Since our post “The Importance of Play“, we have received a few questions regarding the use of screen time. Here is a quick cheat sheet if you are in the middle of the screen time battle.
What is screen time?
Screen time refers to any sedentary activity involving the use of visual electronic media. Examples include: smart phones, tablets, computers, televisions, and video games. Little to no physical effort is utilized during screen time.
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When it comes to handwriting, we have found that vision is one of the most overlooked and underestimated systems in children. We’ve been taught that if a child has 20/20 vision, they do not have a visual issue that will affect their academic performance. But in truth, children who have difficulties processing and perceiving what they see still quietly struggle in school.
Visual perception is the total process responsible for receiving and interpreting what we see. This allows us to make accurate judgments within our environment such as size, configuration, and spatial relationships of objects.
To do this, our visual-receptive components and visual-cognitive components must work efficiently. If one of these areas is compromised, it will affect how a child understands and responds to visual information.
Continue readingAs a child scribbles and draws, they transition how they hold their writing tool from age to age. The development of the writing grip in young children follows a predictable course:
At around 1-2 years, children commonly begin by holding a writing tool with a primitive grip (also known as a fisted or cylindrical grasp).
This is when they hold a marker in a closed fist with movement coming from the shoulder. This makes it easy for a child to scribble in circular, vertical, and horizontal motions.
Children scribble. Children draw. Children explore, get messy, and climb on things. All of these build the skills necessary for handwriting.
The moment a child has a writing tool in their hand, their first inclination is to make marks with it. As they mature, they create intentionally meaningful drawings and scribbles which later turn into letters and words.
As children begin to learn how to write letters, they start developing pathways in the brain necessary for reading. In fact, research shows that 2- and 3-year-olds can distinguish writings from drawings, and that children at the age of 4 can recognize that printed words have meaning that can be decoded.
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Warmups
These prep activities help activate the sensory systems (touch and proprioception), and enhance visual motor and fine motor skills. Pick a few or pick all.
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