29/07/2025
Good fine motor control relies on a strong foundation 💪. It’s tricky to use the small muscles of the hand ✋ when the body, shoulder, and arm supporting it are unstable or struggling to hold their position 🤹♂️.
Having good shoulder girdle stability 🦾 makes it easier for kids to manage the small, precise movements of their hands and fingers ✍️, which helps with fine motor skills like writing 📝 and cutting ✂️.
That’s why children should do lots of activities that strengthen their shoulder girdle and core muscles 🏋️♀️.
Working on a vertical surface is an awesome way to do this! 🎨🖼️
When working vertically—standing, kneeling, or leaning slightly forward—a child naturally activates their trunk muscles for the whole task 🏃♂️➡️ great for core strength!
In this position, the arms move a lot—reaching up, down, out, and around 🤸♂️—which supports arm extension and strengthens the muscles around the shoulder joint 💥➡️ perfect for shoulder stability.
Here are some fun vertical surface activities to try:
✅ Build with Legos on a wall 🧱
✅ Colour on all surfaces (inside and outside) of big boxes 📦🎨
✅ Play with fridge magnets (shapes, letters, animals, etc.) 🧲🦁
✅ Stick contact paper to a wall (sticky side out) and pull off craft pom-pom balls 🎉
✅ Practice letters and numbers in shaving cream on a mirror or bath side 🪞🛁
✅ Draw with chalk on an outside wall 🖍️🌞
✅ Write and erase on a whiteboard 🖊️🧽
✅ Wash the car with a sponge 🚗🧽
✅ Paint on a paint easel 🎨🖌️
