27 mei 2020
Mothers, raise your hands when you have said these words. Dare I guess most of you are talking about your son?
I've been here, I understand. What I remind parents, including myself, are these few things:
- Everyone avoids things that are difficult. All. Your child probably doesn't like to sit still long enough to color, cut or draw. There is also a chance that your child's hand development is immature, meaning he or she may not like using their pinching fingers to hold the marker/crayon or operate the scissors.
- Motivation is key. Change the material. Change the activity. Bath crayons or paint are a favorite in my house. Imagine your child saying, "What did you say, Mom? I can color on the wall?" when you hand them the paint or crayons in the bathtub. Rinsing off the pictures after bathing is good hand and arm exercise, while drawing on a vertical surface puts their wrists in an optimal writing position. Cutting Styrofoam cups, magazines, junk mail, or tissue paper is SO much more fun than cutting paper. When squeezing with tweezers, the same muscles and hand movements are used as when cutting with scissors.
- Quality over quantity. It is an advantage to draw 2 figures with a good grip on a colored pencil. It is an advantage to cut 2 minutes. It's fun to make an activity fun by allowing motion breaks: scroll to get the crayons, or cut only when the music is on and stop when the music pauses! This creates quality time and provides a positive experience with a task that your child would otherwise not enjoy.
Try not to stress about withdrawal by practicing these important fine motor skills. When you provide these fun opportunities, the skills will come naturally. Talk to a pediatric occupational therapist if concerns persist; they may be able to provide new ideas or find an underlying cause for the problem.
