Our Amazing Brain and Hands

We so often take our amazing able bodies for granted. Those of us that have or work with children with special needs know the power of our hands as tools. We also know how critical it is for our cognitive, sensory and motor systems to be aligned in order to create good fine-motor skills. As a reminder and an update on the advances in medicine and technology, here's an informative news clip on some of the brain research currently being done on individuals with disabilities:

This story brings new appreciation for our motor skills, doesn’t it? We so wish Cathy (the woman in this research study) well on her future rehabilitation. In the meantime, let’s teach our kids to be thankful for and use their amazing hands! Here are 2 of my favorite tips on developing great, fine-motor skills:

• Build strong hand and finger muscles: Practice picking up objects like cotton balls or small Glitter Poms using kitchen tongs, chopsticks or Fish Sticks.
• Vary the use of media for drawing and writing: Scented Markers, sidewalk chalk and WikkiStix make for great sensory fun!

What are your favorite, fun activities to encourage hand skills?