Fine motor activities
& early learning
Program, resources, workshops & OT services
my Fantastic Fingers®
Activities to Improve Posture,
Core & Upper Body Strength
Free Handout: Tips on How to Improve Sitting Posture and Seating in the Classroom
Watch for free one of three videos each starting with an action song with specific movements to improve posture, core & upper body strength.
If you have bought the program you will be able to watch all the videos using your password.
Each song is followed by gross motor activities designed to strengthen these large muscles. See the book for further instructions, including numeracy & literacy extension learning activities.
Good upper body strength (including good proximal stability) & an upright posture have been shown to lead to better fine motor task performance (Rosenblum et al., 2006).
'My husband, son & I had so much fun doing the exercises from Track 15, that we decided to buy the book so that we could do more!' Kara, Texas
'The class has absolutely LOVED all the activities and songs we have done so far. We are also incorporating more of the outdoor/gross motor activities e.g. ribbon dance, animal walks etc. Our fine motor tasks will continue during morning rotations. The benefits so far has been obvious & the children's writing skills are developing beautifully.' Marilyn, teacher, Australia
'My five year old son loved counting while moving the ribbons.' Larissa, Australia
Free Activity Demonstrations from the Fantastic Fingers® Fine Motor Program - includes numeracy & literacy early learning activities
Writing Ready - Track 15
This action song teaches children how to sit correctly, has finger warm-ups & reminders on how to hold their pencil & position their page for writing. Use just before writing activities.
Also watch gross motor activities which develop strength in the core muscles:
Tummy Crunches, Bridges & Airplanes.
Refer to pp 64-67 of the book Songs & Games for Fantastic Fingers® for the complete instructions, fortnightly program with materials required & evaluation questions, plus the extension learning activities (not shown on this video).
Too challenging? Start with Track 1 & 2.
Parachute Pretend - Track 1
In this fun original song using a parachute (or sheet or tube) the children really work the muscles in their shoulder region while they pretend to be snakes, dinosaurs, elephants & eagles.
They also learn about positional concepts such as left & right & counting as they lift the parachute. Note how much concentration is occurring! The activities that follow develop muscles in the core region as well as the shoulder girdle. Counting is incorporated while moving in different ways including hitting a ball which the boys really enjoy. See pp 16-19 of the book & p 88.
Ribbon Dance - Track 2
This action song using ribbons is popular with children. While developing strength in their shoulder region, they learn about position in space concepts e.g. up & down & side to side. These are important concepts for early literacy. The activities which follow include games with balls & balloons. Use with pages 20-23 of the book. See pp 89-95 for the worksheets with the numeracy & literacy extension activities.
Tip: keep the elbow straight so that the movement comes from the shoulders.