Friday, February 12, 2021

FINGER FOCUS

Finger exercises are a great way to focus children’s attention and develop hand strength, coordination, and their brains!

See Saw – Palms together. Push your right hand against the left and then push the left hand against the right.

                                            

Do the same thing with your thumbs, index fingers, middle finger, ring, and pinky fingers.


Beehive – Cross fingers to make a beehive. Wiggle each bee/finger starting with thumbs as you count from one to ten. Reverse as you count backwards. Cross fingers with the opposite thumb in front and then wiggle each finger.


Spider – Open hands and touch fingertips. Bend in and out. Tap thumbs. Then tap index fingers, middle fingers, ring, and pinky fingers. Reverse. Roll each leg/finger forward and then backwards.


Brain Hug – Thumbs up. Thumbs down. Cross arms. Clasp fingers and bring them down and up close to your chest. Wiggle each finger one at a time.

                                     

Five Finger Breathing - Children stretch out one hand like a star. They take the pointer finger of the other hand and trace the outside of the thumb as they inhale. They exhale as they trace the inside of the thumb. Inhale as they go up the index finger. Exhale as they go down the index finger. Continue inhaling and exhaling until all the fingers have been touched. 

                          

Palm Pilot Writing - Hold up one palm. Write on it with the index finger from the other hand. Children can make shapes, write letters or numbers, words, and so forth.

Hint! Be sure and “erase” in between words and letters!



Finger Plays -Traditional finger plays are also perfect for engaging children, developing oral language, and small motor skills.

Here's a video where you can learn some of my favorites:

                                            
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0MCokEA7pk