Introduction
Raising a successful, well-rounded child is a goal that every parent hopes to achieve. Enhancing a child’s skills early on and creating a bond between child and parent is important to the child’s overall development. Activities that can be done at home are often expensive, time consuming, or too messy. Many parents rely on teachers and day care workers to provide educational activities for their child. By providing activities that are fun, engaging and easy to do, parents would be able to interact with their child in an educational manner without it feeling like a chore. Parents are busy and often don’t have the time to sit down for an extended period of time with their child. For this project, our group has taken into consideration all of those restraints that parents face and create an activity that both parent and child can enjoy. Not only is this activity easy, but it also gives the child the opportunity to refine skills taught in school and for the parent to become an active member in their child’s education. Through this activity, we hope to strengthen parent-child relationships and give the child a positive learning experience.
Description of Activity
The activity we have chosen is known as ‘Sugar Writing Trays.’ We chose this activity because it is simple, low cost and interactive. We think this will be a successful activity because it’s easy to get parents involved, all while still having lasting impacts on the child and their fine motor skills. This activity can be done in thirty minutes or less and can be reused time and time again. This activity will begin by placing the baking tin on top of the newspaper. The newspaper provided will help to prevent any spills of the sugar onto the surface. Next, parents or children can pour the bagged sugar directly into the baking tin. Children will be able to choose if they want to use either sugar color on its own or a mix of both sugar colors. The sugar will need to be spread to a thin layer, about half an inch to a quarter of an inch, covering the bottom of the baking tin. Next, parents can ask the children to write different letters, numbers, or even draw shapes. Children can use either the paint brushes provided or their fingers to write or draw. This is entirely up to the child’s preference and age. Younger children may not be able to grip and accurately draw or write with the paintbrush quite yet, but we recommend that they try both ways. Parents will be provided with a list of different letters, numbers, words, and shapes if they need help thinking of activities. Parents could even take a turn drawing in the sugar and have the child identify what was drawn. These steps can be repeated for as long or as little as the parent and child would like. We recommended that they spend thirty minutes on the activity.
This activity will contribute to the child’s development of fine motor skills but in a fun and exciting way. Fine motor skills are often linked to higher test scores for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten aged students (Cameron et al., 2012). These skills that are learned as a child but are used for the rest of an individual’s life. It is also important to note that fine motor skills should be taught when children are toddler aged and even before. Toddler aged children should be learning and even begin refining their fine motor skills (Marotz & Kupzyk, 2018). Fine motor skills also fall under the broad category of Cognitive Development. Cognitive Development is important to overall learning and development. Every child should begin learning these skills as soon as they are born. Children continue to develop their cognitive skills at age 11 and older.
Smart Objectives
- By the end of this activity, 75% of children who participate will be able to identify 5 shapes from the provided list in the sugar tray.
- By the end of this activity, 75% of children who participate will be able to write 5 numbers from the provided list in the sugar tray.
- By the end of this activity, 75% of children who participate will be able to write the letters of their name in the sugar tray.
Enhances Child Development
This activity helps young children develop their fine motor skills by using small muscle movement in their hands while manipulating the sugar with a paint brush to draw images. Children’s writing progress relies heavily on the development of fine motor skills involving small muscle movements of the hand (Huffman & Fortenberry, 2011). This activity also helps the children develop some cognitive skills by recognizing different shapes and colors as they write or draw in the sugar. Activities that allow the child to color, paint, write, or cut promote cognitive and language development (Marotz & Kupzyk, 2018). This activity allows the children to in a way paint but with colored sugar rather than with paint.
When children are evaluated on motor control, the skills being examined include coordinated sequences of movement in precision skills such as stacking blocks, manipulating small objects, and grasping a utensil or tool. (Smith, 1996) By creating an activity where the children are using a paint brush as a utensil, we have created an opportunity for them to practice improving their fine motor skills and control.
Appendix A: Parent Instructions
Sugar Writing Trays
Step-by-step Instructions for Parents
- Begin by taking all of the supplies out of the provided baking tin.
- The supplies should include two bags of colored sugar, a paint brush, newspaper, and the baking tin.
- To begin, place the baking tin on top of the newspaper. This is to help prevent any sugar spills.
- Next, pour the colored sugar into the baking tin. There should be a thin layer of sugar to cover the bottom of the baking tin. Your child can assist you with pouring the sugar if you would like!
*Let your child decide if they want to use color 1, color 2, or a mix of both!*
- Ask your child to write different letters, numbers, or draw different shapes in the sugar using the paintbrush. If your child doesn’t want to use the paintbrush, they can also use their fingers.
*We provided you with a list of different things to write/draw if you can’t think of any!*
- Once your child completes a letter, number, word, or shape, spread the sugar back out by gently shaking the tin in a back and forth motion so it covers the bottom of the baking tin again.
- You can also take a turn drawing or writing in the baking tin and ask your child to identify what you have drawn or written! This helps children to not only be able to write and draw, but identify different letters, numbers, words, or shapes.
- Repeat numbers 5- 7 for as long as you would like! We recommend you do this activity for 30 minutes!
- This activity helps children to learn and continue learning fine motor skills. Fine motor skills involves using a child’s smaller muscles through movement.
Appendix B: Budget
| Item | Size | Where It’s Found | Price | # | Total |
| Disposable Baking Trays | 60 count | Walmart | $17.39 | 2 | $34.78 |
| Sugar | 20 lbs | Walmart | $9.88 | 3 | $29.64 |
| Food Color | 4 pack | Walmart | $5 | 2 | $10 |
| Ziploc Bags | 300 count sandwich size | Walmart | $5 | 1 | $5 |
| Paint
Brushes |
144 count | Amazon | $13 | 1 | $13 |
| Total: $92.39 |
Work-Cited
Cameron, C.E., Murrah, W.M., Grissmer, D., Brock, L.L., Bell, L.H., Worzalla, S.L., Morrison,
F.J. (2012). Fine Motor Skills and Executive Function Both Contribute to Kindergarten
Achievement. Child Development, 83 (4), 1229-1244.
Huffman, M. & Fortenberry, C. (2011). Helping Preschoolers Prepare for Writing: Developing
Fine Motor Skills. National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Marotz, L., & Kupzyk, S. (2018). Parenting Today’s Children. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Smith, J. (1996). Fine Motor Outcomes in Preschool Children Who Receive Occupational
Therapy Services. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy.