board games can be a great way to strengthen either the front or the back core muscles.

Scooter board activities done while positioned on the stomach (‘superman position’; think belly down, arms and legs lifted and extended) are great for strengthening the extensor muscles. For a fun game try scooter board- bean bag tag. To play, players lay belly down on the scooter board with a set of beanbags on the scooter board directly under their chest (this encourages the extensor positioning). The goal of the game is to drop beanbags on opposing players’ backs. To do this they would use their arms to push their scooter to their opponent and then drop the beanbag on their opponent’s back.

Scooter board activities done while positioned on the back in the ‘tucked position’ (think knees in toward the chest, arms flexed, and head lifted) are a great way to target the flexor muscles. Scooter board monster stomp is a great example. To play, tape pictures of monsters (or anything of interest) to the wall, at a low level, 1-2 feet from the floor. The player lays on their back on the scooter board and assumes the ‘tucked’ position. The player’s teammate (or therapist) gently pushes the player to the first monster (a small push on the shoulders will usually do the trick!). The player’s job is to stomp the monster with his feet with enough force to propel him back to his teammate who will direct him to the next monster. Use caution here, this game takes a lot of strength! As soon as the player shows signs of fatigue (i.e. difficulty holding his head up) players should switch turns.

For more fun scooter board game ideas check out the Scooter Board Activities Fun Deck.

Balance Games

Balance Beam

Balancing requires core stabilization, a great way to strengthen those muscles! A simple game of catch becomes a core strengthening challenge just by standing on a wobble board or air filled cushion. A core workout can be done while completing an obstacle course simply by adding a balance beam component or stepping stones. Another great option is to explore the many different yoga balance poses!

Handwriting is an intricate process that requires more than just putting pen to paper; the core muscles provide the essential stability from which our hands work off of. Building a strong foundation, before we put pen to paper, will increase handwriting success and lessen frustration.

2022 By The Numbers!

As we make the transition out of the year 2022 and into the year 2023, the team at Therapro took a moment to reflect on some of the many accomplishments that made the previous year great. The numbers say it all!

Four

Live and in person conferences started to gain traction again in 2022 and the Therapro team was excited to get back out there. Therapro joined attendees at 3 in person conferences and 1 virtual conference this year. In 2023 we hope to continue to build on that momentum. We are excited to explore new conference opportunities including ATIA 2023 where we plan to exhibit our latest and ever growing selection of assistive technology products.

Therapro had the opportunity to support 30 different organizations through donations in 2022. As a team of therapists, supporting our professional state organizations has always been one of our core missions. Through 2022 Therapro received requests for support from professional organizations like the Kansas Speech-Language Hearing Association, the Washington Occupational Therapy Association (WOTA), the Texas Occupational Therapy Association (TOTA), the Massachusetts Occupational Therapy Association (MAOT), and the New Hampshire Occupational Therapy Association. 2022 also brought us some unique opportunities to help. Boxes full of the games Trunks and Novenops made their way to to a group supporting the Marshall Fire victims in Boulder Valley, Colorado and many chews were sent to support a service trip to Belize.

Ensuring our professionals and parents have access to the most up to date products available is a top priority at Therapro. Over the last year, Therapro added over 115 new products to our website including Happy Senso, My Motor Mats, the Busy Bee Sensory Plush, Just Right! A Sensory Modulation Curriculum®, and Comfy Chairs. With this, we have expanded the selection of the products available in our articulation, social language, and math categories. We have also worked toward making sure the most updated versions of publications are available including, Is It Sensory Or Is It Behavior? 2nd Edition. New products are added often, be sure to check the new products section of our website regularly for updates!

Staying connecting is important to all of us at Therapro. Our many social media outlets have allowed us to stay up to date on what is happening on the ground and has provided us with the opportunity to share Therapro updates as they are happening. In 2022 we shared 600+ posts across our LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram pages. We have also sent out 50 Theragrams, our biweekly newsletter. Stay connected with us by following @Therapro and signing up for our Theragram!

600 plus

Therapro’s free webinar series launched back in 2019 and has been gaining attention ever since. In 2022 we covered topics including sensory, treatment strategies, conversational skills, bike riding, assistive technology, and math skills. This year we had 3,860 people register for the 10 free webinars we offered. The 2023 webinar lineup is shaping up to be another stellar year; we are looking forward to bringing you topics including apraxia, dyslexia, trauma-informed care, and many more sensory topics!

2022 has be a great year for Therapro and we are looking forward to all that 2023 will bring. Therapro wishes our many customers a happy and healthy New Year!

Activities That Build Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are vital for many functional activities like zippering our coats, writing our name, and opening lunch containers. In this post we will take a dive into fine motor skill development and explore toys and activities that are appropriate for every skill level.  

Level 1

Fine motor skill development begins with the simplest hand movements; reaching, swiping, and gross grasp. As development progresses things like visually guided reach, purposeful release, and a better ability to hold medium and small sized objects develops. Poking, pointing, and the ability to use the thumb and first fingers to hold small objects are major milestones during this period. For children at this developmental stage activities that support the growth of the proximal muscles (core and shoulders) are important because it is these muscles that will support later fine motor skills. Activities that are done while on the tummy and activities that involve pushing and pulling are great choices at this stage.

Level 2

The next stage of fine motor development is marked by the ability to begin to use simple tools like crayons, scissors, and spoons. Activities like the Smartmax games and Lock Boxes are still great choices but now simple arts and crafts, lacing, and building activities can also be enjoyed. These increasingly more complex activities will lend to the development of the hand skills that are needed for greater independence with self care activities like feeding and dressing.

Level 3

The next stage of development is marked by the ability to complete tasks that require the separation of the two sides of the hand; the ‘power side’ and the ‘skilled side’. The power side of the hand is what we use when we engage in activities that require strength like opening a jar; actions like squeezing a toy or playing in putty or playdough are great ways to develop these muscles.  The skilled side of the hand is what we use when we engage in activities that require refined movements like writing, tying, or fastening a button.  To develop these muscles we must engage in activities that predominantly require the use of the thumb and first two or three fingers; actions like winding the small knob on a wind up toy, using the first fingers to grab, grasp or manipulate objects, and using one finger to push a button or lever are all great ways to develop these muscle. The development of the separation of the two sides of the hands is important for academic and self care tasks.

Level 4

Hallmarks of this stage of fine motor skill development include the skilled coordination between the two sides of the body and a mature pencil grasp. Games like Froggy Feeding Fun and activities with Wikki Stix or Playdough are still great but now activities that require refined skill can also be introduced.

Choosing activities that are developmentally appropriate will ensure not only engagement but will also promote continued fine motor skill development.