Northview — On a snowy January morning at the start of the school day, teacher Katie Shiffer’s developmental kindergartners began trickling into their classroom at West Oakview Elementary. After receiving a warm welcome from their teacher and hanging up their coats, they made their way to their assigned tables, where a variety of colorful objects and tools awaited them.
At Fordson’s table were tiny cubes in several primary colors, clumped together in piles. As he smushed the cubes together, he explained to a visitor that they’re called “sticky cubes.”
“They stick to stuff, but sometimes they’re not as sticky and they can fall apart,” Fordson said. “Because maybe they don’t have enough sticky power to stay together. I’m trying to test out all the sticky cubes and find out.”
At classmate Cassidy’s table were felted objects in different shapes, and postcards challenging students to create different patterns or animals using the shapes.
“I’m making a cat because I love cats — I’m a cat person. I like that (cats) scratch and stuff. And I really like making these things,” said Cassidy, gesturing to the felt pieces as she rearranged the shapes in front of her.
Shiffer and her fellow DK/kindergarten teachers at West Oakview recently received the new set of fine motor tubs, full of sticky cubes, felt shapes and other hands-on manipulatives, thanks to a grant from the Northview Education Foundation.
The toys offer kids multiple different activities that use the small muscles in their hands. They’re used in DK and kindergarten classes to help strengthen those muscles, as well as increase hand/eye coordination, challenge and encourage students’ creativity, and create opportunities for independent play as teachers take care of morning tasks.
“By promoting this type of exploration, (students) are building hand strength and dexterity, in addition to problem-solving that helps boost their cognitive development,” said kindergarten teacher Taylor Beckering, who added that working on hand/eye coordination also benefits writing and drawing skills.
Shiffer said the school’s old set of fine motor toys were “very well loved” and in need of a refresh. Thanks to the NEF, the team of teachers was able to purchase multiple sets of the same manipulative, allowing each student in every class to have their own set or collaborate with their table partners as they play.
“The students are loving the new options,” said kindergarten teacher Kari Bigger. “I’m seeing them foster independence while challenging themselves to do the tasks.”
Added Shiffer: “I am always amazed at how students learn to collaborate in ways that I wouldn’t have thought of myself with some of these items. With the sticky cubes, I had a student making letters and they nudged their tablemate and said, ‘I made the letter D and you have K; if we put them together, that’s DK!’ I am seeing multiple (developmental) components being met with one table tub.”
Beyond muscular and cognitive benefits, the teachers said the fine motor tubs create a great way to start the day for West Oakview’s youngest students. It gives them a creative, low-pressure way to ease into a day of learning while some classmates eat breakfast and their teacher finishes preparing morning lessons.
The manipulatives also offer teachers an opportunity to join their students in play and build positive relationships.
“This is often our student’s first experience in school; our first job is to help them feel safe and secure, but the biggest part of our day is helping them to enjoy school,” said Bigger.
Shiffer agreed.
“We want them to like being here and feel like they belong, so they can see that learning and growing can be fun too.”
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