Drawing with Grains: Developing Tactile Sensitivity
Suitable for young school-aged children.
These materials are designed for those teaching or wanting to teach visually impaired children to navigate the world around them. One creative technique for children with impaired vision is grain art, which uses various grains like rice, buckwheat, peas, millet, and beans. Before starting, prepare the workspace: cover the table with a disposable plastic tablecloth, set up containers for the grains in the form of deep plates, and have glue ready.
Pour the grains into several plates. Let the children feel the grains and sift them through their fingers. This activity massages their fingers, stimulates brain activity, and develops speech. The variety of materials affects the children’s tactile sensations and stimulates the nerve endings in their fingers, forming new neural connections. During the activity, explain to the children how the grains differ in color and shape.
Numerous scientific studies have proven the connection between finger movements and a child’s speech development. Developing fine motor skills is crucial for mastering writing. Good coordination, flexibility, and finger dexterity will help the child write and draw correctly and beautifully, as well as make everyday tasks easier. The teacher’s or parent’s goal is to help the child navigate the world and become independent. Thus, developing fine motor skills in visually impaired children is a vital step in exploring the world.
Developing a sense of composition and visual coordination
For the artwork base, use cardboard or any hard, thin surface suitable for gluing grains. Draw the outline of an owl on the paper with a pencil and then apply glue. How do we fill in the drawing? We used millet and buckwheat for the owl, rice for the cloud, and colored rice and millet for the trees. The area of the picture is coated with glue, sprinkled with grain, and then painted with a brush. The glue does not harden immediately, so you can adjust the grains slightly to place them nicely on the surface. We added pasta along the edges of the picture.
Materials used include grains, cardboard, glue, paint, a pencil, and a brush. Visually impaired children develop an interest in manual work and the ability to listen to and follow instructions.
These crafts contain a piece of the child’s soul, the warmth of their hands, and the attentive gaze of an adult. However, when working with grains and any small items, always keep the child’s safety in mind. During creative activities, they may accidentally put grains in their mouth, ear, or nose. Therefore, an adult should always be present to monitor the process and prevent any potential mishaps.