Kits News - 24th February 2023

This week our topic book was The Finger Circus Game by Hervé Tullet. The book has been a great platform to explore lots of fine motor activities and we have been keeping our fingers busy throughout the week!

In Art we created sequin collages by using our pincer grip to pick up the small objects and stick them onto the paper. We also painted with cotton wool buds and of course our own fingers too! The children have been developing their imagination with the finger puppets as we have been acting out different scenarios with them and copying the activities that the ‘fingers’ do in the book. We have also been developing the children’s communication and language skills by giving the puppets voices and mimicking different animal noises. 

Throughout the week we have also been engaging in a number of ‘Finger Gym’ and ‘Practical Life’ activities. These include pouring, spooning, scooping, pegging, threading and transferring using tongs and pipettes. These activities help the children develop their hand strength and dexterity as they use their pincer grip and whole hand grasp. This supports the development of their pen grip and ability to dress themselves. During these activities the children are also encouraged to return what they have been playing with to the shelf before selecting a new activity, teaching the children to share, make independent choices and to tidy up after themselves.

The highlight of the week was our Cookery Focus Time on Thursday where we made some delicious ‘Baked Blueberry Doughnuts’. The children all helped measure the different wet and dry ingredients and we discussed the smell of the vinegar and the vanilla extract, with them being described as “Yucky” and “Yummy.” We then mixed the ingredients with a spoon and the children transferred the mixture into the doughnut moulds before using their pincer grip to pick up the blueberries and poke them into the mixture. They smelt delicious while baking and the children were all very proud and excited to take them home at the end of the day!