Grss Mtr, Fine Mtr, and Visual Mtr Activities The fllwing is a list f activities that can be dne at hme t increase upper bdy strength, hand strength, and fine mtr skills. Stability and strength in the trunk, shulders, and arms are needed befre yu can have gd fine mtr cntrl. Try t start with a heavy activity (grss mtr) that will increase strength and wake up the small muscles in the arms and the hands necessary fr fine mtr cntrl. Then wrk n develping hand muscles. Finally, cnclude with practicing frming letters in a FUN way! Strengthening Activities (Grss Mtr) Sit-ups Push-ups, Chair Push-ups, Wall Push-ups Pstural Tne Exercises *See Appendix B Hld Different Psitins (Plank, table, 3 legged tables, egg) * See Appendix B Jump Rpe Obstacle Curse Hippity Hp Sit and Spin Trampline Wheelbarrw/Animal Walks * See Appendix A Blanket rlls (have yur child rll up like a htdg and then unrll) * See Appendix A Jumping Jacks, Sideways Jumping Jacks * See Appendix A Mnkey Bars, Swing Sets Magic Carpet (Materials Required: blankets, sheets, r thrw rugs. This activity requires tw r mre peple. One child sits n the magic carpet and have his/her partner pulls him/her arund. Then the children will switch places and the child wh pulled the magic carpet will becme the rider.) * See Appendix A Brain Gym Exercises (tuch elbw t ppsite knee [bth sides]; tuch hand t ppsite ankle [bth sides, in frnt and in back]; hk ups [arms ut in frnt, thumbs dwn, crss arms, link fingers, fld hands up and under until fists are psitined abve chest and d slw breathing]; lazy 8 s (in the air use index finger t draw a large 8 lying n its side. Be sure t crss the middle f the eight in the center f yur bdy and reach as far as yu can t the right and left fr the tp/bttm f the 8, always start up t the left) * See Appendix A Scter Bard (Sme examples: Materials Required: Clthespins, Old Cffee Can/r Cntainer. Place the clthespins in ne pile and place the cntainer abut 10ft away frm the cans. First, have the child lie n his/her stmach n the scter bard. Secnd, the child will pick up ne clthespin and using just his/her arms t scter bard dwn t the cntainer. Third, the child will use their dminant hand (thumb and index finger) and place the clthespin n the rim f the cntainer. Furth, repeat until clthespins are all ne the cntainer. Materials Required: Puzzle (ne that fits n a bard). Place the empty puzzle utline n ne side f the rm and the pieces n the ther. Have the child lie n his/her stmach n the scter bard. Next, have the child pick up ne piece f the puzzle and using his/her arms t scter bard dwn t the utline and place it where it shuld g. The child will repeat until the puzzle is cmplete. Materials Required: Sticky-tack and small pictures (place in a pile n the flr). Have the child lie n his/her stmach n the scter bard. The child will select ne picture and using just his/her arms, scter bard dwn t the wall. Next, the child will pinch a small piece f sticky-tack, place it n the back f the picture and push the picture against the surface until it sticks. This activity requires that the child stays n the scter bard fr the entire task. Have the child lie
n his/her stmach and just using his/her arms t rll arund. This will wrk n upper bdy strengthening. * See Appendix A Pull a friend n a scter bard using a hula hp r rpe, wheeled chair, r wagn Participate in husehld activities (kneading dugh, carrying laundry, washing the car/windws/table/dishes, plishing, sweeping, raking, shveling, watering plants, vacuuming, mix batters while cking, etc.) Balln Vlley Ball Stick Ball (Materials Required: plastic tube (such as PVC pipe cut int 1-1 ½ ft lengths), small/medium sft stress/fam balls. Children shuld lie n their stmachs acrss frm each ther r in a circle depending n the number f participants. Each child shuld be given a stick. Have him/her hld it with ne hand n each end. Start the game by rlling the ball t a child and then that child will pass it t his/her friend. Keep tw hands n the stick when hitting the ball and try t hit the ball directly t their partner. * See Appendix A Twister Ptat Sack Races Simn Says Tss and Catch Games Sprts (such as Swimming, Karate, Hrseback Riding, Ice Skating, Gymnastics, Dance, Yga) Airplane Catch (Materials Required: small r medium size sft ball (i.e., kickball, beach ball). This activity requires tw peple. Each child shuld lie n their stmachs facing each ther abut 5 feet apart. Ask the children t extend neck, shulders, arms, and legs tw inches abve the grund. The child with the ball will have their elbws flexed and then pass the ball fr their partner t catch.) * See Appendix A Dump Truck (Materials Required: fam/rubber balls, bean bags, stuffed animals, r ther small items. Place a basket/cntainer/bx in the middle f the flr with the desired bjects spread arund the cntainer. Have the child lie n their back prpped up n their elbws and use just their feet t pick up the bjects and place them in the cntainer.) * See Appendix A Ride bike, rllerblade/skate Charades Fine Mtr Activities Use Play Dugh, Silly Putty, Clay, r Theraputty: a. Push pennies/small items int putty/clay with tips f finger. Find pennies using ne hand at a time. b. Using thumb and index finger pads nly, pinch ff small pieces f putty. Rll the pieces int small balls. c. Make a ht dg. Use bth hands t stretch the putty. d. Frm putty int a snake. Cut using scissrs and/r knife. e. Pull and squish putty using tw hands. f. Mnster Putty Faces (use an unsharpened pencil and have the child press the pencil int the putty t make eyes, nse, and muth. Once the child has created the face, have them pull the putty in different directins t create a mnster face) See Appendix A Use cins t stack, srt, and put in an pen slt (piggy bank, yu can make a piggy bank by slicing small slts in the lid f an empty cffee cntainer r ld checkbk bx). Chain/Unchain paper clips. Shuffle cards then deal ne at a time. Peel ff stickers t decrate pictures. Cut straws, these can be strung n yarn. String macarni, cheeris, beads nt yarn r string. Use tweezers/tngs t pick up small manipulatives/tys and place in a cntainer ne at a time. Use a small musical keybard t wrk n finger islatin
