Fine and Gross Motor Skill Development
If you have any concerns about your child's fine or gross motor skills (ie. hand grip, ability to use buttons and zippers, printing, movement abilities, etc.), please let me know. We can put a referral in for an assessment by an Physical Therapist or Occupational Therapist from The Children's Therapy and Family Resource Centre. Once the referral goes through, they will send you a letter stating what resources they can offer your child. It is up to the parent to follow through on accessing the resources they offer. Most of their services are private and not offered through the school. When a parent does not contact them after they are sent the letter, the child's file is closed.
Two years ago, I worked with two therapists to create an effective program that would help children with motor skills and motor planning difficulties. Here is a brief list of their suggestions:
- yoga/stretching - core strength, flexibility, body awareness, movement, balance, focus on specific muscles
- Daily Physical Activity (DPA)- pushing, pulling, jumping, walking backwards, walking sideways, skipping, etc.
- Gym class -striking objects with another object (ie. hit a birdie with a racquet), running, game skills, cardiovascular exercise
- Swimming lessons - cardiovascular exercise, body movement, focus on specific muscles
- Gymnastics lessons- body movement, balance, body awareness, focus on specific muscles, flexibility, core strength
- Many fine motor manipulation activities - ie. buttons, zippers, turning coins over in one hand, picking small things up, etc.
Resources:
Children's Therapy and Family Resource Centre
Kamloops Therapeutic Riding Association
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wblTlInDrh8&feature=related
Two years ago, I worked with two therapists to create an effective program that would help children with motor skills and motor planning difficulties. Here is a brief list of their suggestions:
- yoga/stretching - core strength, flexibility, body awareness, movement, balance, focus on specific muscles
- Daily Physical Activity (DPA)- pushing, pulling, jumping, walking backwards, walking sideways, skipping, etc.
- Gym class -striking objects with another object (ie. hit a birdie with a racquet), running, game skills, cardiovascular exercise
- Swimming lessons - cardiovascular exercise, body movement, focus on specific muscles
- Gymnastics lessons- body movement, balance, body awareness, focus on specific muscles, flexibility, core strength
- Many fine motor manipulation activities - ie. buttons, zippers, turning coins over in one hand, picking small things up, etc.
Resources:
Children's Therapy and Family Resource Centre
Kamloops Therapeutic Riding Association
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wblTlInDrh8&feature=related