I bet you never realised that taking your child to the park and letting them swing from the monkey bars or clamber all over the climbing frames could help your child’s writing! Well, it can! Activities such as climbing, hanging, swinging and balancing help to develop core strength. A stable core provides a solid base of support from which the arms and legs are free to move with precision and control.  Children with a strong core find it easier to work at a table top for longer periods as well as write, draw and cut more accurately

Help your child with core strength and posture: Some things to try:

 

Shoulder strength and stability

• Playing while lying on the tummy is a great way to develop shoulder strength and stability.  

Try reading, writing, colouring, working on puzzles, playing with toys while on your tummy.

• Skateboard while on your tummy … or even, pull yourself along by a rope

• Roll down gentle hills

 

Wrist stability

• Walk or race while balancing a tennis ball on a large spoon; don't let it fall!

• Play with a Yo-Yo

• Putting weight into the arms and hands and practicing animal walking. also help the wrists

• When sitting on the floor to play, lean into one hand and keep the hand open; Reach across your body with the other hand to play.  

This is a good position for drawing with pavement chalk, doing a floor puzzle, playing with blocks and other small toys

 

Fine Motor Skills

• Water play with spray bottles, water guns, squirt toys, sponges

• Use spray bottles to help water plants or spray the windows to clean, 

• Use sponges: squeezing sponges to wring out the water is great for strengthening hands and forearms. Children can help wash the car, toys and dolls … and even the dishes! 

• Peel potatoes or vegetables

• Tying laces, tying a school tie

 

Help your child with maths: Shape space and measure – more ideas coming soon.

Link to school calculation policy

 

Try some of these activities at home: Shape, Space and Measure

 

For more information about homework set at St. Michael's, and other files, such as spelling strategies, see the attatchments below.