Free exercises to help with learning difficulties and concentration.
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Free exercises to help with learning difficulties and concentration. 
03/11/2010 21:59 - Special Needs / Tutors Required
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Exercises to help with learning difficulties and concentration.
Eye Tracking
Materials: Hidden picture magazines and games like where’s Waldo? also, Highlights, magazine offers a lot of hidden picture activities.
Method: Have the child do the activities below.
Levels 1 to 2: Use the Highlight, magazines or where’s Waldo? Books.
Levels 3 to 5: Use normal reading material. Designate a letter (for example, R) and ask the child to look at the page of print and circle as many R’s as he can. Vary the letters he is to find. Time him and see how fast he can find the designated letter. You can vary this and ask him to find blends or circle all the words with “tion” in them or that end with “ing).
Letter Search
Materials: Normal reading material.
Method: Have the child do the following activity.
Levels 2 to 5: The child is to circle all words where a letter appears twice. This can be varied by finding words with three letters or words where there are no letters that appear more than once. For younger children, use large print books. The child is to scan to a left to right direction on each line of print. He is not to randomly search or use his finger as a marker to keep his place.
Words in Words
Materials: Reading material.
Method: Have the child do the following activity.
Levels 3 to 5: Have the child find as many words as he can that are hidden in other words. For example many = man; other = the.
One Foot Hop
Materials: None.
Method: Have the child do the following activities.
Level 1:
Have the child hop in place on one leg, hop four steps forward, four steps backward, hop to the left, hop to the right, hop in place and turn around.
Repeat with opposite foot.
Level 2:
Hop while grasping the ankle with the opposite hand behind the back.
Hop while grasping the leg in front of the body with both hands.
The child should try to do at least 10 hops across the room on each foot.
Coordination between left and right.
Stepping Stones:
Materials: Different coloured tile or carpet cut into 4 inch squares (have 20 squares – 10 of one colour and 10 of another colour).
Method: The child is to walk on the squares. He is to keep his body straight and have good posture.
Level 1: Put the squares in a straight line. The child is to walk on them and keep his balance.
Level 2:
Arrange the squares slightly off centre with one colour on the right of centre and the other on the left of centre. For example:
R B
R B
R B
Have the child walk on the squares and call out the side that is stepping on the square. For example, each time he steps on the blue square, he calls out “right” and each time he steps on the red square, he calls out “left”.
Put the squares in various patterns that make up letters or numbers. Have the child walk on the patterns and tell you which letter or number it is.
Pattern Hopping
Materials: None.
Method: The child will do the following activities.
Level 1:
The child stands in front of you, arms at his side. Have him hop up and down. Make sure both is feet leave and touch the floor at the same time.
Have him hop across the room on one foot. Have him do it first with his right foot and then hop back on his left foot.
Level 2:
Clap a pattern and have him hop to the pattern. For example, one clap, pause and two quick claps would be one hop, pause and two quick hops. Have him do this first on both feet, then on one foot.
Do #1, but have the child facing away from you as so he cannot see you clapping.
Level 3: Have the child facing you. Clap a pattern. He is to alternate feet as he hops to the pattern. For example, clap, clap, pause, clap, and clap, clap would be right, left, pause, and right, left, right.
Level 4: Have the child facing away from you. Clap a pattern. He is to alternate feet and call out which foot he is hopping on as he hops to the pattern. For example, clap, pause, clap, clap, he would hop and call out “right”, pause, “left”, “right”.
Bean bag Activities: Great as break out during homework, study also great to organise the brain before reading lessons. I have given two different levels as some will find them easier than others. These can also be preformed on a rocker board to add to difficulty level as they become easier, can also be preformed in groups.
1:
Throw the bean bags in the air with both hands and catch when it comes back down. Make the two sides of your body move exactly the same way.
Throw and catch the bean bag with both hands. Make the bean bag just touch the ceiling.
2:
Throw and catch the bean bag with both hands. Throw the bean bag up and try to make it come 1 foot from the ceiling, then 2 feet from the ceiling, and then 3 feet from the ceiling. Continue this sequence.
Throw and catch the bean bags with the right hand and follow the motion of the bean bag with your hands.
3:
Throw and catch the bean bag with your right hand. Make the bean bag just touching the ceiling.
Throw and catch the bean bag with your left hand. Make the bean bag come as close to the ceiling as you possibly can without touching the ceiling.
Throw and catch the bean bag with your right hand. Make the bean bag come to within 1 foot of the ceiling. The next time make it come within 2 feet of the ceiling. The next time make it come within 3 feet of the ceiling.
4:
Throw and catch the bean bag with both hands. Make the bean bag come as close to the ceiling as possible when you throw it up and let it get as close to the floor as possible before you catch it.
Throw the bean bag up with your right hand. Make the bean bag come as close to the ceiling as possible when you throw it up and let it get as close to the floor as possible before you catch it. Catch it with your right hand.
Invent your own way to throw and catch the bean bag.
5:
Throw the bean bag up with both hands and catch it on the back of your right hand when it comes back down.
Throw the bean bag up with both hands and catch it on the back of your left hand when it comes back down.
Put the bean bag on the back of both hands. Throw the bean bag up in the air and catch it.
Throw the bean bag in the air and when it reaches its trajectory, close your eyes. Try to catch the bean bag with your eyes closed.
Throw and catch two bean bags simultaneously. Throw and catch the lightest bean bag with your right hand and the heaviest bean bag with your left hand.
Throw and catch two bean bags simultaneously. Throw and catch the heaviest one with your left hand and the lightest one with your right hand. Throw them as high up in the air as you can and keep them under control. Try to throw them up and just touch the ceiling. Try to make both of them go up the same distance when you throw them.
Throw the two bean bags in the air and clap a rhythm pattern before catching the bags.
Suggested Basic Challenges
Easier version:
1. a) hold the bean bag in your hand.
b) Hold the bean bag very high in your space.
c) Hold the bean bag very low in your space.
d) Hold the bean bag between low and high.
2. A) hold the bean bag in one hand.
b) Touch your chin with the bean bag.
c) Touch the bean bag to your nose, right ear, chest, left hip, right ankle.
3. A) stand up straight.
b) Balance the bean bag on your head.
c) Balance it on your shoulder, foot, wrist, elbow, and knee. (Teacher may wish to add right or left). Can you balance the bag on any other part of your body?
4. A) balance the bean bag on your head.
d) Sit down and stand up without dropping the bag.
5. A) stand up straight.
b) Balance the bean bag on your head.
c) Rotate your head in as large a circle as possible without moving your feet or dropping the bean bag.
a) Hold the bean bag in your hands.
b) Place the bean bag between your elbows so that only the elbows are holding.
c) Hold the bean bag between your wrists.
d) Hold the bean bag between your knees. Use only your knees) hold the bean bag between your ankles.
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