Ms. Gerhardt shows us how to add "heavy work" into a child's routine. Heavy work helps the brain maintain a calm, organized ready to learn state. 

Ms. Gerhardt shows us how to work on drawing shapes and copying skills with a simple activity. She adds a motor component to work on motor strengthening and regulation. 

Ms. Gerhardt shows us a simple way to work on visual perceptual concepts - like writing on a line. She adds a sensory motor component to work on motor strengthening and regulation. 

Ms. Atkinson uses childrens' toys and rubber bands to add a fine motor challenge to a writing task. This activity works on finger isolation, hand strengthening - skills that are needed for tasks like printing and tool manipulation. She also uses a vertical surface when writing and explains how this helps with shoulder girdle stability and grasp patterns. 

Ms. Smalline uses cardboard tubes and a baking sheet to create a marble maze. Eye hand coordination skills are essential for printing, copying, drawing and many other classroom tasks. 

Ms. Iafrati uses cereal and string to work on fine motor precision and bilateral coordination skills through a lacing task. Counting and pattern recognition skills could easily be incorporated into this activity to work on math concepts. 

Ms. Smalline uses a kitchen baster and cotton balls for a fun, playful game that works on hand strengthening. 

Ms. Polvino uses a container and coins to work on fine motor precision, in hand manipulation and pinch patterns. These skills are needed for fine motor control when coloring, printing, drawing and handling manipulatives. Math concepts can easily be incorporate by working on money concepts, addition and subtraction. 

Ms. Atkinson uses painters tape to work on fine motor precision, finger isolation and strengthening skills during an academic task. Improving fine motor skills will help with student's grasp patterns and tool manipulation. 

Ms. Adams uses a small toy ball to create a tennis ball monster for a fun, creative game to work on grasp strength and bilateral coordination. These fine motor skills are needed for using classroom tools and performing tasks like coloring and printing. Academic components like counting and sorting can easily be incorporated into this activity. 

Ms. Smalline uses small toy balls, like a tennis ball, to work on finger isolation, coordination and motor planning. These skills are needed to handle classroom tools and writing utensils efficiently. 

Ms. Smalline uses everyday kitchen tools to work on hand strength, precision and bilateral coordination. These fine motor skills are needed to perform classroom tasks like using a pencil, manipulating tools and fasteners, and handling materials. 

Ms. Picco uses a water bottle and a backpack to add some weight during a plank activity. She also shows us how to add a gross motor component (plank walking) to functional tasks (like puzzles, counting and sorting). Plank walking works on shoulder girdle stability, core strengthening and endurance - all skills needed to maintain a strong base of support during classroom tasks. 

Ms. Gerhardt demonstrates a floor soccer activity that incorporates academic concepts (alphabet, counting, speling). Using developmental positions during the activity help to improve reflex integration, body strengthening and coordination. 

Ms. Polvino uses a deck of cards to demonstrate how structure a gross motor activity involving lunges, squats, jumping jacks and hopping. These gross motor tasks work on strengthening the core and lower body, improving endurance and balance, and coordinating the two sides of the body. 

Ms. Picco uses a water bottle and backpack to add weight to a gross motor task. Obstacle courses work on core muscle strength, coordination, motor planning and endurance - all skills that are needed to hold seating positions and navigate around the school environment. 

Nicole Vitale shows us how to scissor jump. Scissor jumping is a great way to work on reflex integration, upper and lower body coordination, right and left discrimination and "big" muscle skills. 

Sensory Pathways are the new cool thing. They are great to get structured movement into your child's day. You can modify the tasks to meet your child's needs. Plank walking, crab walking and other tasks where you support yourself with your arms are great ways to would on shoulder girdle stability and upper body coordination. Match the feet, hopscotch, and jumping to a target are great ways to work on lower body coordination and motor planning.