Handwriting Skills

         Writing is a multifaceted activity in which a child has to pay attention to many separate tasks at one time. Initially, a child has to think of a topic about which he is going to write, or formulate an idea for the text. He has to remember how to form each letter, and make sure to write the letters in the designated space and in the correct sequence on the page. Finally, there are the rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation that must be attended to; all of this while staying focused amidst the many distractions that might occur. Considering all of these components, it’s no wonder that many children find handwriting to be a challenging task.

As I said in an earlier post, the foundation for good fine motor skills is postural control, so this is usually the first area that I assess when a student is referred to me for poor handwriting skills. If core weakness is present, the child will most likely have difficulty sitting at a desk with a proper “handwriting posture”. I address this issue by having the child work on the exercises described my post on Tuesday, March 1^st. These activities are fun and easy and can be carried out in a therapy session as well as at home.

Once I know that postural stability is being addressed, I typically look at some of these basic hand skills:

• Can the child rotate a pencil with one hand to use the eraser?  
• Can he bring coins from the palm out to the fingertips, as if putting money in a soda machine? 
• Can he perform that same task, with several other coins held in the palm, while bringing each coin out one at a time?  
• Can he pick up a handful of change from a table, one coin at a time, bringing each coin into the palm and storing it while picking up the rest? 
• Is he able to rapidly and sequentially touch the tip of each finger to the thumb?

If the child has problems with any of these skills, it might be an indication that there is weakness in the muscles of the hands and fingers. The activities listed on my March 3^rd post are great for strengthening the muscles of the hands and they are also good for fine motor coordination. 

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Reference: Marsh, D., Hanft, B, Cohn, D. (1993). Getting a grip on handwriting. American Occupational Therapy Association, Rockville, MD.

More Fine Motor Activities

Writing on a vertical surface such as a wall is a wonderful way to develop fine motor skills. It puts the wrist into an extended position and facilitates coordination in the thumb, index, and middle fingers, while building strength and stability on the ring/index finger side of the hand. It also helps to develop the arches in the hand and helps with shoulder and elbow stability. Here are some fun ideas:

• write or draw with chalk on a chalkboard.
• place stickers on a vertical surface.
• trace or stencil on a piece of paper taped to the wall.
• color on a piece of paper taped to the wall or on an easel.
• paint on an easel or on a large piece of paper taped to the wall.
• play with magnets on a vertical magnetic board.
• make shapes or designs on windows or the refrigerator using "wikki stix".
• draw on a magnadoodle propped up against a wall.
• you can also tape a piece of paper to the underside of a low table and have you child draw and color a picture while lying on her back. This is very therapeutic and kids love this!

 Would you like a chance to win this magnetic sketcher to work on fine motor skills? Just sign up as a follower on the right and send me an email to tummytimetips@gmail.com letting me know that you signed up. If you’re already following the blog, send me an email letting me know why you’d like to win the sketcher...send all emails to tummytimetips@gmail.com and Good Luck! :)

 

Fine Motor Skill Development

Inferior Pincer Grasp

Fine motor skills are the way that we use our fingers and hands to manipulate small objects. They are very important when we go to school and it's time to work with pencils, crayons, and scissors. However, fine motor skills begin to develop long before school age. At around 3 months old, babies begin to use their hands to grasp objects and their arms to swipe. Between 9 and 12 months of age, most infants can pick up a small object between the thumb and index finger pads, which is called an inferior pincer grasp. When an infant uses the tips of the thumb and index finger to grasp a tiny object, this is called a superior pincer grasp.

At two years of age, a little one can color with whole arm movement and holds a crayon in a fisted position with the thumb facing upward. By age 4, most children can imitate a cross and trace a diamond and a triangle, and by age 5 they can hold a pencil with 3 fingers, which is called a tripod grasp. This is the optimal grasp to have when writing, although there are others that are acceptable. Hand dominance is typically established by this age as well. 

Tripod Grasp

Fine Motor Workbook Winner

I held the drawing for the fine motor workbook today and the winner is Kelly from Singapore. Congratulations to Kelly and keep reading for a chance to win the next give away!

