You're RIGHT! Or is it LEFT?

Does your child struggle with left and right?  Are they getting ready to go to school but still need to establish hand dominance for writing and other fine motor tasks?  Take a look at my posting on First Grade Connections to find some helpful tips!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Finger Puppets!

I found these fun little finger puppets today and I think my students will love them!  They are 3 cute little bunnies that fit right on your fingertip.  I thought they would be fun for fingerplay songs and impromptu puppet shows that encourage creativity.  There might be a favorite book about bunnies where these will come in handy too.  Finger puppets help to develop finger coordination that is important for writing and cutting.  There is some bilateral hand use required too as the child works to get each puppet on a finger.  Anything that gets those little fingers working is a GOOD THING!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

First Grade Connections

I'm excited to be a contributor for a new blog network called First Grade Connections!   This is a place where 1st grade teachers can network and share all sorts of ideas for school.  While I'm not a 1st grade teacher, I DO teach lots of 1st graders!  As a school OT, I get the privilege of working with kids of all ages and the majority of my students are PreK-2nd grade.  I'm hoping to offer ideas to all of those amazing 1st grade teachers so that they can help their students with fine motor skills in the classroom.  Check it out at First Grade Connections !

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Scribbles to Shapes

As children start to take interest in doodling with a pencil or crayon (typically around age 2), there is a developmental progression that eventually leads to early writing skills.  Keep in mind that this progression refers to 'copying' which means the child looks at a picture of the line/shape and imitates it (as opposed to watching someone draw the line/shape and then trying to do the same). The developmental order for most young children is:

• Horizontal line
• Vertical line
• Circle
• Plus sign (cross)
• Square
• Diagonal line
• Triangle
• Diamond

All of the lines and shapes are important for learning to write letters and numbers and the developmental progression helps to explain why some children can write their names earlier than others.  For example, while "LEO" will copy horizontal lines, vertical lines, and a circle, "SAM" will need to be able to copy more complicated diagonal lines to be able to copy his name.  Both names have the same number of letters, however, "SAM" will need more time to develop pre-writing skills to be able to copy the curvy "S" and the diagonals for "A" and "M".  I guess this could be one more thing for expectant parents to consider when choosing a name for their baby =)

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Kiddie Kabobs

Looking for a fun fine motor activity that will also get your kids wanting to eat healthy?  Kiddie Kabobs have long been a favorite at my house! All you need are some wooden shish-kabob skewer sticks, a cheap buy at any grocery, and some fresh fruit.  The skewer sticks do have a point at one end so you'll want to be sure there is adult supervision but the kids will want to try this themselves.  Provide a variety of fruit that is simple to skewer such as grapes, strawberries, banana slices, melon, blueberries, and raspberries.  Mini marshmallows and cheese cubes work great too!  The kids can load up the skewer sticks with their favorites and then feast away.  It's a sure bet they'll want to go back for seconds!  Picking up the fruit to place on the skewer stick encourages a three finger grasp and requires some coordination.  You can add some challenges by counting how many pieces are on each skewer or making patterns with the fruit (such as strawberry, grape, grape, strawberry, or a color pattern).  Yum! Yum!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

The Write Way

It seems the pressure is on!  Parents feel the pressures of having their children ready for school and the expectations of kindergarten.  While preschoolers are often encouraged to write their name at an early age, the OT in me says "Hold your horses!" and do it the "write" way.  Before a child starts working with a pencil, it is crucial that they spend lots and lots of time working with manipulatives such as blocks, puzzles, playdough, and beads.  Manipulatives help children to develop grasping skills, bilateral hand use, strength, coordination, and in-hand manipulation.  These are all significant foundational skills that are needed for writing.   If you decide to run your first marathon, you know you cannot show up on the day of the race and expect to finish unless you've done the months of training needed to prepare your body.  A child needs to "train" with manipulatives so that his hands are physically ready for writing.  If pushed to write too early, a child will likely get frustrated and lose interest.  Limited hand development in the early years can also lead to writing issues for school aged children including slow handwriting, inefficient pencil grasp, and illegible handwriting.   Old fashioned manipulatives might not have some of the bells and whistles of newer high tech toys but they will lay the foundation for good writing when you do it the Write Way!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L