Lend a Helping Hand to Strengthen Our Little Hands
My students need materials like Imagination Builders, dough kits, and Geostix which require squeezing, scooping, molding and building to strengthen fine motor skills through play.
Kindergarten through second grade lay the solid foundation necessary for successful learning in other grades. My ten students with special needs receive instruction in both the inclusion class (20 students in kindergarten, 20 students in first grade, and 15 students in second grade) and the special education class.
Aloha from the beautiful state of Hawaii where we seek to empower our students through education!
Our school is located in a predominantly rural, low-income neighborhood with a considerable portion of the children being of native Hawaiian and/or Pacific Island ancestry. With the financial challenges impacting their lives, my students do not always come to school ready to learn. More importantly, my students have diverse learning styles. Although they may not have the materials needed or a foundation of early learning experiences, they do possess a strong desire to learn!
My Project
Fine motor skills lay the foundation for many important skills that are essential to the development of early literacy, numeracy, and self-help skills. Students who have difficulty with fine motor activities often experience frustration and poor self-esteem because they are unable to perform everyday tasks as well as their peers. Many students with fine motor challenges will avoid participating in these activities due to frustration, fatigue, or fear of failure. This produces a negative cycle where the students have fewer opportunities to practice and improve their fine motor skills. I want to change this negative cycle by creating individualized activities based on students’ interests.
I want to make these activities fun and meaningful thereby promoting positive learning outcomes.
The Tweezer Tongs Color Sorting kit, Tweezer Tongs, Squeeze, Scoop and Count Ice Cream Shop, Little Hand Fine Motor Tools, Geostix, Translucent Imagination Builders, Beginner’s Hammer Kit, Getting Ready to Write Gumball Grab, Classic Clay and Dough Designer Kit, Lean Alphabet Dough Mats, and Messy Mats will promote strong fine motor skills in fun and exciting ways. These materials will not only strengthen their fine motor skills, but develop their self-esteem as they transition to developing their literacy and numeracy foundation. Lend you helping hand to strengthen our little hands!
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