Category Archives: Fine Motor & Hand Skill Development

Explore tools, games, and activities that support fine motor skill development including grasp, dexterity, hand strength, and coordination essential for functional tasks.

Keeping Skills Sharp All Summer Long

Fine Motor & Hand Skill Development, Games, Sensory, ,

Summer activities are filled with opportunities for the continued development of skills learned during the previous academic year. Summer activities also provide numerous opportunities to develop and build skills that will be needed for the upcoming school year. 

Play Ball! The visual tracking and coordination needed to accurately catch and throw a ball is linked to academic skills like copying from the board and handwriting.  Help develop these vital skill areas with simple ball games.  For beginners try using Magicatch or a Gertie Ball; these types of balls are easier to catch and help to build confidence while ball skills are developing. Build strength and increase body awareness using a weighted ball for a backyard bowling game! Add a sensory element with Porcupine Balls, Koosh Balls, or Slush Balls. 

Draw! Drawing offers many opportunities to develop visual perceptual skills and fine motor control, essential elements needed for handwriting.  Step by step drawing books, like How To Draw are great ways to work on these skills along with working on direction following. In the summertime you can get extra creative with drawing mediums and canvases. Sidewalk chalk or drawing pictures in the sand are great options for warmer days. On rainy days, there are many options for indoor art projects!  Tape drawing paper to the wall or the under sides of  a table to help develop shoulder strength and stability.   Try drawing pictures in shaving cream or whipped cream for a fun sensory experience.  

Solve a Puzzle! Dot to Dot Books, Hidden Picture Activities, and mazes  are great rainy-day or long car ride boredom busters! They also offer opportunities to build visual perceptual skills and fine motor control that are essential for neat and legible handwriting.  

Cooking & Crafts! Students in older grades will be expected to follow schedules and take on large, multi-step projects. Crafts and cooking activities are great ways to prepare for these challenging expectations.  These activities offer opportunities for learning how to  follow sequential steps, manage time,  and problem solve.  Try the free Make & Eat Activities from Sensational Fun! 

Play a Game!  With so many game options available there is no limit to the skills you can work on! Target executive function skills with the game Rush Hour, work on handwriting skills with Letter Treasure Hunt, or work on grammar skills with the game NOVENOPS!

Thumball activity ball
Thumballs
Trunks®: The Game of Motor-Memory
Trunks
stepwise cookbooks
Stepwise Cookbooks

Keep skills sharp and prepare for the upcoming school year with summer fun! 

Enhancing Learning with Fine Motor Tools

Fine Motor & Hand Skill Development, ,

With academic demands increasing in the school setting, students’ free time is decreasing, and teachers try to create activities and stations for children to practice specific academic skills during class time. Occupational therapy practitioners have expertise in enhancing learning with fine motor tools, creating innovative interventions that combine fine motor development activities with academic skill development.

Here is a list of some simple fine motor activity ideas that can be used to support academic learning within the classroom environment. If you get creative you can come up with several  ways to mix and match items to multiply the possibilities. Remember to share with your teachers. 

1. Letter Names
Wiki sticks alphabet card and colorful Wiki stick example
2. Spelling
  • Letter tiles to match words
  • Alphabet Stamps
  • Letter beads on pipe cleaners
  • Stacking Legos, Blocks, Unifix cubes with letters on it to make words
  • Catching and spelling letters
  • Velcro letters
3. Number Recognition
  • Using tongs to count items and match to a number
  • Dice games
  • Using a sand tray to write numbers
  • Puzzles
  • Searching for items in rice bin and match to number cards
4. Addition
  • Making math equations with beads on pipe cleaners
  • Creating a 10 frame out of egg carton
  • Stacking blocks to create patterns
  • Putting counters into slotted containers

BONUS!

Adapting many of these to remote learning is pretty easy.  You can even host a scavenger hunt for the students to search their house to gather materials to create kits

The options for integrating fine motor tools into learning is limitless. I’m hoping I’ve listed a new one here for you to try with your students.

Guest Blogger: Moira P. Bushell OTD, MEd, OTR/L

Game Adaptations for All Ages: Enhancing Therapy with Play

Fine Motor & Hand Skill Development, Games, , , , , ,
Allyson Locke, MS, OTR/L presenter for the seminar Games, Games, Games: Unique Adaptations of Games for All Ages and All Abilities.

On March 16th, therapists and teachers formed teams to learn new games and how to adapt them for those with whom they work from preschool age and up. Allyson Locke, MS, OTR/L presented the seminar Games, Games, Games: Unique Adaptations of Games for All Ages and All Abilities. She discussed how the games can be used as part of the therapy process as well as how they can be used to target educational goals.

Allyson’s expertise with adapting games comes from her extensive and diverse background in both sensory integration and school-based practice. She currently works in a Massachusetts school for children and young adults who have significant medical, mental health, and cognitive needs.

Allyson chose 5 Therapro games to discuss in her presentation, followed by hands-on game time. The games included NOVENOPS, Letter Treasure Hunt, and Obstacles. Attendees rotated every 15 minutes from one game to another. They reconvened as a group to discuss possible modifications of the games in order to meet a student’s needs. Letter Treasure Hunt, created by author and occupational therapist, Jenny Clark, has many adaptations for playing built into the game. It also includes suggestions for variations of playing the game within the game directions. The game includes a Captain’s Log for writing acquired treasures, for which a variety of pencil grips can be trialed. Allyson discussed a variety of multisensory activities for writing letters, i.e. Wikki Stix, Squiggle Writer, scented markers. Children can play in teams or individually to target cooperative and social skills. There are endless variations to try! During the game, players draw a Captain’s Orders card that features a motor activity they must perform.

Allyson provided a peek at a number of other games that will be discussed in Therapro’s first-ever webinar: Games, Games, Games: Unique Adaptations of Games for All Ages and All Abilities, Part 2. Be sure to keep an eye out for an announcement for this webinar in the Therapro’s e-newsletter (Theragram), and on the Therapro website.

All of the game adaptations presented were unique, motivating, and applicable to many environments. As therapists and educators, we are trained to develop strategies that ensure that children learn and succeed in achieving goals. Making learning fun is what motivates students of all ages!

Attendees enjoyed this interactive seminar! Here’s what they had to say:

“I liked exploring various games for different skill/age levels.” – Laurie K., Occupational Therapist

“It was fun to move around and try things.” – Rolene K., Teacher

“I enjoyed exploring the games while brainstorming & discussing how to adapt/grade each game to meet the needs of various students/clients.” – Shannon A., Occupational Therapist

“Surprised me that it would apply to my preschool class. Very good. Lots of fun.” – Anonymous, Teacher

“Great intro to available OT focused games!” – Inibral D., Occupational Therapist

Thank you, Allyson!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L
March 16, 2019