Fingergym ™ Fine Motor Skills School Readiness Program

1. Fingergym™ Fine Motor Skills School Readiness Program

2. The Fingergym™ Fine Motor Skills School Readiness Program consists of • The Manual and Activities • The Fingergyngles™ CD • The Resource CD

3. Thumbnails of the contents of the Resource CD appear in the book from pages 103 –111.

4. In addition, some of the forms and awards on the CD are customisable, that is you are able to alter them on the computer to suit your own needs before printing.

5. How can the book be used? • Whole of class rotational activities program. • A selected small group of 5 doing individual rotations. • One on one individual rotations, specifically targeting an individual child’s needs. • Use the activities from the book to enhance already in place rotational activity sessions, where the emphasis is on multiple outcomes. • Use the book as a reference guide for theoretical purposes.

6. About the activities Fingergym™utilizes over 140 activities which have been divided into 5 activity sections. • Strengthening skills (big muscles and hand strengthening) • Sensory and planning skills • Fine motor co-ordination skills • Pencil to Paper skills (pre-writing, drawing and writing development ideas) • Cutting skills

7. “ Fingergym™ is all about trying” We believe that ALL children have the right to experience a feeling of success and develop confidence to “have a go” at tricky things in a safe and supporting environment.

8. Why is it beneficial for children? Fingergym™ also promotes development of other important skills, such as the ability to: • organise work space and tools • maintain a sitting position • be aware of other people and their needs • follow visual and auditory directions • ask for help if needed • initiate and complete a task • problem-solve and actively investigate cause and effect situations • transition from one task to another • maintain attention • risk take or have a go.

9. How can the trainer help? The Positive Fingergym™ Trainer is an integral part of the philosophy behind the program, as current research* shows that not only is a child’s self esteem is affected by their performance skills, but children with lower skills are easily identified by their peers at an early age, contributing to their own perceptions of self-worth. *Piek, J.P., Baynam, G .B. & Barrett, N.C. The relationship between fine and gross motor ability, self perceptions and self worth in children and adolescents. (2006). Human Movement Science, 25.)

10. Meet Fidget™ and Mani™ Fidget the Frog Mani the Mouse Children love the two animal characters from the book, who can be used to help inspire and motivate during activities.

11. Fingergym works well with children who have: • Been assessed by an occupational therapist • Fine motor delays and/or weaknesses • Specific diagnosed disorders • Postural weakness • A lack of strength and endurance. • Sensory integration problems • Visual convergence and eye-tracking problems • Difficulty organising themselves, • Difficulty in starting/staying on a task • Difficulty transitioning • Difficulty following instructions • Self-care difficulties • Anxiety

12. Fingergym™ uses an organised and dynamic 5-point leaning system, which requires each child to: ·       Think – develop a plan ·       Initiate – start the activity ·       Focus – stay on the activity ·       Finish – complete the activity ·       Transition – move to the next job

13. Activity Cards Fidget heads indicate level of supervision required for each activity • Tools required for the job • How to do the job • Special hints • Arrows up and down which indicates how to make the activity easier/harder • Curriculum links • Focus points and verbal cues to help the trainer  

14. What teachers like about Fingergym™ • Flexibility • Motivating • Easy to use • Resources on CD • Timed rotations with the “Fingergyngles™” CD • Play based activities • Focus points • Curriculum links

15. What children say about Fingergym™ • “Fingergym is all about trying” Jack aged 5 • “I love the water pistols, they are so much fun” Boy aged 6 • “I want to marry Fingergym” - grade 1 girl • “ Sometimes at night I cry in case Fingergym™ isn’t on tomorrow.”

16. What parents say about Fingergym™ • “Every child leaves Fingergym with their heads held high and a smile that reflects their renewed belief in themselves and their abilities.”Giselle • “Fingergym has made all the difference to Tom, he is confident and happy” Vickie • “Jake loves Fingergym, he tells me all about it at home” Angie

17. What teachers say about Fingergym™ • ‘As a prep teacher, I am always looking for exciting, innovative activities and ideas that will reinforce fine motor development through play. This is a complete guide with a creative variety of activities and games that will benefit the whole class in reinforcing fine motor development. A must have for busy teachers!’ Prep Teacher • ‘Fingergym™ is one of the most valuable and exciting resources I’ve ever used in the classroom. The children instantly love the program and the fun they have. Every week at Fingergym™ time I had children begging to be able to go in to the sessions. That speaks volumes about the program and its creators and the benefits it provides to children.’ Primary school teacher • ‘Fingergym is a wonderful confidence booster for children who need extra practice with fine motor activities’ Teacher, grade 1

18. Using the Fingergyngles™ CD, the activity cards and the awards, and paying close attention to the Positive Fingergym Trainer, you will be able to run a successful Fingergym™ program to suit the individual needs of your class or group. Positive Results