Check out these free tools and resources designed to help kids build fine motor skills and much more! Browse the page or click on your topic of interest from the menu below and jump right to it!
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Fine Motor Skills
Handwriting Skills
Tools and Info to Tackle Letter Reversals
Scissor Skills
Sensory Processing Skills
Attending Skills
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Fine Motor Skills
Build a child’s fine motor skills by having them engage in these activities.
This infographic outlines the complexity of fine motor skills by breaking down all the underlying skill components.
Using a vertical surface (like an easel versus a tabletop) can benefit children tremendously. Learn why and what activities you can do to build a child’s fine motor skills.
Handwriting Skills
Letter Placement Checklists (Levels 1,2,3)
Visual Aids For Spacing
Pressure Grading Worksheets (how much force to apply)
Practice Without Pain: Pangrams
Handwriting is a non-preferred task for many, if not most, of the kids we serve as school-based OTs. Why? Because the underlying deficits they struggle with can make handwriting a daunting task. We get around this by enticing these kiddos with many sensory-based activities to practice handwriting without touching a pencil and paper. But at some point, to improve their handwriting legibility skills, these kiddos must practice using pencil and paper. It is inevitable. But this doesn’t mean they need to write a book! Pangrams are an excellent way to address every letter in the alphabet with just one simple sentence. You can spend most of your time addressing all those underlying deficits and still get some time in for handwriting itself. It’s also a quick and easy way to assess baseline and measure progress. Lastly, pangrams are an excellent way to retain skills over the summer. Parents will be more inclined to follow through if it’s simple and easy. This freebie contains ten kid-friendly pangrams for handwriting practice.
Infographic: 9 Strategies to Help Children with Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia means difficulty learning to write or putting thoughts on paper. There are several ways to help children who struggle in this area, and this infographic explains how.
Want more information about dysgraphia? Check out my post: Fun Strokes Presents The ADHD and Handwriting Series Part One
Children with ADHD often have difficulty with handwriting skills. This infographic explains how at a glance.
Infographic: The Link Between ADHD and Handwriting
Tools and Info to Tackle Letter Reversals
Visual Aids
Visual aids can be very effective in helping children combat letter reversals. Post them in plain sight when children are writing.
Infographic: Letter Reversals Should You Be Concerned?
Want more information? Jump to my blog: Letter Reversals…Should You Be Concerned?
Scissor Skills
Conveniently use this handy graphic as a quick reference to determine where a child’s scissor skills fall on the developmental timeline. Click the button below to get your free PDF today!
Here’s a handy infographic that outlines activities that can be done to prepare kids for learning how to use scissors. This is an excellent resource to share with teachers, parents, and caregivers of young children. Click the button below to get this free PDF emailed to your inbox today!
Sensory Processing Skills
When teachers and parents think of how they can support the sensory needs of their students or child, they often have ideas of elaborate sensory rooms that boast expensive fancy equipment. I am here to tell you that while this is a fantastic option, it is not the only option! You can provide meaningful sensory experiences using regular household or classroom stuff. If you haven’t read Sensory Processing Skills Unveiled and Explained, be sure to do so. Appreciating what sensory processing disorder is and what it might look like is paramount before implementing any sensory strategy for children. Be sure to read my post How to Create a Sensory Smart Classroom or Home to learn how to implement sensory supports and strategies.
Free PDF: Sensory Smart Tools at a Glance
Heavy Work Activities
Heavy work activities provide proprioceptive input or information to the body that helps with feeling centered and grounded. This input provides a sense of organization and calm. Many children benefit from heavy work activities for this reason. When a child feels organized, tasks become more manageable. When you sense your student or child needs a heavy work break (unsettled, unable to focus, unable to engage in what they need to do), offer them a heavy work break. This infographic provides many options.
Heavy Work Activity Infographic
Want more information about heavy work activities? Check out this post: What Are Heavy Work Activities and Who Should Do Them?
Attending Skills
Are you challenged by getting your student or child to do independent work? If your child or student struggles in this area, try these strategies to build their attending skills.
Infographic: 9 Strategies to Increase Attending Skills
Want more information? Jump to my post: 9 Strategies to Increase Attending Skills and On Task Behavior
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
The 54321 grounding technique is a tool children can use when feeling anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed. This technique can help to prevent multiple anxious thoughts from piling up by focusing on your surroundings in the present moment. It calls for you to tap into a heightened awareness of your environment, fully taking in your five senses and grounding your thoughts to the present moment. The 54321 grounding technique can be used to regulate emotions and calm down. It is a great strategy to teach when helping kids self-regulate.
Would you like to use this technique with your littles? Here is a handy 6 x 4 in. card (PDF) that you can print and use as a teaching aid when helping kids learn how to self-regulate.
Bonus Card Included: 10 CALMING TECHNIQUES FOR SCHOOL OR HOME
Want more information about this method? Jump to my post: 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique: Using Our Sensory System to Calm Anxiety
I hope you find these free resources helpful! Have a question or inquiry? Shoot me a message:
Disclaimer:
The Fun Strokes blog is designed for educational and informational use only for teachers, therapists and parents. It is not intended as medical advice or therapeutic treatment that would be provided in an individualized treatment plan. If you suspect a child has delays, please consult an occupational therapist.