Session 6: Fine and Gross Motor

Burlington Public Schools Early
Childhood Information Series:
Session 6
Fine and Gross Motor Activities
www.beccinformationseries.blogspot.com

Fine Motor
-Fine motor control and hand strength are important to young children as they learn to grasp small
objects, fasten clothing, and pre-writing.
-Fine motor development is essential in not only play and writing tasks but ease in allowing children to
become more independent as well.

Handwriting Without Tears
-Aim and Scribble
-Mat Mat
-Lines and Curves
-Diagonals
-Shapes/Numbers
-Terminology(Big Lines/Little Lines)
-Using your hands in a controled way

Handwriting Without Tears Tools
-Newsletter (Frog Jump Gazette)
-HWT app on ipad (wet dry try)
-songs (pick a crayon, tap big line, mat man)
-give a defined space/starting and stopping points

Fine Motor Progression

Fine Motor at Home
-Playdough/Theraputty Activities
-Roll like a hot dog and cut with a scissor into small pieces
-Hidden Treasure (put small objects hidden in putty and have child find them)
-Making munchkins /Donuts
-Stringing Beads
-Squeezing water with little sponges
-Picking up tiny objects like beads, beans, small sponges
-Writing on paper on an incline or paper on a wall(vertical surfaces)
-Pom Pom Pick up game
-Cutting fun materials such as straws, yarn, playdough
-Painting with Q Tips, cotton balls, acorns, and dandelions
-Putting Straws in grated cheese containers
- Using clothespins

Gross Motor
-Strength and stability throughout the trunk and shoulders set the foundation for fine motor.
-Gross Motor activities can assist in developing fine motor skills.
-Increasing gross motor skills are important in enabling children to perform everyday functions such as
standing, walking, running, and sitting upright.
-It can also include eye hand coordination skills such as throwing, catching, or kicking a ball.
-Other factors in gross motor can include motor planning, coordination, balancing, crossing midline,
endurance.

Gross Motor Activities
-Washing the Car
-Hopscotch
-Animal Walks
-Pulling a wagon
-Take the stairs instead of escalators when possible
-Jump over objects such as a sprinkler, chalk lines, tape lines, hula hoops, etc.
-Running and Jumping
-Obstacle Courses
-Swimming

Session 4 - Morning and Nightime Routines

Burlington Public
Schools Early Childhood
Information Series:
Session 4
Morning and Night Time Routines
www.beccinformationseries.blogspot.com

Why is it important to create routines?
● Allow everyone to understand what is expected
● Routines create an increased number of practice opportunities
● Gives a clear starting and ending point

How to establish routines?
● Make a list of everything that needs to be done during a given amount of time
● Prioritize the order in which you want things to be done
● Figure out how long the routine will take
● Make sure that there are aspects of the routine that involve skills that they have
already mastered

Teaching and Implementing Routines
● Never assume that kids (or adults!) know what is expected of them unless it’s been taught.
● Children will need to be taught not only what is expected of them, but how to flow through routines in the order you want them to
● Make sure everyone knows how to get help
● Build in supports as needed

How to teach the routine?
● Skills Training Model
○ Instruction - Tell what to do
○ Model - Show what to do
○ Practice - Give practice opportunities
○ Feedback - Give information on how it went

What supports can be used?
● Visuals
○ Schedule
○ First/Then
○ Check list
○ Reminders
● Small Reinforcement Systems
○ Adding in small incentives for various aspects of the routines
■ Can be individualized to each person’s level of
functioning

Being Prepared for Challenges
● Give yourself ample time (especially in the teaching phases)
● Set up clear expectations for everyone before starting the routine.
● Have all supports in place before you begin the routine
● Predict difficult moments when possible

Questions and Workshop
What questions do you have about routines in your home?
What supports could be helpful for you?


Session 3 - Setting Up Structure At Home

Burlington Public Schools Early Childhood Information Series: Session 3
Setting Up Structure at Home www.beccinformationseries.blogspot.com

● Kids succeed and thrive on structure
● Predictability allows for independence and
self confidence
● Structure helps kids make sense of their
world

● Rules
● Routines
● Expectations

● Create rules using the language of what you
want rather than what you want to avoid ○ Instead of don’t, use do
● Pick rules that will benefit your family most
○ Think of times of day where having some consistency will help everyone
● Give choice when it’s appropriate

● Routines support house rules
● As you start, pick one routine to focus on at a time - it will need to most likely be taught!
When first introducing a new routine
● use visuals - real objects when available; images from the internet
● provide practice opportunities (not only when it’s the real time to do it)
● model
● let them know how they did!!

What to do once you’ve set the rules and routines...
● follow through - no matter how hard
○ if you say it, mean it
○ make sure the whole team is on board
● think about how to tie in fun family activities based on the kids doing what you want them to

Your kids do what you ask them to do/follow the routines
● Praise them
● Reward them (random)
● Let them know how they’re helping the
family

Your kids do not do what you have asked them to do
● Continue to follow through
● Stay Calm
● Limit their access to other things until the
expectation has been follow
○ This is not a negative, but rather a clear black and white contingency

Schedules and routines need to change unexpectedly
● Explain why things are changing
● Create a new plan
● Praise the kids when they follow the new
plan

If you child has a hard time when things change, think about doing some practice...
● set up changes in routines under low stakes situations
● model what to do when things change for them
● let them know how they did, and provide rewards
under these low stakes

● Chore Monster
● i Create
- social story
- schedule maker
● Classroom Dojo
● Social Story Creator and Library

What can we help with?

