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This blog discusses how to successfully use apps in conjunction with traditional activities. It also provides a list of suggested apps to use.

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Most early childhood classrooms are stocked with blocks, crayons, puzzles, and many other tools that support fine motor development. With the iPad becoming ubiquitous across all subject areas in the classroom, does this mean that the manipulatives and toys we once loved no longer have a place in the classroom and will begin to collect dust? One big question continues to pop up: should we replace traditional fine motor development activities and exercises for iPad apps?

The answer is absolutely not! Just as a marathon runner does not simply run to prepare for a marathon, the iPad cannot be the only thing used to support fine motor development. The iPad is simply one tool. However, using the iPad to support fine motor development has its benefits, including:

1. At a very basic level, apps are simple video games that require hand-eye coordination and motor control.

2. Increased engagement - you can download many different apps that support fine motor development.

3. Build visual and spatial awareness at the same time.

4. With iPads being omnipresent across education and daily life, students who struggle with small hand movement need additional support in order to become successful with this type of technology in future settings.

Hands-on Fine Motor Activities

Finger painting

Drawing in sand or shaving cream

Completing a puzzle

Playing with snap cubes or LEGOs

Cutting

Picking up items with tweezers

Coloring

Lacing

Buttoning clothes

Fine Motor Apps

Dexteria Jr.($2.99) - Students can choose from three activities that focus on different hand movements. The app contains different levels for each activity which provides for continued engagement.

Dexteria ($3.99) - Practices similar skills as Dexteria Jr, but meant for a slightly older audience. "Write it" portion works on letter and number formation.

Uncolor for iPad ($0.99) - This app is great for children that are not ready to use one finger. Perfect to start with children who struggle with small hand movement.

Bubbles ($0.99) - Children track bubbles and tap to pop.

Bugs and Buttons ($2.99) - 18 different games that help build fine motor and visual-spatial awareness.

Lazoo Squiggle (Free) - Children draw squiggles to make cars go, fish swim, and decorate cakes.

Do as Me ($2.99) - Adults model letter formation or shape formation and the student traces what they wrote. Provides instant feedback.

Here is my advice when considering using apps to support fine motor development:

1. Use the app in conjunction with other activities that build similar muscles. For instance, use the app in a fine motor rotation. Rotations can include building with snap cubes, lacing string through a lacing car, and the Bugs and Buttons app.

2. Don't just hand the child the iPad and walk away. Interact with the child while they are working. This is a great way to observe where a child might be struggling.

3. Do not use the iPad and individual activities for an extended period of time. Try using an app for 5-10 minutes then move onto a different activity that supports the same skill. Similar to the rotation idea, have children practice pinching in the Dexteria Jr.app and then work on similar hand motions by having the child move objects from one bowl to another with tweezers.

4. Make sure to develop visual motor as well as fine motor. Find apps that have children track objects with their eyes. The Bubbles app has children tracking the bubbles so they know where to pop.

5. Choose apps that build fine motor skills in different ways. In the Dexteria apps, children are pinching, tracing, and squishing.

6. Try and find apps with varying levels of difficulty. Children are able to control their learning experience by completing different levels at their own pace. The Dexteria Jr. apps has more complex tracing patterns for children to complete once they feel more comfortable and confident with the task.

7. Remember when looking at apps, something may be intended to work on a different academic skill, but it could also build fine motor skills at the same time. Make sure to look across all subject areas in the app store. In the Candy Count (free) app children have to sort different types of candy. This is a great app to support sorting and color recognition, but it is also suitable for building fine motor. Children have to drag the candies into different jars.

Technology is an ever-changing landscape. Make sure to follow our fine motor Pinterest board to see what latest developments and apps are out there!

Looking for more ways to integrate technology and hands-on activities with your students or children? Check out our Blending Hands-on and Digital Learning blog series.

Also, take a look at Stages' cube puzzles; another great manipulative to support fine-motor development.

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Using Apps to Support Fine Motor Development

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Most early childhood classrooms are stocked with blocks, crayons, puzzles, and many other tools that support fine motor development. With the iPad becoming ubiquitous across all subject areas in the classroom, does this mean that the manipulatives and toys we once loved no longer have a place in the classroom and will begin to collect dust?

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This blog is a dad's experience with his three children, good and bad, and how he copes with them. This could be a good resource for parents to see that other people are experiencing similar things that they are.

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Kid Ability Summer Camps: Get Your Motor Running

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Kid Ability Summer Camps: Get Your Motor Running

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This camp focuses on a lot of different skills and combining those skills to create more complex skills. This link includes all of the contact information and everything you need for it.

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This summer Kid*Ability is offering camps that fuse gross motor, fine motor, sensory processing, and social communication skills that include: *Stretching and strengthening with Yoga based exercised *Activities to enhance handwriting and other dexterity skills *Pairing communication skills with motor activities *Gross motor and play skills A snack will be provided at the end of each camp! Each Camp is directed by a licensed Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Speech/Language Pathologist. Meets every Wednesday 10:00-11:15 am or 1:00-2:15 pm from June 11th through July 30th

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Kid Ability Summer Camps - Get Your Motor Running

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This summer Kid*Ability is offering camps that fuse gross motor, fine motor, sensory processing, and social communication skills that include: *Stretching and strengthening with Yoga based exercised *Activities to enhance handwriting and other dexterity skills *Pairing communication skills with motor activities *Gross motor and play skills A snack will be provided at the end of each camp!

