By Holly
Engel-Smothers
At about eight months, your babies begin to use their
forefingers and thumbs for a "pincer grasp." This is an important pre-writing
skill, which is the expressive side of literacy.
Think about how you hold a pencil or crayon, and all the
strength needed to manipulate the writing utensil. Also, in our "computer-driven"
society, we need the strength and dexterity of all fingers in order to type and
move the computer mouse. Now is the time to begin offering finger-strengthening
activities to your twins.
Some suggestions:
- Introduce
your babies to blocks. Playing with blocks provides many wonderful
teaching opportunities about spatial relationships (figuring out how
objects fit in space) and cause and effect. When your twins pick up blocks,
they are developing strong fingers. Ask your babies to hand blocks to you.
Build a structure and let your twins knock it down. Such squeals of
laughter will ensue!
- Establish
a low kitchen cabinet or drawer with non-breakable bowls, pots, measuring
cups and spoons, and wooden spoons. The act of taking out objects from the
cabinet will strengthen fingers.
- Read
board books with lift-the-flaps. These books are of the simple peek-a-boo type
with large flaps so your babies can lift them up for story surprises like
lions, bunnies, or dogs. Allow your babies to turn the pages.
- Buy
construction or colored paper. Set out some during play time and teach
your babies to tear and crumple. Have a basket, bucket, or bag ready to
fill. Discuss colors when the moment is right. ("Mommy is tearing a blue
sheet. Here is a green piece for you.") You may even see your babies
transferring objects from one hand to the other. Your twins may show a
preference for a certain color by choosing it over and over.
- In the
bathtub or pool, provide cups, sprinkling cans, and various measuring cups
for your babies to hold and pour. For more play, encourage your babies to
wash a doll's hair. Scrubbing and pouring water on the doll's hair allows
for hand strengthening.
- Under
close supervision, set up an area for coloring. One of the best ways to do
this is to get a paper (blank or from a coloring book) and tape it onto
the high-chair trays. Give your babies only two crayons and demonstrate
coloring on the paper. You may need to put a crayon in a little hand and,
while holding her hand, make a mark on the paper. After a few of these
lessons, your babies will catch on quickly. Don't forget to "ooh and ahh"
over their first masterpieces. (I dated my twins' and put them in their
baby books.)
*Caution: Your babies cannot help putting crayons in their
mouths. Mouthing objects is another way that babies get information to their
brains. This intellectual development gives kind of a 3-D picture to the brain.
Don't take away the coloring time, but make it short and under close
supervision. When necessary, take the crayon from babies' mouths and say, "Color.
Pretty. You do it."
As with all baby milestones, start small. Each day's
developments build on one another. Let your babies' interests guide the
playtime, but continue offering finger-strengthening activities. Remember, all
the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of today.
[NOTE FROM SUSAN HEIM: This article is one of many from
parent educator and mom of twins (and a twingle), Holly Engel-Smothers, who
will be sharing her wisdom and expertise on the subject of reading through this
"Literacy for All" column, which will appear on a regular basis on TwinsTalk.]
