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Pick a Hand, Any Hand - Hand Dominance (cont'd)
I talked about the importance of hand dominance as a prerequisite for handwriting readiness in the last E-Blast. Educators and parents can help facilitate establishment of hand dominance in young children by presenting one-handed activities or implements at the midline (belly button level) to encourage spontaneous grasping with the preferred hand. One particular activity children love is finding a bead or button that is hidden in our putty using only one hand. This favorite activity supports hand dominance and development of the tripod grasp and I call it, "Hide it - Find it in the Putty." Please see the description of this activity below.
Activity: "Hide it - Find it in the Putty"
- Give child one bead or button to hide in 2 ounces of putty. Add more beads and buttons as child becomes more proficient in this activity.
- Adult reclaims the putty with hidden object.
- Adult presents putty to child at the midline. Do not favor a side when presenting putty.
- Allow child to grasp putty with one hand spontaneously and ask him/her to place the other hand behine his/her back to "rest".
- Ask child to move hand with putty so that the arm is away from the body and the putty is held just about eye-level.
- Ask child to pick the object out of the putty and watch which fingers the child uses. The Busy Fingers will find the bead or button!
- Praise child for finding the hidden bead or button and ask him/her to describe its shape, color, and texture to you to build literacy and expressive language skills. Hide other mystery items in the putty (i.e. paper clips, coins, marbles, legos, etc...) and have child describe what he/she has found. This is a fun activity that supports establishment of hand dominance and the tripod pencil grasp!
Have a great week...Write Out of the Box!
Marianne |
Putty
