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Why I am Rude! - Video to support behaviour

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Why I am Rude! - Video to support behaviour

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Cambridgeshire County Council SEND Service 0-25

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Cambridgeshire County Council's video 'Why I am rude' - a poem about our perception of 'behaviour'.

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Tiny Happy People is here to help you develop your child's language skills. Explore our simple activities and play ideas and find out about babies and toddlers' amazing early development.

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Children’s language development and parenting advice - BBC Tiny Happy People

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A chatty child is a happy child, so Tiny Happy People is here to help you develop your child’s communication skills through simple interaction and play.

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Child language development happens best in a language-rich environment where you talk to children frequently using a wide vocabulary.

Children learn speech and language through listening, watching, exploring, copying, initiating, responding, playing and interacting with others. By spending time with your child and having a shared focus is very important if you want to help them to develop their speech, language and social skills.

Language and communication is vital in a child's healthy development.
There are 5 stages of language, with each stage acting as a building block. Social Communication
Social Communication is paramount in developing communication, building secure relationships from birth and supporting children's confidence and self esteem. With social bonds secure, Listening and Attentions skills can be developed, enabling the child to concentrate for a period of time and correctly hear sounds. Once this skill is perfected children will be able to gain an understanding of words, following requests and linking words to objects or actions. With a clear understanding of basic language, babble and sounds can be refined into words, and words built into sentences.

Children aged up to 3 years old can sometimes be difficult to understand, this is where the final building block emerges. Speech sound development refers to pronunciation of words, with many children missing sounds in a word such as "nana" for "banana" or replacing sounds such as "boon" for "spoon." By 3 and a half years old children generally have refined speech sound development and can be understood by strangers, yet this stage of development varies.

Turn taking is vital in developing social communication, children must learn about taking turns to develop conversation skills. At a young age babies can develop this skill whilst babbling in response to hearing an adult's voice. This can then be extended into play opportunities as the child grows. Blowing bubbles is a great way to teach children about turn taking. Adults should blow some bubbles and wait for the child to request more, through eye contact, using gestures or words. This teaches the child to give responses through communication.

Singing songs together also helps build social communication. Babies and small children can be cradled or sat on your knee, using face to face to develop strong bonds. Older children should be given the opportunity to access plenty of eye contact with an adult, this helps the child to know that the adult is interested in what they have to say and available for the child to interact with.

Listening and Attention

Listening and Attention skills can be developed through sound activities. Young children can be encouraged through a "ready, steady, go" game, using a range of resources such as blocks, balloons, balls. The object of the game is getting the child to listen and wait. The child should hold the toy ready to let it go, the adult then says "ready...steady....", then pause and let them wait for the adult to say "GO." This encourages the child's attention skills through anticipation.

As children get older try group activities especially ones using musical instruments. Children can take it in turns to hide a set of bells behind their back, with a child in the middle having to guess who has the bells by listening to where the sound is coming from. A child's attention varies but activities should last no longer than two minutes per year of the child's age; for example a 2 year old can only give full attention for around 4 minutes, whereas a 5 year old could last up to 10 minutes.

Understanding

Developing understanding in children can be supported through lots of narrative play. In young children adults should use play opportunities to label objects, actions or feelings. This will help children to attach words to their play and routine. Instructions should be kept simple and short for children that are developing their understanding. Games such as "Simon says" help children to follow instructions in play, also developing their expressive language. "Feely bag" games can further develop understanding through talking about the use of objects and where they are used.

Building Language

Strategies such as slowing down speech and adding a word can help children to build vocabulary. Young children will first use single words to communicate with others, moving on to two word utterances. During this period it is important for the adult to model language, speaking clearly and finding opportunities to label objects. Picture books are a great way to teach children single words. Reading stories can be adjusted according to the development of a child. Stories should match a child's ability; for example a child with only single words should not be encouraged to listen to long sentences in a story, instead just key points such as "dog" or "big cake."

Speech Sounds

Lack of refined speech sounds can be caused by many factors such as ear infections; however sometimes children can just replace or miss sounds out of a word. Rhyming games can help children to head the difference between sounds, adults can support children in making up silly rhymes such as "the frog goes for a jog". Clapping out syllables, for example "di-no-saur", can also help a child to hear and repeat the whole word. Using mirrors to looks at the way our mouths move when saying tricky words can support a child in strengthening mouth muscles.

Parents play a critical role in a child's language development. Studies have shown that children who are read to and spoken with a great deal during early childhood will have larger vocabularies and better grammar than those who aren't. Here are some simple ways to nurture your baby's language development.

Talk, talk, talk.Narrate the day as it evolves. Tell your child, for instance, "Now we're going to take a bath. Can you feel the warm water on your belly? When we dry off, we'll get dressed and take a walk."

2.Read, read, read. It's never too early to read to your baby. One good predictor of future reading success is the amount of time parents spend reading with their child. Parents can start with simple board books and graduate to picture books and longer stories as their child gets older. Story times at the local library or bookstore can also help a preschooler develop a love of books.

3. Enjoy music together. Young children love music and movement. When they listen to lively songs, like "Old McDonald Had a Farm," they learn about the world around them and the rhythm of language.

4. Tell stories. Make up elaborate stories with characters, conflict, adventure, and a happy ending. Be sure that the stories fit your child's interests and aren't too scary for their liking.

5. Follow your child's lead.If your little one seems interested in a particular picture in a book, keep talking about it. If they seem intrigued by a boat, show them more boats and talk about them, too. Repeat their babbles back to them, ask questions, and interact with them. You can even try recording your child on a tape recorder and playing it back.

6. Never criticise your child's articulation or speech patterns. Instead, repeat their statements back to him with the correct pronunciation or word usage. Give your child lots of praise for his efforts.

7. Use television and computers sparingly. While some educational programs can be beneficial to kids, TV shows don't interact with or respond to children, which are the two catalysts kids need to learn language. Computer games are interactive, but they aren't responsive to a child's ideas.

8. Treat ear infections thoroughly. Children in group child-care situations are more prone to ear infections, which can put them at risk for hearing loss and, consequently, language delays. If your doctor prescribes an antibiotic to treat an infection, make sure your child takes the correct dosage each day and uses it for the full prescribed time. When your child finishes the prescription, schedule a follow-up visit with your doctor to make sure the infection has cleared.

9. Go on field trips. A trip to the zoo, the aquarium, or a children's museum will open up a whole new world for your child. As an added bonus, they will want to learn the names of all thosefascinating creatures and fun activities she experienced.

Using everyday activities as a language learning opportunity

Using everyday activities can be a great way to practice and develop speech, language and literacy skills. These activities can also change a mundane event into a pleasurable one. The child may also not realise that you are practicing speech and language skills because the activity will be fun.
Using everyday tasks to promote speech and language is relatively easy, you just have to use your imagination:

Bathtime - Use lots of vocabulary during bath-time, talk to your children, and model the words for them. Introduce vocabulary: Verbs: wash, scrub, rinse, clean, brush, dry, splash, sink, float. Nouns: soup, towel, water, tap, flannel, bath, sink, body parts. Sing songs in the bath.

Cleaning the bedroom - Play "I-spy" to practice initial sound awareness (good for speech and language development).

Talk about what the people on the street are doing (e.g. walking, working, riding etc) to focus on verbs, or name as many different occupations that you can see (driver, policeman, road-worker, shopkeeper etc). These are just simple ways to use everyday opportunities to find entertaining and simple ways to focus on speech and language.

Remember, if you make speech and language sessions into games your child enjoys it more, is more motivated and may not even see it as speech and language practice, but as a game. Children like games and are motivated when it becomes competitive. This means you can create ideal situations away from the table-top activities to work on speech and language. Just use your imagination because almost any daily event can be turned into an educational game.

The outdoor environment is a great opportunity to extend and support language development

The outside environment is a great way to develop and encourage language development. Exploring the world around them allows children to learn and practise using a wide vocabulary and develops a range of communication and language skills. Research has shown the regular outside play can support brain development and understanding skills. It is important that children are offered outdoor play at least once a day, to help them run off energy and experience the world outside.

1.Listening walks

Listening walks are a great way to support children with language skills. This activity involves taking children out into the outdoor environment and using their listening skills to see what sounds they can hear. Listening walks can be enhanced by creating some 'listening ears' with card for the children to wear. This will help remind them what they are doing and focus their attention. The adult can talk about the different sounds they hear and allow the children to guess what is making the sound.

