Summer activities can be both
fun and beneficial! Many activities will work on skills like bilateral
coordination, hand strength, pincher grasp, planning and mental flexibility. These
skills help prepare your child for the following school year; fostering
independence in writing, classroom participation and self-care tasks.
Here are some easy ways you
can incorporate and maintain skills over the summer:
Put the ‘FUN’ in FUNCTIONAL! There are so many ways to make activities fun while
still working on fine and gross motor skills!
Develop
shoulder strength and stability
· Work on vertical easel –
magnets on fridge, tape paper to wall or vertical easel, purchase window writer
markers and let your child draw on the windows or mirrors.
· Draw, color or read book
lying on tummy propped up on elbows.
· Play outside on the
playground-climbing swinging and crawling develop core and shoulder muscles
that are important for fine motor control.
· Animal walks:
Develop
fine motor skills
·
Play
with Lego and other connector toys.
·
Do crafts - braiding, beading, weaving, small pegs and pegboards such as
lite brite
·
Playing
with play dough, use a variety of tools (rolling pin, knife, scissors, cookie
cutters etc.).
·
Use spray bottles to play at bath time or to water plants outside
Develop
drawing skills
·
Help
your child practice drawing shapes; do guided drawing where you draw a picture,
step by step, together.
·
Write
letters and draw shapes using sidewalk chalk, shaving cream in the bathtub, salt
or sugar in a cake pan or finger paint to make practicing letters more fun and
multisensory.
Encourage Independence in Self-Help Skills. If you find you do not have to rush out the door every
day during the summer, this is a great opportunity to take the extra time to
allow kids to work on self-help tasks on their own. Examples include getting
dressed, brushing teeth, spreading jam on toast, making their own bowl of
cereal, packing their own lunch for a picnic and tying their shoes.
Stay Active! Visit
the local park/playground, go swimming at an outdoor pool, walk around the
Stampede grounds or fly a kite. Find yourself in a rainy day? Make an obstacle
course in the house or better yet, dress for the weather and go puddle jumping
or look for worms.
Just PLAY!
After a long year of being over scheduled and over worked, kids should be
encouraged to engage in unstructured play. This is a child-led activity that
fosters improvisation and creativity.
Allowing them to explore gives them freedom and control, while building
confidence and resilience. Games that involve cards, dice or other small pieces
work on dexterity. Playing with a friend incorporates important social skills
like turn taking, empathy, and cooperation.
Enjoy the summer!
Emma Zacharias, BScOT
Occupational Therapist
