As an Occupational Therapist I work with many children with different limitations including fine motor, gross motor, visual motor, and visual perceptual skills among other areas. The definition of these skills are as follows:
- Fine motor skills are the use of small muscles in the hand to manipulate various small items such as buttons, Legos blocks, and using a fork.
- Gross motor skills are the use of large muscles of the arms, legs, and torso that is involved in movement of the full body when engaging in various activities such as jumping up and down and kicking a ball.
- Visual motor skills or eye-hand coordination is the use of visual skills to create a motor action when engaged in various tasks such as writing, cutting with scissors, and catching a ball in your hand.
- Visual perceptual skills are the use of senses and vision to interpret an image and it includes memory of image when removed, discrimination of images from one another, form constancy when a specific image changes position, figure ground of an specific image being recognized when grouped with other items, and spatial orientation of yourself compared to other people/objects.
All of this is to say that having average skill in these areas is the foundation to academic success on different levels during the preschool ages of 2-5. When there are limitations in these areas it can affect future processes of learning, so when a child has limitations in all or some of these areas there is usually a greater need for Occupational Therapy services.
The purpose of playing from infancy into being a toddler is to help with the development of these areas. In terms of my professional experience, I have seen a decrease in these skills among the children I have worked with over the years, and I believe one of the culprits is the use of more technology at an earlier age with less time actually learning to sit and play the “old school” way with toys.
Below are some great activities that can help with your child’s early development before kindergarten but please note, having patience is the key because no child/person can learn things instantly without practice and maybe even hand over hand assistance. So, enjoy, and good luck in Preschool!
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