2.Role play

Imaginative activities enable the children to extend their vocabulary, creating a range of scenarios in the outside environment. Mud kitchens encourage and enhance children's role play experiences, offering them to use a variety of nouns and verbs to describe what they are doing. Open ended resources allow children to create areas and props to support their language development.

3.Creating dens

Building dens is a great way for to support children with language and communication skills. This encourages children to work as a team to create a den for them to use. Lots of open ended resources such as blankets, cardboard boxes and tunnels provides children with the materials to create a structure, using their problem solving skills to think of different ways to use resource.

4. Bug hotels

Bug hotels offer the opportunity for children to use their investigation skills. Providing tools such as magnifying glasses and clear plastic pots, allows children to explore the environment and the creatures that may live inside. This activity encourages question asking and discussions to happen about what is observed. Adults can support this experience by offering fact books about mini beasts, giving the children something to refer back to.

5. Mark making

Mark making activities in the outdoor environment can offer children a large scale to work on. Paintbrushes in water or chunky chalks can be used on surfaces such as walls or concrete floors to create art work and make marks. These can be easily washed away once the children have finished, offering the opportunity over and over again. Children can extend their language skills by talking about what they are drawing, and how different surfaces impact the marks they make.

6. Experimenting with volume

Volume and pitch of a voice changes dramatically in the outdoor environment. Sound can be adapted indoors, due to factors such as high ceilings or wood flooring, enabling sound to be absorbed or bounce off of objects. When outside sounds can change and volumes seem quieter due to the open environment. Game that experiment with volume such as "what's the time, Mr Wolf", can offer children the opportunity to use a range of volumes and observe the effects. Children can practise whispering and shouting to the wolf, to see how far away their voices can be heard.

7. Cup phones

The outside environment is a great opportunity to create cup phones using plastic cups and string. This is an old game that still encourages language today. The environment creates a large area allowing children to move far away from each other and communicate through the cups, learning about how sound travels. This activity supports children with language delay due to shyness, as it enables the children to join in with interaction without the pressure of speaking to someone face to face.

8. Letter treasure hunt

This is an alternative way to create a treasure hunt, yet encourage letter and sound recognition. Print off some letters on A4 paper and display around the garden. The children will be encouraged to find a letter, with each one leading them to find a new letter. Children should be encouraged to sound out the letter whilst looking for it. It is a great idea to display the letter in an area that matches the letter, such as the letter 'S' being displayed on the slide.

9. Writing materials

Offering writing materials outside is a great way for the children to note down their feelings and thoughts. They can draw pictures of things they have observed in the environment or use crayons and paper to make rubbing of different texture or materials. This is turn encourages them to comment on what they are doing and interact with nature.

10. Races
http://talkingpoint.org.uk/directory/free-resources-parents/free-activities
Allowing children to take part in races by either running or using bikes, can support their understanding and language skills. Children will learn vocabulary such as slow, fact, stop and go. Using traffic signs and symbols can extend children's knowledge of their environment, whilst supporting them to use words learnt in context.

Please check out http://www.ichild.co.uk/tags/browse/78/Communication-Language

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/ for more activity ideas.

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Child language development happens best in a language-rich environment where you talk to children frequently using a wide vocabulary. Children learn speech and language through listening, watching, exploring, copying, initiating, responding, playing and interacting with others. By spending time with your child and having a shared focus is very important if you want to help them to develop their speech, language and social skills.

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Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum (LPCF) is an independent registered charity, working with the local authority and health service, improving services for children with SEND.

LPCF is recognised and supported by the Department for Education, under the SEND code of practice 2015

It is run by trustees and volunteers. Volunteers are mainly parent carers of children with SEND.

How it works

Support for parents

LPCF provide an experienced, supportive ear for parents, to promote their skills, knowledge and resilience

Free membership gives parents access to:

Facebook page for parents only, with information and support

regular, evidence based reports of parents views and feedback

regular 'Time2Talk' meetings or coffee mornings

signposting for parents of children with SEND to services and professionals

signposting events for parents and professionals, including week of SEND

workshops on specific issues for parents, requested by members

wellbeing support and resilience building

additional one-off benefits, including Max Cards

Working with the local authority, National Health Service (NHS) and partners:

work with Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) and NHS to represent parents' views and experiences

collect views of over 2000 members and feed back to the local authority and NHS.

supportive "critical friend" relationship with LCC and NHS

State of SEND survey every two years

ensure policy, practice and documentation are parent friendly

Working with professionals:

LPCF are the main means of communication between parents and professionals

keep professionals informed of key updates and events for themselves and parents

signpost parents to support services, freeing up professional's time

setting visits to explain LPCF's role to staff or parents

being actively linked with LPCF can help evidence commitment of engagement and participation for OFSTED and CQC

promoting the innovative and positive work surrounding SEND in Lincolnshire at regional and national levels, including DfE and government feedback

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Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum - Lincolnshire County Council

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The Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum is a charity that ensures that the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities are met.

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SEND Review.
"The SEND review sets out government's proposals for a system that offers children and young people the opportunity to thrive, with access to the right support, in the right place, and at the right time, so they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive adult lives"
"The SEND review is a response to the widespread recognition that the system is failing to deliver for children, young people and their families"

LPCF will be exploring these proposals and will be giving parents on the LPCF membership a chance to give your views on them.
Your views will then be fedback to the Government through the LPCF response to the consultation.

Please join LPCF to hear more about them and tell us what you think.

If you are a member of LPCF you will receieve the Invitation through your emails or on the Facebook events page.

If you would like to join the Consultation but have not joined LPCF please sign up here

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SEND Review. "The SEND review sets out government's proposals for a system that offers children and young people the opportunity to thrive, with access to the right support, in the right place, and at the right time, so they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive adult lives" "The SEND review is a response to the widespread recognition that the system is failing to deliver for children, young people and their families" LPCF will be exploring these proposals and will be giving parents on the LPCF membership a chance to give your views on them.

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Free e-learning modules for all Lincolnshire school parents and carers.

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Free e-learning modules for all Lincolnshire school parents and carers.

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Free e-learning modules for all Lincolnshire school parents and carers.

The aim of the project is to bring together resources and training opportunities for people in Lincolnshire who support children and young people with SEND. It is written by schools for school communities.

Modules

types of SEND

what is inclusion

SEND code of practice

respecting individuals

working with professionals

awareness of a neuro-typical child

How do I join?

sign up to the Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum

indicate in the additional information section that you are interested in SEND workforce development

an email will be sent to you with a prompt to set up a password and login

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SEND workforce development - Lincolnshire County Council

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SEND workforce development induction tier

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Parent Guide for Working Together with Your Child's School

Elective Home Education in England

The impact of Covid-19 on home education guidelines and useful links to relevant legislation.

Top Tips, Strategies and Resources for Parents

A collection of 10 practical strategies and additional tips to support parents of autistic children and young people.

A guide to help parents navigate equality law, rights and entitlements when their autistic child is excluded or at risk of exclusion from school

This resource outlines the legal duties the Equality Act 2010 places on your child's school in relation to the exclusion of disabled pupils.

The examples given relate specifically to autistic pupils and are intended to help you and your child's school avoid disability discrimination claims, where possible.

Exclusions

Advice and support on exclusions, explore the Autism Education Trust Exclusions resources

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Are you a parent or care of an autistic child or young person looking for guidance and advice? Explore our Parent Resources.

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A decent night's sleep will help children to learn more effectively and make them less susceptible to minor ailments,

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We provide support and treatment for children, young people and their families, who are experiencing emotional wellbeing difficulties. We support children and young people up to 19 years old. If they have a special educational need or disability or are a care leaver we can see them up to the age of 25.

Everyone at some point might find it hard to cope with how they are feeling or what is happening in their life. Healthy Minds Lincolnshire provides early support when your child starts to feel that life is getting out of control and they need some help to cope.

Our teams are made up of a variety of professionals. All staff are referred to as Healthy Minds Practitioners and have a nursing, social work, counsellor, teaching, or mental health background.

We can help your child with:

Exam stress

Worries

Interpersonal Skills

Low mood

Low self-esteem

Low body confidence

Coping with change

Self-harm

If your child would like support please speak to their teacher, GP or call our Lincolnshire Here4You advice line on 0800 234 6342. If your child is under 16 we will usually need to speak to a parent or carer.

What we offer

The support we offer is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques, which are designed to help your child think about things differently and learn to cope in a more positive way.

