Resources. I have a lot of interesting things to discuss with you today, so I need to get over the legiLiners. Dollar Tree OT is one of the things I frequently teach. You can purchase occupational therapy supplies at the dollar store. This is merely a list. You can use it as a resource items that you can use for OT fine motor exercises. Stickers, dry erase boards, clothes pins, Play-Doh, shoelaces, beads, push pins, paper clips, tweezers, hole punchers, straws, pom poms, golf t-shirts, hair elastics, shaving cream, bubble wrap, Q-tips, playing cards, disposable cups for sorting and stacking, tongs, chopsticks, lint remover, rollers, index cards, rubber bands, and ice cube trays. I adore ice cube trays.

Ideas include Velcro, balloons, blow toys, bubbles, and many others. This list is four pages long. The dollar store offers sixty different items for fine motor exercises. It's not just the list, either. Activities include things like shoelaces. You can practice tying shoes. You can practice weaving the shoelaces through a hole-punched card and adding beads to the shoelaces. After punching holes in a card, you can begin sewing. Another option is to use pool noodles and wrap them in rubber bands. You can cut the pool noodle and attach it to a string or rope. You can push golf tees into it. The golf tee can be used to balance a tiny puffball that has been forced into the pool noodle slice. Just many different ideas like that. Practice dressing, shaving cream, socks, and dry erase. It's a fun resource. OT suggestions for a fine motor kit. I wholeheartedly endorse the creation of a fine motor kit.

The top ten things you should have in your fine motor kit include a clothespin or tweezer of some sort, scissors, putty or Play-Doh, shoelaces, beads, dice, mini tops, cards, fidgets, and Wikisticks. I included a couple extras. Stickers, hole puncher, tennis ball buddy, and push pins.

This is another source of fun fine motor exercises and things you should have in your kit. Place everything in a pencil box, shoe box, or similar container. Additionally, before sitting down to practice handwriting, your students can complete a fine motor exercise as part of the handwriting warm-ups.

Please view the following video for more details: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3iUnCNJ5W8  

I have a bunch of fun things to share with you today. One of the things that I often teach is “Dollar Tree OT." This is a workshop on occupational therapy tools you can get at the dollar store. I have a list, and it is a resource for you.

These are things you can use for OT from the Dollar Tree for fine motor activities: clothespins, stickers, dry erase boards, Play-Doh, shoelaces, beads, pushpins, paper clips, tweezers, a hole puncher, straws, pom-poms, golf tees, hair elastics, shaving cream, bubble wrap, Q-tips, playing cards, disposable cups for stacking and unstacking, sorting tongs, chopsticks, lint remover rollers, index cards, rubber bands, and ice cube trays. I love ice cube trays. They are great for sorting and keeping small items from rolling away.

There are also bubbles and blow toys, Velcro, balloons, and lots of different ideas. I have over four pages here with 60 different things you can get at the dollar store to do fine motor activities.

And it’s not just the list. There are activities included, too. For example, it might say “shoelaces.” With shoelaces, you can work on shoe tying. You can work on putting beads on the shoelaces, and then you can also weave the shoelaces through a hole-punched card. You take a card, hole punch it, and then you can do sewing.

You can also use pool noodles. You can put rubber bands around the pool noodles. The pool noodle can be sliced and strung onto a rope or string. Golf tees can be pushed into it. A small puffball that has been pushed into the pool noodle slice can be balanced on the golf tee.

There are just a lot of various concepts like that. You can use socks, shaving cream, practice dressing skills, or dry-erase activities with the socks. It’s an entertaining resource.

OT Ideas for a Fine Motor Kit

Making a fine motor kit is something I strongly support. Your students can perform handwriting warm-ups by doing a fine-motor exercise before sitting down to practice the actual handwriting.

A clothespin or tweezer of some kind, scissors, putty or Play-Doh, shoelaces, beads, dice, mini tops, cards, fidgets, and WikkiStix are among the top ten items you should have in your fine motor kit. I added a few extra ideas, including pushpins, stickers, a tennis ball buddy, and a hole puncher. 

Put all those items in a shoebox, pencil box, or similar container. Don’t forget your LegiLiners!

For additional information, please watch the following video: https:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3iUnCNJ5W8

Causes of messy writing include fine motor skills and visual motor integration, which is the process of vision combining with motor skills. When lighting is low or vision is impaired, the ability to perform a motor skill decreases.

For example, if I am writing a note in a dark room, I must look closely and use glasses to ensure my pencil is placed correctly and letters do not overlap. These factors similarly affect children when their vision and motor skills do not combine properly.

A student may have a cognitive deficit, developmental delay, brain injury, or simply be too young. We should investigate why poor motor or thinking skills are contributing to poor handwriting. They may also have learning disabilities or physical conditions.

The writing environment, such as poor lighting or stress and fatigue, also plays a role. In the video, the boy was leaning over and yawning because he was tired from after-school sports, and his parents faced time and financial constraints regarding therapy.

All of these factors contribute to messy writing.

For additional information, please watch the following video: https://youtu.be/7HZ6TzpQF-E