Information
The Olke Bolke educational toy range was developed (and adapted) by Occupational therapists with the goal of creating toys or games that can be used to develop skills of children of a variety of ages.Β
The parent/therapist receives guidance on grading the games so that the child is challenged to move to the next developmental phase or to downgrade (if necessary) when a foundation skill has not yet been consolidated.Β
Each child develops at his own pace but there is an order of development within the brain.Β Through clear instructions the parent can guide a child through the normal developmental phases:
Kinaesthetic
Children first learn through movement
3D to 3D
The parent builds a three-dimensional construction and the child builds the same
3D on top of 2D
The child fits shapes on top of a picture, firstly concrete shapes and then abstracts shapes
2D to 3D
The child builds a construction from an example picture.
3D and 2D to 2D
The child now draws a picture on paper from the 3D or 2D example.Β Firstly concrete and then abstract shapes.
School related
Now the child is ready for the scholastic phase
Therefore, you need to ensure that a steady foundation is formed for optimal scholastic progress.Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β
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Olke Bolke focusses on the development of specific skills to enhance scholastic performance.Β The following are examples of skills that are addressed when using our toy range.
Spatial perceptual skills
Inadequate integration of a childβs position in space, spatial relations, space visualisation and visual sequencing skills influences aspects such as letter-and number reversals (such as βbβ and βdβ reversals), spacing between words, relations of letters and lines as well as the order of letters in words.Β
Figure ground
When a child struggles to focus on the relevant information on a busy page, it influences his ability to copy from a blackboard and to read without losing his place.Β
Visual closure
When a child struggles to complete shapes or objects in his mind or to fit parts to make a whole or to fit shapes into each other to form a whole, skills such as reading and spelling gets influenced.Β It is important for a child to be able to read words as a whole when letters are put together.Β The same is true for breaking words up into parts and to spell correctly.Β Task completion may also be influenced.
Visual discrimination
Inadequate ability to see similarities and differences will influence a childβs ability to see differences when he reads or writes e.g. the difference between βoβ and βaβ, βhβ and βnβ etc. Children need to learn to discriminate detail.
Fine motor skills and Eye-hand coordination
The development of different grasps, hand muscles and the correct pencil grip is important and influences the neatness of writing, colouring and cutting.
Visual-motor integration
When the brain struggles to give the correct motor output to a visual stimulus, the child will struggle to copy.
Visual memory
The child needs to be able to recall information seen.Β This influences learning ability.
Planning
It is important that a child first forms an adequate idea of a task before determining the steps and order of these steps involved.Β Eventually he will need to be able to do tasks against time.Β Most school related activities will be influenced by a childβs planning abilities such as maths, letter formation, timing during exams, school projects etc.Β Planning forms the basis for problem solving.
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