As an occupational therapist, I have seen that many children have difficulty with their fine motor and sensory motor skills due to lack of exposure to developmentally appropraitely activities. For example, many children do not have sufficient hand strength to correctly hold a pencil. Strength for fine motor tasks is typically required through play activiites including climbing on play structures, molding clay or putty, snapping blocks together, place pegs in pegboards and spinning tops.

     At one time, many of the above mentioned activities were incorporated into developmental Kindergarten programs or were incorporated into a child's play behavior at home. Currently, the focus of many Kindergarten programs includes academic tasks where a child is required to remain seated for the majority of the instructional day. Additionally, many children age three to five spend a good deal of time in sedentary play behavior including playing on the computer and watching TV.

     To put it simply, children need to MOVE to provide appropriate input to a child's brain and body. When we move, we increase our ability to understand where our body is in space and to improve spatial concepts including up, down, over under and behind. Moving our limbs through dancing (the hokey pokey really is what it is all about) and through movement games (Simon Says) allows a child to develop the concept of left and right.

Additional benefits from movement activities include:

1. Increased strength
2. Improveed balance
3. Core muscle strenth for appropriate posture
4. Improved motor planning and sequencing
5. Increased eye muscle and movement control
6. Developed fine motor skills for refined tasks including using scissors and writing tools.

This page is currently under development. The links provided on the left are a good place to start when considering activities that improve a child's neuro-developmental foundations.  

e-mail for comments and questions to otbikesurf@yahoo.com