Session 2 - Life Skills and Social Thinking

Burlington Public Schools Early Childhood Development Series
www.beccinformationseries.blogspot.com

Behavior Supports in BPS - All Schools
Positive behavior classwide systems
a. Explicit instruction of routines and rules
b. Strategies to promote engagement
c. Explicit instruction of Life Skills/social skills
d. Motivational system
e. Behavior management

Preschool Life Skills Curriculum
● A curriculum with an approach to teaching critical social skills to early learners.
● Skills have been proven to prevent problem behavior and often replace problem behavior with a functional social skill.
● Skills are divided into 4 groups which make up a total of 13 skills all in a specific sequential order.

What does the Research Show?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.
gov/pmc/articles/PMC1885412/pdf/jaba-40-02-277.pdf
● The selected skills are similar to the skills taught once kids demonstrate problem behavior
● Teachers are able to implement the program with fidelity
● Problem behavior was reduced by 70% and there was a 400% increase in observed critical skills

Unit 1 Skills: Instruction Following
● Responding appropriately to name
● Complying with simple instruction
● Complying with multi-step instruction ● Requesting assistance
● Requesting attention

Unit 2: Functional Communication
● Framed requesting to adults (when item is not available)
● Framed requesting to peers (when item is being used)

Unit 3: Tolerance for Delay
● Tolerating delay imposed by adults
● Tolerating delays imposed by peers
Unit 4: Friendship Skills
● Saying “Thank you”
● Acknowledging/complimenting others ● Offering/Sharing
● Comforting others in distress

How Skills are Taught
● Instruction ● Modeling ● Practice
● Feeback

How we modify
If a student isn’t successful with the classwide teaching model...
● Skills are taught with greater frequency (more practice opportunities)
● Skills may be taught at a different pace
● Skills may be taught in isolation first

Social Thinking Curriculum The Incredible Flexible You
● Thinking Thoughts and Feeling Feelings ● Thinking with Your Eyes
● The Group Plan
● Body in the Group
● Whole Body Listening


Session 1 - Opening the Worlds of Learning

Burlington Public Schools Early Childhood Information Series: Session 1
Opening the World of Learning (OWL)

What is OWL?
● Created by Judy Schickedanz, Ph.D. and David Dickinson, Ed.D.
● A comprehensive early literacy program
● Every classroom in the Burlington Early
Childhood Center uses this program
● Arranged into six thematic units

Six Thematic Units
● Family
● Friends
● Wind and Water
● The World of Color
● Shadows and Reflections ● Things that Grow

What is each unit comprised of?
● Story time books
● Information books
● Predictable books
● Key vocabulary words
● Let’s find out about it
● Songs, wordplay, and letters
● Small groups
● Choice time center activities

Story Times
Books are related to unit and read multiple times.
•First reading- To explain events in story
•Second reading- Discuss thoughts and feelings of characters •Third reading- feeling related to events
•Fourth reading- Relate story to personal experiences or act out by assigning characters (often in dramatic play)

Choice Time
Relating Play Experiences
to characters in stories.
Other OWL Facts
● 5 day cycle
● Supplemental materials including books,
music, and activities are often used
● Program provides tools for monitoring
progress
Songs, Word Play, and Language
● Includes large group to help children develop phonological awareness, alphabet letter knowledge, and vocabulary
● Through song, using props, utilizing Touch-It board, movement, and manipulating oral language.

Language Based Curriculum
● Gives opportunities for children to engage in conversations about curriculum
● Books lend themselves to rich discussions including the use of questioning
● Key vocabulary words are used across activities

Let’s Talk About It
How to care for babies
Comparing our birth length with a friend. Who was longer? Who was shorter?
Related to our book, we listened to videos of children playing harmonicas then examined a real harmonica.

Specific Activities
Even though the curriculum is language based, it is comprehensive in that it focuses on literacy, math, motor development and social development

Center Activities
● Sand and water (sensory)
● Book area
● Art area/table
● Art area/easel
● Blocks
● Puzzles and manipulatives
● Dramatic play
● Writing center

Small Groups
● Typically three small groups per day that children rotate through at their own pace. This varies by classroom.
● Small groups focus on academic, language based skills
● Cross-curricular

Supplemental OWL Units
● Created by the teachers of the Burlington Early Childhood Center
● Based on the format and content of the published OWL curriculum
● Comprised of seven thematic units
Seven Thematic Units
● Farm/harvest
● Family traditions ● Snow
● Community
● Transportation ● Five Senses
● Camping

Accommodations
● No one curriculum is a perfect fit for every child
● Teachers adapt and differentiate instruction based on the individual needs of each student
● Accommodations occur in all areas of a child’s development, not just academic tasks

Transition to School
● What’s going well?
● What questions do you have?

