*Fine Motor Skills

Crawling and creeping and other weight bearing on the hands is vital to developing the arches and fine muscles needed to write and manipulate objects!

* Use the Stetro pencil grip making sure that the arrow is pointing toward the pencil lead, it is secure on the pencil (no movement of the grip), and that their thumb is on the star and first and second fingers in the indents appropriately.

* Increase web space strength by using coffee filter separators (utensil section of Walmart) or small tongs to pick up and squeeze objects.

* Increase distal finger strength by making very small circles, loops, shapes, and practice cursive letters. Making sure it is a very small stroke using the finger tips, not the hand or arm movement.

* giving regular opportunities for performing fine motor tasks such as stringing tiny beads, placing tiny objects into a small container, using tongs to pick up cotton balls or other objects and release into small opening, moving coins, beans, and paperclips from palm to finger tips and back to palm, and lacing boards. Emphasize using only left hand, without assistance from right, then right alone, and always cross midline! Using clothespins, modeling clay, and other manipulatives to increase finger strength and coordination.

* Write letters, numbers, and shapes on end of paperclip and have them match and "clip" onto matching letter on a folder or index card. Great way to teach spelling words!

*Opportunities to copy geometric shapes and letters on a vertical surface such as a chalkboard or easel, use golf pencils or small pieces of chalk to encourage distal finger control.

*Use a light bright, easel painting or a craft project as a reward for hard work!

* Learn keyboarding very quickly see websites for free keyboarding tutorials: (easytype.com)

*Use computer as much as possible, ask for adaptions to type or orally do homework

* Consider no copying from the board, and give large bold print for work to copy and highlight lines and make a highlighted box on worksheets for answers.

*Use handwriting tutorials such as Handwriting Without Tears or Loops and Other Groups to teach letter formation. In most cases avoid cursive or D'Nealian writing styles except to sign name.

*Use very fine point felt tip pens, they flow easier and require a lot less pressure

* To help teach writing formation use tactile sense to help them learn and feel the shape, use tactile letters and trace with fingers, use different mediums for making shapes and letters such as wax wikki sticks, pipe cleaners, putty or play dough, sandpaper letters, gluing raw beans on letters and tracing with fingers, using finger paints to make letters, and "air writing" making shapes and letters in the air with large arm movements, then make them with fingers on the table before writing on paper.

Fine motor suggestions for handwriting, better grips, cutting, and self help:

1. Prior to fine motor work begin with good proprioceptive input to muscles and joints of the whole arm: Wheelbarrow walking, weighted ball lifting above shoulder level, vibration pens or bumble ball (low or normal tone only), joint compressions to fingers and thumb, squeezing toys (stress balls, sand ball, tongs, coffee filter separators, play dough, putty, fidget toys) making sure to squeeze with finger tips and thumb.

2. Use pencil grips if necessary. If a child is not grasping a pencil with a tripod grasp and open web space (space between thumb and fingers) then they need an OT eval to determine the appropriate type of pencil grip needed. Catch it early!!!!!!!!

3. Work on a vertical surface as often as possible: blackboard, easels, desk easels are ideal, or paper taped to the wall.

4. Spray bottles, using tweezers, tongs, playing with small manipulatives such as buttons, beads, popping plastic bubble packing sheets, snapping, wind up toys, eyedropper painting, spinning tops, hole punch, peg boards, make a fine motor can with small raw beans, popcorn, coins, buttons, and store several in palm and manipulate up to fingertips with one hand at a time.

5. Free play or reward games should be those that work on fine motor manipulation and spatial awareness: Legos, Tinkertoys, origami, dressing dolls or boards etc.

6. Handwriting should be taught with a specific progression to learning letters (not beginning with A). Handwriting Without Tears is the best program for this. For preprinting the Write From the Start program is good.

7. Use tactile and kinesthetic awareness to reinforce learning (multi sensory again!):

* Use woodblocks from handwriting without tears, or make your own pieces from card stock or posterboard to put letters together.

8. Use consistently lined paper when writing letters, or use Handwriting Without Tears workbooks with grey blocks. Do not change up size of letters a lot after they have learned to make it well. Use special writing paper such as blue sky, raised lines, graph paper, block paper, etc.

10. Watch out for too hard of pressure, too light, awkward grips, and low endurance for handwriting tasks- they may need weekly OT!

Remember that a lot more than fine motor control goes into handwriting- it is a combination of many different parts of the brain and body!

