MOTORING THROUGH PRESCHOOL

1
MOTORING THROUGH PRESCHOOL

• Lexington School District One

2
Play LearnAbleNet

• A motor-based preschool curriculum for children
  of all abilities
• Mary J. Sullivan Coleman OTR, MA and
• Laura Krueger PT, MA

3

• Play Learn is an outgrowth of the research
  done by Coleman and Kruegar, which showed that
  all children learn cognitive, language and social
  skills more quickly when they are interwoven with
  movement and meaningful play.

4
Play Learn

• Integrates motor skill development with
  communication, socialization, and cognitive skill
  development.
• Holistic model in which the child, environment,
  and functional tasks are integrated, not isolated
• Organized into play areas
• Meets a wide range of goals and objectives

5

• Appropriate for all early childhood children,
  including children with special needs
• Transdisciplinary model of service delivery
• Includes activities that are meaningful and
  relevant to young children
• Each activity is presented with a simple
  technology option called Trying Another Way

6

• Communication symbols to help children comprehend
  language and give structure and meaning
• 12 month curriculum organized by monthly themes
  that correlate with high quality childrens
  literature
• Books cover a wide range of disabilities

7
4 Key Elements in a Learning Environment

• Routines and music (calmness and internal
  organization also help children move from
  avoidance to exploration)
• Repetition (skill development)
• Play (motivation uses multiple sensory systems
  for learning)
• Social interactions (commercially available
  preschool games used throughout the curriculum)

8
Childrens Sensory Systems

• We learn about the world through our senses
• Basic senses smell, sight, taste, and hearing
• Tactile (touch)
• Vestibular (movement)
• Proprioception (body position)

9
Play Areas

• Cooperative Project on a Vertical Surface
• Art in Process
• Obstacle Course
• Sensory Activities
• Swing Activities
• Mat Activities

• Manipulatives
• Gym Activities
• Pre-Writing on a Vertical Surface
• Cooperative Sensorimotor Activities
• Games

10
Cooperative Project on a Vertical Surface

• Encourages children to work on a variety of fine
  motor skills
• Incorporates use of vertical surface for the
  development of appropriate hand and wrist
  position for fine motor and pre-writing skills
• Encourages social interaction

11
Art in Process

• Often done on a slant board
• Chairs that fit well
• Assistive technology included
• Music and voice output on the communication aids

12
Obstacle Course

• Natural, organized way to learn basic movement
  concepts, while also gaining strength, using the
  two sides of their body in a coordinated manner,
  and improving balance skills
• Learn concrete spatial concepts while also
  developing motor planning skills
• Fine motor activities also incorporated
• Assistive technology incorporated

13
Sensory Activities

• Sensory table with a variety of sensory mediums
• Kneeling to strengthen hip stability
• Step-by-Step Communicator programmed with
  interactive messages
• Assistive technology so all can enjoy

14
Swing Activities

• Variety of swings
• Suspended equipment to gain vestibular input
• Input can be calming or alerting
• Big Mack communication aid programmed with a song
  

15
Mat Activities

• Focus on improving strength and balance
• Offers excellent sensory input
• Therapy ball for posture and development
• Balance board to improve weight-shifting and
  balance
• Children participate in a fun game or activity as
  motivation to move
• Assistive technology used such as an electric
  shredder or cordless switch

16
Manipulatives

• Important for developing small muscles in young
  hands
• Bead stringing, puzzles, adapted pegboards, for
  developing spatial relations and manipulative
  hand skills
• Adapted battery-operated toys or the All-Turn-It
  spinner to include every childs participation

17
Gym Activities

• Climbing, jumping, running and sliding with their
  friends
• Scooter boards and scooter board ramps for trunk
  extension and shoulder girdle musculature
• Adaptive riding equipment and and other
  technology options such as a battery operated fan
  with a toy bridge and streamers

18
Pre-Writing on a Vertical Surface

• Large, vertical surface such as a wipe-off board
• Teach a more precise finger grasp with small
  pom-poms when erasing
• Magnetic pieces to correspond to the monthly
  themes and vocabulary
• Technology options to make pre-writing
  opportunities accessible to all children

19
Cooperative Sensorimotor Activities

• Begin interactions with young children
• Develop skills with color, number, and spatial
  concepts
• Promote upper body strengthening, motor planning
  and using both sides of the body in a coordinated
  manner
• Bungee cord, colorful parachutes, knit tunnel
  tube and lots of fun music
• Stereo, PowerLink control unit, and switch or
  Step-By-Step Communicator allows every child to
  communicate

20
Games

• Games facilitate turn-taking, social interaction,
  and reinforce readiness skills
• Encourages relaxed language interaction
• Fisher-Price and Playskool make good games that
  require in-hand manipulation skills
• Games may be made accessible through use of
  All-Turn-It spinner and switches

21
Cool- down

• Time for children to learn to quiet bodies, calm
  at the end of the session
• Can be effective transition time after period of
  activity
• Familiar routine with quiet music, dimmed lights,
  and gentle massages