Classroom Fine Motor

Pre-Readiness Skills

Fine Motor Pre-Readiness Skills

Getting Ready to: HOLD A PENCIL

Purpose: To assist your child in holding a pencil with the correct grasp.

Equipment: Pencils

Procedure:

Say to your child:

Identify your child's favorite hand.

  1. With your favorite hand, pinch the end of a pencil with your thumb and pointer fingers about 1 inch from the point of the pencil.
  2. Let the pencil rest in your web space.
  3. Position your middle finger under the pencil to complete the three finger triangle around the pencil.
  4. Bend the ring finger and little finger into the palm and rest your hand on the table.

Getting Ready to: USE SCISSORS

Purpose: To assist your child in holding scissors correctly and completing cutting tasks.

Equipment: Correct size scissors designed for the student’s hand. Scissors should have small loop handles to prevent their fingers from sliding through to the knuckles and be sharp enough to actually cut.

Procedure:

Say to the child:

  1. Position your thumb in the smaller loop on the scissors.
  2. Position your middle finger (not your index finger) in the larger loop of the scissors.
  3. Position your index finger below the scissor blade.
  4. Scissors are held thumbs up. Practice opening and closing the scissors.
  5. Remember, right handed students cut in a counter clockwise direction and left handed students cut in a clockwise direction.


Getting Ready To WRITE AT A DESK

Purpose: To assist your child in finding a comfortable, efficient sitting position at a desk or table.

Equipment: Desk and chair that fit the child.

Procedure:

Say to the child:

  1. Sit down on your chair. It fits correctly if your feet rest firmly on the floor and your legs rest on the chair at a 90 degree angle.
  2. Sit well back in the chair so that your hips touch the back of the chair.
  3. Face the desk squarely.
  4. Lean slightly towards the desk so that both forearms rest on the desk. In the sitting position, the desk should be two inches above the height of your elbows.

YOU ARE NOW READY TO WRITE

From “Fine Motor Skills in the Classroom” by Jayne Berry, OTR/L


Activities to Aid in the Development of an Efficient Grasp of a Writing Device

  • Have child do art projects using short (1-2”) pieces of chalk, crayons, sidewalk chalk. Encourage the child to hold the writing device in a “pinching” pattern between the pads of the thumb, index and middle fingers. Use the words “Pinch Your Pencil”.
  • Use short (3-4”) pencils to do writing projects and use the words “Pinch Your Pencil”.
  • Finger Tug of War- Using a popsicle stick or small piece of rubber tubing, have your child use the “pinching” position to pull on the stick or tube. Have someone else “pinch” on the opposite side of the stick or tube to play tug of war.
  • Repeatedly open and close clothespins using the “pinching” position. Also, it’s fun to put clothespins on the side of a shoebox.
  • Play with clay by “pinching” off pieces. Also, push marbles or pegs into the clay, being careful to continue to use the “pinching” position.
  • String large beads.
  • Stack 1” blocks, being careful to continue to use the “pinching” position.
  • Play with Legos, making sure to maintain the “pinching” position.
  • Have your child draw or color in a vertical position as in using a chalkboard or taping large paper up on the wall. Working in this position naturally positions the hand in a “pinching” position.
  • Use squeeze bulbs (baby nasal aspirators or medicine droppers) to blow cotton balls or to squeeze up water. Make sure to use the “pinching” position on the squeeze bulb.