Pediatric Occupational, Physical, Behavior, Nutrition, and Speech & Language Therapies 1080 Neal Street, Suite 300 Cookeville, TN 38501 Phone: (931) 372-2567, Toll-Free: (877) 372-2567 Fax: (931) 372-2572 Email: covd@covd.biz

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Home > Fine Motor Skills Fine Motor Skills Address fine motor delays by: Crawling and creeping and other weight bearing on the hands is vital to developing the arches and fine muscles needed to write and manipulate objects! * Use the Stetro pencil grip making sure that the arrow is pointing toward the pencil lead, it is secure on the pencil (no movement of the grip), and that their thumb is on the star and first and second fingers in the indents appropriately. * Increase web space strength by using coffee filter separators (utensil section of Walmart) or small tongs to pick up and squeeze objects. * Increase distal finger strength by making very small circles, loops, shapes, and practice cursive letters. Making sure it is a very small stroke using the finger tips, not the hand or arm movement. * giving regular opportunities for performing fine motor tasks such as stringing tiny beads, placing tiny objects into a small container, using tongs to pick up cotton balls or other objects and release into small opening, moving coins, beans, and paperclips from palm to finger tips and back to palm, and lacing boards. Emphasize using only left hand, without assistance from right, then right alone, and always cross midline! Using clothespins, modeling clay, and other manipulatives to increase finger strength and coordination. See Fine motor can handout Write letters, numbers, and shapes on end of paperclip and have them match and "clip" onto matching letter on a folder or index card. Great way to teach spelling words! Opportunities to copy geometric shapes and letters on a vertical surface such as a chalkboard or easel, use golf pencils or small pieces of chalk to encourage distal finger control. Use a light bright, easel painting or a craft project as a reward for hard work! Handwriting adaptions: * Learn keyboarding very quickly see websites for free keyboarding tutorials: (easytype.com) Use computer as much as possible, ask for adaptions to type or orally do homework Consider no copying from the board, and give large bold print for work to copy and highlight lines and make a highlighted box on worksheets for answers. * Use special writing raised line graph paper for one to one handwriting work. Use handwriting tutorials such as Handwriting Without Tears or Loops and Other Groups to teach letter formation. In most cases avoid cursive or D'Nealian writing styles except to sign name. Use very fine point felt tip pens, they flow easier and require a lot less pressure Ask OT for pencil grips, possibility of weighted pencils, and incline boards To help teach writing formation use tactile sense to help them learn and feel the shape, use tactile letters and trace with fingers, use different mediums for making shapes and letters such as wax wikki sticks, pipe cleaners, putty or play dough, sandpaper letters, gluing raw beans on letters and tracing with fingers, using finger paints to make letters, and "air writing" making shapes and letters in the air with large arm movements, then make them with fingers on the table before writing on paper. Fine motor suggestions for handwriting, better grips, cutting, and self help: 1. Prior to fine motor work begin with good proprioceptive input to muscles and joints of the whole arm: Wheelbarrow walking, weighted ball lifting above shoulder level, vibration pens or bumble ball (low or normal tone only), joint compressions to fingers and thumb, squeezing toys (stress balls, sand ball, tongs, coffee filter separators, play dough, putty, fidget toys) making sure to squeeze with finger tips and thumb. 2. Use pencil grips if necessary. If a child is not grasping a pencil with a tripod grasp and open web space (space between thumb and fingers) then they need an OT eval to determine the appropriate type of pencil grip needed. Catch it early!!!!!!!! 3. Work on a vertical surface as often as possible: blackboard, easels, desk easels are ideal, or paper taped to the wall. 4. Spray bottles, using tweezers, tongs, playing with small manipulatives such as buttons, beads, popping plastic bubble packing sheets, snapping, wind up toys, eyedropper painting, spinning tops, hole punch, peg boards, make a fine motor can with small raw beans, popcorn, coins, buttons, and store several in palm and manipulate up to fingertips with one hand at a time. 5. Free play or reward games should be those that work on fine motor manipulation and spatial awareness: Legos, Tinkertoys, origami, dressing dolls or boards etc. 6. Handwriting should be taught with a specific progression to learning letters (not beginning with A). Handwriting Without Tears is the best program for this. For preprinting the Write From the Start program is good. 7. Use tactile and kinesthetic awareness to reinforce learning (multi sensory again!): air writing letters with whole arm and body movements (bdpq charts as well!) writing letters in play dough, shaving cream, starch and water, rice, etc. * Use woodblocks from handwriting without tears, or make your own pieces from card stock or posterboard to put letters together. write letters in the air or in tactile stuff with eyes closed Wikki Sticks are Awesome!!!!! 8. Use consistently lined paper when writing letters, or use Handwriting Without Tears workbooks with grey blocks. Do not change up size of letters a lot after they have learned to make it well. Use special writing paper such as blue sky, raised lines, graph paper, block paper, etc. 9. Paper tilt and stabilization with non dominant hand is important as well! 10. Watch out for too hard of pressure, too light, awkward grips, and low endurance for handwriting tasks- they may need weekly OT! Remember that a lot more than fine motor control goes into handwriting- it is a combination of many different parts of the brain and body!	Related Topics: Belly Time Importance Fun School-Age OT Activities Fine Motor Can Ideas

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