PINCHING WITH FINGERS AGES: 18 months to 3 years MATERIALS: • Tray • A wooden block with holes or bathtub suction cup • A bowl containing the same number marbles or beads as for the holes in the block or suction • cups. PRESENTATION: 1. Invite the child 2. Carry activity tray with both hands to the mat. 3. Place activity with bowl of marbles on the left and wooden block to the right. 4. Using the pencil grasp (thumb and two fingers), pick up one marble or bead from the bowl and place into a hole going left to right and top to bottom or counterclockwise, depending on the shape of the wooden block or bathtub suction cup). 5. Repeat this process until all the marbles or beads have been placed in a hole. 6. Reverse the activity. Using the pencil grasp, pick up one marble from the wooden block and place into the bowl (going left to right and top to bottom or counterclockwise). 7. Return activity to the shelf. DIRECT AIMS: 1. Order 2. Coordination 3. Concentration 4. Independence INDIRECT AIMS: 1. Preparation for other pinching activities such as tweezing or clothespins. 2. Strengthening the pincher grasp to prepare for writing. 3. Left right sequence for reading. CONTROL OF ERROR: 1. There is the same number of marbles or beads as there are holes, so each hole will be filled. 2. The marble or bead fits perfectly into each hole. POINTS OF INTEREST: 1. The materials itself 2. Placing each marble or bead in the hole. 3. Pinching with fingers. VOCABULARY: marble pinch, hole, place
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