We can support your child by:

Directing your child to use self-help

Workshops delivered online or at school to small groups of children or young people as a one off session

Virtual groups delivered to a small number of young people.

One to one sessions with a Practitioner. These are typically delivered virtually within a school or community setting.

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We provide support and treatment for children, young people and their families, who are experiencing emotional wellbeing difficulties. We support children and young people up to 19 years old. If they have a special educational need or disability or are a care leaver we can see them up to the age of 25.

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We support main carers of children and young people, as well as parents. You might be a kinship carer, legal guardian, foster carer, grandparent or sibling. If you are the child or young person's main carer, we want to support you. Our advisers are trained and experienced in supporting carers as well as parents.

If you are a family member or friend, but you are not the child or young person's main carer, see our online information for advice around how you can support them. You can also encourage their parent or main carer to contact us.

If you are a professional looking for information about supporting the young people you work with, see our resources for professionals.

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Parents Helpline | Mental Health Help for Your Child

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The YoungMinds Parents Helpline, Webchat and Email provide support and help for parents and carers worried about their child's mental health and wellbeing.

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Family Action -BOSS - Behaviour outreach support

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Family Action -BOSS - Behaviour outreach support

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Children’s Speech and Language Therapy :: Lincolnshire Children’s Therapy Services

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Speech and language therapists work in partnership with you and your child, as well as any other professional involved in their care, to enable them to reach communication potential. Our goal is to work closely with your family and educational staff so you understand your child’s needs, empowering y…

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Attendance information

A healthy meal, snacks and drinks will be provided each day of the HAF club, so you do not need to send your child with a packed lunch, snacks or a drink.

If your child has a food allergy or special dietary requirement, please state this on your booking or speak to the HAF provider directly.

HAF providers will confirm what your child will need to bring with them upon booking however, providers mainly request children to wear/bring appropriate clothing.

Transport

We would encourage you to make your own way to the HAF session, but if you do require assistance with transport, please contact HAF@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

Additional needs

If your child requires additional support, please share as much detail as possible on your booking to ensure the provider is fully equipped to support your child. You can also contact your HAF provider to discuss these in further detail.

Support with childcare costs

In addition to accessing HAF there is financial support to aid with the cost of childcare or accessing Ofsted approved activity clubs for young people (0 to 17 eligibilities may apply).

Further information is available at Childcare Choices for Tax Free Childcare, support whilst you study, the childcare element of universal and tax credits, and government funded childcare for children aged two, three and four.

There are also additional schemes available in Lincolnshire:

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Holiday Activities and Food Programme - Lincolnshire County Council

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The Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) is a Government funded programme to provide school aged children on benefits related free school meals in England with access to free healthy meals and activities over the summer and Christmas holidays.

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You are here:

1. Home

2. Our services

3. Helpful information and resources

4. First move

Introduction

By looking at this resource, it is likely that you have a child who you think may have a movement and/or skill development need.

Remember that factors influencing a child's movement skills may include:

The child's general development

The child's level of experience and practice

The child's vision and hearing

The child's understanding, attention and listening skills

Any genetic or medical issues or conditions

To use 1st Move, look at the units of motor skills and follow the key principles of the resource.

The Motor (movement) skills supported by 1st Move are divided into eight units, as shown in the contents. Each unit is in its own section for ease of use.

Where a skill area outlines a range of 'Component Skills', these can be found in the 'Core Skills' and 'Fine Motor Skills' units.

Key principles of First Move

Balance

Foot Strengthening

Foot strength is an important aspect in developing balance. The activities are fun and can be worked on individually, in pairs, small groups and practised in

P.E sessions. Many of these could be incorporated into the warm up during P.E to allow even more practice. Remember, make it interesting!

Static balance

Stand on one leg

Child stands between two chairs holding back of each chair with one hand, child lifts one leg off the floor and assumes a 'stork' position with heel to opposite knee, but not touching. Encourage the child to hold a still posture for five seconds. Now, alternate legs (at this initial stage it may be necessary to help the child achieve this balance)

Hold the stork position with a still posture for five seconds. Remember to practice with both legs. Use a chair either side for support.

Progression

Balance on various parts of the body

Instruct the child to balance on specific parts of the body eg.

Progression

Reduce number of contact points

Statues

Statues are a great static activity to promote balance, as well as body awareness, strength and working with a partner. These can be worked on individually, in pairs, small groups and practised as part of PE lessons.

REMEMBER: clean floor/mat! Also, balance activities are more effective with bare feet.

Child assumes 4-point kneel position whilst partner gently pushes him at shoulders or hips to the right or to the left, forwards or backwards. Child tries to remain stationary. More pressure can be exerted once child understands the concept.

Progression

As the child becomes proficient at each shape, move on to the next shape. Don't forget - these would complement the gymnastics/ PE curriculum too!

As with the 4-point kneel position but now in a cross legged position. The partner needs to be careful. The aim isn't to push the child over but to allow them to resist the push.

Dynamic balance

Stepping

1. Child steps into hoops placed touching on the floor in different patterns (see diagram 1)

2. Child steps onto bean bag (positioned like the hoops - not on smooth floor)

Strength

PLEASE NOTE: Some children find it difficult to hold postures against gravity. If the major extensor muscle groups are strengthened, the child can assume a more extended posture allowing the limbs to work from a more secure base. Remember the principle of quality movements.

Adequate muscle strength, joint stability around the hips is required for standing on one leg, hopping and kicking a ball

Equipment

Activities

PLEASE NOTE: All exercises should initially be held for a count of five seconds unless instructed otherwise and repeated five times, as strength improves increase both the length of time the exercises are held for (aiming for up to 20 seconds) and the number of repetitions (aiming for ten) to further develop muscle strength.

Press ups

Use the 4-point kneeling position (see statues exercises in the section on balance). Make a press up from this position. This exercise should use the arms to push up - ensure the effort comes through the arms

Banana

Bridging

Lying on the back, arms by sides, knees bent and feet flat on the floor (legs symmetrical but not touching) in a sit up type position. Keep head firmly on the floor. Lift hips directly up keeping knees apart and hold for a count of five seconds and slowly lower back down. Repeat

Sit ups

(Follow PE safety guidelines) Lying on back, knees bent up, feet on floor, tuck chin in towards chest, arms down by sides. Slide both hands up legs (symmetrically) towards knees. Hold for a count of three seconds and slowly slide back to the floor (keep chin tucked in until the end of the movement and avoid rapid or bouncing actions)

Reversed sit ups

(Follow PE safety guidelines) Adopt the sit up position (knees bent, arms by sides). Lift legs (knees bent at all times) up towards chest. The action is made slowly, up and down.

The task can be progressed by putting a bean bag between ankles and encourage child to place or 'throw' bean bag into a hoop above his/her head

Step ups

Step up onto a bench. With the leading foot, step down. Repeat x 10. Alternate feet (encourage rhythm and upright posture)

Progress, stand on bench facing lengthways (child may need support to maintain his/her balance), lower one leg to touch the floor with toes and then stand back up (upright posture). Alternate legs. (This activity is a bit like dipping a toe into the water at the swimming pool!)

Star jumps

Stand straight, arms by sides. Jump into a star position, arms and legs wide. Jump back straight position. Repeat x 10.

Progress: stand straight, feet apart, crouch and touch floor and then jump into a standing star position

Shoulder girdle stability activities

Below are some specific activities to promote shoulder stability.

Pulling own weight eg. along a bench, with progression to an inclined bench

Games and activities that involve taking weight through arms eg. hanging on rope, climbing up a rope and hand walking along an overhead ladder

Push ups against a wall or on the desk as preparation for fine motor activities or handwriting

Drawing vertical lines on a chalk board (one or both hands). Keeping arms out straight draw by bending and straightening at the knees. The child has to keep the chalk against the board as he/she moves. If this is too difficult, ask the child to draw parallel vertical lines with straight arms working from top to bottom and then reverse. Progression is to draw diagonal lines on the chalkboard

Draw shapes on chalk board with arms out straight. Circles and figures of eight are most effective (remember, arms outstretched)

Paint on the wall with a roller or pasting brush (water can be used on outside walls in warm weather). The weight of the paint and brush/roller adds to the effectiveness of this activity

Encourage games that require some shoulder strength eg. badminton, tennis and racquet ball (ball attached to a cord). Volleyball and basketball would be progressions in the area of strength

Other activities which promote strength

Hop scotch

Crab football (a game of 'football' but the players move on hands and feet, face up, bottoms lifted off the floor)

Body awareness

POINTS OF NOTE: Children with low muscle tone (floppy muscles and/or excessive joint ranges) often have poor body awareness. Messages from muscles and joints (proprioceptors) let them know the position their body is in; the awareness of the position of body parts

in relation to each other and their environment and the force of the movement the body makes. This is important as it helps the child organise and plan activities and make automatic adjustments to the movement eg. judging how to manoeuvre through a classroom with speed and not bump into things.

