Helping Zoe improve her fine motor skills is something we’ve worked at for quite some time. Things like holding pencils and crayons, cutting, and using fasteners have always been a challenge for Zoe. When it came time to learn to write, Zoe was clearly having a tough time. She’d get frustrated because doing the work was so challenging, and then she’d just want to give up.
Miss Katrina, her OT at that time, suggested that we start using a handwriting curriculum called Handwriting without Tears. The program has workbooks and tools that are grouped by grade (from Pre-K to 5th grade), level (readiness, printing, and cursive), and type (hands-on materials, workbooks, paper, and music). We were eager to see the program put into practice; and from the first day Katrina used it with Zoe, she was hooked.
One of Zoe’s favorite learning tools was an adorable puppet called the “Magic C Bunny.” The puppet reinforces the idea of using the stroke used to make the letter “c” to write letters like a, g, d, q, o…and of course, c.
This program has been extremely helpful in getting Zoe writing. It was so effective that we’ve used it to help our son, Ayden, learn to write.
What strategies/tools have you found effective in helping with writing and other fine motor skills?