Importance of Fine Motor Skills and Sensory Processing for Preschoolers

I came across two great articles written by Rachel Rudman,OTR/L to hand out to preschool teachers.

The first one is entitled A Preschool Teachers Back to Basic Guide to Hand and Fine Motor Skill Development. This article is also appropriate to distribute to parents of babies and young children. It explains the importance of tummy time, the influence of too much screen time, the drawbacks to electronic toys and more. There are simple tables to view on appropriate fine motor development and suggested activities to encourage hand development.

The second article is entitled Managing Sensory Processing Disorder in the Preschool Classroom. The author defines sensory processing disorder and recommends a 4 step process for teachers. The four step process includes identifying children who may sensory processing issues, communicating with parents and therapists, empathizing with the child and strategizing how to help. There is some clear tables indicating signs of sensory processing disorder.