Lite Brite is a classic game that promotes so many wonderful skills! This week in therapy we used the Lite Brite to promote a pincer grasp (using the thumb and index finger to pick up pegs). This type of grasp is important for functional activities such as holding a pencil, fastening closure (buttons, snaps, etc.), and manipulating small items in the hand. The students had to follow the key to place the appropriate color pegs in the board. There is also a sneaky strengthening component to this task, as they have to push the peg through a piece of paper.
One of my favorite therapy tools we use in the classroom is the Lycra swing. This piece of equipment provides organizing movement for the child while targeting various skills. In the videos, W and AC are in the prone position (on their tummies) and snapping blocks together to reinforce this week’s spelling words. They are working in prone to strengthen core and neck muscles to promote a strong, stable base of support for daily tasks. The snap blocks were used to further develop fine motor skills (fingers, hands, shoulders), while also encouraging sequencing and sounds out of spelling words. So many awesome skills in a fun, engaging and therapeutic activity!
We loved celebrating Dr. Seuss’s Birthday on March 2nd. Teachers came to school wearing ‘The Cat in the Hat’ hats, which W and AC thought was so funny! They made their own ‘Thing 1 and Thing 2’ hats that they wore all day. Fine motor skills and bilateral coordination were addressed through cutting, gluing, rolling and stapling during this activity.
We also worked on our -ag family spelling words by writing different -ag words in ‘The Cat in the Hat’ template. W and AC were given a word to spell and wrote the specific word in the hat. After each word, they checked their work to see if their spelling was correct.
We made a ‘Cat in the Hat” snack using fruit. A yummy way to promote sequencing, following directions, and fine motor skills! The students sliced fruit, then created an ABAB pattern using strawberries and bananas. They had to push the fruit on to a straw, which was trickier than expected! Great bilateral coordination and strength!
This week we are spelling words in the -ag word family. We worked as a whole group during this activity to spell different -ag words by using snap letters to build the word and then copy/write it. Teachers gave W and AC lines for each letter of the word for them to use as a reference. The lines helped them segment the sounds and write the correct letter.
