Author Description

At last, a home program to develop young children's hand skills. Designed especially for children from birth to five years old, Handprints offers more than just activities. Reproducible parent articles help parents and caregivers understand the how and why of hand development. This knowledge, coupled with the activities, allows parents to be part of the solution not just a passive observer in their child's hand development. The manual contains: * A Foreword by Marsha Dunn Klein! She says, ".....Valerie Pieraccini and Darla Vance offer a wonderful support for parents, therapists and early interventionists who are providing services in the home as well as the classroom. They have done a beautiful job in celebrating and supporting parents in this clear, creative and informative book!" * An overview for the occupational therapist * Hand Skills and Related Topics: 20 parent articles that explain hand skills, how they develop, and how each is important * Hand Skills in Daily Activities: 10 parent articles that address the relationship of hand skills to the activities of a child's daily living. Each article explains an activity, the hand skills involved, and what each developmental stage of the activity looks like. * Adaptations: Eleven parent articles that suggest generalized adaptations that can be used with a variety of activities. * Activities: 30 fun ways for parents to play with their children while working on the child's hand skills. Materials can be found at home or are inexpensive and easily attainable. There are suggestions for making the activities easier or harder. A "why" section helps parents recognize the important skills addressed in the activity. * Skill/activity charts that show at a glance which skills are compatible with which activities * An activity checklist for the therapist to monitor the articles and activities that have been sent home with each child * A glossary of terms * An extensive list of toys and th