Motor Minutes  

November 2019 

Happy Thanksgiving 
Did you know you can work on fine and gross motor skills at the same time? 

Here are some ideas on how to upgrade and downgrade typical tabletop activities to address more than 
one skill at a time, both academically and motorically. For the purpose of this month, we are going to use 
coloring/writing as the example but many of these can also be used for other traditional tabletop/center 
activities.  

The positions included in this month’s edition of motor minutes work on fine motor coordination, visual 
perception, visual motor integration, bilateral motor integration, strength, endurance, joint stability, 
balance, vestibular/proprioceptive input. In addition, changing up the position can also help to improve 
attention, motivation, focus, following directions, and motor learning: 

1) Squatting to retrieve various colors or materials and to add details to drawings, writing, etc. 

2) Tall Kneel and Half-Kneel at a wall or door 

 
 

Motor Minutes 
 

3) Prone prop on elbows with or without a clipboard 

4) Sidelying with or without a clipboard.  

5) Color under a desk or table 

 
Caroline E. Welch, OTD, MS, OTR/L Erica Huber, PT, DPT 
cwelch@burlcoschools.org ehuber@burlcoschools.org 
Educational Services Unit: 2 ​ hone: 609-702-0500  
​ 0 Pioneer Blvd., Westampton, NJ 08060 P