Occupational Therapy with Ms. Nina
Remote Learning Activities & Thoughts
Newsletter for the Week of April 20th, 2020
Correct scissor grasp
Grasp pattern development
Pre-writing stroke development
Thoughts & Ideas
Posture and Positioning
Proper posture and positioning is crucial in development of grasp and handwriting. There is a 90, 90, 90 rule of thumb that pertains to both adults and children. Knees should be at 90 degrees, hips at 90 degrees and elbows to 90 degrees. Feet should be flat on the floor-this is what is often missed for kids as the chairs are often too big! Use household items (books, box) to build up a foot rest so the child’s feet can be flat on the surface. Having feet grounded on the floor helps with the core stability needed for handwriting. Other strategies include use of a slant board (at home a sideways binder works well). The slant board helps encourage wrist extension which is necessary in grasp development and handwriting. I like to incorporate vertical surfaces into handwriting practice as well. Using a vertical surface promotes upright posture and positioning, wrist extension and will strengthen the shoulder muscles used during motor activities. I like to use mirrors and windows with dry erase markers-get creative! Students can draw scenes on windows and mirrors, practice their pre writing strokes, make funny faces or practice sight words! A piece of paper taped to the wall also works as a vertical surface.
Shoulder Stability & Strengthening
As a parent, you have heard over and over how tummy time is so important for development. One of those reasons is to develop stability of the shoulder. Shoulder stability refers to how the tendons and muscles stabilize the shoulder to allow the arm / wrist and hand to engage in motor tasks. Shoulder stability and strength are needed for all types of activities related to your upper body, such as throwing, catching, climbing on playground equipment, coloring, printing and cutting - just to mention a few. In order to have increased fine motor control, there needs to be a good base to work from. During therapy sessions, we often use the scooter board to propel with arms / hands, animal walks, or wall push ups. These are all examples of activities to help strengthen the shoulder muscles.
Grasp Development & Handwriting
As occupational therapists, we spend a lot of time assessing children’s grasp patterns and their handwriting ability. As with most skills, there is a developmental sequence of grasp patterns that start from a very young age and mature into the functional grasp (dynamic tripod) that we encourage our students to use. The attached image shows the grasp pattern development starting with a pincer grasp. Generally, children follow this sequence. In therapy sessions, we utilize activities and compensatory strategies that facilitate a mature grasp. A great way to encourage development of a mature grasp is using broken crayons! The smaller the size, the more likely the student will have to utilize a tripod grasp without even thinking about it!
Handwriting is another skill that follows a developmental sequence. First, kids will scribble on paper, this progresses to a more purposeful coloring (think of coloring books). Children will then need to master what we call pre writing strokes before they can write letters. The pre writing strokes are the foundation of letter and number formation. The pre writing stroke developmental sequence is as follows: vertical line, horizontal line, circle, cross, square, left and right diagonals, x and triangle. Generally, we start a student with imitation of the pre writing stroke or letter (IE you draw a vertical line, then your child imitates by drawing a vertical line) and progress to copying (IE student draws a vertical line from an image of a vertical line-no demonstration provided). Once a student masters these pre writing strokes, they are ready for letter formation.
Scissor Skills
Learning to use scissors in a controlled way takes lots of practice. Cutting on materials that are stiff and thick are easier to cut than thin flimsy materials. For example, it is easier to snip a plastic straw than a string. Card stock or construction paper is easier to cut then thin tissue paper or regular paper.Encourage your child to keep both thumbs in an upward position when cutting. That is, the thumb on the scissor hand and the thumb on the hand that is holding the paper or object should both be facing upward, toward the ceiling.
Vertical surface writing
Sensory play
Broken crayons
Lazy 8's
Home made slant board
Cutting practice
Engage with your child in play!
How to reach me...
I look forward to hearing from you!
Nina Miller MOT, OTR/L
Email: kmiller@swcccase.org
Location: Dorn School, West 92nd Street, Hickory Hills, IL, USA
Phone: 708-462-2475