To improve proprioception, children need lots of activities against resistance or with pressure to enable them to become more aware of their body positions, such as push and pull activities.

Equipment

Activities

Child is instructed to clap hands hard, stamp feet and clap named parts of the body. The child is then asked to stop and feel the body parts 'tingling'

Log rolling: lie at one end of a line of three gym mats and roll to the other end with arms raised

As above, but hold a ball

Lie on stomach on a bench and pull forwards along the bench, once at the end push backwards move in the opposite direction

Statues: (see balance) hold 'high kneeling' position whilst partner tries to push you over

Tug of war

Bunny hops: encourage the child to have weight through their arms

Star jumps

Chinese tug of war: stand back to back, bend forward and grasp right hands between legs, pull partner to opposite wall (ensure safety guidelines are followed)

Desk push ups: in standing place hands on desk and lower nose to surface and push up

Sitting push ups: sitting at desk place hands on either side on seat and push down lifting bottom off the seat

Sitting pull ups: place hands either side of seat and pull up

Knowledge of left and right

POINTS OF NOTE: Many children are confused about the right and left sides of their own bodies creating difficulties for them in everyday life. Children need to be able to internalise the knowledge of right and left so responses become automatic and instantaneous.

Equipment

Preparation

Stamp or stick red sticker on back of right hand

Use reminder - "This is the right hand and this is the one that's left"

Activities

Physical and verbal cueing

Adult touches the right arm of the child and instructs the child to take two steps sideways to the right. Repeat, but this time on the left

The child holds a bean bag in each hand. The adult cues the child to throw by touching the right arm with a verbal cue 'throw with your right hand'. Repeat but with the left hand

Verbal cueing only

Movement from left to right

POINTS OF NOTE: Gross motor movements from left to right will help reinforce the movement patterns required for writing. These exercises should be carried out using the child's writing hand.

Equipment

Activities

Move quoits

The child is placed behind a line 1m away from a bench and the child lifts each quoit with a hockey stick and puts it over the bench. The child starts at the left and works down the line to the right

Progress:

Move along children

A line of children side by side passes objects along the line starting at the left and passing to the right. The one at the end runs to the beginning of the line and starts again

Bilateral motor coordination

Equipment

Activities

Pivoting

The child sits on the floor and lifts feet up. He/she then propel themselves around in a circle using their arms. He/she turns three times in one direction and then three times in the other

Progress

Pick a beanbag up with feet and turn 180° to put the beanbag in a hoop placed behind them

Same activity but lying on their front, pivoting on their front

Walk the line

Walk sideways along a line, crossing one leg in front of the other, change direction (ensure the child does not twist their trunk)

Progress

As above but walk along a beam

Sideways jump - jump sideways in one direction and then the other

Bean bag walk

Progress

Step with right foot on the bean bags placed on the left and vice versa

Progress

Stand astride a beam and walk the length of the beam crossing legs over it. Encourages knees to be lifted high

Bat and ball

Throw the ball into the air with the non-dominant hand and hit the ball with the bat held in the dominant hand

The child should be able to move both arms and hands in the same movement pattern in a smooth coordinated manner before working on these activities (as prepared in the bilateral coordination activities). Bilateral integration activities are intended to improve ability to use either hand for different functions.

One hand leads the activity and the other hand assists.

Position

Be sure the child is positioned the same on both sides of the body (symmetrically) for any bilateral (two-handed) activities, with both shoulders and both hips the same distance from the desk/table.

Position objects in front of the child in the midline of their body.

Activities

This skill will develop with the practice of a range of activities that require different movements from each hand.

Jars and containers with lids

Have the child open and close a variety of twist-top or flip-top containers. Materials and toys can be stored in closed containers. The child gets materials out and puts them away. A box full of jars filled with attractive small objects such as stars, stickers and other interesting items can be used as part of the task and as a reward

Cutting with scissors

Encourage child to use one hand to hold and manipulate paper while the other hand operates the scissors

Paper and crayons

Colouring or drawing in pieces of paper encourages stabilisation/fixing as the paper moves unless held steady (however, remember that colouring should start with big movements before moving to precise colouring)

Templates

Tracing around plastic shape templates, or making rubbings with a crayon encourages stabilisation/fixing with the non-preferred hand so that the tracing or design will be clear. These activities provide visual feedback about how well the paper or template was stabilised and progress can be seen clearly. Adults can provide verbal feedback if the child needs further information

Spatial awareness

POINTS OF NOTE: For a child to plan and organise his/her movement he/she must have good understanding of his/her body in space.

Equipment

Activities

Distance practice

Dodge the hoops

Place six hoops around the gym/hall. Have the child run in and out of the hoops, putting red beanbags into red hoops, yellow into yellow etc.

Lay a path of hoops in a line and have the child jump (or step) from one to another without touching them (the greater distance being the child's height)

Roll along the wall

The child stands facing a wall with a ball between the wall and child's stomach. Child rolls self along the wall, keeping the ball between body and wall

Knowledge of shape

Equipment

Activities

Making shapes

Visual skills

Recognition and visualisation skills

Sometimes children need support to improve their ability to recognise and recall shape, letter and number formations. Multi-sensory approaches can be used when presenting material. It is helpful to consider all sensory modalities (including touch, sight and sound). If visual information is confusing for the child, or he/she has strengths in kinaesthetic perception, they may benefit from emphasising movement and touch when teaching shape, number and letter forms.

Examples of activities that emphasise touch and movement include:

Practising writing big letters and shapes on white board/black board

Lots of repetition of motor patterns for letters, with eyes closed

Use of tactile alphabet

Writing in damp sand with a finger

Writing spelling words in paint

Writing with crayon on paper over a textured surface

'Air writing'

The use of letter strips fastened across the top of the desk/table may assist with writing when letter and numerals can be recognised but cannot be recalled quickly

Using joined writing to recall spellings (as appropriate)

Multi-sensory approaches also reinforce letter learning through linking sound with visual and motor patterns (see First Call for materials focusing on auditory perception and recall)

Visual perception

This is, put simply, interpreting what is seen. It is a complex and very important activity which allows us to make sense of what we see. There are a number of areas that are important to develop and need to work together for good visual perception.

Visual discrimination

This is the ability to recognise the main features of different objects eg. colour, shape, position and letters and numbers. This is important in all visual perceptual skills. It is important to help the child to spot things that are the same or different about objects (start with two objects as the child develops his/her skills).

Activities

Visual figure ground

This is the ability to see an object as distinct from its background or surrounding objects.

Activities

Pick out items from a box (eg. all the red objects)

Find a shape in a box of other shapes eg.

a cube in a box of beads (make it obvious to start with and gradually build in difficulty)

Picture books where the child has to look for something that is 'hidden' eg. 'Where's Wally' or Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go' where he/she has to search

for 'Goldbug'

Looking for objects in the environment eg. asking questions 'Can you point to the blackbird?' (This would be a great way to involve home)

Visual form constancy

This is the ability to recognise an object or shape when it is seen from different angles.

Activities

Reinforce the idea that shapes are the same, even when other variables change eg. colour, size or orientation

Look for shapes in the environment eg. 'how many circles/squares/triangles can you find in the classroom?'

Visual spatial relationships

This is the ability to recognise how objects are positioned in relation to your own body and other objects.

Activities

Use construction toys eg. Lego

Copy simple 2d block design and patterns (progress to 3d design)

Visual closure

This is the ability to recognise a whole object when only a small part can be seen.

