fine+motor+skills

Pencil paper tasks and Visual Motor Integration:
 * 1) Consider use of fat (primary) pencils or fat crayons
 * 2) Use a pencil grip
 * 3) Check finger placement; how student holds the pencil
 * 4) Make sure student can touch both feet flat against the ground when at the desk writing
 * 5) Check posture
 * 6) Check that seat is pushed forward towards desk
 * 7) Perform a handwriting assessment for preschool students to check for dominant hand usage
 * 8) When printing allow for paper with the middle dashed line on it.
 * 9) Encourage use of tradition 3 finger grip.
 * 10) Consider using extra soft pencils
 * 11) Check that pencil grip is not too tight
 * 12) Drawing circles as fast as possible, right on top of each other helps to loosen fingers.
 * 13) Color smaller areas first
 * 14) Keep wrist anchored to the table top and move only the and and fingers.
 * 15) Monitor positioning of paper. Student will struggle when paper is centered
 * 16) Practice "sky writing" of letters before
 * 17) Mazes
 * 18) An Occupational Therapist is a resource for fine motor skills.

Scissor Skills: Supplemental Activities for Visual Motor Integration
 * 1) Young children may do better with short bladed scissors with small openings in the handles.
 * 2) Make sure blades have cutting ability. Plastic will not work.
 * 3) Have student hold small sponge with the 4th and 5th fingers while handling scissors
 * 4) Practice cutting thin strips
 * 5) Use tape to make handle openings smaller
 * 6) Small snips for smaller shapes
 * 7) Scissors should be held "thumb up"
 * 1) Finger Plays (Itsy Bitsy Spider)
 * 2) Finger Flexing
 * 3) Finger Tapping
 * 4) Snapping
 * 5) Use of eye droppers
 * 6) Clipping Clothes pins
 * 7) Etch a sketch
 * 8) Pick up sticks
 * 9) Using tweezers
 * 10) Lacing cards
 * 11) Bead designs
 * 12) Clay
 * 13) Tracing worksheets
 * 14) Nuts and bolts
 * 15) Lincoln Logs
 * 16) Light Brights