The peculiarity of this disease is that it is not only difficult for children to learn general and fine motor skills, to perform certain movements, but it is difficult to feel these movements, and this makes it difficult for the child to form the necessary ideas about movement.
Children with general speech disorders should work on the development of fine motor skills on a regular basis, allocating 3-5 minutes for each lesson. Exercises and games aimed at developing small finger movements - that's what a child with cerebral palsy needs to improve attention and performance.
If it is difficult for a child to perform finger movements, then with such a baby it should be done individually, when the exercise is first done passively with the help of the teacher. Thanks to training, the movements become more confident and are performed by children more actively. For ease of remembering the exercises, you can think up each of them a name that the children understand.
Below is the recommended series of exercises. You can start your classes with self-massage:
- Exercise, in which the children themselves will stretch their hands. "Your hands are frozen";
- Exercise "dress gloves" - pull on each finger a glove;
- Each finger is rubbed from the base to the nail;
- Exercise in which children are offered to draw with each finger in the air;
- Flex each finger in turn;
- Straighten each finger in turn;
- The thumb is pulled up by the children, and all the others are clenched into a fist - a "flag";
- In this exercise, one hand should be bent to the fist, and the second hand to cover this fist horizontally - "table";
- Also, bend one hand into a fist, and the second to rest your palm horizontally - "chair";
- Invite the children to press their palm to the table or to the other palm, and take turns taking away each finger - "the fingers are stuck";
- In this exercise, you need to connect the big, index, middle and ring fingers, and the little finger to pull up - "dog";
- First, cross your fingers, then raise your arms up, and spread your fingers - you get "sunrays";
- Alternately, do exercises - squeeze your hand into a fist, then place your palm on the table, then press your palm against the table. You can gradually accelerate the pace of execution - "fist, rib, palm."
Exercises for the development of fine finger movements:
- "Fingers greet" - to begin with you need to fix with the children the names of each finger. Then, with the tip of the thumb, touch each tip of the other fingers alternately (here and then, first, exercise with the leading hand, then the second hand, and then with both hands, from the thumb to the little finger, and vice versa);
- Fingers of one hand at the same time "greet" with the fingers of the second hand;
- Exercise "Wasp" - straighten your index finger and rotate it;
- "Goat" - straightening of the index finger and little finger;
- Form two circles, connecting the tips of the thumb and index finger;
- "Bunny" or "Ears" - squeeze your fingers into a fist and straighten only the index and middle fingers;
- "Trees" - all fingers are widely placed.
All these games and exercises described above, excellently develop the mobility of the fingers, the performance of isolated movements, and also contribute to the development of accuracy of finger movements.
In exercises, it is also recommended to use a pencil. Offer the children the following:
- Circle any shape or object around the contour;
- Draw an object by points;
- Draw strokes in different directions, using stencils;
- Carry out a pencil along a narrow path and do not lead to the side;
- "Double drawings" is a very interesting kind of exercise, in which children draw different with both hands, this can be various geometric figures, or an artistic drawing (two identical objects, or one drawing with two hands, as if complementing it).
To develop and improve the coordination of hand movements, it is recommended to perform the exercises:
- Exercise is performed under the score, while the pace is gradually accelerating, and strictly following the verbal instructions:
- the left hand in a fist, the right one to unclasp, and vice versa;
- put the right hand on the rib, the left hand - bend into the fist;
Specialists recommend paying more attention to the development of fine motor skills of the child's hands with dyspnoea and coordination of movements, as this has a beneficial effect on the development of speech in children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.