Activities

'Can you guess what it is?' games - reveal a small amount of a shape/object and encourage the child to work out what is hidden object

Complete the shapes games - the child completes a shape from being given part of it

Visual recall

Visual recall is the ability to remember things which have been seen. Sometimes children may benefit from opportunities to develop their visual recall skills. This may be particularly relevant for children who:

Cannot remember non-verbal experiences

Have language difficulties and are heavily reliant on visual recall

Can reproduce a given symbol from a model, but cannot reproduce it when model is removed

Misspells a word several different ways on the same paper

May be able to remember all letters in a word, but gets them in the wrong sequence

Has difficulty in L ➔ R progression

Jumping, hopping, skipping

Once the basic Core Skills are in place children will begin to develop more complex movement requiring greater levels of strength, balance and

understanding of body in space. The development of these extension skills will only be possible if the Core Skills are in place.

Jumping, hopping, skipping depend on the ability to alternate between static (stationary) balance and dynamic (moving) balance. They are often best learnt by breaking the skill down into smaller more manageable components. It is also useful to introduce rhythm with repetition into the movements.

When developing jumping, hopping and skipping skills, remember, focus on:

Allowing for the child's level of development

Using it in real situations

Giving sufficient time (it always takes longer than adults expect!)

Jumping

POINTS OF NOTE: On jumping, emphasise how the knees should bend, the bottom should lower on landing and the landing should be on the toes.

Equipment

Activities

Swing up, swing down

Child stands with knees slightly apart and bent knees. Arms are positioned behind. He/she is then instructed to raise his/her arms forwards and upwards and stand on his toes. Repeat until fluent, "Swing up, swing down"

"Swing up" and jump to reach a bean bag

Jump off step

As above but jump off small step eg. two-three gym mats (may need to hold hands initially)

As above, jump off into a hoop placed in front of step (encourage knees bend and feet together)

Jump forward

Hopping

POINTS OF NOTE: A child must have established one leg stand before attempting hopping, and 'warm up' with jumping, emphasising bent knees and landing on toes.

Equipment

Activities

Child, supported by partner or chair, stands on dominant (preferred) leg and bends other behind as in 'one leg stand'. He/she then raises himself on to toes and down again onto bent knee. Once carried out fluently progress.

Progress:

Practice hands held on a trampette

Holding onto chair and attempt hop

Activity as above but not supported (or supported with object such as skipping rope so you are in control of support given)

Bends knee and encouraged to hop forwards over a line

Alternate legs

Activities as above but not supported on preferred side

Once established on dominant leg practise on non-dominant leg

Skipping

POINTS OF NOTE: Skipping can only be developed once the child can hop on either leg.

Equipment

Activity

Step, hop

Activities to use jumping, hopping and skipping

PE activities

Playtime games

PE activities

Depending on the child's age and development, many PE sessions will require jumping, hopping, skipping and movement. During these lessons, it is important to remind the class of good technique and this may allow the child to apply what they have practised

Playtime games

Fine motor skills

It is important to appreciate that the development of fine motor skills is likely to be more successful if the child has established sound gross motor skills.

In typical development, babies establish basic gross motor skills by playing and exploring their environment. They develop strength and balance skills allowing them to achieve upright postures, learn about their bodies and their relationship to their environment. Soon they are in a position to begin refining their movements to accomplish fine motor skills.

Sometimes this pattern of development does not happen and there are 'holes' in children's basic skills. This may be due to due to a genetic factor such a low muscle tone or from a lack of opportunity to experience, practice and consolidate skills.

Should a child be experiencing difficulties in writing, scissor activities or other apparently fine motor skills, it would be worth investigating whether there are difficulties in his/her gross motor skills.

Developmental areas important in fine motor skills

Associated 1st Move programmes

Physical

Good proximal stability (trunk) giving the child a secure base to move his/her distal body parts

(hands and feet). Good proximal stability can be achieved by practising the associated activities.

Strength

Body awareness Balance Hopping Jumping

Body awareness Knowledge of right and left Spatial awareness

Bilateral motor coordination Ball skills

Perceptuo-motor

These are the skills that give the child an understanding of his/her body in space. These include the knowledge of right and left and the ability to cross the body's midline as well as the relationship between objects, distance and direction.

Body awareness Balance Hopping Jumping

Body awareness Knowledge of right and left Spatial awareness

Bilateral motor coordination Ball skill

Checklist

What to do next

Also:

Normal development of pincer grasp

Fine motor activities

These activities are helpful in the development of fine motor skills in general and will be beneficial in developing thumb/ finger opposition to improve pencil grasp.

A stopwatch, egg timer or kitchen timer will be useful in providing a motivational challenge eg. giving children a target to beat the clock. Results may also be recorded on a table or graph as part of the activity.

Threading pasta

The child threads as many pieces of straight pasta onto the string or shoelace as he/she can in one minute. The pasta is picked up between the thumb and index finger, or thumb, index finger and middle finger. The task can be varied in difficulty by the size of the pasta and the stiffness of the string (a piece of sellotape on the end provides a suitable stiffener). The task can also be varied by which hand is used to hold the string.

Equipment

A piece of string or a shoelace

Pieces of straight pasta

Posting peas through a narrow neck bottle

The child holds a bottle firmly on a table with non-writing hand. He/she picks up the peas one at a time and posts through the top of the bottle. He/she picks up the peas between thumb and index finger. Progression is using thumb and middle finger and then (and this is hard for adults too!) thumb and ring finger and then thumb and little finger (this is really hard for adults too!).

Equipment

Plastic bottle and dried peas (follow the school health and safety guidelines).

Making paper footballs for table football

The child places his/her 'handwriting' hand flat and stretched out on the piece of paper and the other hand behind his/her back. The child has to scrunch the paper into a ball by turning it in his/ her hand to make it round. Both hands can then be used to make a really tight ball. Progression is using alternate hands. The task can be varied in difficulty by the thickness of the paper. Thin paper eg. tissue paper will be easier and thicker grade paper will increase difficulty.

Equipment

Flicking the paper balls

The child lines up the balls on the table and flicks the balls with each finger in turn to shoot at a target (this can be an ice-cream tub, washing up bowl, target on the wall). The child keeps his/her wrist flat on the table. Progression is alternating hands, then both hands at once and flicking with each finger in quick succession.

Equipment

Use the paper footballs made in the previous activity

Flicking marbles

As above but with marbles.

Equipment

Marbles (follow the school health and safety guidelines regarding the use of marbles)

Flicking rice

The activity involves the child picking up the grains of rice by placing his/her wet hand palm down onto the rice. The child then turns his/her palm over and using each finger and the thumb, tries to flick off the rice until none remains (adults enjoy this activity too!)

Equipment

Rice on a tray or in a container

Clipping pegs around a box

The child has to see how many pegs he/she can clip onto the box in one minute. The child uses thumb and index finger and progresses to each finger in turn on each hand. The child can reverse the process as part of the activity (the box may need a weight in the bottom to stop it falling over if all the pegs are removed from one side).

Equipment

Springy clothes pegs and a cereal box (with the bottom cut off and squeezed at one end to make it pointy and boat shaped).

Posting coins through a slot in a box lid or money box

The coins are posted one at a time through the slot making sure the child uses thumb and one finger.

Equipment

A box lid with a slot or a money box and coins

Picking up pebbles

The activity involves the child picking up as many pebbles in one hand as he/she can and then tries to let go of them, one at a time, into a container. Jacks could also be used in this activity.

Equipment

Putting pegs in pegboards

The activity involves the child picking up pegs, one at a time, and places them in rows into the pegboard. The child can try placing the pegs vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

Equipment

Squeezing sponges

The activity requires the child to empty the tub with the sponge by soaking it and squeezing the sponge with either or both hands.

Clearly, the task can be varied by the volume of water in the tub and/or by setting a time challenge.

Equipment

Water, an ice-cream tub (or similar) and sponge

Roll and pinch pots

Make coil pots by rolling the dough/clay into strips. Make pinch pots by making a ball of dough, pushing the thumbs into the centre and pinching round in a circle to form a pot.

Equipment

Building a tower

The child, using thumb and index finger or middle finger, builds a tower as tall as he/she can before it falls down.

Equipment

This progression activity requires the child to build a tower as tall as possible in one minute using one hand. Ensure the child gets to practice with both hands.

Equipment

Shuffling cards

As part of any card game - but it may take a little bit of practice.

Handwriting

Lots of perfectly functioning adults exhibit far from model tripod grips, therefore apply this model sensitively, we want to empower children to mark make effectively and not be frightened because their grip isn't 'just so'. It is important to know the typical stages of pencil grip development. The decision about this should relate to what age and stage the child is at. Do they have other recognised difficulties that need to be considered?

Normal development of drawing skills

Teaching handwriting

Imitation precedes copying prepared examples. Model it!

