This morning I looked around the classroom to see every child working hard at fun activities that exercised their fine motor skills.
Miss Santos has the children pulling clay from our large block. Our clay is firmer than play dough and offers a more resistant surface. Then the children use their hands to roll coils and press down hard to flatten balls into slabs.
Today the children stood to work at the clay table, the easel, and the hexagon table. This encourages them to use their gross motor strength in their work.
We have decided that popping bubble wrap is the key to silence in our classroom! The group focuses intently on their goal of popping every bubble on the strip, not noticing they are strengthening their fine motor skills and pincer grip.
We have Geoboards available with elastic bands. These require dexterity and strength to hold the elastic band in position while stretching it to reach another pin.
Finally, as we prepare for a line study, the children are sanding down the wooden pieces they will use.
These fine motor skills are important as the children look forward to making messages for friends and learning how to draw more letters.
