Brett Davis - AsiaLIFE Magazine

ask auntie emily
Coaxing Coordination
By Emily Huckson
Dear Auntie Em: My 4-year-old
son’s hand-eye coordination
seems to be underdeveloped.
He gets very frustrated when
trying to write his name or use
a paintbrush. Do you have any
ideas on how to improve these
skills?
- Catch The Ball!
Dear CTB: When in doubt
about your child’s abilities, the
very first thing to do is make
sure they are physically and
mentally capable, so go and
see a doctor.
Assuming everything is OK,
remember that the general
list of development stages for
children is just that—a general
list. Not every child will develop
at the same rate. The goal of
both parents and teachers is
to understand the capabilities
and needs of the individual and
use strategies that will lead to
success.
Your son is having problems
with holding pencils and other
tools. Are they the wrong size?
Beginning with fatter crayons,
pencils and brushes and then
moving on to finer ones will
give your son more confidence.
Check with his teacher
to make sure there is an assortment
of sizes available at
school.
Weak pincer muscles (the
area between the thumb and
forefinger) may be the problem.
There are many games you
can play with your son that
will strengthen them. Grasping
and manipulating games
in particular are great, as are
sorting activities. Recently I
found a variety of cute animalshaped
plastic clothes pegs at
a CitiMart that are perfect for
sorting. Pegging items onto
a line will also strengthen his
pincer muscles. Playdough is
also a great way to strengthen
that area. Eventually you could
move up to modelling clay,
which is a bit more difficult
to manipulate. Making bread
together is a great activity, too,
as he'll use these muscles to
knead the dough.
Try puzzles that have a little
grasping knob on each piece.
These are great for encouraging
hand-eye coordination.
Most early learning classrooms
should have a variety of them.
Ask to borrow one or two of
the simpler ones, and each
time your child accomplishes
one, borrow another more difficult
puzzle.
I may get some flack about
this, but video games are also
excellent for honing hand-eye
coordination. Choose games
that are age-appropriate and
educational.
Another hint that a mother
shared with me: Teach your
child how to use chopsticks.
She attests that it not only
improved her son’s hand-eye
coordination and dexterity,
but was also a fun learning
experience.
Last, but not least, always
remember to give your child
plenty of encouragement and
praise!
Email your questions about
childhood development to
auntie-em@asialifehcmc.
com
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