Pencil/pen grasp

It is a good idea to teach how to grip the pencil, as this will avoid the need for remedial action later on. It is important to show the child how to hold the pencil - model it! If you are teaching a left handed grip, use your left hand and for a right handed grip, use your right hand.

Development of pencil control

As children develop pencil control, the movement changes from large shoulder movements to controlled finger movement with the forearm resting on the writing surface. This is only achieved effectively when shoulder stability is established.

Principles underlying good handwriting

Good sitting

Good sitting forms the basis of good handwriting.

Ensure the table and chair is the correct height. Taller or shorter children may need additional furniture or adaptation to existing furniture.

The principles of good sitting:

Paper position

Many children will place their paper in such a way it prompts them to work in awkward positions. It helps to teach a good way to of writing.

'Left-handedness'

Left handed people make up approximately 10% - 15% of the population. They are generally

confronted by techniques and equipment designed by and for right-handed people. This can make life unnecessarily complicated for left-handed children.

Activities and tools to promote good writing

Do:

Do:

Do:

Handwriting practice

Remember:

Structuring the handwriting session

A handwriting session could consist of:

Starting position

Getting ready or preparation activities

If a child finds handwriting difficult, it is a good idea to do some preparation activities to help with body awareness and posture before starting the handwriting.

Clap hands to rhythms (with increasing complexity)

Fine motor activity

Pencil activity

Benefits of using an angled writing board

The 20-degree angle of a writing board is considered to be the optimum position for writing and also assists with improved reading.

Resources and suppliers

Equipment suppliers:

Scissor skills

Using scissors is yet another complex perceptuo - motor skill, requiring the child to simultaneously use a range of component skills. Clearly, most children will increase their skills with scissors if they have opportunity to practise using them regularly.

Scissor skills can be supported through scissor specific activities but there are a number of component parts to help develop scissor skills. If any of these skills are absent or poorly integrated, a difficulty may occur in tryingto use scissors correctly.

Checklist

What to do next

When developing scissor skills, remember focus on:

Also:

Preparation

Ensure that the child is in a good position. Table and chair at the right height and the child is well positioned with their feet on the floor.

Ensure that the scissors are sharp enough to cut

Teach a good grasp. To hold the scissors well the child needs to isolate the middle finger and thumb to go into the scissor loops. The index finger should be used as a guide finger stabilising the lower loop.

Games to promote scissor skills

Games using a variety of tongs and squeeze operated toys help develop the opening and closing hand action needed for cutting. Whatever equipment is used, check it mimics the scissor action. Some activity ideas are shown below at the end of this section.

Starting

Get the child to make short snips on card or firm paper. The finer the paper the harder it is to cut. Progress to cutting on a thick dark line and stop where the line stops. Use creative ideas eg. lanterns for Halloween are excellent for scissor

Direction

Pick-up games

Purpose

To practice opening and closing tools like scissors

Materials

- be creative!)

The activity

Have the objects in one of the buckets/ containers. Have the child pick up an object and transfer it to the other container using the tongs. Make it stimulating and fun!

Variations

Place the objects in sand or (if you're brave) soapy water! Do consider environment, it could be messy!

Paper punch games

Purpose

To practice directing a tool in a forward motion

Materials

Three activities

1. Have the child use the paper punch to make random holes in the stiff paper. The child can then lace the card or connect the holes with crayon lines.

2. Draw coloured dots or small circles on the paper or card. Have the child punch out the coloured pattern.

3. Draw a path on a piece of stiff paper and put a house, star, sweet shop or appropriate target of interest at the top of the paper. The child punches holes along the path to the destination (Caution - adults enjoy these activities too!)

Resources, equipment and suppliers

Resources

Pre-Scissor Skills - Skill Starters for Motor Development by Marsha Dunn Klein, M.Ed , O.T.R. Therapy Skill Builders a Division of the Psychological Corporation

Equipment

Suppliers

Ball skills

The development of ball skills depends on the child's sound foundation of the core skills. To throw or kick a ball, the child must have developed some ability in the understanding of his/her body in space, the strength to carry out the action and the balance to maintain the posture. They must also have begun to develop visual perception to appreciate distance and direction, timing and the emphasis required in throwing, catching or kicking.

Checklist

What to do next

When developing ball skills, remember focus on:

Also:

Typical progression of development

Developmental sequence of underarm throwing

Rudimentary

Throwing ball underarm with feet stationary

Stands with feet shoulder width apart

Swing throwing arm downward and forward without follow through

Functional

Throwing ball underarm while stepping forward on the same side

Swings throwing arm down and forward on the same side

Releases ball and follows through with throwing arm

Mature

Throwing ball underarm while stepping forward with opposite foot

Developmental sequence of overarm throwing

Rudimentary

Throwing ball overarm with feet stationary

Functional

Throwing ball overarm while stepping forward on the same side

Mature

Throwing ball overarm while stepping forward with opposite foot

Developmental sequence of catching

Rudimentary

Trapping ball against chest with both hands

Functional

Catching ball with both hands with feet stationary

Mature

Catching ball in both hands while moving

Development sequence of kicking

Rudimentary

Kicking the ball from the knee

Functional

Kicking the ball with minimal follow through

Stands near ball with knee bent

Straightens knee before touching the ball

Kicks with minimal arm-leg opposition

Continues to move kicking leg forward after the kick

Mature

Walking forward, stopping and kicking the ball with follow through

Self help skills: dressing

Dressing is a complex perceptual motor activity. It is best practised when in real situations eg. changing for P.E, swimming, dress up games etc. Clearly, this is a skill area that should be supported sensitively and in line with all health and safety and child protection guidelines.

Clearly, most children will increase their dressing skills if they have opportunity to practice using them regularly and with sufficient time and support to organise and dress in an effective way. Adults who do too much or too little can be inadvertently maintain a child at a lower level of independence.

Dressing skills can be supported through dressing specific activities but there are a number of component parts to help develop dressing skills. If any of these skills are absent or poorly integrated, a child may have difficulty trying to dress successfully.

Below are the components which give the child a base to develop their dressing skills. It is worth investing time to check these skills and use the programmes outlined below to develop these component skills. By practising component skills can facilitate better dressing skills when the are practiced.

Checklist

What to do next

When developing dressing skills, remember focus on:

Also:

Preparation

If the child has difficulty with organisation - give clear instructions. If the child has difficulty getting things in the right order,

try pictorial representations of the correct sequence as listening to instructions and doing, may be too difficult. Checklists and visual schedules are very helpful in supporting organisation and it may be helpful to teach a routine to help shape organisation.

Ensure they have all clothes together when going to change for P.E or back. Sitting down with back against wall prevents overbalancing or getting into other children's body space.

If the difficulty is with getting things the right way round, mark back and front as necessary.

General ideas if a child is having a lot of difficulty

Suggestions:

Avoid complicated garments

Buy clothes on the large size

Shirts, T-Shirts and jumpers with set in sleeves are more difficult than the raglan style

Loose trousers with elasticated waists are easier to manage

Use Velcro for fastening if necessary

Tube socks with no definite heel require less manipulation to get a comfortable fit (but can be difficult to find/buy)

Shoes that slip on or are closed with Velcro are easier to get on and off

Elastic shoelaces are available; these are permanently tied but 'give' as the foot goes back into the shoe

Try backward chaining (see below)

Use visual organisers

Adult starts the task (steps 1,2,3) eg. putting a coat on and half zipping it up. Child finishes the task (step 4) eg. pulls the zip up to the top.

Backward chaining approach applied to dressing/undressing

Example: Goal: Removing a T-Shirt

Backward chaining - adult supports/helps student through entire process leaving the last part or parts for the student to achieve:

Example: Goal: Put on socks

Backward chaining stages:

Example: Goal: Tying shoelaces

Backward chaining stages:

1. Start to do up the laces: explain what you are doing, i.e 'Cross the laces over, put the lace which is at the back around and through the hole, pull tight, make a loop/rabbit's ear, put the other lace around the loop/rabbit's ear and under the bridge/down the burrow to make another loop/rabbit's ear. This story form may be helpful to a child by linking the parts together in a logical sequence

2. Ask the child to help you: 'pull the loops/ rabbit's ears'. Praise the child for helping to do up his laces. This is the first step taught

3. Once the child has mastered this, they may then 'pull the loops/rabbit's ears themselves, then 'push the lace through to make loop/ rabbit's ear' and so on. Eventually, the child will be able to do their laces from start to finish.

