Weekly Wonder Time: Connecting Technology with Children's Interests

Technology is defined as any tool that solves a problem. Some tools have high technology features, such as tablets, calculators, or cameras. Other tools are considered low technology, but we use these every day in our daily activities. Low tech tools include pencils, crayons, blocks, forks, scoops, and markers. In our inclusive preschool classroom, we combined a child's favorite low technology tools to promote his engagement in a fine motor developmental task: coloring.

During my time as a Program Coordinator within a preschool, I worked with one neurodiverse child, Trevor. He loved cars and he loved markers. However, he did not use these items in a way that helped him develop his visual motor and fine motor skills for future writing. He held the cars as he tried to play with other materials in the Block Area. When he found the markers in the Art Area, Trevor named all the colors and took the caps off. My Lead Teacher and I had an idea. Since we were transitioning our classroom curriculum to focus on "Transportation", we decided to tape short markers onto these plastic cars that we found. We then wrapped a few tables with heavy duty paper. We wondered, "What would Trevor do with these items?" During the first two days of our new curriculum change out, Trevor went to his favorite areas of the classroom: our Reading Nook and our Math and Games Area. On Day Three, he walked towards the Art Area and found these car markers. At first, he tried to pull the marker off the car, but then with some modeling by the Lead Teacher, Trevor sat and moved the car back and forth. He sat for a few seconds, but as our "car markers" became a part of our drawing tools, Trevor colored for longer and longer times.

Key take aways: Think about those developmental activities, like coloring with markers, that your child or student struggles. How could you combine this task with something that they really enjoy? How can you creatively change the way that they use the materials to promote a developmental domain, such as fine motor skills.

Let me know your ideas and how this goes for you.

Markers attached to plastic toy cars for engagement in coloring activity using the whole hand.