The Naranga Newsletter

Therapy

Happy school holidays!

 

We hope all our wonderful Naranga School families enjoy the well earned break from school. 

Below are some fun activities to try over the school holidays to build fine motor skills.

The development of fine motor skills is important for students to engage in activities such as writing, playing and self-care. When children play with toys or games, they are building many of the smaller skills that are needed for these tasks. 

The home environment is a great opportunity to develop these skills in a safe, explorative manner. By encouraging engagement in play opportunities at home, you can help develop your child’s skills and foster their play skills too!

Play opportunities in the home: 

  • Lego or wooden blocks:
    • Blocks and lego are a great way of incorporating both constructive and imaginative play together. Your child can develop their fine motor skills through holding the blocks and building, whilst also developing skills in imagination and problem solving.
  • Making jewellery:
    • Using 'beads' and string to thread a necklace/bracelet.
    • To make it easier or harder, change the size of the beads and/or the thickness of the string.
    • Items you may have at home that can be used as ‘beads’:
      • Buttons
      • Plastic Straws (cut into 1-2cm pieces)
      • Nuts (i.e. nuts and bolts)
      • Pasta (i.e. penne, macaroni)
  • Playdough/Slime:
    • Use playdough to make different shapes or even a figure of their favourite toy or character.
    • Slime is a really fun sensory play activity.
      • You can also hide small objects such as marbles in the slime or playdough for your child to find.
    • Playdough and Slime can be made at home or bought from a store. Here is a link to a playdough recipe if you want to make it with your child!  

Happy Playing!!

 

The Naranga Therapy Team