Timing is everything - we have structured the Get Ready For School program
so little boys can burn off some of that energy before they settle down
to focus on the "finer" things! The first section of the program
deals with a gross motor skill, for example pretending to be a bear, this
enforces a gross motor skill in a really fun way. The child is then asked
to "bear walk" over to where they will work on their fine motor
skills.
We suggest you let your little boy burn off some energy outside, then, when
he's on the wane, start the program. We have kept the lessons short, 1 hour
divided into 15 minute sections for gross motor, fine motor, visual perception
and school skills, so they don't get bored. So, if you're really struggling
to hold his attention for an hour, break the program down into 15 minutes
sessions.
We encourage
you to reward your child after he has finished each day's program with
a sticker or some other surprise, before he "bear walks" off
to do something else!
The Get Ready For School program focuses on developing
or improving the following skills for school:
Handwriting
foundation skills required
Posture
& Balance - to provide a basis for adequate arm & hand control
Grasp Strength & Finger Control - appropriate grip on a writing
tool
Ocular Motor Control - eyes & hand moving together
Visual Perception & Memory - choosing the difference between 2 pictures
Memory - ability to recall correctly
Spatial Organisation
Attention
Following Instructions
Interfering
factors which affect children's fine motor development
Low muscle
tone & poor joint stability
Poor arm strength
Poor motor planning
Poor postural development
Inability to isolate individual finger movements
Poor grip & pinch strength
Poor fine motor co-ordination
Inefficient bilateral hand use
Foundation
skills for cutting out
Postural
control
Close & open hand
Doing hand / helping hand
Isolate fingers
Eye-hand co-ordination
Put movements together
Stablise
Activities
to develop fine motor skills
Arm strength
Hand strength
Bilateral Hand Use
Pre Writing
Pre Scissor Skills
Visual
Perception - Understanding What We Are Looking At
Discrimination
- What's the difference?
Figure Ground - Where is it?
Spatial Relations - Which way is it facing?
Visual Memory - What was it?
Visual Closure - What would it be?
And
remember although early intervention is the key, so is having fun while
learning! |