Lite Brite, Operatin, Hungry Hungry Hipps, Bedbugs Magna Ddle Jenga Pick Up Sticks Water Games * See Appendix A Stress Balls Use a Paper Punch, Shape Puncher, r Stamps Pinch clthes pins arund the edge f a cntainer such as a cffee can, she bx, r yard stick. Snip strips f cnstructin paper int small squares and paste n unclred picture. Tear r crumple pieces f cnstructin paper r tissue paper int small pieces and paste n unclred picture. Spin Small Tps r Wind Up Tys Legs, K nex, Bristle Blcks Pegs and Pegbards * See Appendix A Finger Sccer (Materials Required: cttn ball, 11 x 17 piece f paper with a sccer field n it. The bject is t sht the cttn ball ff the paper at the ppnent s end. Have the children lie n the flr prpped up n their elbws with the field between them. One player shts the cttn ball by flicking it with his/her index finger. The partner tries t catch the cttn ball when it crsses n t their side.) Free Elastic Figurines (Materials Required: plastic figures such as animals, actin figures, r dinsaurs and wrap rubber bands arund the small plastic figures and free them by unwrapping the rubber bands). * See Appendix A Feed Shark/Elephant: (Materials Required: Barrel shaped bject r bucket, 2 large pieces f gray cnstructin paper made int a large cylinder by stapling the paper tgether (this will represent the shark/elephant muth), scrap paper. Have the child lie n their stmach prpped up n their elbws. Next, have the child rip paper in ½, crumple tighly, and thrwn the paper int the shark/elephants muth). * See Appendix A Feed the Tennis Ball (Materials Required: Tennis Ball(s), pennies/small bjects. *Parents shuld cut a slice in the tennis ball t represent a muth. Once the ball has a muth, have the child squeeze the sides f the muth and place the small bjects in the muth f the tennis ball.)* See Appendix A Sit and Srt (Materials Required: 3 x4 ½ sheets f paper r tag bard, different small bjects (such as spiny balls, cttn balls, rubber bands, erasers, pencil grips, blcks). Draw several 6 circles arund the edges f paper (abut 7 circles). Make sure t leave a space withut a circle fr the child t sit. Put the paper n the flr and have the child sit with his/her legs crssed and then srt the small bjects using tweezers and tngs. Each small bject shuld be placed n its wn circle. Als, the child shuld nly be twisting at the waist.) * See Appendix A Activities t Imprve Visual Mtr Skills Mazes, Puzzles, Wrd Searches, Dt-t-Dt Sheets Hidden Picture Activity Sheets Tracing and Stencil Activities Design Cpy Gebards Target Games Balln/Ball Tss Lacing Activities
Appendix A Examples f Grss Mtr Activities: 1. Magic Carpet 2. Wheelbarrw/Animal Walks
3. Blanket Rll 4. Brain Gym Elbw t Oppsite Knee (crss crawl)
(Frnt) Hand t Oppsite Ankle (Back) Lazy 8 s
5. Scter Bard
6. Dump Truck 7. Stick Ball
8. Sideways Jumping Jacks Examples f Fine Mtr Activities 1. Free Elastic Figures
2. Pegbard 3. Different Types f Grabbers
4. Feed Shark/Elephant Shark Rip Paper Crumple Paper Thrw Paper 5. Sit and Srt Tngs Tweezers
6. Mnster Faces Step1 Step 2 Step 3 7. Feed the Tennis 8. Water Games
Appendix B Pstural Tne Exercises The fllwing exercises will benefit yur child with respect t his upper bdy strength and pstural cntrl. They are simple psitins that he shuld be able t adpt independently and be able t perfrm anywhere at hme n a carpet r prtable gym mat. #1. Knees t Nse Purpse: T imprve abdminal tne. Instructins: 1) Yur child shuld lie n his back, arms flded acrss his chest r n the flr. 2) Then he shuld lift his head, bring his knees t his chest, and tuch his knees t his nse. Hld fr a few secnds r as lng as he can tlerate. 3) As yur child becmes strnger he can alternate bringing the right knee t his nse and the left knee t his nse (i.e., alternate knees). The desired respnse will be fr yur child t get int this psitin and hld it withut any assistance. Initially he may rely n using his arms t assist with bringing his knees t nse until he begins t get strnger. #2. Rll Up Purpse: T imprve abdminal tne. Instructins: 1) Yur child assumes a psitin f lying n his back with his knees bent. 2) Then yur child shuld bring his chin t his chest. 3) Yur child shuld als lift his shulders ff the flr. 4) Yur child shuld then start t rll back dwn but stp halfway while maintaining his chin t chest. The ultimate result/respnse f this exercise will be fr yur child t achieve a slw rll up and have his pelvis placed in a psterir tilt. Yur child shuld be discuraged frm perfrming the methd f this exercise t quickly r jerky as he will be using mmentum as ppsed t the key muscles in a deliberate slw cycle.
