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2/14/01
Question 65
Dear Preschool Teacher,
My son's Preschool teacher mentioned that my son
was having some difficulty with perceptual activities and also fine
motor & writing (he holds his pencil or marker in a fisted way).
Do you have any suggestions for activities that I can do with him at
home to help him with this situation. Any suggestions would be greatly
appreciated.
Perceptual Mom
Dear Perceptual Mom,
Playing with play-dough is a great way
to strength your child's hands for fine motor skills and writing.
There is also something you can buy to put on the end of a pencil
called a grip that more or less forces your child to hold a pencil
correctly.
Peg
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"
Dear Perceptual Mom,
It sounds like your son's small muscles need
more time to develop. Play-dough is excellent for this and fun,
too! Practice with scissors is also good. Try cutting play-dough,
it is easy, fun, and still exercises the necessary muscles.
Finger-painting and other craft activities also exercise these
muscles.
Puzzles are good for perception. Start with
puzzles with fewer pieces so your son can be successful, then more up
to more complicated ones as he progresses.
Time is your best helper! You don't mention
his age, but often boys develop more slowly. If he is nearing
the age for kindergarten and you still have concerns, you may want to
consider delaying his entry into school and allowing him an extra year
to develop.
Kris
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"
Dear Perceptual Mom,
Motor skills develop at different rates for all
children. Let him work play-dough with his hands. It
strengthens the same muscles used for writing. Also let him pick up
small items with tongs or clip clothespins. Or just clip on a
can or bucket edge. (no sharp edges, of course) Let him scribble
as much as possible too. Practice will help.
For perceptual skills, ask him which
item is bigger of two shown. Help him find the answer. Just work
on a lot of find the item pictures. Start with only one or two
things to find in a large picture and work your way up to more items.
Lots of coloring books have these. Hide something in a room and ask
him to find it. Just do it while it is fun. When he's tired,
take a break and start fresh on another day.
Jackie
"Ask The Preschool Teacher Staff"
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