Ideas for fun ways to help fine muscle control and therefore handwriting please!

[Budababe]

DS is 6 and his handwriting is not great. Teacher is worried. I am less so but want to help him. Teacher wants extra writing practice on top of normal homework which we are struggling with anyway so I would like some fun ways to help him.

I will dig out the play dough and encourage lego building. Will also encourage colouring.

Any other ideas please!

Threading beads on to string, not sure if a boy really wants to make a necklace though!

We were told to do painting (with brushes) and threading beads, not sure they are that much fun though (esp not threading!). That was when ds1 was in reception and could hardly hold a pen though, but he did improve after we started doing these.

We did a diary over the holidays, also some phonics practice which involved ds1 writing the missing letters in words, (e.g. picture of cat, with c_t written underneath, child fills in the a). I tried the writing exercises where he was supposed to write a whole line of letters but he found it too boring. Anyway, he si now doing a lot better than he was.

Boys' handwriting is notoriously slow to develop. Girls manage it much more quickly. If he's only 6, I wouldn't be too worried at the moment, but perhaps it would help to get one of those special handwriting pencils (have a triangular piece to help holding it correctly) and some books which have letters printed which the child then traces.

Glueing pasta and rice on to paper will probably be a ggod one and also threading pasta.

OK, will try and remember some of the handwriting games we used to play to build up muscle strength.

1. Place a tie / ribbon along edge of table, put right hand flat on table at very right hand side of it. Using thumb only, push (sort of scoop up) tie into a bundle under the hand.
2. Same sort of thing again, but this time tie stretches away from child across the table, use just fingers to scoop up tie.
3. Sit on chair, put hands on side of chair by bottom, try and lift yourself a couple of inches just using hands and arms, hold for as long as possible.
4. Windmill arms - arms out to side, start with very large circles, wind down into small circles (arms still stretched out to sides). Don't go too fast, its easy to do it fast, its very difficult to do it controlled and slowly.

For fine motor control
5) Get some 'sticky bubbles' (can't remember what they are called, but when you blow them they don't pop when they are touched like normal ones do) try and catch the bubbles one on each finger, try and stack them up on your finger tips.
6) Using tracing paper to recreate patterns.
7) Mazes (width of passages dependent on ability).
8) Forging signatures, especially to create notes from teachers!
Can't think of anymore right now.

hama beads?
Also I think cutting out with scissors is supposed to be helpful.

Forging signatures!!!! WriggleJiggle! I was at least 10 before I managed that!!!! Reckon I could still do my Mum's even now!

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

"Write from the Start" its a set of about 400 photocopible sheets that have been designed by an occupational theraphist. It is a lot of drawing colouring exercises which are designed to improve the strength in the hands, visual perception, concentration. There are no letters and my son's writing has really improved using it.

See this thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/2403/402234

Playdough and forming the letters with a finger in sprinkle four is fun

baking
you write out the ingredients list in the beastly cursive writing in faint pencil. he has to trace over it before any choclate muffns can be made! worked for me just now with my ds.

alpahbet or phonics tree he has to draw the letters / sounds and cut them out (about 10p sizes of paper) and then stick them on the branches that you have drawn. the scissor use is as good. did this yesterday when they were ill at home

Hama beads, pinching/kneading/rolling sausages of playdoh, finger warm up exercies such as
thumb to meet each finger in turn and back again,gaining speed
spreading hands out on tableand tapping each finger like a piano,
making links out of thumb and forefinger and interlocking with those other hand, hodl for 10
use a clothes peg or elastic band to resist the finger/thumb opening and closing

How about some Transformer toys?

Thanks for all the suggestions - will pick out the ones I can bear more fun ones to try!

We have one Transformer toy and it drove ME mad let alone DS!

He made a fab space ship from Lego tonight so that counts!

I've used an Etch a Sketch and the Operation Game with my Dyspraxic 9 year old - Operation Game (it's the thing where you have to pick up tiny bits of the body with tweezers withoout touching the sides or a buzzer goes off) is incredibly frustrating for him but I just have to make sure I get lots of buzzes as well to compensate. Etch a Sketch was recommended by OT - lots of fine-motor twiddly movement and good fun. I've even learned to write my name on it!

on the subject of tweezers , ds had to use some to pick out small toys (like Christmas cracker sized) and beads buried sand (iirc) against the clock and between containers. Also match coloured pegs into patterns, using a peg board, again timed.

Popping bubble wrap is great for fine motor control. First pop between thumb and index finger, then thumb and forefinger, then ring finger etc.

Also, rainbow writing. Write his name on a sheet of paper (quite large letters) and get him to trace over it in red pencil, then green, then yellow etc etc. It will look like a rainbow and he will enjoy doing it!

Will try and think of some more