Fine Motor 2-handed Use - Pre-School Activities for Min-Mod Readiness Levels
Fine Motor 2-handed Use
Pre-School Activities for Min-Mod Readiness Levels
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Being able to demonstrate 2-handed fine motor skills is a needed pre-school readiness ability. Using both hands at the same time is also called bilateral integration. Bilateral (two-handed) activities are common and happen throughout the day on any number of self-care tasks and during common pre-school activities.
These 2-handed tasks generally require using both hands at the same time, but with different movements for even the most basic manual dexterity and manipulation of objects. For example, opening a pencil or crayon case, tying your shoes, opening a bottle, buttoning, zipping, tearing paper, using scissors, or opening a snack package – all activities and tasks that your child will encounter during pre-school.
All children learn at different rates, and no child is expected to be able to enter pre-school will all skills mastered. Being able to use basic fine-motor skills however, are a needed for pre-school readiness. Having difficulty with putting on a jacket, managing their clothing fasteners, or opening their snack packs can come with practice, and the pre-school staff will help when needed, but pre-school aged children are expected to make good attempts and develop their skills over time and with experience.
Being able to use both hands on 2-handed tasks is a skill that is needed for active participation in pre-school activities. For children who are unable to use one arm, or who have a physical disability, working with your service providers for support will help your child learn how to perform tasks using only one hand, making use of compensatory techniques, modifications and adaptive equipment.
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In order for your child to master using both hands to work together at the same time, they need to first learn how to do that.
The following activities and ideas are some great ways to help your child develop fine motor 2-handed ability.
The exercises, tasks, and activities that follow are geared toward children who have Min-Mod pre-school readiness concerns.
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Activity Ideas for Min-Mod Pre-School Readiness
o Use a manual pencil sharpener or crayon sharpener – start with the chunky sized ones as they are easier to hold and manage
o Place one hand on a piece of paper and use a crayon or washable marker to trace around their own hand and fingers
o Hold a medium sized ball in both hands and have then spin or rotate the ball around and around, forwards and backwards
o Thread dry rotini or penne pasta onto a pipe cleaner that you have bent so that there are twists and turns to go around; make a knot at the one end so their hard work does not all fall off when they get it around!
o Use Wiki-Stix to make shapes, roll up, un-twist from a crumpled up piece; Draw outlines of shapes, loops, curves, onto the paper and have your child form the Wiki-Stix onto the lines you have drawn
o Give your child a variety of plastic containers with lids and have them open them all up, then mix them up, and have your child put all the lids back on to the containers.
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o Save several plastic bottles and jars with their lids and let your child work on screwing the lids on and off; time them and track their speed progress over time
o Make strips of colored paper and let your child attach the ends with tape to make “links.” They can combine the strips, making links as they go to make a long chain of colored links.
o Make some cookies by rolling out the dough with a rolling pin and then using cookie cutters to make shapes to bake
o Make a baking dish of colorful jello, let set, then use cookie cutters to cut out edible shapes
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o Play dough play – See Blog here on TheraPlay4Kids.com for great ideas for play dough play!
o Stretch out and push back together Pop Toobs
o Complete lacing cards. Vary the experience by changing shapes, the type of lace used (shoestrings, theratubing, yarn, Wiki Stixx, pipe-cleaners, etc.)
o Get some paper coin sleeves from the bank and have your child fill a sleeve with pennies or quarters – harder than it sounds!
o Self-help fabric activity pads for lacing, buttoning, zipping
o Use a pot holder loom kit and make pot holders for everybody!
o Let your child help wash a few dishes (go with plastic for safety)
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o Find some large nuts and bolts (at the hardware) or big plastic nuts and bolts in the toy aisle to combine and take apart
o Ask them to help you hang shirts onto a hanger (give shirts that do not easily slide or fall of a hanger)
o Take a small skein of thick yarn and show your child how to wind that yarn into a ball – great 2-handed activity!
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o Ask for help in cutting up (use plastic knife) strawberries, bananas, plums, any softer fruit. Ask for help in making some small fruit bowls for a meal, and eat a few pieces in the process
o If you have a box of 12 to 16 (or so) crayons, have your child take them out of the box one at a time, and then put them all back in. You can upgrade the difficulty by closing the lid and cutting a small hole in one end of the lid so that they have to manipulate the crayons in through the hole and push them over to make room for the next one.
o Practice unzipping a jacket, and when they have that down pat, work on zipping up
o Show your child how to roll up matched pairs of socks – ask them to help you with the laundry and when they learn how to roll up the socks you can have them help you on a regular basis
o Race your child to see how many blocks they can fit into one of their socks; to make it harder, see how many water balloons they can stuff into a small pillow case (you may want to do this one outside!)
o Ask for help in wrapping a small package, using tape to close up the flaps; Have them help decorate the package by wrapping yarn around the wrapped box and adding any other decorations they can think of
o Take damp to wet wash clothes and have your child “twist” the water out of them, demonstrating as needed. You can have them twist the water into a container to see just how much water that wash cloth was able to hold
o What ideas can you come up with? Please don’t forget to share!
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