Strategies for working on Developmental Skills

The following is how we have worked on different skills through out this school year. All the children have worked on every area even if they did not have goals for that area.

Fine Motor

Fine motor skills involving using your hands to manipulate objects and being able to isolate fingers appropriately. Many of the skills we work on will help get the students ready to write when they get older.

· Playdough

· Coloring

· Puzzles

· Painting (finger and paint brush)

· Putting small objects into a container

· Small blocks

· Pegs

· Shape sorters

· Stacking rings and cups

· See and Say

· Busy boxes

Gross Motor

Gross motor skills involve our large muscles. These skills help us move around our environment safely. Please monitor your children when they are learning a new skill or are not steady on their feet.

· Balls (throwing, rolling, catching)

· Trampoline

· Climbing stairs

· Slides

· Running

· Walking (even surfaces, uneven surfaces, going up and down hills)

· Jumping

· Playing on playground equipment

· Climbing in and out of objects

· Rolling on therapy/yoga balls

· Crawling (through tunnels, around objects)

Cognitive

Cognitive skills involve our ability to think and solve problems.

· Puzzles

· Shape sorters

· Stacking rings and cups

· Matching (like objects, similar objects, colors, shapes, sizes, objects)

· Sorting (colors, shapes, size, objects)

· Cash register

· Blocks

· Finding hidden objects

· Appropriate play

Social

Social skills are our ability to interact with others.

· Eye contact

· Imitating actions

· Playing near other people

· Turn taking

· Sharing

· Waiting for a turn

· Staying with the group

Receptive Language

Receptive language is our ability to understand what is being said to us.

· Responding to their name

· Following simple directions (with and without visual cues)

· Pointing to/getting named objects or people

· Pointing to objects by attribute (size, shape, color)

· Understanding simple prepositions (in, on)

Expressive Language

Expressive language is our ability to communicate our wants and needs, whether it is by gestures, signs, pictures, or words. We have been focused on core vocabulary, which are high frequency words that can be used throughout the day (want, go, stop, my turn, help, etc.)

· Pointing to or touching desired item

· Bring person to desired item

· Imitating sounds and words (include signs and pictures)

· Using one word, sign, or picture to make request or comment

· Using short phrases to make requests.