How to: Use Food to Develop Fine Motor Skills
As a school-based occupational therapist I implement interventions based on the individual needs of each student. These interventions may consist of activities to increase muscular strength, endurance, crossing midline skills, bilateral coordination skills, self-care skills, gross motor and fine motor skills. Each of these underlying skills is necessary to complete tasks such as cutting, writing, shoe-tying, and playing. It can be difficult to plan and motivate students to complete therapy activities; however, I have found one thing that motivates all of my students – FOOD!
Any time I implement food in therapy activities, the students are ecstatic (even when they don’t get to eat the food). I am able to get their full attention and see their best work! The best part is, the foods used are cheap, come in bulk, and most of them are on the school’s “safe food” list. Using food in therapy, we can work on all of the skills mentioned above. Below are 5 easy, cheap and fun ways to implement food into fun activities!
1. Make Jewelry
Materials:
Cheerios, Froot Loops, String or Pipe Cleaners
Directions:
String the cereal onto the string and/or pipe cleaner, randomly or in a pattern. When finished, knot the ends of the pipe cleaner/string together to form a bracelet or necklace.
Skills used:
Bilateral coordination, grasp, color recognition, and sensory processing (touch and smell).
2. Make a Sensory Bin
Materials:
Dry beans, small cups, spoons, dice
Directions:
Roll the dice. Pick up that number of beans with the spoons and pour them in small cups. The one with the most beans wins the game.
Skills used:
Self-care (utensil use), bilateral coordination, muscular range of motion, endurance of the arms, crossing midline, play (i.e. taking turns).
3. Painting With Fruits
Materials:
Oranges, apples, kiwi, limes, lemons, paint, paint brush, painting paper
Directions:
Slice the fruit in half. Hold the fruit by the outside portion (i.e. peel/skin) and use the paint brush to paint the inside surface of the food. Then use the fruit to stamp the paper.
Skills used:
Bilateral coordination, arm/hand range of motion, muscular endurance, utensil use, crossing midline, sensory processing.
4. Make a House
Materials:
Gingerbread house kit, various cookies and crackers, pretzels, frosting, peanut butter, gum drops, skittles, M&M’s, knife or spoon to spread frosting and peanut butter
Directions:
Use cookies, crackers, and pretzels to form the walls and roofs of the house. Use the frosting and peanut butter to adhere together. Use small candies to decorate the house. Don’t just make gingerbread houses. Use some creativity and make a marshmallow peep hut or pretzel rods for a log cabin.
Skills used:
sequencing, fine motor grasp patterns, bilateral coordination, sensory processing, crossing midline, hand strength and endurance, utensil use.
5. Valentine’s Day Bingo
Materials:
Candy hearts, Bingo Cards
Directions:
Play Bingo as normal and use the candy hearts to cover the card.
Skills used:
Visual perceptual and crossing midline. To add in a fine motor challenge, have the student use jumbo tweezers to pick up the hearts for strength and endurance.