Button Board App

I have a bit of an issue suggesting iPad apps as fine motor skill apps, I consider them visual motor activities with true fine motor skills developed using haptic skills of in-hand manipulation, tactile discrimination with three-dimensional objects. There are a few apps (very few) I might qualify as being fine motor apps. I think that Button Board app is one of them that might fill the bill if students are required to isolate finger usage to participate with this app!

Button Board App is a new, free iPad app. Created by MediaKitchen, it is a simple app requiring placement of colored buttons onto a picture. Matching colors, finger isolation, and visual motor control are the skills worked on in this app.

The app provides a few free pictures and many more in-app themes but also provides a blank page that allows you to create your own.

Some thoughts about use of the blank screen might include:

• Creating a simple shape on a teachers iPad and having a student copy it on theirs
• Create a pattern, shape on an iPad, take a screen shot (saves to Photo Album) and display that for the student to copy from near or far source
• Creating a color sequence of buttons and having the student copy it on the row or column underneath
• Start a pattern and have the student complete the pattern

The app has a few options available:

Orientation is possible in either portrait or landscape making it easy to display with easels and stands with students. Instructions are included in the app making instructions easy to access. I found the app to be simple, clean and easy to use with no ads included.

For young children working on finger isolation, you might consider using a magic glove with the finger cut out to help with facilitating finger isolation (as one of many methods!).

Button Board is a free, simple app with some customization possible with use for young children. Certainly handling 3-D buttons and shapes would be an important fine motor activity to use along with this app, but as a visual motor activity, I would include this in my OT mTool Kit!

Button Board (Kindle Tablet Edition) is also available, as well as for Android – Button Board Learn Colours .

More for your teaching, family or OT mTool Kit!

Carol