Session 8 - Summer Activities

Slide 1 - Structuring The Summer

Ways to establish a routine during Summer break

·        summer will be less structured, but try to develop a basic routine

·        calendars/schedules

o       monthly family calendar

o       weekly calendar of activities

o       child’s individual schedule for the day

·        prepare child for any predictable disruptions - bbqs, family gatherings, day trips, weekend trips, extended travel, time with new/different caregivers

• although summer is a time to relax, basic structure will help children to understand expectations

Slide 2 - Activities At Home

Get Outside!

·        water and sand tables

·        nature walks - even in own backyard

·        anything you might do inside, try to take it outside

o       art projects, sensory experiences, etc

·       gardening

·        obstacle courses

·        scavenger hunts

·        picnics

• kiddie pools

Slide 3 - Activities in the Community

·         Burlington Playgrounds

o       Wildwood - Bedford St

o       Rahanis - Mill St

o       BECC and elementary school playgrounds

·        Simonds Park wading pool

·        Recreation Department Programs

·        Burlington Public Library

• Burlington Reservoir

Slide 4 - Activities in Surrounding Communities

·         Water Parks - Belmont and Billerica

·        Indoor Playgrounds - VinKari Safari in Woburn, Jump On In in Woburn, Inside Playground in Watertown

·        Walden Pond

·        Acton Discovery Museum

·        The Butterfly Place, Westford, MA

·        Boston Children’s Museum

·        New England Aquarium

·        Stone Zoo

• Museum of Science

Slide 5 - Challenges and Concerns

·         travel

·        transition from school to summer break

·        transition back to school at the end of summer break

·        transition to a different classroom/building at the end of summer break

• behavior regressions from change in routine

Slide 6 - Resources

·         Burlington Recreation Department - www.burlingtonrecreation.org

• Burlington Public Library - www.burlingtonpubliclibrary.org

Information Session 5: Fine and Gross Motor Skills

Motor Skills Overview

•

• There is a vast range of what is considered typical for motor skill acquisition
• Skill development can be influenced by exposure, interest level, individual development 
• Common to see bursts of development 
• Children enter preschool with a base of motor skills, these skills are fine tuned and built upon during the preschool years 
• It is OK for a preschool student (3’s and 4’s) to descend stairs non-alternately, they will first ascend alternately (takes less strength and control than descent) 
• •Encourage active gross motor play, but also activities that require the child to slow down, balance and steady their body (Simon Says, Follow The Leader, etc.)
• 
  

  If w-sitting is primary sitting posture work to incorporate other positions (see w-sitting blog as well as core activities blog to help with this)
• 
  

  •Certain skills, such as scissor use and coordination,  are not a part of natural development and  will only develop through direct teaching and exposure.

Fine Motor Skills

•

• Small Muscles 
• Hand Strength 
• Grasp Development 
• Sensory Integration 
• Motor Planning 
• Visual Motor Integration 
• Bilateral Coordination 
• Daily Living Skills – dressing, tooth brushing, feeding 
• Oral Motor 

Gross Motor Skills

•

• Big Muscles 
• Heavy Work 
• Core Strength 
• Motor Planning 

BECC Supplemental Curricula

•

• Handwriting Without Tears
• Mat Man
• Grasp Development
• Brain Gym
• Series of 26 movements designed to optimize learning

Fine Motor Activities

•

• Writing Implements – crayons, markers, colored pencils, paintbrushes, etc 
• Cutting 
• Crafts using pincer grasps 
• Tactile experiences – putty, play dough, sand and water play 
• Tweezers 
• Peeling Stickers 
• Lacing 
• Puzzles and building manipulatives 
• Mazes/Magnet Mazes 

Gross Motor Activities

•

• Obstacle courses 
• Balancing – beams, therapy balls, rocking horses, stepping stones 
• Climbing Structures 
• Trampolines 
• Scooter Boards 
• Get outside when you can! 

Accommodations

•

• Writing Tasks 
• Small, broken crayons 
• Slanted surfaces/easels 
• Hold a pom pom with pinky and ring finger 
• Verbal and Visual Cues 
• Alligator fingers 
• Helper hand 
• Visual task analysis to facilitate motor planning 

Therapists Blog - becctherapists.wordpress.com

•

• Great resource for activities and ideas 
• Our Speech and Language Pathologists, occupational therapist, physical therapist and BCBA contribute to this blog 

The following are the gross motor posts that may be useful:

·         Benefits of Physical Activity (1/13)

·         Core Strengthening Activities (3/13)

·         Motor Planning (4/11)

·         Indoor Gross Motor Activities (11/13)

·         Fun Inexpensive Outdoor Games (5/13)

·         Why Should I Stop My Child From W-Sitting? (10/13)

·         Coming Soon in March blog post on bilateral integration and sequence

The following are the fine motor posts that may be helpful:

·         Developing a Dominant Hand (11/13)

·         Fun February OT Activity Ideas (2/13)

·         How to Work on Prewriting Skills Without Picking up a Pencil! (3/13)

·         Scissor Skill Development (5/13)

·         Summer OT Activity Ideas (6/13)

• Fun Hand Strengthening Activities (11/13)