Lower Loop Latest - Addressing Sensory and Fine/Gross Motor Needs

By Mihoko Chida / March 24, 2023 / Learning Designers

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Addressing Sensory and Fine/Gross Motor Needs

As children grow and develop, they go through many important milestones, such as crawling, walking, and talking. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted children's development, including their sensory, fine motor, and gross motor skills. With the closure of schools, many children experienced fewer opportunities to engage in physical activity and social interactions with peers. This lack of physical activity can impact gross motor skill development, decreasing strength and coordination. Additionally, increased screen time and sedentary behavior can impact fine motor skill development, such as hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity.

Where can I learn more?
Video: Gross Motor Skills vs. Fine Motor Skills: What’s the difference?

Video: EYFS – Physical development

Video: Making Sense of Sensory Issues

What supports is available for my child?

Occupational therapists (OT) can work with families to:

Identify sensory difficulties and develop strategies to support a child's sensory needs at home, in school, or in other environments.
Identify gross motor needs, create activities, and provide tools to help them move around better.
Identify fine motor needs and recommend exercises or activities to improve strength and coordination.
Offer ideas to support participation in academic or social activities for both families and teachers.

How does VERSO support these needs?

In April, we are pleased to partner with an Occupational Therapist from Little Sprouts. Her name is Kanyarat Kanthong (Bee), and she is a Senior Occupational Therapist. Recommended learners will undergo an initial OT screening with parental consent. Parents will be asked to pay for the initial screening and recommended sessions because this is an additional service. We hope that by hosting sessions on campus during the school day, our learners will benefit from this specialized support.

We recommend that you refer to this checklist and speak to your child's LD if you would like to pursue an initial screening.

C3-4 Students Build Soccer Goals

The C1-2 and C3-4 learners started playing soccer a few months ago. It started with Enter bringing the soccer ball at lunch. Soon more students were asking to join. They used water bottles or other markers to define the goals. One day, Mr. Ronen asked if we could buy small soccer goals. Then Kru Joe offered to help interested C3-4 students build some made of plastic piping. Now we have perfect soccer goals made by students for our soccer stars to play during breaktime!

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Reusable and Recyclable Materials for EY4-5

EY4-5 would love more materials to use to create! They will use these materials to improve our garden by making plant pots and working on a self-watering system using plastic bottles. The learners will also create an under-the-sea-themed piece of art with bottle caps.

Please drop off plastic bags, bottles, boxes, and bottle caps in the Lower Loop Foyer.

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Songkran 2023 RS

Songkran Celebration!

On April 5, we will be celebrating Songkran before the break! See the schedule above for details.

In Lower Loop, we ensure that our learners are always supervised by an adult. This includes confirming that they are united with the correct adult at the end of the day.

We are asking for your support for this event by communicating with us about your plans for the whole school Songkran event.

We will conduct an early dismissal between 12-12:30pm for families who would like to attend the event together. The remaining students in EY4-5, C1-2, and C3-4 will attend the afternoon performances together. EY2-3 students will not, as this will interfere with their nap routine. If you are an EY2-3 parent and want to join the whole school celebration, we ask that you accompany your child.

If you have more than one child, please include details on this form. Only fill this form out once.

DEADLINE: March 31 by the end of the day

Interview with Cushla Jones

Check out this interview with our incoming Lower Loop Leader, Cushla Jones. Good job to our Grade 4 learners, Tamm and Namin for their interesting questions! Well done!

By Mihoko Chida