HPA SFW - 12/04/2022
Good Afternoon Parents & Guardians, As we get close to the winter break I would like to offer some suggestions to help our students strengthen their fine motor skills. Our OT and I spoke some this week and have noticed that several of our students are struggling with handwriting and other fine motor skills. There are alot of factors that contribute to this. For example, many students were distance learners during covid and spent a lot of their learning time on a computer or tablet. Research also shows that most children spend 4-6 hours a day watching or using screens, which can hinder the development of fine motor skills. Here are some suggestions that will help our students strengthen those fingers and hands and truly help them with their fine motor skills. Practicing these activities is sure to help them both at home and at school!
Playing with Legos
Using scissors to practice cutting
Coloring 5-10 minutes a day
Zipping jackets over and over
Tying shoes
Opening packages
Playing with playdough (rolling it into snakes over and over)
Use boxes to build a fort
Practice pinching and pulling and zipping and tying For example, use tweezers to pick up cotton balls and put them in a jar
Tearing paper and gluing it on paper to make a fun picture
Please know that many of these activities are happening in our classrooms, especially in the younger grades, but with the winter break coming up we would love for the kids to continue these activities at home! Another good activity for kids is unloading the dishwasher and putting silverware away!! That's a win for everyone!!
Don't forget that this week students will be able to shop at the Lil' Shoppers Store for parents, siblings, and even Grandparents. Flyers about this PTO fundraising event have been sent home. Upcoming Events Dec. 8: 2nd Grade Field Trip Dec. 5-9: Lil'Shoppers Dec.8: 2nd Grade Field Trip to Crowley Public Library Dec. 9: Popcorn Friday (no pre-orders) Dec. 14: Wear Winter Colors Dec. 15: 80th Day of School, dress like it's the 80s Dec. 16: Ugly Sweater Day; Early Dismissal Day, End of Quarter 2
Working Together, Jana Godkin Elementary Principal High Point Academy, SFW