Age Is Just a Number

Fine Motor Fun

Our daughter, Jessica, visited us here in Vermont for the Christmas holidays. Even though she is almost forty-six, Santa is an exciting reality to her, and Christmas morning is a bonanza of long-awaited gifts. Her enthusiasm and love of life eclipse clinical definitions of her disabilities.

One item that came down the chimney was a TinkerToy wooden construction set. She pushed and twisted the pieces together for two hours, with an occasional piece falling to the floor, followed by her giggles. She diligently picked up each stray piece and patiently labored over the assembly.

I don’t think engineers completing a cold-fusion plant would be more proud of their work than Jessica and her TinkerToys, as the above picture demonstrates. The completion of her task was greeted by high-fives all around, and her thrill and pride were palpable.

Sometimes, we forget that we all like to play, no matter our age, but the adult world encourages us to avoid those silly moments and be ‘productive.” Besides sheer fun, this exercise provided Jessica with abundant fine motor practice that would thrill any occupational therapist.

The lesson from this experience is to encourage random opportunities for skill-building in any form possible. Ensure that the tasks are not done in isolation, but rather in an atmosphere that encourages attempts and rewards any success. And please - feel free to giggle when pieces fall to the floor or half-finished structures collapse on the tabletop. It’s the trying that dignifies the activity.

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