FM.E.33 PULLS A STRING HORIZONTALLY ΤΟ ΑΤΤΑΙΝ Α ΤΟΥ

This skill is allied closely with the early problem-solving skills described in Sequence FM.G. The child must use the string to bring the toy he wants within reach.

How to Assess

Materials: A favourite toy attached to a 60 cm string. You can use a pull-along toy.

Method: Demonstrate pulling the toy by the string. Place it out of reach of your child, with the string close at hand. Say ‘Get the . . .’.

Score plus if your child pulls the string and attains the toy.

How to Teach

Use plenty of demonstrations, and physical help if necessary in the early stages,

Try putting the toy at the top of a sloping board, so that a little pull on the string will cause it to roll towards your child.

If your child has trouble manipulating the string, try putting the toy on the far corner of a nappy. Pulling the nappy will bring the toy closer. When your child masters this, try a string with a large bead on the pulling end.

If your child is crawling and heads towards the toy without pulling the string, put the toy inside the playpen, with the string coming through the bars, or play the game sitting at a large table.

Playtime and Round-the-house Activities

All sorts of things can be tied to strings, so you can put your child down to play surrounded by different challenges! Try this activity while he is playing on his tummy.

Remembering and Extending

You will work on a more challenging variation of this activity when you reach FM.E.50 (pulls a string vertically to attain a toy).