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This camp has different programs and camps year round for all types of disabilities, including autism. Their summer camp includes activities such as archery, canoeing, and everything outdoors.

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Camp High Hopes offers year-round therapeutic recreation programs and respites in Sioux City, IA designed to enrich the lives of youth and adults with diagnosed disabilities, chronic illnesses, and other special needs. Our specialized programs include experiences in archery, canoeing, and nature education, among others, for individuals and groups with Autism, Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and other intellectual and physical disabilities.

Coming from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, campers arrive with anticipation and excitement, leaving with smiles, new friends, and fond memories for years to come. Thanks to the support from our community, donors, parents, volunteers, and partners, we are able to continue to offer life-changing therapeutic recreation activities to the individuals who need them the most. Camp High Hopes is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of youth and adults who have special needs. Camp High Hopes is accredited by the American Camp Association.
Click here to learn more about our upcoming Miles for Smiles Poker Run!
The mission of Camp High Hopes is to provide fun, safe, and adaptive recreational experiences for children, teens, and adults with disabilities, special needs, and chronic illnesses.

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Camp High Hopes offers year-round therapeutic recreation programs and respites in Sioux City, IA designed to enrich the lives of youth and adults with diagnosed disabilities, chronic illnesses, and other special needs. Our specialized programs include experiences in archery, canoeing, and nature education, among others, for individuals and groups with Autism, Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and other intellectual and physical disabilities.

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Strategies for Supporting Social Skill Development

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Strategies for Supporting Social Skill Development

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This website talks about how students with autism have the desire to interact with their peers, but often times lack the necessary skills of doing so and provides a good list of ways to teach these skills.

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School Community Tool Kit

September 2, 2018

Supporting social interaction is an important piece of the student's educational plan. Student's with autism often have the desire to interact with others, but do not have the skills to engage appropriately or may be overwhelmed by the process. Some students are painfully aware of their social deficits and will avoid interactions even though they desperately want to connect with others. Others will engage in attention seeking behavior to connect with others until they build the skills they need to interact. Social development represents a range of skills, including timing and attention, sensory integration and communication, that can be built and layered to improve social competence. Building competence will result in further interest and interaction.

Here are some strategies to support social skill development in your students with autism:

Reinforce what the student does well socially - use behavior-specific praise (and concrete reinforcement if needed) to shape pro-social behavior.

Model social interaction, turn taking and reciprocity.

Teach imitation, motor as well as verbal.

Teach context clues and referencing those around you (for example, 'if everyone else is standing, you should be too!').

Break social skills into small component parts, and teach these skills through supported interactions. Use visuals as appropriate.

Celebrate strengths and use these to your advantage. Many students with autism have a good sense of humor, a love of or affinity for music, strong rote memorization skills, or a heightened sense of color or visual perspective. Use these to motivate interest in social interactions or give a student a chance to shine and be viewed as competent and interesting.

Identify peers who model strong social skills and pair the student with them. Provide peers with strategies for eliciting communication or other targeted objectives, but be careful not to turn the peer into a teacher strive to keep peer interactions as natural as possible.

Create small lunch groups, perhaps with structured activities or topic boxes. (The group to pulls a topic out of a box and discusses things related to this topic, such as 'The most recent movie I saw was...' This can be helpful for students who tend to talk about the same things all the time since it provides supports and motivation and the benefit of a visual reminder of what the topic is.)

Focus on social learning during activities that are not otherwise challenging for the child (for example, conversational turn-taking may not occur if a child with poor fine motor skills is being asked to converse while cutting.)

Support peers and student with structured social situations. Define expectations of behavior in advance. (For example, first teach the necessary skill, such as how to play Uno, in isolation, and then introduce it in a social setting with peers.)

Teach empathy and reciprocity. To engage in a social interaction, a person needs to be able to take another's perspective and adjust the interaction accordingly. While their challenges may distort their expressions of empathy, people with autism often do have capacity for empathy. This can be taught by making a student aware - and providing appropriate vocabulary - through commentary and awareness of feelings, emotional states, recognition of others' facial expressions and non verbal cues.

Use social narratives and social cartooning as tools in describing and defining social rules and expectations.

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Autism and Social Skills Development | Autism Speaks

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School Community Tool Kit September 2, 2018 Supporting social interaction is an important piece of the student's educational plan. Student's with autism often have the desire to interact with others, but do not have the skills to engage appropriately or may be overwhelmed by the process.

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This is a nice video that shows one way of teaching how to recognize and respond to emotions. It is a TV show, but it is still a great example of how this could work. She does a really nice job of taking what's going on in the clips to the next level and providing a deeper understanding.

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Teaching Social Skills Responses To Emotions │Autism

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Maze books, Word Searches, Eye Spy Books

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Maze books, Word Searches, Eye Spy Books

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It is very important to keep activities like this in the home so the student can work on visual skills while also having fun. Doing paper/pencil tasks like these will not only help with visual perceptual skills, but also hand coordination at the same time. These activities help to improve problem-solving skills.

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Sensory bottles are a great "calm down" tool for when the child gets riled up. The little things you put in it, such as glitter, move slowly through the water and mesmerize the children which helps to slow their breathing down and help regulate their emotions. This is a great tutorial video of how to make one.

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How to make a Sensory Bottle | Easy + Quick | DIY