Supplies:
- Play Dough
- Sticky Notes
- Writing Utensil
Set-Up Prior to Child Engagement:
- Adult writes 5-10 sight words on sticky notes and hides the sticky notes around the room
- Adult sets a ball of play-dough next to a writing utensil on a non-stick floor or table
Procedure:
- Child looks for one sight word tag.
- Depending on their abilities, a child can either physically bring the sight word tag or just read it/memorize it before going to the play-dough.
- Child flattens play-dough.
- Child writes sight word in the play-dough with the back of a writing utensil
- After writing the sight word, the child squishes the playdough back into a ball to “erase”the word.
- Repeat steps 1-5 for as long as the child is engaged or for a specific number of words (ex: five assigned for homework).
Benefits:
- Energize– Incorporating motor movements in between demanding fine motor tasks will help kids Energize their bodies and brain to sustain attention and participation
- Activate – Searching for sticky notes improves visual scanning of the environment. To make it more difficult, add uneven surfaces and obstacles in order to get to sticky notes to build dynamic postural control.
- Activate – Resistive fine motor activities such as writing in playdoh build strength and coordination for dynamic pencil control
- Activate– Memorizing short words with low time/space demand improves sequential visual memory skills.
- Restore – Proprioceptive (muscle and joint) input when flattening and making play-dough into a ball can improve emotional regulation as well as give more feedback to the muscles and joints of the hand to improve fine motor control.
- Restore– Movement in rhythm and with added blow toys/breathing opportunities between repetitions promotes recovery from skill demands