General notes

Visual support strategies

Visual support strategies can be used in a variety of situations to promote independence and prompt a child to remember sequences correctly. This is particularly relevant to developing self-care skills such as dressing, use of the toilet, getting ready for school and independent working habits in the classroom.

Visual timetables

A timetable of events can be a helpful reminder and promote understanding of the relationship between events over time. Put simply, knowing when things are going to happen. Drawings, pictures, photos and labels can be used effectively to simply list the events of the day.

Visual schedules

Activities and tasks that have a sequence or can be broken down into steps can be supported through visual schedules (just like a set of furniture assembly instructions). Using pictures and drawings to indicate each step of the task can simplify complex activities such as remembering which order to put clothes on, bathroom routines (including washing hands and flushing the toilet!). Not too many steps should be included and many will help all children eg. a hand washing schedule above the sink would act as a reminder for all children.

Bunny ears method of tying laces

Skill: Fasten shoe by tying laces

Adapted technique: 'Bunny ears' or 'two-loop tie' method

The method requires less refined lead-assist action and fewer different steps than the standard approach.

Materials: Shoe and long shoelaces

Position: A comfortable, balanced sitting posture (remember some children are helped by sitting back against the wall)

Resources

Pre-Dressing Sills by Marsha Dunn Klein Skill Starters for Motor Development by Marsha Dunn Klein, M.Ed, O.T.R Therapy Skill Builders a Division of the Psychological Corporation.

Procedure

This has been presented as forward chaining (this is the child starting from the beginning of the task). Backward chaining could also be used.

1. Pick up shoelaces

2. Cross laces, laying them across the front of shoe

3. Put upper lace under the crossed laces through the cross created with the shoe in a toe-to-tongue direction

4. Grasp a lace in each hand and pull tight

5. Make one loop

6. Make a second loop with the other shoelace

7. Cross loops across the front of shoe, maintaining grasp on the loops (same action as step 2)

8. Put upper loop under crossed laces through the triangle created with the shoe, in a toe- to-tongue direction (same action as step 3)

9. Grasp a loop in each hand and pull tight

Self-help skills: eating and drinking

These activities are complex. This information addresses only the practical aspects involving coordination. Medical, behavioural and sensory aspects may also need to be considered, as appropriate to individual children.

Remember, the involvement of home is very important in the development of a child's self-care skills. This is a skill area that should be supported in line with all health and safety guidelines. Most children will increase their eating and drinking skills if they have opportunity to practice using them regularly

Eating and drinking skills can be supported through specific activities but there are a number of component parts to help develop eating and drinking skills. If any of these skills are absent or poorly integrated, a child may have difficulty managing the tasks successfully.

Below are the components which give the child a base to develop their eating and drinking skills. It is worth investing time to check these skills and use the programmes outlined below to develop these component skills. Practising component skills can facilitate better eating and drinking skills.

Checklist

What to do next

When developing eating and drinking skills, remember focus on:

Also:

Posture/positioning

Table and chair must be at the correct height (see handwriting section on good sitting position). If the child is learning to use cutlery they may work with elbows out to the side, especially for elbow movement. Keep area next to child clear.

Drinking

Drinking is a complex motor task but is perhaps more simple than eating (from an eye-hand coordination point of view).

How to help:

Consider the type of cup

A beaker with a handle may be easier for some children than one without a handle

Make sure it isn't a finger trapping handle

Use a sturdy, broad based cup

Do you want it to be able to bounce?

Do not overfill the cup/beaker! It is better to refill than have a spill. Perhaps think of quarters - a splash, quarter full, half full, three quarter full

Avoid clutter so a child reaching for the cup/ beaker is less likely to knock it over

Wide base and big handles are helpful

Small handle are less useful

Narrow bases can be unstable

Eating

Ensure not too much is going on in the environment to allow the child and adult to focus on the task.

Support the child to organise the task of what they are going to eat.

The child needs to coordinate two hands together and be able to carry out different actions with either hand, eg. hold item with fork and cut with knife.

The child may need to be taught/shown how to cut. You can try and practice with play dough to get the action right (ensure adequate space for elbows so keep the area next to the child clear - nobody likes a low flying elbow in the ear!).

Try different types of cutlery:

Junior caring cutlery (small hands)

Caring cutlery (larger hands) helps child position index finger, which improves hand position

If plates slide, try some Dycem (a range of non- slip materials www.dycem.com) or other non-slip mat under the plate.

Packed lunches

Opening packets etc. depends on fine motor skills and strength of grasp. Clearly fine motor activities could be used to support these skills. Also, the type of lunchbox can cause problems for some children. Some boxes have tight lids or tricky catches; again careful choice of lunch box and fine motor activities will help.

In addition, the actual organisation of what to eat and what order, can be a challenge for some children faced with a full lunch box, especially in a busy, interesting environment and support to focus and organise themselves may be helpful.

Organisational prompts

Some children find sequencing what to eat tricky. This can be supported through organisational prompts:

Visual prompts

Visual prompts can act as a structure for children allowing adults to provide structure without directly guiding the child through the task. It may be helpful to:

Questions

Questions are a very powerful tool for adults to use. If adults are over-directive, children will not necessarily internalise the skills to think through a task for themselves. Adults can use simple questions to help a child plan eating their lunch eg. 'What are you going to eat first?' 'Shall we unpack some of the things to give you more room?' Clearly, working closely with home can resolve a lot of these issues.​

Appendix

1st Move has been developed by Lincolnshire County Council working in partnership with Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust.

The resource has been produced as the result of joint work involving Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Educational Psychologists and Teachers.

Support agencies

It is expected that most children will have their movement needs met through the implementation of this 1st Move resource and opportunity to practice their skills. Some children's progress will be slow, but in line with their general development, this should not necessarily raise a need for Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist involvement.

Childrens' Physiotherapists identify the reasons for a child's movement difficulty and give carers the knowledge and skills to address them.

Support may be in the form of general advice on beneficial activities, appropriate changes to the environment or it may be a specific programme of activities/exercises to help the child learn and consolidate new movement skills.

Childrens' Occupational Therapists can offer advice on general hand skills development, handwriting and independence skills.

Educational Psychologists

Educational Psychologists help solve problems which interfere with the development and education of children and young people.

Educational Psychologists are trained in the psychology of learning and child development. Support may be through direct work with a child, parents and teachers or through consultation or developing systems at a class or school level.

Contacts

Up to date contact details for the Children's Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Services can be found via the website

The Educational Psychologists team can be contacted via the website

a Division of the Psychological Corporation

Jenkinson, J. (nd) Fine Motor Activity Ideas

Olsen, J.Z . (2003) Handwriting without tears

Useful resources

You may find these helpful:

Handwriting Without Tears by Jan Z Olsen (2003) Dycem

Lucky Letters Programme by Coralee Lawrence Rainbow Road Resources

Write from the start: Unique Programme to Develop the Fine Motor and Perceptual Skills Necessary for Effective Handwriting

Get in contact

Address

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust,
Beech House,
Witham Park,
Waterside South,
Lincoln,
LN5 7JH

Other information

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You are here: Home Our services Helpful information and resources First move By looking at this resource, it is likely that you have a child who you think may have a movement and/or skill development need.

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Parenting and Family Support - Family Lives (Parentline Plus) | Family Lives

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Parenting and family support from Family Lives (formerly Parentline Plus) through our website, helpline 0808 800 2222, email service at askus@familylives.org.uk, live chat and local services.

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If your child is, or may be, dyslexic then we have information, resources and training available to help you to ensure that your child is able to reach their full potential.

You can also find information in our Supporting a Child or Young Person: A Guide for Parents booklet on how to support your child at home, working with your school to secure a diagnosis and support, and what support the law entitles a young person with dyslexia to and how to access it.

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Information, resources and training to help parents ensure their child can reach full potential.

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If you are in a relationship or family who are struggling to manage these arguments and conflict at home. There is free support available for you. If you are not in a violent, controlling or abusive relationship.

It's great that you have been able to recognise that you want some help to overcome these worries. So that the impact on your family is avoided. See It Differently have some great tips and strategies that could really help you.

If you feel you need a bit more help than this, there are some free online support sessions for parents experiencing conflict. There are 4 online sessions that you can access on your own, with your partner or with support from family, friends or a professional:

To access these resources, all you need to do is register an account for yourself as a parent (free of charge)

Me, You and Baby Too - Helping expectant and new parents cope with changes in their relationship. Learn how to cope with becoming a new parent and stress

Arguing better - Raise awareness of the impact that parental conflict can have on children. By helping parents develop better ways of managing stress and arguments.

