Children with visual impairments need to develop their fine motor skills through a variety of activities to increase strength and coordination needed to learn braille. This checklist provides a sequence of the pre-requisite fine motor skills:
Activity – Grasp
1. Palmer Grasp
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Squeezing toys
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Squeezing playdough / clay
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Taking objects out of containers
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Drawing
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Sanding
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Using a pastry cutter
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Using a hole puncher
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Pushing pop beads together
2. Thumb and Fingers Grasp
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Stringing beads
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Holding paper for cutting
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Using crayons / pencil / paintbrush
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Using glue sticks for art projects
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Pinching playdough / clay
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Using pegboards
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Building towers with blocks
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Painting with paintbrush
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Turning pages of a book
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Paper weaving
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Putting shapes into a shape sorter
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Sorting paper clips and small items
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Buttoning, zipping and snapping
3. Pincer
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Popping bubble wrap
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Picking up small objects
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Tying bows
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Sewing cards
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Stringing beads
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Putting pegs in pegboard
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Putting clothes pegs on edges of boxes
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Using an eyedropper
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Turning knobs on a wind-up toy
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Putting coins through a small slot
4. Release Grip
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Giving an object on request
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Stacking activities
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Sorting activities
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Placing objects in containers
Activity – Wrist Flexibility (takes places from wrist with stable arm)
1. Recognition of 3D Objects
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Matching of everyday objects
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Sorting objects – large familiar objects – by size shape
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Sorting objects – small familiar objects – by size shape
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Stacking activities / boxes / blocks / beakers
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Bead stringing / Thread large beads onto something rigid – e.g. dowelling
Thread beads onto thick firm thread – e.g. plastic washing line
Thread small beads onto shoe lace
Trace holes made by hole puncher, (child makes pattern with hole puncher then traces the pattern.)
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Assembling nuts and bolts
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Using twist ties
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Turning volume knobs on radio
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Manipulating lids on and off jars / tubes
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Mixing food in a bowl
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Using wind-up toys
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Turning door knobs
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Pour from one container to another
Activity – Bilateral Hand Use
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Stringing beads
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Pulling tape off roll
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Tearing paper
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Twisting lids on and off
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Cutting paper
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Using a hole puncher
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Sanding
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Using a ruler to make lines
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Holding container with one hand and placing an object into with the other hand
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Stabilizing toy with one hand and using other hand to play with the toy
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Pushing together and pulling apart pop beads
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Finger painting
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Rolling snakes and ball with playdough / clay
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Attaching paper clips to paper
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Tracing round an object or stencil
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Holding paper with one hand stapling with the other
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Stabilising bowl whilst stirring

Activity – Hand and Finger Strength
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Crumpling paper
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Placing clothes pegs on edges of cans and jars
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Stretching rubber bands
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Manipulating play dough
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Squeezing glue bottles
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Using stapler held in hand
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Using stapler by pushing
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Using rolling pin
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Using a hold puncher
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Hammering
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Pushing together and pulling apart pop beads
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Sponge painting
Activity – Finger Isolation
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Make finger prints in playdough/clay
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Pushing buttons on toys
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Playing musical instruments
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Tracing around stencils with fingertips
Activity – Light Touch
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Place counters inside the squares of Braille graph paper and have the child move fingers across them so lightly that they are not moved outside the squares
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Place cotton balls beneath the child’s fingers and have them move across the page
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Move counters on a surface by touching them lightly
Activity – Tracking
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Track along lines of counters, beads, buttons and pasta, differentiating between and feeling for requested button shape or odd one out.
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Track across lines of yarn, string, ribbon, straws, wikki stix
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Finding longest, shortest, track down page using scissor action
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Track across lines of Braille cells picking out odd one out.
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Tracking from left to right across like symbols which follow closely without a space
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Tracking from left to right across unlike symbols which follow closely without a space
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Tracking from left to right across like symbols which have one or two spaces between them
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Tracking from top to bottom over like symbols which follow closely without a space
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Tracking from top to bottom over unlike symbols which follow closely without a space
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Tracking from top to bottom over like symbols which have one blank space between them
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Tracking from top to bottom over unlike symbols which have one blank space between them
Activity – Tactile Discrimination (developing the skills of recognizing and discriminating between shapes using the pad of both fingertips.)
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Sorting large 3D objects (hand size) By different characteristics: shape, size, textures, Cool/warm
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Sorting smaller 3D objects By different characteristics: Shape, Size, Texture, Cool/warm
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Sorting small 2D objects (less than hand size) By different characteristics: Shape, Size, Texture
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Sorting smaller 2D objects (with finger tips) By different characteristics: Shape, Size, Texture