Great Resource

I was just reading a really neat new blog, ABC OT @ http://abcot.blogspot.com/. The author, Lauren, shared a great resource that I had never heard about. It's called OT Plan, and it's a search engine for occupational therapy activities. You may want to check it out! http://www.otplan.com/

Fine Motor Activities

Here are some activities that are great for working on fine motor skills:

Squeeze clothespins and place them on a ruler or paint stirrer that the student holds with the opposite hand. Be sure to only use the thumb, index and middle fingers. If necessary, hold a small peg or cotton ball in the ring and index finger for stabilization

 

-Play tug- of-war with small objects (plastic coffee stirrers, paper clips, etc.)

-Use tongs or tweezers to pick up small objects and place them into a container

-Use the thumb and index finger to pop “bubble wrap” used for packaging)

-Bring coins or buttons from the palms out to the fingertips to place in a bank while stabilizing others in the palm of the hand. Don’t use the table or other hand to assist

-Squeeze the trigger of a spray bottle with the index and middle fingers while holding the bottle with the thumb and other fingers

-Roll putty or play dough between the tips of the thumb, index and middle finger to make small balls. Make them as smooth and as round as possible. Be sure to keep the ring and pinkie fingers flexed and don’t use them to help. You may need to hold a peg or bead with the ring and pinkie finger to prevent you from using them.

 

 

Fine Motor Skills

Does your child have difficulty with fine motor skills such as writing and cutting? If so, then you'll probably find my next series of posts helpful. I'm going to be providing some resources, tools, and tips that will help with the development of fine motor skill and/or visual motor skills.

You may be wondering what the difference is between these two terms. Fine motor skills are the coordination of small motor movements in the hands and fingers that allow us to manipulate small objects with precise control. Fine motor movements usually occur in coordination with vision. This ability to coordinate motor movements with visual information is called visual motor skills.  

In order to be adept with visual motor skills, your child needs good vision and a strong foundation. That foundation begins with the stability of the trunk, shoulder, and neck muscles, also known as postural control. Development occurs from the trunk outward. For example,  a baby learns to roll over and sit up before they gain skilled control of their arms and hands. So if a child is having problems with visual motor skills, it's likely that they have some weakness or incoordination in the trunk, shoulders, and/or neck. That's why it's so important for infants to be exposed to plenty of tummy time from the first days of life. Tummy time and crawling play a big role in the strengthening of the important muscles that lay a strong foundation for future fine motor skills.

You can spot trunk weakness by noticing if your child frequently slumps with a rounded posture when sitting. You can also have your child lie on his stomach and ask him to stretch his arms and legs out and "fly like superman". If he has trouble assuming or maintaining this position, it's likely that there is some weakness in the trunk, shoulders and neck (also called the core muscles). Another good test of upper body strength is to "wheelbarrow walk" your child. See if he can propel himself without his arms collapsing while you hold him at the ankles or knees. An inability to do so also indicates muscle weakness.


If there is an issue with core weakness and incoordination, there are activities and exercises that your child can carry out that will strengthen these muscles. For the best result, at least 3 of these activities should be completed at least 3 times per week.


                                          Core Exercises

• Play tug-of-war by holding each others hands, or use a towel, rope or therapy band.
• Rowboat Game-You and your child sit on the floor facing each other and put your feet together. One of you lean back onto the floor without letting go of the other's hands, and the other pulls the partner back up, and continued.
• Play "Frog" by squatting, hopping, and squatting again.
• Crab Walk- Sit on the floor and place your hands on the floor behind you and lift your bottom off of the floor by pushing up. Propel yourself around the room like a crab.
• Wheelbarrow Walks- Holding child at the knees or the ankles.
• Squat to Stand- Stand up from a squatting position with arms outstretched, keeping heels on the floor and repeat. 
• Airplane - lie on your stomach and lift your head, arms and legs. Hold the position for as long as you can.
• Rocker- lie on your back, bend your knees and wrap your arms around your legs. Rock yourself back and forth.
• Traditional Sit-Ups- provide support at the ankles.
• Ball toss- have your child lie on the stomach on the floor, or over an ottoman. Have them pick up a ball and toss it into an empty box or garbage can. You can eventually use a slightly weighted ball or light wrist weights. 

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AND the winner of the 16-inch therapy ball is "Hetha" or Heather, former middle school teacher turned full-time mom. Please contact me ASAP so I can ship this out to you. Congratulations!