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Use Weight-supporting Activities to Strengthen Motor Skills

Tags

ELA: Writing Special Education (IEPs & 504s) ^Extra-curricular/At-Home Elementary School Strategy

Skills

Fine Motor Skills

Use Weight-supporting Activities to Strengthen Motor Skills

If your child has difficulty with fine motor skills and you want to practice at home

How To Apply It!

  1. If the student is writing behind peers, it is always best to consult an occupational therapist to meet a child's specific needs. Schools will usually provide these services. The following fun activities also will help. If you are working with an OT, you can ask for other ideas.
  2. Children with weaker fine motor skills typically need help strengthening their shoulders and separating out the thumb from the rest of the hand.
  3. Try activities that require children to practice supporting their body weight through the hands to strengthen the essential writing muscles: wheelbarrow walking, push ups and monkey bars. Try to keep it fun and not required work.
  4. Encourage daily practice of the chosen activity. Consider using a progress chart to track time spent, number of push-ups, etc.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

While not as important as it once was, handwriting is still a critical academic skill. Research shows that students understand and remember better when they write their notes than when they type them. If you can support your child at a young age to improve motor skills it will help later in life.