Toss the ballon. Read the letter.

I introduced a balloon tossing game on a previous blog post, which was published on March 6th 2015. That was a group game. Two groups of kids toss a balloon to each other and try to tell the alphabet letter that was attached to the balloon.

This is another balloon tossing game.  The child is instructed to toss the balloon with her hand and tell one letter at a time when she toss the balloon.  This is a great and simple eye-hand coordination activity.  However, it can be not too easy.  The child has to locate the balloon and hit the balloon with her hand.  At the same time, she has to spot one letter and read it out loud.  If things are happening all at the same time, you know it may not be easy to handle.  It doesn't mean that the child cannot do the activity.

So can this activity be modified? Of course!!  These are the things that you can change to make it a little bit easier.

1) Size of the balloon: Make the balloon bigger.  Therefore, child can track the balloon and toss it easily.

2) Less number of the letters on the balloon: Do not write so many letters on the balloon.  Less number of letters will be easy to spot one at a time.

3) Draw shapes: If child did not master all the letters yet, start with different shapes.

4) Use colors: You can write letters with different color markers.

5) If you want to make it more fun or more sensory, you can drop some beans or uncooked rices in the balloon.  It will make some sounds each time your child toss the balloon.

Enjoy playing~!  

Swap the scarves!

This is a fun game which encourages visual skills, eye-hand coordination, and motor coordination skills.

A simple rule! Throw your scarf and catch your partner's scarf. Swap the scarves.

It looks simple but you have to try this with your child. Throwing the scarf and looking at the other scarf to catch it at the same time is not too easy, especially for younger children.

Enjoy playing~!

Light Writing

Follow the light and figure out what letter I am writing!

This is a visual tracking activity, which also enhances visual attention.  Use a LED pen light through a piece of paper and write a letter or shape. 

(You have to write the letter reversed way for children to see it in the right way in front of you.)  

This is my first graders and I gave them one letter each time.  Then they write the letter on the lined paper.  I would like to encourage younger kids to use the lined paper as much as possible when they are writing.  

Then I ask them to write the word with the light without looking at the light, just to reinforce memorizing the word.

For younger kids who do not know alphabet letters yet, try shapes.  If kids have difficulty with following the light with eyes only, let them follow the light with their index finger first.  Moving their hands and arms will give kinetic sensory input in their little brain and enhance learning.  

Have fun!

Alphabet Plate

This is the alphabet plate which my OT friend introduced to me. And I like it as much as my kids do.

You can simply write down letters randomly on a paper plate and need a penny.

 

These are my kindergarten kids and they're trying to maneuver the dish, side to side and up and down, to move the penny from A to Z.  Find alphabet letters in order.






Then they spell sight words on the plate.  They put their index finger on the penny and move around on the plate.

Remember. This activity looks simple but kids may show some difficulty. I would like to suggest parents to try it first and feel how it is easy or difficult.

Enjoy playing~!

Worksheets can be FUN!

Worksheets! Sounds boring? Not really!

I would like to introduce some fun worksheets.  A few weeks ago, one of my OT colleagues introduced this website, "Inner Pieces Gallery."  You can find many free printable worksheets and a list of suggested children's books.  

Before my kids begin a worksheet, we read the instructions together. Then I ask them to do it without further explanation.  If they follow through the instructions without difficulty, that's great!  If not, here is how I break it down to make things a little easier.  

The following worksheet is one of the visual tracking activities.  You have to circle the round shape smiley faces on each line without picking up your pencil in the middle.  This can be a pre-writing activity as well.  

Here I make a dot in the beginning of each line to tell my kids where they should start and demonstrate how they should follow through without lifting their pencil.

Then kids will try to draw circles around the round shape smiley faces on each line.

This step is not part of the worksheet but I add in to it just to challenge their visual skills and task attention.

I ask kids to stamp the dot on the empty circle on each line.

They will count the round shape smiley faces that they circled on each line.  They have to remember that they do not count the colored ones.     

The second part of this activity sheet is solving a puzzle.  The number from each line has a corresponding letter.  So kids will find out a phrase by solving the puzzle.  

Go on the "Inner Pieces Gallery" and sign up to get free printable worksheets.  The worksheets on the Inner Pieces Gallery are FUN!!

Are you ready to have fun with your kid? Enjoy~!