I have the pleasure of welcoming Colleen to Print Path today as an esteemed guest blogger. I am so excited for her to share her new OT resources! Colleen is the creator and author of www.theottoolbox.com and http://community.theottoolbox.com. She is an occupational therapist who shares creative activities designed to promote the healthy development of kids. Colleen is one of the therapist authors on the Functional Skills for Kids books.
Do your students have the pre-writing, visual-motor, fine motor and executive functioning skills that they need?
Functional handwriting is a key to both learning and expressing one’s self. Automatic handwriting skills open doors for children, allowing them to take in, process, and recall new information, and to express themselves through written language. If you are a parent, teacher, or therapist and you tend to think of ‘handwriting instruction’ and ‘handwriting practice’ as one in the same, check out this post!
Use an enticing game to add power to shoulders, arms, and hands by adding a simple twist to this classic children’s activity.
As an occupational therapist, I get many referrals for children who have difficulty with handwriting speed & legibility. Teachers and parents often assume that the reason for a child having problems is that they have fine-motor difficulties or delays.
And why do we love our jobs? I was honored to be a part of this great blog post from Apples & Bananas Education!
After two decades of working as a school-based occupational therapist, I followed my passion for teaching handwriting and returned to school and eventually to start publishing.
Do you have students who are troubled by anxious energy, the overwhelming need to move, or difficulty with focus?
Whether you are a parent, teacher, or therapist, do you know children who would benefit from play experiences and practice performing tasks that do not come easily?
After you have identified and started to address the root issue interfering with pencil grasp, see Part 1 & 2, you can apply a variety of strategies to specifically facilitate and teach pencil grasp.
