ARK's Blog

These "Cork Button Castles" are a fun and effective DIY fine motor activity.  Not only are the fingers and the fingertips in charge, but the Velcro also provides an added level of resistance to really make their intrinsic muscles work.  A big thank you to the amazing blog No Time for Flashcards for the inspiration! . .  What you'll need:  Velcro circles, tapered co …

Finger isolation is the ability to move certain fingers independently from the rest of your fingers.  It's an important skill in a variety of everyday activities, such as pointing, activating toys, pressing the button in the elevator, dialing a phone, writing with an efficient grasp, etc.  And also for more complex tasks such as typing or playing the piano. .  .  …

Simply put, bilateral coordination is the ability to use both sides of your body together in an organized, coordinated manner.  Most children pick up this skill naturally, but sometimes there can be a disconnect.  Why is this a problem?  Most of what we do on a daily basis involves bilateral coordination: tying shoelaces, typing, opening a water bottle, playing, writing, etc. &nb …

One day I happened to have a Band-Aid in my pocket, so I decided to put it on one of my classic bean bag toys. This added a whole new dimension to the toy.  Children immediately related to "Mr. Turtle and his boo-boo.” Some of them said, “Awww!” Some gave him a kiss or held and rocked him. From here, the opportunities for speech and language seemed endless.  As some examples, we worke …