Sensory Motor Activities for Early Development

Chia Swee Hong, Helen Gabriel

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9780863884184, 9781138046986
• eBook ISBN: 9781351694094
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This is a successful manual of tried and tested activities to develop gross and fine motor skills in children. It contains: Numerous creative activities to stimulate sensory and body awareness, encourage basic movement, promote hand skills and enhance spatial/perceptual skills; Information on working in small groups; Handouts that can be photocopied to give to parents or other carers for home practice.

1
Getting started

You and your family are the child’s best playthings. Your child will respond to care, attention and love and, with your help, your child can become more independent. We have given some general guidelines to help you to make your interaction with your child a positive one.

General Hints

•Fill your child’s day — find lots of things for your child to look at, think about and do and make time for rest.

•Talk about everything you do.

•Share the responsibility for your child’s care with others.

•Look for ways to turn activities into games. Find ways of enjoying each other’s company and have fun together. If it is fun and interesting for your child, you are less likely to become tired and harassed.

•Find something that your child is good with and can be positive about. Use things which can be used to motivate the child.

•Never leave your child unsupervised. Make sure you use toys which conform to your country’s safety standards.

•Make a collection of odds and ends such as boxes, bottle tops, scraps of materials, wrapping papers and dressing up clothes.

•Reduce the help you give as and when appropriate in activity sessions or in day-to-day activities.

•Ensure that everyone who works with and has contact with the child uses a consistent approach — provided it works!

•Join organizations such as local libraries or playgroups for children with special needs that can help and inspire you.

Before an activity session

•Create a happy and relaxed atmosphere, using appropriate rooms and minimizing distractions — movement, background music, television or toys cluttering the room.

•Be practical, be realistic. Choose skills and activities that will help the child to become more independent and able to do more for himself and others. If possible, plan activities to progress naturally from one skill to the next.

•Make sure you and your child are relaxed and that you have the time to work with him.

•Make sure you have all the equipment that is needed in the session.

During an activity session

•Try to be at the same level as your child, whether sitting on the floor or at the table. Ensure that your child feels happy and secure.

•If your child is unable to move, make sure he is appropriately placed — keep his head, trunk and limbs in a symmetrical position. Change this position frequently, as remaining static can lead to stiffness and deformities.

•Set short but regular sessions for one-to-one work. Introduce a new activity slowly and carefully. Give plent...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Dedication Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Getting started
• 2 Activities to stimulate sensory and body awareness
• 3 Activities for encouraging basic movement
• 4 Activities to promote hand skills
• 5 Activities to enhance spatial and early perceptual skills
• 6 Working in small groups
• 7 More creative ideas
• Bibliography
• Useful organizations