By: Sophie Bellenis, OTD, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist; Real-life Skills Program Manager and Coach
- Writing on a vertical surface is a great way to promote proper hand/wrist positioning and fine motor growth – try taping paper to an easel or to the wall and allowing them to try writing on this plane.
- Skip the fat pencils for our little learners. While specific adapted writing utensils for children with fine motor needs can be best assessed by an occupational therapist, for the majority of our young learners, the rule “the object promotes the grasp!” is applicable. If we want our learners to be building strength and learning proper hand positioning, I suggest trying either a standard number 2 pencil or a mini golf pencil.
- Let your children peel off and stick on their own stickers! In reality this could end up with some ripped stickers or extra time spent on a project, but peeling off stickers promotes a pincer grasp, bilateral coordination and visual motor integration. If your child is too young to find the edge and begin to peel, consider starting the sticker and then letting them finish peeling it off independently.
- Use scissors to cut anything and everything! While supplies of construction paper and worksheets sent home from school may be dwindling, consider letting your children cut up junk mail (make sure it’s sanitized), old magazines, newspapers and scraps of old cloth. Some of our kids will want to use these scraps to create a collage or other art projects, while others will simply enjoy the act of shredding. You can make this activity accessible for really young kids by simply having them tear the paper with both hands.
- Bring out the tool box! Twisting a bolt onto a screw, using a wrench to tighten a hex-nut and using a hammer to pull nails out of a block of wood all help with fine motor and increasing strength. For more of a visual perception task, considering mixing all of the screws, nails and bolts together and having your child sort them into different bowls or containers.
About the Author
Dr. Sophie Bellenis is a Licensed Occupational Therapist in Massachusetts, specializing in educational OT and functional life skills development. Dr. Bellenis joined NESCA in the fall of 2017 to offer community-based skills coaching services as a part of the Real-life Skills Program within NESCA’s Transition Services team. Dr. Bellenis graduated from the MGH Institute of Health Professions with a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, with a focus on pediatrics and international program evaluation. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association, as well as the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. Having spent years delivering direct services at the elementary, middle school and high school levels, Dr. Bellenis has extensive background with school-based occupational therapy services. She believes that individual sensory needs and visual skills must be taken into account to create comprehensive educational programming.
Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton, Massachusetts, Plainville, Massachusetts, and Londonderry, New Hampshire, serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.