Getting it Right for Children - support separated or separating parents. Helping parents to avoid the harmful situations involving their children.

Debt and relationships - Debt and money troubles are one of the biggest causes of relationship stress, and the rising cost of living could mean this becomes a greater issue for many families. Helping parents to consider different ways they might find themselves in debt, the impact this can have on relationships and why it's a good idea to talk to one another.

Further free advice and support

Click - free online relationships support
Relate - free advice and resources
Anna Freud Organisation
Action for Children - advise for parents experiencing relationship difficulties

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Reducing parental conflict - Lincolnshire County Council

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Lincolnshire County Council are working with the National charity OnePlusOne so that parents, carers, and the professionals that work with them can have access to online advice, support and information.

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Follow this advice to help primary-aged children read at home. There's further resources available online at Online education resources: English resources.

1. Encourage your child to read

Reading helps your child's wellbeing, develops imagination and has educational benefits too. Just a few minutes a day can have a big impact on children of all ages.

2. Read aloud regularly

Try to read to your child every day. It's a special time to snuggle up and enjoy a story. Stories matter and children love re-reading them and poring over the pictures. Try adding funny voices to bring characters to life.

3. Encourage reading choice

Give children lots of opportunities to read different things in their own time - it doesn't just have to be books. There's fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics, magazines, recipes and much more. Try leaving interesting reading material in different places around the home and see who picks it up.

4. Read together

Choose a favourite time to read together as a family and enjoy it. This might be everyone reading the same book together, reading different things at the same time, or getting your children to read to each other. This time spent reading together can be relaxing for all.

5. Create a comfortable environment

Make a calm, comfortable place for your family to relax and read independently - or together.

6. Make use of your local library

Libraries in England are able to open from 4 July, so visit them when you're able to and explore all sorts of reading ideas. Local libraries also offer brilliant online materials, including audiobooks and ebooks to borrow. See Libraries Connected for more digital library services and resources.

7. Talk about books

This is a great way to make connections, develop understanding and make reading even more enjoyable. Start by discussing the front cover and talking about what it reveals and suggests the book could be about. Then talk about what you've been reading and share ideas. You could discuss something that happened that surprised you, or something new that you found out. You could talk about how the book makes you feel and whether it reminds you of anything.

8. Bring reading to life

You could try cooking a recipe you've read together. Would you recommend it to a friend? Alternatively, play a game where you pretend to be the characters in a book, or discuss an interesting article you've read.

9. Make reading active

Play games that involve making connections between pictures, objects and words, such as reading about an object and finding similar things in your home. You could organise treasure hunts related to what you're reading. Try creating your child's very own book by using photos from your day and adding captions.

10. Engage your child in reading in a way that suits them

You know your child best and you'll know the best times for your child to read. If they have special educational needs and disabilities ( SEND) then short, creative activities may be the way to get them most interested. If English is an additional language, encourage reading in a child's first language, as well as in English. What matters most is that they enjoy it.

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10 top tips for parents to support children to read

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Follow this advice to help primary-aged children read at home. There's further resources available online at Online education resources: English resources. Reading helps your child's wellbeing, develops imagination and has educational benefits too. Just a few minutes a day can have a big impact on children of all ages.

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Get advice on reading to children, how to read aloud, encouraging older children to read and helping reluctant readers with exciting, page-turning books. We also have useful leaflets full of tips and advice for you to download and tips for carers and foster families.

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Parents and families | National Literacy Trust

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Our parent-facing site Words for Life provides milestones, tips, fun resources and advice to help parents support their children’s literacy development.

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Overview

We offer a creative approach in developing positive links with parents.

We deliver fun activities for parents and carers to work with their child.

This supports effective learning in school and parental engagement.

The learning environment we nurture increases adult confidence. In turn, this develops their own learning and skills.

Our fully-funded courses are adapted to meet the needs of your school and learners. We also offer six week courses online which include:

Let's be happy and healthy

Family fun with reading

Family fun with numbers

Let's talk

Power of play

Introduction to family learning

Calculations without calculators - adult maths course

Our service meets OFSTED's requirements for schools. Our tutors engage parents in supporting pupils' achievement. We support with behaviour, morals, social and cultural development.

Cost

Our service is free of charge.

Our courses are delivered by experienced tutors and can be exclusive to the parents or carers of your school.

Contact

Request

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Family learning - EduLincs - Lincolnshire County Council

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EduLincs contains our offer of services available to schools, academies and other educational settings in Lincolnshire. We offer a variety of highly-valued services to schools across the county within one single point of access.

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Define Fine is a parent/carer-led organisation set up in response to the growing number of children and young people who experience school attendance difficulties.

This is sometimes referred to as 'school refusal', or emotionally based school avoidance however these phrases may not explain the full picture of the barriers to attendance which may be due to any number of complex reasons such unmet Special Educational Needs & Disabilities including physical or mental illness, either suspected or diagnosed, bullying or issues relating to academic pressure, or even the school environment.

School attendance difficulties are complex but all too often these children are described as being "fine" when they are in school. Define Fine has produced resources based on relevant government policies and guidance, to help parents and their families to work with professionals to assess and then plan appropriate and timely support.

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Missing sessions means children fall behind. This not only impacts on their future achievement, but also adds additional stress and worry as the child attempts to catch up. This can affect their mental health and that of their family.

The evidence of the impact on non-attendance on achievement is very clear. The DfE release, Short breaks damage young people's futures in 2015 outlined the following links:

pupils with the lowest 5% of absence rates were more than four times more likely to achieve 5 good GCSEs, including English and maths, and 22 times more likely to achieve the English Baccalaureate, than pupils with the highest 5% of absence rates

pupils with no absence from school were nearly three times more likely to achieve 5 A* to C GCSEs, including English and Maths, and around 10 times more likely to achieve the English Baccalaureate, than pupils missing 15 to 20% of school across key stage four

primary school pupils with no absence were around 1.5 times more likely to achieve the expected level (level 4 or above), and 4.5 times more likely to achieve above the expected level (level 5 or above), than pupils that missed 15 to 20% of key stage two

Covid19 has disrupted any progress made on pupil achievement since 2015. The correlation between attendance and achievement continues at the same, if not higher, rate.

However, school is not just a place for academic learning it also:

is a place where children make early, lifelong friendships, learn about themselves and find out what they are good at and passionate about

shapes choices that help children make a positive contribution to society and live a happy, balanced life

provides structure and routine where this may be missing at home

provides the care of other adults who they may learn to trust

can be a safe, supportive environment where its focus is solely to ensure the success and wellbeing of the children in its care

Children who do not attend school or any other educational provision not only miss out on the opportunity to do well academically but also on the wider supportive network that schools provide. There are strong links between children missing from school and child exploitation and involvement in criminal activity. 90% of young offenders have been persistently absent from school (A Ministry of Justice report published in June 2018). There is also a strong correlation between poor attendance and the mental health of young people. Children of today face many challenges to their safety and well-being. The role of school has become an integral part in keeping children safe from harm. School helps them navigate the complexities of growing up in today's society.

In summary, going to school provides the right environment, for the majority of our children, to achieve:

good educational outcomes in school and further or higher education

a happier and positive view on life in and out of school

good relationships, trust and a sense of belonging for marginalised children and their families

improved confidence and resilience

good mental health

low risk of child exploitation, anti-social behaviour and other safeguarding concerns

employability

Some parents take the serious decision to take their children out of school to home educate them. Whilst this is parental choice and the right decision for some children and families, it should not be a response to a child's inability to cope with school and other factors impacting on their lives. It is the role of the 'team around the child' to ensure that all barriers are removed to allow the child to get the education they choose and deserve.

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School attendance strategy - Lincolnshire County Council

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Our strategy to improve school attendance

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Lincolnshire Community Health Services Children's Therapy Services

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ADHD Lincs is a registered charity which provides support and information to families and individuals who are living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and associated learning differences.

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ADHD in Children: ADD Parenting Help Behavior, Discipline, Self-Esteem

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This comprehensive guide to parenting a child with ADHD won't waste your time with run-of-the-mill advice. You need ADD-tested strategies, and here they are - everything you need to know about oppo...

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For parents - How it works — Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage