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Twinkle.ie-Esports Week
https://www.twinkl.ie/resources/roi-resources/twinkl-ireland-sports-week-republic-of-ireland?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_2020-05-31_IR_0&utm_content=custom2

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EPIC- The Irish Emigration Museum

Explorers History-at-Home-Pack

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6th class school transitioning from primary  to secondary school workshop

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6th class school transitioning from primary  to secondary school workshop tickets

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6th Class School Transitioning from Primary to Secondary School Workshop

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Eventbrite - Next Step Forward presents 6th Class School Transitioning from Primary to Secondary School Workshop - Thursday, 21 May 2020 | Friday, 22 May 2020 - Find event and ticket information.

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A Note from Heather:
Hi everyone! In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, I would like all the parents and SLPs out there to feel free to print and copy pages for distributing to their clients for the next 2-3 months. If you are in need of speech therapy via Zoom or would like to set-up an appointment with me to discuss speech therapy services, materials, assessments or just to have someone to talk to during these uncertain times, please reach out. I look forward to working through this time together with you and our whole community of professionals who are dedicated to helping one another even during the most difficult of times. #togetherapart #wewillgetthroughthis

God bless you all!

Psalm 91

Love,

Heather

I created these free downloads for speech therapy so you can easily download and print them out to use as part of your speech therapy program. Just scroll down the page to view the worksheets by topic. You will find free speech therapy worksheets for articulation, vocabulary , grammar, holiday articulation and language games...and lots of other miscellaneous speech therapy creations that I love! If you would like more information on what articulation therapy is you might like to read a post I have written called Teaching Speech Sounds: The Process of Traditional Articulation Therapy .

Parents: If you are a mommy or a daddy (or grandma or grandpa) who wants to work with your child at home, you can use these speech therapy activity pages for extra practice. Just choose the sound position to work on (initial, medial, or final) and click on the corresponding link to view and print the worksheets. To help make practice more fun, you can print out two of the same page so you have pairs, cut them out, and use them to play a game of memory or go fish. You can also use them as flashcards. You will find free speech therapy worksheets by sound and at a variety of levels; word level, phrase level and sentence levels!

Articulation Worksheets - Speech Sounds in Isolation and at the Syllable Levels

Articulation Worksheets

Grammar Worksheets - Holiday and Seasonal Grammar BINGO Games

Vocabulary Worksheets

Speech Room Resources

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A Note from Heather: Hi everyone! In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, I would like all the parents and SLPs out there to feel free to print and copy pages for distributing to their clients for the next 2-3 months.

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A lovely resource from the PDST on relaxation techniques for children

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A lovely resource from the PDST on relaxation techniques for children

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A nice book explaining that it is okay to be worried about Covid-19.

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A story for young children about wearing masks.

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Is your child a fan of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's wonderful picture books? Now you can download a range of home learning activity packs to complete as you read the books!

Reviews

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free julia donaldson and axel scheffler home learning packs

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FREE Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler Home Learning Packs

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Is your child a fan of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's wonderful picture books? Now you can download a range of home learning activity packs to complete as you read the books! Is your child a fan of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's wonderful picture books?

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Behaviour Support Pack

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Lovely ten minute movement activities for active schools week.

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Lovely ten minute movement activities for active schools week.

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The official website of RTÉjr & RTÉ Kids Online - Streaming shows, Podcasts and much more fun!

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Some useful videos explaining the comprehension strategies that we use in school.

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Some useful videos explaining the comprehension strategies that we use in school.

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Managing Worrying Thoughts: Webinar with Michael Ryan

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At Home Activities for Children with Autism

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At Home Activities for Children with Autism

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Children with autism have varying needs and display a range of different interests so activities should always be targeted according to their individual support strategies.

The benefits of sensory activities for children with autism

Engaging children with autism in sensory activities is beneficial in several ways, as it can help with:

Stimulating the brain, creating neural pathways and improving sensory processing systems

Improving social skills such as communication and cooperation

Improving coordination, as well as fine/gross motor skills

Calming children down when they are agitated

You can create fun-filled and engaging activities with a little effort from your side:

Create sensory trays! Some children have an aversion to certain textures and smells, but the beauty of a sensory tray is that it can be cretaed using such a wide array of materials to suit any child! e.g. rice, cooked spagetti, shaving foam, buttons and beads ( possible choking hazard depending on child ) , dirt and sand, water and water beads, straws, feathers, porridge oats.

2. Make an obstacle course:

This can be as simple or as challenging as you wish, using items you have at home. e.g. jumo back and over sweeping bursh five times, walk in a straight line (masking tape) do five wall sits, walk like a crab, wiggle like a worm, try walk with a book balancing on your head!

3. Make a sensory bottle- there are thousands of suggestions on pinterest. A simple one is a lava lamp, just add oil, food colouing , and a vitamin c fizzy tablet!

4. Go on a Nature Trail: look for a selection of different flowers, leaves etc when out for a walk. Bring them home and encourage your child to glue them to a page or use them for an art activity- resulting in a lovely sensory experience!

5. Shredded Crepe Paper Flowers: This is a creative activity that involves ripping and shredding of paper to create flowers. Some children will love the sensory touch of handling paper and playing with shapes and colors.

6. Finding Toys: Here is another activity that helps improve your child's sensory skills by touching and feeling various things.

1. Take a large plastic tub and fill with rice or beads.

2. Hide as many toys as you can inside the box.

3. Now ask your little one to put her hand into the box and take out the toy by feeling each one.

7. Balloon activites: I have yet to meet a child who hasn't loved balloons! The activity could be as simple as trying to keep the balloon in the air, a balloon walk, or just holding it and exploring its texture, or trying balloon painting. Here is a link to 28 ways to play with a balloon! https://handsonaswegrow.com/28-ways-to-play-with-balloons/ ( Remember they are still a choking hazard)

8. Make jelly! Some children might want to eat it , others won't. You could hide mini figures in it, freeze it and your child can help get them out once it has set!

9. Scented Play Dough: This is a fun one for the children to be involved in making, and only requires a cup of salt, a cup of water and 2 cups of flour!

10. Save all your bottle caps and lids- and when you have a nice selection built up, encourage your child to sort them by colour or size.

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Ten At Home Activities for Children with Autism. - Múinteoir Valerie

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Children with autism have varying needs and display a range of different interests so activities should always be targeted according to their individual support strategies. The benefits of sensory activities for children with autism Engaging children with autism in sensory activities is beneficial in several ways, as it can help with: Stimulating the...

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Do you know that our taste buds can develop over time? As children, we can train our taste buds by exposing them to different foods. Over time we develop liking for certain healthy foods. This way we can expand our palette and add many new foods to our diet. If we introduce a healthy diet, full of delicious fruit and vegetables from an early age we can develop our taste buds to like many different nutritious foods as we grow older.

There is lots of evidence to show that the more we taste a food, the more we learn to like it. It can range from from just a few tastes of a food, to 15 or more tries to learn to like something. It ranges per individual child and it also depends on the type of food. That is why the Food Dudes programme gives every child an opportunity to try a new fruit and vegetable at least 4 times, over the course of the Food Dudes programme. This ensures that everyone gets the opportunity to learn to like new varieties of fruits and vegetables.

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Welcome to Food Dudes Fun at Home! We have games, worksheets, activities and videos for parents to download which are aimed to support primary school children of all ages to make learning about fruit, vegetables and healthy eating fun and interesting. Join the conversation on #FoodDudesFun

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Activities to develop receptive language and and comprehension skills

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Activities to develop receptive language and and comprehension skills

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Happy Talk Springtime Pack (4 - 8 years).pdf

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We have just had an excellent event on the site for the last 31 days - 31 days of learning. It has really captured our readers' imagination. From free printable learning activities to a plethora of STEM activites we have you covered! The best thing is you don't have to do these activities for kids all in one go. You don't even have to do them all each day. The beauty of having these inspirational articles is that you can either:

Pick any day and do them one after the other over the course of any 31 days that you fancy OR

Print out the calendar and tick them off as you go one by one on whatever days you fancy. There really are no hard and fast rules for this at all.

There is no pressure to inspire your kids eery single day with learning activities - in fact, who REALLY has time to do that anywhere given everything else parents, whether stay at home or working parents, have to get done?

You can dip into this calendar as and when you feel like it, or whatever articles work for you and the age of your kids. Some thoughts are suitable for toddlers, and some are more relevant to slightly older kids.

The key theme with all of them is to have fun while learning, and to teach something no matter how small. Anything from motor skills, to understanding more about specific conditions, such as Diabetes or Autism.

Examples of the type of learning activities we have include:

Free printable learning activities calendar

To download the calendar/learning activities ideas, then click on the square image below and you will be taken straight to the pdf version to print out.

There are actually 32 activities here. We have two on one of the squares; we just had so many great posts on the site, we couldn't quite squeeze them all into 31 days. There is a bonus leaning activity for the kids - hope you enjoy them all.

If you like this, then do check out some of the other activities that we have on the site. Particularly the printables that we provide free for your all.

There are a few calendar based activities to do outside of KiddyCharts as well - so check these out too if you still have a little bit of time or inclination to get busy with the kids.

We hope you will agree that these free printable learning activites should keep you sorted for a while. Do take the time to subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more ideas, tips, reviews and giveaways for the kids.

Thanks so so much for stopping by and we really hope we will see you again on the site in the not too distant future. Don't forget to visit us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest!

Helen

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We have just had an excellent event on the site for the last 31 days - 31 days of learning. It has really captured our readers' imagination. From free printable learning activities to a plethora of STEM activites we have you covered!

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Library Services in Ireland | Libraries Ireland

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Check out the children's story-time sessions at your library service

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Heart, Body and Mind

We want to provide you and your children with the opportunity to check in with your Heart, Body and Mind regularly.

There are lots of fun activities listed below to keep your children engaged, and activities that the family can do together.  It is also important that you as the parent takes care of yourself. The Wellbeing for Parents section, provides you with tips on how to check in and be kind to yourself.

Here's Jenny to explain.

Guidance: Return to early learning

Activities

Some activities below will have instructional videos, other have instructions written out below or as downloadable PDF's. It's better for the environment to try avoid printing these PDF's where possible.

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Resources for Parents (Heart, Body and Mind)

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We want to provide you and your children with the opportunity to check in with your Heart, Body and Mind regularly.   There are lots of fun activities listed below to keep your children engaged, and activities that the family can do together.  It is also important that you as the parent takes care of yourself.

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A social story for children to help them sit at a table to eat meals at a table

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A social story for children to help them sit at a table to eat meals at a table

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https://www.autismlittlelearners.com/2020/04/eating-at-table-story.html

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Good tips for parents as the Easter holidays come to a close and parents, children and teachers ease back into our new way of learning. Please remember that we are all going through a stressful time and schools do not want to add any extra pressure to parents so please remember to take school work at a pace that suits you.

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Good tips for parents as the Easter holidays come to a close and parents, children and teachers ease back into our new way of learning. Please remember that we are all going through a stressful time and schools do not want to add any extra pressure to parents so please remember to take school work at a pace that suits you.

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https://thebeautifultruth.ie/school-work-from-home/

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Free 30 day trial with access to PM readers.

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DIY activities at home to celebrate Earth Day 2020, Wednesday, 22nd of April.

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Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display

Skip to Content

Commemorate Earth Day's 50th anniversary with STEM and environmental education wherever you are!

Earth Day Network is committed to supporting parents and teachers in providing engaging environmental education opportunities. As students and parents all over the world face a new reality of learning from home and teachers work hard to transition to digital classes, we are here to help!

We have compiled lessons, activities and ideas for students of all ages to engage with Earth Day and the environmental movement through science, art and civic action! Explore these ideas and resources from our partners, and don't forget to tune in on April 22nd for Digital Earth Day!

Earth Day at Home Ideas

Looking for ideas on how to commemorate Earth Day while social distancing and protecting your community by staying at home? We've come up with ideas for art projects and activities that will entertain you during quarantine, and also help you connect with nature, lighten your environmental footprint and advocate for a sustainable future!

Adapt an Event to a Digital Teach-In

Many event planners are sad to see their Earth Day festivities get postponed or cancelled, but we can keep our neighbors safe by transforming our events into digital gatherings. Have speakers or performers go live on social media and brainstorm with your community actions you can take from home, and things you want to do together in the future!

Plan a Pollinator Garden

Pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of nearly all plant life on earth, and habitats everywhere rely on them to maintain balance. Unfortunately, climate change and habitat loss threaten pollinator species globally. Review our 2020 Pollinator Garden Toolkit and use our planning worksheet to design your garden!

Test your knowledge about the Earth

With quizzes on species, energy, climate change and pollution, these are great for teachers to assign or for students who want to test themselves after doing a research project. Who in your household will get the best score? Make it a competition!

Partner Resources

Earth Day Network is proud of partner with a number of organizations around the world who are as dedicated to science and climate literacy as we are! Explore their online lessons, activities, videos and games as you prepare for Earth Day 2020. Learn more about climate change and the environment and join us with your new knowledge on April 22nd for a day of digital civic action!

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Environmental Education at Home | Earth Day

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Maths activities online that doesn't require a subscription

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Doctor Genius Kindergarten: Online math in sync with school. Come experience Doctor Genius. Including results.

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Great selection of games on this site. Lovely music resource to record your own compositions.

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Toy Theater is your source for free educational games specially designed for elementary-aged students. It's available on all desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices, ensuring learning is never out of reach. If you are a fan of our site, we encourage you to share Toy Theater on your social media or website.

Explore Toy Theater

Here's a sneak peek into what Toy Theater has in store:

Math Games: Ranging from counting and numeral recognition to division and telling time, there's a vast assortment of interactive math games.

Language Arts: Students can work on spelling, letter recognition, and even practice reading with online books.

Art and Music : From teaching students to play simple songs on a keyboard to exploring symmetry via art games, the platform fosters creativity alongside learning.

Puzzles and Games: Ideal for early finishers or indoor recess, their online educational puzzles and games promise fun-filled learning.

Teacher Tools: Need a fun timer or a spinner? Or perhaps a simple way to evaluate basic math skills? Their virtual teacher tools have got you covered.

Whether you project Toy Theater games and interactive tools on your smartboard for the whole class to see or use them during small group work, you're sure to love them!

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Toy Theater | Fun Online Educational Games for Kids

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Make learning a blast! Toy Theater is chock full of interactive online art, reading & math games for kids. Designed with the needs of kindergarten through third grade classrooms in mind, these free games are trusted by teachers around the world to provide real educational value.

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https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/school-closures

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https://www.facebook.com/209750469150405/posts/2645463835579044/https://www.facebook.com/209750469150405/posts/2645463835579044/

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rtejr.rte.ie needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding.

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Suggested Educational Apps for Literacy and Numeracy

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Suggested Educational Apps for Literacy and Numeracy

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Suggested Educational Apps for Literacy and Numeracy - Múinteoir Valerie

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A lot of children will love sitting down to do their daily written tasks and work, while a lot more will not, and will find the idea of doing school work at home quite difficult. Please, if you are a parent reading this don't worry. I think all parents are...

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https://teachyourchildtoread.co.uk/

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The Ark, Dublin is a way for children to access at-home- activities activities, online screenings and much more.

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The Ark, Dublin is a way for children to access at-home- activities activities, online screenings and much more.

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https://ark.ie/projects/the-ark-at-home

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Fiona Forman has created a Wellbeing Journal for kids based on the WEAVING WELLBEING PROGRAMME. It is free to download.

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Fiona Forman has created a Wellbeing Journal for kids based on the WEAVING WELLBEING PROGRAMME. It is free to download.

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https://indd.adobe.com/view/5237deef-2311-469f-9e2d-b5ee89c2000f

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From Katie ' "Hi all, I will be posting a series of boxing circuits over the next few weeks that you can do at home without equipment. Here is the first installment. I hope you enjoy it. Stay safe, healthy and strong."

0:11370.5K views

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Hi all, I will be posting a series of boxing circuits over the next few weeks that you can do at home without equipment. Here is the first installment. I hope you enjoy it. Stay safe, healthy and strong.

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Hi all, I will be posting a series of boxing circuits over the next few weeks that you can do at home without equipment. Here is the first installment. I hope you enjoy it. Stay safe, healthy and strong. https://t.co/3VjeL5YCo6

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Hi all, I will be posting a series of boxing circuits over the next few weeks that you can do at home without equipment. Here is the first installment. I hope you enjoy it. Stay safe, healthy and strong. pic.twitter.com/3VjeL5YCo6
— Katie Taylor (@KatieTaylor) March 29, 2020

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Hi all, I will be posting a series of boxing circuits over the next few weeks that you can do at home without equipment. Here is the first installment. I hope you enjoy it. Stay safe, healthy and strong. https://t.co/3VjeL5YCo6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Hi all, I will be posting a series of boxing circuits over the next few weeks that you can do at home without equipment. Here is the first installment. I hope you enjoy it. Stay safe, healthy and strong. https://t.co/3VjeL5YCo6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Hi all, I will be posting a series of boxing circuits over the next few weeks that you can do at home without equipment. Here is the first installment. I hope you enjoy it. Stay safe, healthy and strong.

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Dia daoibh! Fáilte! Hello and welcome to my YouTube account for Gaeilge le Chéile! Here I upload talk-through videos of resources available for free online f...

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Some nice recipes🍰

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Don Conroy has launched his own Youtube Channel. Get Drawing!

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Don Conroy has launched his own Youtube Channel. Get Drawing!

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Geography quizzes including find the Irish county.

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Geography quizzes including find the Irish county.

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The tips box and the important notes box are both draggable, should you need to move them

To zoom the screen, use:

Windows: Zoom IN by holding down "Ctrl", and pressing "+" (Ctrl +).Zoom OUT by holding down "Ctrl" and pressing "-" (Ctrl -)

Mac: Zoom IN by holding down "command" and pressing "+" ( ⌘ +).Zoom OUT by holding down "command" and pressing "-" ( ⌘ -)

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Test your geography knowledge: Irish counties map quiz

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The tips box and the important notes box are both draggable, should you need to move them To zoom the screen, use: Windows: Zoom IN by holding down "Ctrl", and pressing "+" (Ctrl +).Zoom OUT by holding down "Ctrl" and pressing "-" (Ctrl -) Mac: Zoom IN by holding down "command" and pressing "+" ( ⌘ +).Zoom OUT by holding down "command" and pressing "-" ( ⌘ -)

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You can subscribe to Happynumbers.com for free at the moment!

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Lots of great free games on topmarks.co.uk

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Baking recipes geared for children from BBC good food.

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Baking recipes geared for children from BBC good food.

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Grab a mini apron and try our easy baking recipes for kids. There's something for everyone, from cookies and cakes to puddings and even bread.

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Free colouring pages, various themes includin Disney and Easter.

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Free colouring pages, various themes includin Disney and Easter.

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Lámh are doing free courses for parents and teachers until May 31st.

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Lámh are doing free courses for parents and teachers until May 31st.

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https://www.lamhsigns.org/

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Free Home Learning Singing and Drama Resources. Free packs contain a duologue and the vocal and backing tracks to a song and lyric sheet. 

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Free Home Learning Singing and Drama Resources. Free packs contain a duologue and the vocal and backing tracks to a song and lyric sheet. 

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www.theschoolmusicalscompany.com

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Maths Activities for 3rd Class up.

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25 Fun Maths Activities And Games For Kids To Do At Home

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25 free maths games and activities the whole family will love. Plenty of fun maths ideas for kids to develop their maths skills in a simple and enjoyable way!

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Accompanying worksheets also available.

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Big Cat Reading eBooks & Worksheets for Kids | Collins UK

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Access over 1500 levelled ebooks at school and at home with the Big Cat ebook library. Easy to access and straight forward to set up, the ebook library is perfect for children to practise reading books at the right level at home while also supporting front of class teacher modelling and shared readi…

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A free resource. A highly visual exercise aid for young children. 

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A free resource. A highly visual exercise aid for young children. 

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https://www.muinteoirvalerie.com/product/keep-fit-at-home-visuals/

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Welcome to the Primary School section of the Learning & Development Portal

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Welcome to the Primary School section of the Learning & Development Portal

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https://learning.gaa.ie/primary-school

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A social story to help children understand the new regulations in relation to COVID-19

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A social story to help children understand the new regulations in relation to COVID-19

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https://asiam.ie/social-story-covid-19-lockdown/

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The Kildare Gallery is running a children’s open art competition with prizes worth €1,575. Great activity to encourage artistic creativity!

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The Kildare Gallery is running a children’s open art competition with prizes worth €1,575. Great activity to encourage artistic creativity!

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https://thekildaregallery.ie/the-kildare-gallery-childrens-art-competition/

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Prim-Ed Publishing are offering free learn at home packs which can be accessed for all classes.

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Prim-Ed Publishing are offering free learn at home packs which can be accessed for all classes.

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https://www.prim-ed.ie/blog/post/parent-information-centre/

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GIY are uploading little videos daily on how to grow your own food at home

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Raise a reader by getting the best book recommendations, reading tips, and discounts delivered straight to your inbox.

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Explore Europe Quiz

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Match these European
flags

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Print off these rainbow colouring sheets and put your coloured rainbow in your window.

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Print off these rainbow colouring sheets and put your coloured rainbow in your window.

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https://bit.ly/2WJSi1R

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https://www.mrsmactivity.co.uk/downloads/lego-subtraction-worksheets/

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Phonic activities for Junior Infants and Senior Infants

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Phonic activities for Junior Infants and Senior Infants

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https://www.mrsmactivity.co.uk/downloads/age-4-5-phonics-booklet-phase-2/

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These books are suitable for Junior Infants, Senior Infants and First Class. they are free and fully aligned with Jolly Phonics.

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These books are suitable for Junior Infants, Senior Infants and First Class. they are free and fully aligned with Jolly Phonics.

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https://www.speld-sa.org.au/

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(with audio assistance)

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Inspire learning with our magical games for kids.

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Play and learn. 1500 words, 21 languages, 5 games.

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While it's hard to beat the experience of seeing a seminal piece of fine art or important historical artifact with your own two eyes, you could easily spend a lifetime traveling the world in search of all of them. Fortunately, the digital age has made it possible-easy, even-to visit some of the world's most famous museums from the comfort of your own home. Here are a dozen of them.

The Louvre is not only one of the world's largest art museums, but it's also one of Paris's most iconic historic monuments. The museum offers free online tours of some of its most important and popular exhibits, such as its Egyptian Antiquities and works from Michelangelo. You can take a 360-degree look at the museum, and click around the rare artifacts to get additional information on their histories.

While the architecture of the Guggenheim's building itself, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is quite impressive, you don't have to visit the Big Apple to get an up-close view of some of the priceless pieces of artwork inside. The museum makes some of its collections and exhibits available online for people who want to get a taste of what the museum has to offer, including works from Franz Marc, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, and Jeff Koons.

Founded in 1937, the National Gallery of Art is free and open to the general public. For those who aren't in Washington, D.C., it also provides virtual tours of its gallery and exhibits. You can view its current exhibitions and listen to audio and video recordings of past lectures online.
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With a collection that totals more than 8 million objects, London's British Museum makes some of its pieces viewable online. The museum also teamed up with the Google Cultural Institute to offer virtual tours using Google Street View technology.

Washington, D.C.'s National Museum of Natural History, one of the most-visited museums in the world, offers a peek at its wonderful treasures with an online virtual tour of the entire grounds. Viewers are welcomed into its rotunda and are greeted with a comprehensive room-by-room, 360-degree walking tour of all its exceptional exhibits, including the Hall of Mammals, Insect Zoo, and Dinosaurs and Hall of Paleobiology.

The Met is home to over 2 million works of fine art, but you don't have to be in New York City to enjoy them. The institution's website features an online collection and virtual tours of some of its most impressive pieces, including works from Vincent van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, and Giotto di Bondone. In addition, The Met also works with the Google Cultural Institute to make even more artwork (that's not featured in its own online collection) available for view.

Located in the town of Figueres in Catalonia, Spain, the Dalí Theatre-Museum is completely dedicated to the artwork of Salvador Dalí. It features many rooms and exhibits surrounding every era of Dalí's life and career, and the artist himself is buried here. The museum offers virtual tours of the grounds and a few exhibits.

NASA offers free virtual tours of the Langley Research Center in Virginia, as well as of Ohio's Glenn Research Center. The Space Center Houston also has an app that provides virtual tours, augmented reality experiences, and videos and audio stories about space exploration.

The Vatican Museums feature an extensive collection of important art and classical sculptures curated by the Popes over many centuries. You can take a virtual tour of the museum grounds and iconic exhibits, including Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel.

The mission statement of the National Women's History Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, is to educate, inspire, empower, and shape the future "by integrating women's distinctive history and culture in the United States." Part of that mission is delivered through well-curated online exhibits and oral histories.

As its name suggests, the National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force. Centered on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, it houses a wide array of military weapons and aircraft, including the presidential airplanes of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon. The museum also offers free virtual tours of its entire grounds, letting you glimpse objects like decommissioned aircraft from World War II, Vietnam, and the Korean War.

To help its users discover and view important artworks online in high resolution and detail, Google partnered with more than 1200 cultural institutions from around the world to archive and document priceless pieces of art and to provide virtual tours of museums using Google Street View technology. The Google Art Project features fine art from the White House, the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar, and even São Paulo street art from Brazil. Here's a complete list of museums you can visit virtually.

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12 World-Class Museums You Can Visit Online

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You don't have to leave your couch to take in a little culture. Find out which world-famous museums you can virtually visit today.

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Tá raon áiseanna agus gníomhaíochtaí digiteacha ar fáil ar an suíomh seo atá bunaithe ar a bhfuil ar fáil cheana sa chlár clóite agus ar forbairt iad ar ghnéithe ar leith den chlár sin.

Cruthaíodh an t-ábhar spreagúil seo chun cur ar chumas páistí forbairt a dhéanamh ar na scileanna teanga atá foghlamtha acu. Tá sé bunaithe ar an gcur chuige cumarsáideach agus déantar comhtháthú ann ar na trí shnáithe: teanga ó bhéal, léitheoireacht agus scríbhneoireacht.

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Tá raon áiseanna agus gníomhaíochtaí digiteacha ar fáil ar an suíomh seo atá bunaithe ar a bhfuil ar fáil cheana sa chlár clóite agus ar forbairt iad ar ghnéithe ar leith den chlár sin. Cruthaíodh an t-ábhar spreagúil seo chun cur ar chumas páistí forbairt a dhéanamh ar na scileanna teanga atá foghlamtha acu.

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Lots of Classic Poems...

And here are a whole lot more classic children's poems. These poems are also ranked by popularity (with the most popular ones at the top), so don't be surprised if they change position when you rate them.

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Classic Poems - Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.com

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And here are a whole lot more classic children's poems. These poems are also ranked by popularity (with the most popular ones at the top), so don't be surprised if they change position when you rate them.

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https://youtu.be/DA_SsZFYw0w

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Gaeilge

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Rolex replica introduced a new fake omega watch with red and blue color Cerachrom word circle, set the high-tech watches with 1955 original classic aesthetics in one. The outside world has been that cheap replica watches this color combination is not possible to ceramics, watches therefore appear to make a public table fans can be described as a dream come true.

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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Welcome Back! Classics for Kids has returned with our new Fun Facts videos, worksheets and lesson plans!https://youtu.be/7BjOMa7NvzIFun Facts: Marian Andersen https://youtu.be/OBnHXKNDqXUFun Facts: Yo-Yo Ma Explore More Composers Learn More Worksheets [...]

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Free Resources to Teach Your Child to Read

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Welcome To GoNoodle! GoNoodle gets kids moving to be their strongest, bravest, silliest, smartest, bestest selves. Join the party and get ready for a fun-filled day of dancing, stretching, running, jumping, deep breathing, and wiggling with GoNoodle. We post new videos every Sunday, Monday, and Thursdays!

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This is a live stream from Melbourne zoo.

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We're bringing the zoo to you!

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Virtual Zoo Tours

Enjoy a virtual tour of our three wonderful zoos.

Keeper talks

Join us every week for our animal keeper talk series where you can meet the keepers and learn more about the animals at our zoos.

NEW - Dingos of Healesville Sanctuary

Virtual animal encounters

Sit down and enjoy being transported to Healesville Sanctuary for the Wade with the Platypus or Werribee Open Range Zoo for a Giraffe Encounter!

While the community focuses on looking after people, we'll keep looking after wildlife - but we need your help.

Live animal cams

Check out the 24/7 live streams or watch the limited-time-only appearances from other special guests. If you missed it, you can catch up on what you missed by clicking back on the red line underneath the video.

Can't see the animals on the live cams? That's because our animals live in areas that are much bigger than what a camera can capture.

Resident live streams (running 24/7)

Otters at Melbourne Zoo

Welcome Paula, Odie and their Asian Small-clawed Otter family to Animals at Home! If you notice things getting a little rough in the den, don't worry, it's just Papa Odie teaching his new pups all about play wrestling!

Get to know our OTTERS

Paula - female, born June 3 2010 at Frankfurt Zoo

Odie - male, born January 15 2017 at Singapore Zoo

Murphy - male, born February 4 2020

Rodney - male, born February 4 2020

Gunther - male, born February 4 2020

Squid - female, born February 4 2020

Penguins at Melbourne Zoo

Feeding times

Between 9-10.30am and between 3-4pm daily (please note feeding times are subject to change)

Get to know our Fiordland Penguins

Edward - Has a cross beak and loves to be the centre of attention

Kim - Slightly smaller and has a straight beak

Fiordland Penguins are about three times larger than our Little Penguins and have yellow crests above their eyes.

Get to know our Little Penguins

Miss Wing (female) - Two white wing tags

Nippet (female) - Red and white wing tags

Wicket (Male) - Green and dark blue wing tags

Homer (Male) - Green and yellow wing tags

Giraffes Melbourne Zoo

FEEDing TIMES

8.45am, 12pm and 4pm daily (please note feeding times are subject to change)

Get to know our GIRAFFES

Nakuru (female) - Our biggest Giraffe. Eight years old, born in Auckland Zoo, New Zealand.

Klintun (male) - Our littlest Giraffe. One year old, born in Altina Wildlife Park in NSW.

Snow Leopard cubs (and mum, Miska!) at Melbourne Zoo

Feeding times

The cubs are usually fed sometime between 9am and 10am each morning.

Get to know THE CUBS

After a brief trip to explore a different habitat, Miska and her Snow Leopard cubs, Sikari, Manju and Asha, are back on Animals at Home. The three cubs, Sikari, Manju and Asha, were born on 26 January to first time mum Miska and dad Kang-Ju.

Zebras at Melbourne Zoo

If you can't see the zebras, they're probably off visiting their best friends - the giraffes!

FEEDING TIMES

8.15am, 12pm and 3.45pm daily (please note feeding times are subject to change)

Get to know our zebras

Chozi (male) - 12 years old, look our for his unusual stripe pattern on his legs.

Zuri (male) - 12 years old, Chozi's half brother and generally always with Chozi.

Kwasi (male) - Seven years old and has thick dark stripes and no shadow stripe (thinner grey stripes between black stripes).

Zaire (male) - Four years old and is the smallest and fluffiest.

Lions at Werribee Open Range Zoo

Meet the lazy African Lions of Werribee Open Range Zoo. How many can you spot?

Scroll down for more live animal cams...

Zoo Members, visit the VIP Zone now

Access other online content, virtual talks and behind-the-scenes content.

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Catch up on the limited-time-only live streams and keep an eye out for more special guest appearances to come!

The butterflies of Melbourne Zoo for Australian Pollinator Week!

Spinifex Hopping Mouse at Healeville Sanctuary

Meerkats at Melbourne Zoo

Red Pandas at Melbourne Zoo

Elephants at Melbourne Zoo

The Butterfly House at Melbourne Zoo

Meerkats of Werribee Open Range Zoo

Tree-kangaroos at Healesville Sanctuary

Savannah at Werribee Open Range Zoo

Otters at Melbourne Zoo

Echidnas at Healesville Sanctuary

Land of Parrots at Healesville Sanctuary

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Tree-kangaroos at Healesville Sanctuary

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We're on a mission to make you smile and Animals at Home may be just be the escape you need. Bring the zoo to life from anywhere around the world with live cams, keeper talks and other virtual updates. Enjoy a virtual tour of our three wonderful zoos.

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If you're on the hunt for new and exciting kids activities you can enjoy with your little ones, you'll love this collection of lego activities for kids!

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Switch Zoo features six free online games and an app to make new animals offline.

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Switch the animals' heads, legs, and tails to make your own switcheroos! Play Switch Zoo Online for free. Check out the Switch Zoo App for morphing animations, bigger pictures, and more features.

Switch Zoo Online Switch Zoo App

Build six of world's biomes by choosing the right plants, animal, temperature range, and precipitation for each. Get a postcard for each biome you build, and build them all to become a Biome Master.
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Reviews of Switch Zoo Online from magazines and web sites, as well as players' comments about the Switch Zoo App.

Switch Zoo visitors share funny and creative animal names, drawings, stories and poems about the animals, and comments about the zoo. Don't miss the fantastic drawings of combination animals created by 5th grade students.

Copyright © 2022 Tubehead. All rights reserved.

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Switch Zoo features six free online games and an app to make new animals offline. Switch Zoo music is 'performed' by animals! After listening, learn how the music was created. The resources page provides an overview of the activities and information at Switch Zoo. Switch the animals' heads, legs, and tails to make your own switcheroos!

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Our mission has always been to make learning easy and fun for young learners, and we feel there's never been a more important time to do this. That's why we're giving you 30 days' free access to the Reading Eggs and Mathseeds online learning programmes.

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Fine Motor Skills impact function and hand use in small motor tasks. You may have heard the term fine motor skills before. If you are familiar with occupational therapy, then you know that fine motor activities are an integral part of OT interventions. The hands play an important role in most occupations that we perform. From writing, to tying, getting dressed, feeding ones self...most of our day to day tasks involve using our hands. So, when fine motor control and dexterity impacts functional performance, it can be a reason to work on motor control of the hands.

Here, we are covering all aspects of fine motor skills when it comes to children. We're covering fine motor development, each aspect of fine motor skills, and fine motor activities that are rooted in play and learning to develop these essential skills of the hands.

What are Fine Motor Skills?

Fine motor skills are the refined movements and actions of the hands, fingers, and wrists that enable precision and dexterity of movement. Fine motor skills can be broken down into different motor components that impact the ability to use the hands in functional tasks and tool use.

Fine motor skills are necessary for every task that a child completes. From play, self-care, to managing clothing fasteners, and coloring, motor skill development is needed for every aspect. Fine motor skill development is essential to pencil grasp and handwriting. Fine motor skills make up a huge part of learning and the school day (Read about the various fine motor skills needed at school.)

Motor skills like pincer grasp and hand strength are essential for a child's development and ability to use their hands in small motor movements.

what are the fine motor skills

Fine motor skills are made up of several components of motor skills using the fingers and hands. Related, and an important piece of the fine motor puzzle, are the core stability, strength and positioning of proximal positioning, strength, and gross motor skills. Developmentally proximal positioning, strength and stability and motor skills enable distal mobility and coordination.

So, what are the fine motor skills that make up overall fine motor dexterity and skill work?

Fine motor skills are made up of various motor components. These sub-areas impact mobility, tool use, manipulation of objects, strength, and endurance. These examples of fine motor skills are needed for everyday tasks like cutting with scissors, tying shoes, fastening buttons and zippers, coloring, and holding a pencil.

Let's cover all of these fine motor areas in more detail:

Also called bilateral integration, the movements of both hands together in activities requires processing and integration of both hemispheres of the brain to enable both hands working together at the same time, or bilateral movements. Without bilateral coordination, a child might appear to be clumsy or drop items, use primarily one hand in activities, or switch hands during tasks that require a dominant hand and a helper hand. Development of bilateral coordination skills is powerful in functional skills like self-feeding, handwriting, self-dressing, grooming, and more.

Gross grasp- Gross grasp is used when squeezing all of the fingers shut around an object, like when holding the handle of a suitcase. Gross grasp is important in tasks like handwriting and scissor use. To do these activities, you need to squeeze your whole hand shut and maintain endurance to complete the activity. Development of hand arch and thumb web space is important for these functional skills and gross grasp plays a part.

1. Translation is using your fingers to moving a little item from your palm to your finger tips (or your fingertips to squirrel the item into the palm). When you hold a coin in your palm and manipulate it to your finger tips to push it into a piggy bank or vending machine, you are demonstrating palm-to-finger translation.

2. Shift is moving an object using the pads of your fingers...adjusting the pencil grip is demonstrating finger shift. Another example might be manipulating a button or a zipper with the finger tips.

3. Rotation is rolling an object using the fingertips. Examples of rotation are rolling a pencil in your fingertips, turning a pencil over to use the eraser, or opening a bottle top by rotating the lid on your finger tips.

These fine motor skills are needed for functional tasks like managing a pencil or crayon during handwriting, opening containers, managing coins or small items, manipulating a spoon/knife/fork, adjusting the paper when cutting with scissors, and fastening buttons or shoe laces.

Neat pincer grasp- Neat pincer grasp uses the tips of the thumb and pointer finger to stabilize objects. When using a pincer grasp, children use the pads of the thumb and finger to stabilize the object. Neat pincer grasp is used to pick up very small items such as perler beads, a thread from a surface, or a needle. You might see the tip-to-tip grasp to pick up a sequin or fuzz from clothing.

Open thumb web space- The thumb web space is that space between your thumb and pointer finger that makes an "O" when you make the "OK" sign. In order to grasp small items with your thumb and index finger, you need to oppose the tip of your thumb to the tip of your pointer finger. Not only do the tips of the fingers need to touch, but the thumb must rotate at the joint closest to your hand. This opposition is needed to manipulate and grasp small items like shoe laces, buttons, and zippers.

Separation of the sides of the hand- Separation of the sides of the hand refers to the imaginary line drawn from your wrist directly down the middle of your hand and between your ring finger and middle finger, separating the precision side of the hand (thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger) with the power side of your hand (pinkie finger and ring finger). These two sides work together in skilled activities with precision and power grasp in functional activities.

Eye-hand coordination- Eye-hand coordination, or Visual motor skills, refers to the coordination of visual input and the processing of that visual information for coordinated movement of the hands. These skills impact fine motor dexterity and motor movements in functional tasks for so many tasks while manipulating movements and objects. Eye-hand coordination is essential in handwriting, scissor use, threading beads, reading, throwing a ball, placing a cup on a shelf, coloring in lines, feeding, self-care, and much, much more.

Arch development- Arch support in the hand is related closely to the separation of the sides of the hand. Refinement of fine motor skills in the hand (the radial side) happens when the power half (the ulnar side) is stabilized. A functional fine motor grasp and manipulation of objects is more accurate when the ring and pinky fingers are flexed (bent) into the palm. This positioning stabilizes the MCP arch and allows for control of the pointer and middle fingers. Separation of the two sides of the hand allow for more precise use of the thumb. Hand separation starts when a baby bears weight through their arm and ulnar side of the hand while carrying a toy in the radial side. This simple activity developmentally lengthens the muscles of the ulnar side.

Thenar eminence strength (thumb side of the hand)- Separation of the sides of the hand divides the hand into halves. The thumb side has a fleshy mass below the base of the thumb called the thenar eminence. These muscles pull the thumb into a bent, flexed position and opposition. positioning stabilizes the MCP arch and allows for control of the pointer and middle fingers.

Hypo thenar eminence strength (pinkie side of the hand)- That same separation of sides divides the pinkie side of the hand. Along the length of the pinkie side is the power muscles which help with stabilization of the hand during precision tasks such as writing with a pencil or cutting with scissors. A cupped palm requires engagement of the hypothenar eminence in order to hold objects in the hand. Hand separation starts when a baby bears weight through their arm and ulnar side of the hand while carrying a toy in the radial side. This simple activity developmentally lengthens the muscles of the ulnar side.

Cylindrical grasp- A cylindrical grasp is one in which the whole hand is in contact with an object, and curved with thumb opposition. A common term for this grasp is gross grasp. A cylindrical grasp requires use and strength of the extrinsic muscles and intrinsic muscles of the hand in order to flex the fingers around curved objects. The thumb is positioned in flexion and abduction. A cylindrical grasp is needed in order to hold a broom handle, baseball bat, and ice cream cone.

Spherical Grasp- A spherical grasp is one in which the hand curves to hold a round or sphere-shaped object. The intrinsic muscles of the hands play a big part in this grasp. In order for the hand to curve, the metacarpal phalangeal joints need to abduct. Involved in this action are the interossei muscles and the hypothenar eminence. The interossei include the palmer interossei and the dorsal interossei. These allow the fingers to abduct and adduct in order to grasp smaller and larger sphere shaped objects. The hypothenar eminence includes three intrinsic muscles that allows the pinkie side of the hand to flex, rotate to oppose the thumb, and create the bulk of the pinkie side of the palm when curving around shapes like spheres.

Finger isolation- Finger isolation is the ability to isolate and use the fingers one at a time in functional tasks. Finger isolation is using one finger to perform a task. Pointing with the index finger, wiggling all of the fingers individually, and counting out the fingers on your hand are finger isolation. This finger isolation is needed for many functional activities, like dexterity in managing pencils, paintbrushes, and other tools, typing on a keyboard, tying shoes, finger games like "Where is Thumbkin?" and many other skills.

Core strength and stability- A weak core leads to weak fine motor skills distally. The engaged and strong muscles of the abdomen and upper body allow for strength and engagement of the upper arm, and in turn leads to dexterity and motor control of the hands. When the core is weak the hands can not effectively do their job to hold the pencil and manage tasks such as eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination, and in-hand manipulation.

Precision- precision refers to the fine movements of the hand. Precision release is needed for stacking blocks without toppling them over, placing cards on a pile, opening scissors just a small amount, or placing small beads into a bowl. Precision is needed for a child to let go of an item in a controlled manner. If they are not exercising precision in release, you might see them rolling or tossing an object as they let go. They will knock over a stack of blocks, or over open the scissors when cutting lines, making their accuracy very choppy. Precision in grasp is related to the picking up of items. A graded lateral grasp is needed to cut with scissors and only squeeze the scissors halfway shut for accurate cutting lines in some situations. Around 3-4 years, a preschool aged child typically develops a greater variety of grasping patterns, including precision. They begin to grade their scissor strokes so that they can cut a line or shape without opening and closing the scissors completely. Precision in this skill occurs when the child is able to pick up very small items like beads with accuracy and graded movements.

Shoulder stability- Proximal stability of the shoulder is needed to support and stabilize distal movements. Activities that challenge the shoulder against gravity such as working on an inclined surface can strengthen and stabilize the shoulder girdle.

These are just a few examples of fine motor skills that are essential for functional development and effective manipulation of tools.

Fine Motor Activities

Almost every activity you see here contains developmental information and explanations of what skills your child will be working on with the activities. I love to discuss the basics of playful activities and why it helps with developmental skills and functional tasks like handwriting, scissor skills, dressing, and shoe tying.

The fine motor skills that we share in the creative activities below are some of our favorite ways to play! Read specifics about building fine motor skills through play.

This page is a huge resource of fun ways to play and learn while working on fine motor skills. Most activities here are easy prep and use recycled materials or items you might find around the home. Occupational Therapists can use these activities in treatment and parents can do these projects at home for quiet time or developmental skill-building.
Add these fine motor activities to your therapy tool box:
One way to work on fine motor skills is to use one material for a variety of skill areas. We've put together some resources to just that! Try these specific tools to work on fine motor skill development in kids:

1. Fine motor development with clothespins

2. Fine Motor Activities with Play Dough

3. Fine Motor Activities with Paper Clips

4. Fine Motor Activities with Craft Pom Poms or Cotton Balls

5. Fine Motor Activities with Playing Cards

6. Fine Motor Activities with Beads

7. Fine Motor Activities with Chalk

Fine Motor Skills Activities for Kids

Click around for fine motor fun and learning. At the bottom of this post you'll find fine motor activities sorted by category.

Pencil Grasp Trick Thumb IP Flexion- This simple strategy builds hand strength, flexion of the thumb IP joint, opposition, and rotation of the thumb CMC joint for functional use and an open thumb web space.

Fine Motor Play Dough Intrinsic Muscle Strength- Work on hand strength of the intrinsic muscles using play dough balls. Work on finger isolation as well and endurance needed for functional tasks such as coloring and handwriting.

Pencil Control Exercises- Work on functional grasp and eye-hand coordination, or visual motor skills with these pencil control exercises that will impact handwriting legibility in big ways.

Benefits of Stickers in Occupational Therapy - Work on precision, strength, and dexterity, as well as other ways to build motor refinement using stickers.

Neat Pincer Grasp Fine Motor Activity- Address fine motor dexterity and precision with neat pincer grasp activity you can do right now.

Buttoning Tips and Tricks- Build the skills needed to fasten and unfasten buttons using this fine motor activity that works on opposition, eye-hand coordination, open thumb web space, separation of the sides of the hand, and more.

Travel Sensory Diet Bag- Use these fine motor activities to add proprioceptive input in the form of heavy work through the hands.

Homemade Pencil Grip - Improve tripod grasp, open thumb web space, thumb IP joint flexion, and eye-hand coordination using this DIY pencil grip.

DIY Pick-Up Sticks- Address precision, graded grasp and release, motor skills, and more.

Gross Grasp with Recycled Containers- Build hand strength, cylindrical grasp, opposition, translation, and even in-hand manipulation using objects you have in the home.

Finger Isolation Fingerprint Activities- Work on finger isolation, separation of the side of the hand, arch strength, and refined motor skills.

Hand Dominance and Fine Motor with Scooping and Pouring- Build eye-hand coordination, precision, grasp and release, laterality, directionality, hand dominance, shoulder stability, crossing midline, and motor planning skills.

Clothes Pin Exercises and Pinch Grasp Types- Improve pinch and grip strength, eye-hand coordination, grasp and release, arch development, separation of the sides of the hand, hand dominance, and bilateral coordination.

Homemade Pegboard Activities- Improve precision, visual motor skills, tripod grasp, open thumb web space, in-hand manipulation skills, and more.

Creative Scissor Skills Practice- Develop scissor skills and the graded grasp and release needed to operate scissors through a variety of paper textures and cutting lines. Also provides resources for the visual motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and wrist stability, proximal stability needed for distal mobility in scissor use.

Precision in Grasp and Release of Fine Motor Skills- Picking up and releasing small objects or objects of differing weights requires precision, proprioception, and grasp dexterity. Work on refinement of these skills with a simple material.

Chain Link Counters Color Sort- Address bilateral coordination, hand strength, eye-hand coordination, and pinch skills.

Handwriting Warm Up Exercises- Use play dough to work on pinch and grip strength, tripod grasp, eye-hand coordination, wrist strength and stability, open thumb web space, flexed thumb IP joint, and opposition.

Homemade Lacing Cards- Address bilateral coordination, wrist extension, open thumb web space, tripod grasp, pincer grasp, eye-hand coordination, and more.

Motor Planning Fine Motor Maze- Improve finger isolation, motor planning, eye-hand coordination, motor control and other skills.

Hand Strengthening Building Activity- This activity develops hand strength, arch development of the intrinsic hand muscles, pinch, and grip strength, endurance, arch development, and opposition, as well as motor planning and problem solving skills. It's a fantastic fine motor STEM activity for children.

Fall Leaves Craft- Work on eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination, pinch, grip, pincer grasp, wrist mobility and extension, and motor planning challenges.

Scarecrow Math Craft- Strengthen scissor skill development, eye-hand coordination, visual motor skills, direction following, motor skill development, and more.

Homemade Lacing Cards- Address bilateral coordination, wrist extension, open thumb web space, tripod grasp, pincer grasp, eye-hand coordination, and more.

Alphabet Discovery Bottles- Work on bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, pinch, grasp, and release.

Crayon shaving art- Work on finger isolation, hand strength, motor planning, arch development, wrist extension and stability, and more with this creative art activity kids won't forget!

Shape building- All you need are lollipop sticks to make this therapy tool! Work on hand eye coordination, motor planning, precision, grasp and release, problem solving, and more.

Dyed lollipop sticks- This activity helps with visual motor skill development, precision, grasp and release, and much more.

Block sculptures- Use blocks to work on grasp and release, precision, opposition at various grades, eye-hand coordination, motor planning, crossing midline, with an easy fine motor STEM activity.

Robin fine motor busy bag- Address tripod grasp and wrist extension with this fun feed the robin activity. Work on eye-hand coordination, grasp and release, open thumb web space, and more.

Cherry blossom patterns- Use a cherry blossom theme to work on precision, bilateral coordination, pincer grasp, eye hand coordination, open thumb web space, opposition, and hand strengthening skills.

DIY stacking cups - This activity helps with cylindrical grasp, motor planning, crossing midline, bilateral coordination, problem solving, wrist stability, proximal strengthening and stability, grasp and release, and motor planning skills.

Cotton Swab Letters- This coordination activity involves motor planning, eye-hand coordination, precision, grasp and release, and the ability to manipulate items located on a flat table surface.

Learn with Legos- Building with LEGO is such a powerful way to foster hand strength, manipulation skills, eye-hand coordination, and add heavy work through the hands and finger joints. Therapists often recommend using building blocks like LEGO to strengthen the hands, arch development, and adding heavy proprioceptive input through the hands.

Bubble Wrap Maze- Bubble wrap is another fine motor activity that offers heavy work feedback through the hands. It's a great way to fidget or to "wake up" the hands before a handwriting task. This bubble wrap activity also works on visual motor skills, coordination, and bilateral skills.

Foam Workout- This sensory play experience is a workout for the hands. Kids can make this sensory play material and work on upper extremity strength and coordination as well as stability needed for distal mobility. Especially addressed is wrist support and strengthening which enables a supported wrist when writing or cutting (or any fine motor manipulation activity).

Water Bead Sensory Box- This fine motor activity helps with manipulation skills of a slippery material so it can be a challenging eye-hand coordination, pincer grasp, and graded resistance task.

Handwriting With Cookie Cutters- Work on bilateral coordination, crossing midline with precision and a supporting hand, motor planning, and visual scanning across a midline.

Cursive Lines Fizzy Dough- Work on fine motor strength, arch development, opposition with resistance, eye-hand coordination skills, and more.

Empathy Beads- Threading beads is a great way to work on precision, eye-hand coordination, tripod grasp, bilateral coordination. Other skills that are addressed include pincer grasp, tripod grasp, open thumb web space, in-hand manipulation, and holding and manipulating loose objects within the palm of the hand.

Butterfly Craft- This fine motor craft challenges scissor skills with cutting a variety of resistances in papers. Work on placing materials to form the butterflies and picking up small pieces of paper against a flat surface. Glue skills are also challenged with this butterfly craft.

- Snap and connect blocks to work on hand strength, wrist stability against resistance, shoulder and elbow stabilization skills. This is a great way to work on fine motor strength and endurance. You'll find more Snap Block Light Sabers (Star Wars occupational therapy theme)Star Wars themed OT ideas in this post.

Handwriting with Foam Strips- Writing on a resistive surface offers feedback to improve strength and endurance when writing. The activity also builds motor planning skills.

Scissor Skills Flowers- Work on scissor skills with graded stopping and starting without cutting through a cupcake liner. This is a fine motor task that helps with scissor control and motor manipulation skills that carryover to many scissor skill tasks.

Caterpillar Math- Make a cute caterpillar craft with fine motor benefits!

Folded Paper Animals- Did you know that folding paper offers a powerful fine motor advantage? Skills addressed are finger isolation, graded resistance, finger strength, eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination skills, and much more.

Fine Motor And Auditory Fireworks- This fine motor exercise works on bilateral coordination, thumb strengthening, finger isolation, eye-hand coordination, and offers heavy work input with auditory processing benefits.

In Hand Manipulation Ideas for Kids- These fine motor ideas include different ways to build dexterity and in-hand manipulation skills. The activities challenge translation, rotation, and manipulation of small objects from the palm to the fingertips and the fingertips to the palm.

Color Matching with Play Dough- Work on separation of the sides of the hand, in-hand manipulation, and heavy work feedback with resistance to place paper clips into different colored play dough. This is a great hand strengthening activity that improves strength and stability in the wrist as well.

Feather Beading- This fine motor task helps with bilateral coordination, pincer grasp, tripod grasp, and motor planning skills.

Crayon Play Dough - Play dough offers great heavy work feedback through the hands, as well as strengthening and an opportunity for heavy work through the fingers and hands. This crayon play dough recipe adds bold and vividly colored play dough and silk smooth resistance that kids will love to make AND play with!

Fine Motor Play with Tissue Paper- This fine motor activity for toddlers and preschoolers adds an auditory feedback component to developing grasps. Work on eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination, motor planning, grasp and release of thin materials, and much more.

Golf Tee Hammering- Work on bilateral coordination, motor planning, hand eye coordination, strengthening of the shoulder and elbow. Hammering golf tees also offers wrist strengthening by holding the hammer in a neutral position against the resistance of hitting the hammer on the golf tee. This is a great fine motor activity that kids love!

Fine Motor Table Top Play with Tape - Working with tape offers a pincer and neat pincer task with resistance. When placing the tape, kids need to manipulate the sticky material and position it on the surface, building coordination skills and motor planning, bilateral coordination skills, and more.

More Fine Motor Activities

Pencil Control Worksheets - Build the motor planning skills needed to manipulate and maneuver a pencil within a writing space.

Manipulating Coins- Work on in-hand manipulation skills to hold and move coins from the palm of the hand to the fingertips and vice versa.

Pipe Cleaners Cardboard Box - Address bilateral coordination skills in a fine motor challenge that kids love. Work on shoulder and wrist stability as well as tripod grasp.

Icicle Scissor Skills- Work on scissor skills with a visual motor activity that helps kids with crossing midline, cutting simple shapes, and graded resistance.

Sunflower Craft- Pick up and manipulate handfuls of seeds with in-hand manipulation skills, arch development, and hand strengthening with this sunflower craft.

Even More Fine Motor Activities:

Need some specifics? Fine motor skills are essential for independence in handwriting and scissor skills.

Fine Motor Skills and Handwriting

Read more about fine motor skills and how they impact handwriting.

Fine motor skills are essential in the classroom, and they can impact learning. For more information, check out this resource on fine motor skills needed in the classroom.

Here is a resource on cursive writing, much of which requires pencil control, in-hand manipulation, and motor planning of fine motor movements in order to form letters. While there is evidence of cursive handwriting being a more efficient and functional form of written work in the child with dysgraphia or other handwriting concerns, there is a component of fine motor dexterity needed for cursive writing.

Fine Motor Skills and Scissor Skills

A s an occupational therapist, working on scissor skills with kids is one of my favorite goal areas. There are so many ways to get creative with modifications to paper, lines, and scissors. The fine motor activities that work on the muscles and dexterity needed for scissor use are fun, too! Stop back soon as we add new activities all the time.

Fine Motor Activities based on Skill Area:

How to Practice Fine Motor Skills

Simple activities that use the small muscles of the hand are ideal for practicing fine motor skills. While child development and age level plays a role in the practicing of fine motor activities, these fine motor practice ideas can be simple ways to develop hand strength, coordination, pinch, and dexterity:

Use tweezers to drop crumbled paper into a cup

Pinch, squeeze, and roll playdough

Manipulating clothing fasteners: zipping zippers, buttoning buttons, snapping snaps, connecting belt buckles, tying shoes

Placing beads into ice cube trays

Squeezing colored water with pipettes into cups

Tracing stencils

Cutting straws into small pieces and threading them onto a pipe cleaner

Cutting yarn and gluing it onto paper

Positioning rubber bands around small toys...and then taking the rubber bands back off again.

Playing board games. These board games are great for developing pencil grasp.

Why is Fine Motor Important?

We've already covered many of these areas, but in the world of occupational therapy, fine motor development is essential for functional participation. SO many daily tasks are impacted by fine motor development. This functional participation allows us to learn, grow, and interact with the world around them.

In children, fine motor skills allow them to experience the world around them.

Fine motor skills enable feeding- Development of fine motor skills through play enables grasp of food, utensils, and the ability to scoop food, hold a cup without spilling, cut with a knife, spread butter or peanut butter, cut food, use a fork. Other considerations include opening food containers, managing a lunch box, opening and closing plastic food baggies, holding a tray of food, and much more.

Fine motor skills enable grooming and hygiene- With the development of fine motor skills, we are able to hold grooming utensils such as combs and toothbrushes, squeeze toothpaste, pick up small objects, use tweezers, open containers, squeeze out a "just right" amount of shampoo, conditioner, or lotion, use and wash with a washcloth, manipulate and hold soap, and much more.

Fine motor skills enable handwriting skills- holding a pencil, using a functional pencil grasp, coloring, writing at the correct pencil pressure, erasing, and much more.

Fine motor skills impact scissor use- This includes holding scissors, cutting shapes, manipulating paper, cutting with correct speed, starting and stopping scissors at the appropriate place, and much more.

Fine Motor Skills and Clothing management- Getting dressed is greatly impacted by fine motor development. Tasks such as managing buttons, zippers, snaps, buckles, shoe tying, hair ties, and other clothing tasks require fine motor strength and dexterity.

This is only the beginning. Relatively every functional task that we do includes aspects of fine motor. Consider your daily tasks. In every way, fine motor skills are included in some manner or another. From seat belt buckles to typing a message on your phone. Fine motor activities are a part of every day, all day long.

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The OT's Guide to Fine Motor Skills - The OT Toolbox

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This massive collection of fine motor activities includes everything you need to know about fine motor skills in kids.

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Home Learning Resources

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Teacher's Pet - High Quality, Downloadable Primary Classroom Resources since 2010!

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Primary classroom resources, displays, mental health and wellbeing scheme activities, topic resources, PowerPoints, assessment, teaching ideas, inspiration and more at Teacher's Pet...

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https://www.themathsfactor.com/

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The Maths Factor : Homepage - make Carol Vorderman your child’s online maths tutor

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Unlock your child’s maths confidence with Carol Vorderman’s maths site for 4-11 year olds. Kids can watch her maths videos, play games practise and even make their own medals with the 30 Day Challenge!

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https://easypeasylearners.com/spring-do-a-dot-printables/

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Can't get enough of do a dot printables? We have another set to share with you, this time we are welcoming warmer weather with Spring Do a Dot Printables. Grab your favorite dot markers, print these pages and dab away.

Spring Do a Dot Printables

Use your favorite dot daubers and get busy daubing! These markers, along with these printables are great fine motor skill exercise and en hand eye coordination practice.

You can print two versions of this spring themed printable, one black and white (printer friendly) and one in full color.

Both versions include 4 different unique designs; lots of spring flowers, a butterfly, a ladybug and a busy bee.

Kids can either match the colors with their daubers or just use any colours they see fit.

You can also laminate these do a dot worksheets and have the kids color in the dots with dry erase markers.

Ready to give these fun filled printables a go? Just print and have fun with your kids.

You can get a black and white version here - Spring Dot Dauber Printables Black and White

And a full colored version here - Spring Dot Dauber Printable Full Color
More Fun Learning Printables for Preschool and Kindergarten
St. Patricks Day Do a Dot Printables - clovers, rainbows, coins and more

Love themed do a dot printables - love is in the air, these are great for V-day or just any time of the year.

Free printable alphabet book - work on their ABC's! A wonderful freebie.

Alphabet I Have, Who Has cards - fun game to practice the alphabet or beginning sounds.

Ten Frames Flash Cards - time to count.

Weather Flash Cards Freebie - let's learn about the weather.
Dot Daubers We Love
*affiliate links*

Do-a-Dot-Art! Markers - these are really great! Tried and tested by many educators and parents.

Dauber Dawgs - we are also fans of these. Such a fun name too don't you think?

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Can't get enough of do a dot printables? We have another set to share with you, this time we are welcoming warmer weather with Spring Do a Dot Printables. Grab your favorite dot markers, print these pages and dab away. Spring Do a Dot Printables Use your favorite dot daubers and get busy daubing!

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