#3. Lndn Bridge Purpse: T imprve abdminal tne and achieve hip extensin while maintaining a flexin tne thrughut the trunk. Instructins: 1) Yur child shuld lay n his back with his knees bent and feet flat n the flr. 2) Then yur child shuld be instructed t raise his chin t chest. 3) The next key mvement is fr yur child t push with his legs in rder t make a bridge. The head-up psitin shuld be maintained while making the bridge. The respnse yu are lking fr is gd hip extensin while maintaining that head-up psitin with the chin n the chest. Encurage yur child nt t perfrm the hip extensin with his head back which increases extensin thrughut the trunk. It is pssible yur child may have difficulty with his ability t raise his bttm ff the supprting surface while flexing his head. #4. Lawn Mwer Purpse: T imprve shulder stability and back extensin which are bth imprtant fr pstural cntrl, especially fr maintaining an erect psture fr table tp tasks such as writing. Instructins: 1) Have yur child lie n his stmach n a scter bard. Smene shuld then be psitined behind him hlding his feet. 2) The persn hlding his feet shuld push frward. 3) Yur child culd either hld his arms frward r behind his back. Alternatively, the use f rpe held nt with bth hands in frnt f yur child culd be utilized. The rpe wuld be held taut and then yur child wuld pull himself frward using a bilateral arm mvement similar t that used fr rwing a bat. The imprtant pint t be bserved with either f the 2 methds is that yur child shuld keep his head, arms, and legs raised and nt tuching the flr. #5. Heel Walking Purpse: T imprve abdminal tne. Instructins: 1) Instruct yur child t simply walk backwards n his heels. The idea behind this mvement is fr the develpment f a psterir pelvic tilt with the cntractin f the abdminal muscles. Yur child shuld avid perfrming this exercise with an anterir pelvic tilt.
#6. Crab Walking Purpse: Imprve shulder stability and elngate the pectral muscles. In additin abdminal muscles will be strengthened. Instructins: 1) Yur child will adpt a sitting psitin n the flr leaning back n his hands. 2) Yur child will then raise his bttm ff the supprt f the flr while his feet and hands maintain cntact with the flr. 3) Yur child will then walk backwards with the feet leading. The desired respnse f this activity is fr yur child t develp the ability fr depressing his shulders enugh t get his hips ff the flr and walk in an all furs psitin with nly his hands and feet tuching the flr. The bvius tendency in this activity is fr him t drag his bttm n the flr which defeats the aim f islating the key areas f fcus fr strength develpment (e.g., the shulder). Playing a fun cmpetitive 10 minute game f crab sccer with his yunger brther r a friend wuld make this exercise seem less arduus. #7. Rcker Purpse: T imprve trunk extensin, scapula stability, and hip extensin. Instructins: 1) Yur child lies n his stmach. 2) Have him raise his head, shulders, arms, and legs ff the supprt f the flr. 3) Then instruct yur child t rck like a rcking chair. This is a simple but effective exercise fr cntracting the back muscles (extensrs), scapula stabilizers, and hip extensrs.
#8. Superman Purpse: T imprve trunk extensin, scapula stability, and hip extensin. Instructins: 1) Yur child lies n his stmach. 2) Have him raise his head, shulders, arms, and legs ff the supprt f the flr and hld this psitin fr as lng as he can t fly like Superman. The gal is t hld the psitin fr 30+ secnds. #9. Feet Over Head Purpse: T imprve abdminal tne. Instructins: 1) Instruct yur child t lie n his back. 2) Then tell him t bend his knees and bring his feet ver his head and tuch his feet t the flr. 3) As yur child slwly lwers his feet t the starting psitin instruct him t bend his knees. The back shuld remain flat and nt arched in the lumbar regin (lwer back). The desired respnse in this activity is fr yur child t cntract his abdminal muscles as his hips are lifted and as the feet are brught back dwn. Have him avid keeping his knees straight while bringing his feet ver his head and encurage him t bend his hips. One f the mst imprtant criteria fr having yur child perfrm these exercises is fr them t be interesting. He will nt like all f them, but even if he chses a cuple t wrkut with n a regular basis he shuld achieve sme strength/pstural cntrl benefits.
Mre Pstural Tne Exercises PLANK TABLE EGG