Looking for some new fine motor skills activities for kids? Stacie Erfle, MS, OTR/L is here today to share her awesome resource – Fine Motor ABCs!
A quick Google search will lead to endless possible activities to build fine motor skills. Pinterest is full of imaginative activities to get kids creating with their hands.
In this digital world, there is definitely no lack of ideas of what to do. However, in the focus on the what, it can be easy to lose sight of the why.
Fine motor skills activities done without knowing the why behind them are still beneficial for kids. After all, their fingers and hands are still being challenged and their brains are working to integrate each new fine motor experience.
But when the adult leading the charge isn’t quite sure why the activity matters or why it should done a certain way, they may not value the task as much and they may be less encouraged to continue to provide these types of experiences for kids.
It’s been said that knowledge is power. And I think it’s high time to give power to the parents, power to the teachers, and power to the therapists looking for easy and effective ways to communicate with families about fine motor skills and home fine motor programs.
All this knowledge leads to empowerment, with adults having a comprehensive picture of not only what to do to help kids develop strong fine motor skills, but how to do it, and why it is important.
But let’s be honest. Most people don’t have time to research each and every activity they come across to learn about the foundational skills that are being addressed. That’s why a quick and easy reference that pairs skill-building tasks for children with straightforward and understandable parent education is more valuable than ever.
Fine Motor ABC
This is the winning combination you’ll find in Fine Motor ABC, an easy-to-implement resource with 26 targeted activities to develop foundational and functional fine motor skills.
Fine Motor ABC from Skill Builder Books lets children take the reigns with the “what” of fine motor skills activities while adults engage with the “why”. The book is built around the alphabet and includes sign language to support kinesthetic learning as well as rhyming words to reinforce literacy development.
Fine Motor ABC is available in both print and ebook formats and answers questions like:
Why are animal walks important and why bother doing them before a fine motor activity?
Why does body positioning matter if fine motor tasks are done only with the hands?
Why is crossing the midline so important and what does it have to do with hand dominance?
Parents, teachers, and therapists will benefit from this interactive and informative book that highlights the why behind the activities. More importantly, children will benefit because they will be guided by adults who see more than a fun craft or cute project. And adults will see, and understand, the true benefit behind each task.
So why ask why when it comes to fine motor tasks? Because knowledge is power! The more we know, the better we can do for our kids at home, in our classrooms, and in our therapy practices.
Print and ebook versions of Fine Motor ABC are available at www.skillbuilderbooks.com
Print copies of the book can also be ordered on Amazon
