Or, use graph paper as a thinner grade to address a different resistance. Try ripping cardstock or textured crepe paper. Try printed paper or a rough paper like last year’s paper calendar. Vary the texture of the paper– You can add a sensory component and use different textures of paper. Or, work on visual perceptual skills and try ripping paper into shapes without a template. This is a fantastic way to build motor planning skills. You can make this task easier by drawing pencil lines and ripping paper along the lines. Tear paper into shapes– Use the paper to create simple shapes like a circle, square, etc. This proprioceptive input can be very calming and allow kids to regulate or focus while adding the sensory input they need. Tearing paper that is thicker like cardstock, index cards, or construction paper adds heavy input through the hands. The thicker paper also requires a bit more strength to tear with accuracy and precision. Thicker paper like cardstock or cardboard requires more strength to grip the paper. The thin paper isn’t too difficult to tear, but requires motor control. We tore an 9×11 piece of painted printer paper into long strips, lengthwise. Practicing tearing different thicknesses really hones in on precision skills. Tear different weights of paper- Paper comes in different thicknesses, or weights. Make slow tears in the paper- Tearing the paper slowly while focusing on strait torn lines really encourages a workout of those intrinsic muscles.
Tear too fast, and the paper is torn diagonally and not into strips. Tear paper into strips- To tear a long sheet of paper, you need to grasp the paper with an effective, yet not too strong grasp. To work those fine motor skills, start with some junk mail or recycled paper materials and practice tearing. Tearing strips of paper is especially a great fine motor task. In this paper tearing activity, we use recycled artwork to create Torn Paper Art that would look great on any gallery (or family dining room) wall! All you need to do is rip paper to develop skills. This includes eye-hand coordination, visual tracking, visual attention, and other areas of visual processing. Visual Motor Skills- To tear paper, visual motor integration is a required part of the puzzle. Ripping paper can be a sensory diet tool for some individuals. But the benefits of heavy work can be calming and organizing. Heavy work, or proprioception allows us to know where our body is in space. This process offers heavy work through the finger joints, wrist as a stabile joint, and coordination and stability in the shoulder girdle. Sensory Processing- To rip paper, strength and coordination is needed. This is a strategy to support graded precision skills. Depending on the intricacy of the paper tear line, more refined motor movements are used. Hand dominance- Holding paper with stability using a non-dominant hand to support the paper, and a dominant hand to make refined tears supports development of bilateral coordination skills. Not only is ripping paper as a fine motor strategy, tearing off pieces of paper can support sensory needs, coordination, and visual motor skills. Just look at the skills kids develop with a tear paper activity: The non-dominant hand is assisting in the tearing and encourages appropriate assistance for tasks like holding the paper while writing, and managing paper while cutting with scissors. When paper is torn, the hands assume a great tripod grasp which is effective and a mature grasp for writing and coloring. These intrinsic muscles are important in so many fine motor skills, including those important to handwriting and coloring, managing buttons and zippers, manipulating pegs, and more. When a child tears a piece of paper, they improve hand strength and endurance in the small muscles in the hand. In fact, tearing paper actually helps children develop so many essential skills: hand strength, hand eye coordination, precision, refined movements, bilateral coordination… Tearing paper a simple fine motor activity that requires only scrap paper and your hands.
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