IDEAS TO PROMOTE SKILL DEVELOPMENT

GROSS MOTOR IDEAS:

Climb, hop, skip, jump

Balance on either foot (with or without eyes being closed)

Throw and catch different sized balls (overhand, underhand)

Engage in sports (soccer, swimming, t-ball, gymnastics)

 FINE MOTOR IDEAS:

Encourage small motor manipulation of objects to improve speed and dexterity:  connect legos, assemble puzzles, place pegs into pegboard, line up and flip coins from head to tails

String beads, Cherrios, or Fruit Loops onto pipe cleaners at first then progress onto string/shoelace.  You can have have the child work on improving their speed as well as their coordination, by timing them while putting 20 objects on the string

Encourage use of playdough, clay, or theraputty for hand strengthening

Use small, broken pieces of chalk or small, broken crayons to draw to improve grasping and handwriting skills

Hide small objects (coins, beads, etc) in playdoh, putty

Trace crazy lines, letters, numbers, shapes with finger paint, broken crayons, broken chalk, finger tip

Use clothes pins to connect matching cards (deck of playing cards, go fish cards, etc)

Use tongs and tweezers to pick up small objects (cotton balls, etc)

Color inside the lines (trace border, use small movements back and forth)

  VISUAL MOTOR IDEAS: 

Use blocks, legos, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys for constructive play.  Have the child imitate your building….start simple and get more complex by adding more pieces/angles to your design.

Copy/draw shapes on paper or in the sand

Use popsicle sticks to make letters

Make patterns out of manipulatives or food. 

Use scissors to cut out pictures, coupons, advertisements.  Use thicker types of paper/cardboard/index cards to help increase strengthening. 

Make straight lines for the child to cut, progress to straight lined shapes, then rounded ones.

Do dot to dot, maze books

 VISUAL PERCEPTUAL IDEAS:

Sort/match objects by size, color, shape, category - rocks, shells, blocks, beads, cards. 

Sort clothes or dishes/utensils is also a great activity and a great help to you!!

Sort/match objects, letters, numbers, shapes

Play memory games (even while in the car).  Have your child remember 3 landmarks or objects for a short period of time and have them repeat them in the correct sequence

Play I Spy or Where’s Waldo?

Assemble jigsaw puzzles

Trace letters, numbers, or shapes on your child’s back and then have them guess what you drew

HANDWRITING IDEAS:

Use broken crayons or broken pieces of chalk to color, draw and write with. 

Have your child hold the writing utensil with only three fingers.  Give him a cotton ball or small bead to hold in his ring/pinky to help facilitate a proper grasp.  Be sure the pencil is resting in the child’s webspace (space between the thumb and fingers).Have child tilt the paper slightly when writing.

GREAT GAME IDEAS: 

        BOARD GAMES:

Guess Who?, Guess Where?, Connect Four, Perfection, Ants in the Pants

CARD GAMES: 

Uno, Go Fish, Memory, War

Sort the deck into piles of colors (red/black), suits (hearts/diamonds/spades, clubs) or numbers

OTHER:

BINGO, Pick-up sticks, Dominoes, Operation, Checkers