Agenda
 Why are Fine Motor Skills so important and how can we improve
them?
 What is High Five Jive?
 Who will benefit from using High Five Jive?
 Why and How can High Five Jive improve learning in the curriculum
 Practical Sessions – Part One
Part Two
Create your own Jives
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
Why are they important and how can
we improve them?
 Fine Motor Skills and Perceptual Skills are crucial in the
development of young children
 learn life skills quickly
 have better handwriting
 complete areas of the school curriculum more easily
 Traditionally, we have provided opportunities for these to develop
by drawing, painting, handwriting, use of scissors etc.
 However, as well as this, I believe there is also a need for a
practical, interactive programme that is closely linked to the
curriculum.
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
What is High Five Jive?
 It is a fun, effective programme of multi-sensory activities and hand
jives that flex and extend, based on the inter-connection between
movement and learning.
 It is important for children to engage in a range of multi-sensory
activities to be developmentally ready for school. It is designed to
improve and develop – hand & finger strength, manipulation &
dexterity, hand/eye co-ordination, visual perception, sequencing
skills, movement & co-ordination.
KEY FEATURES
 A different approach as it integrates fine motor skills and the
curriculum areas – Language, Maths, PSCHE, Art, Design, Music,
Movement/Exercise, Drama.
 It shows how crucial Maths and Music are in Learning.
 Encourages children/young people to use their social interaction and
creative thinking skills.
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
Who will benefit?
 All children in Primary Schools and some groups in Secondary. The
earlier activity sheets, additional signs and easier hand jives can be
used in Pre-School.
 As a guide, the most improvement in a childs fine motor skills are
from 4-6 years. There is a gradual improvement in more complex
behaviours from 5-12 years. For isolated finger, hand and wrist
movements there is a significant improvement from 5-8 years.
 High Five Jive can be used for children with Learning Difficulties. It
is beneficial for all ages be it for dexterity, work, leisure or general
health.
 It can be used for 1:1, in small groups or whole classes with
Parents, Health Professionals, Teachers, Teaching Assistants and
Learning Support Co-ordinators.
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
Why and how can High Five Jive
improve learning in the curriculum?
 Language
 When we speak, read or write we need to understand movement
and direction. We need to understand shapes and forms in space
(spatial organisation) before we can write letters.
 What difficulties do children experience? e.g. Directional Difficulties.
Practical task – Letters of the alphabet.
 Letters with clockwise orientation
 Letters with anti-clockwise orientation
 Letters with clockwise and anti-clockwise orientation
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
High Five Jive is divided into two parts.
 Originally designed to progress from Part One to Part Two.
However, it is a flexible programme that can be dipped into at any
point in Part One or Part Two dependent on the needs of the
individual or group.
 Part One consists of 30 interactive Activity Sheets with increasingly
difficult finger exercises. The Activity Sheets can be used for one
hand or both, in sequence or selected as needed. Adult Guidance is
given before each sheet.
 Includes CD Rom and is photocopiable. Activity sheets can be
reduced down for the use of smaller hands.
 Can be used as ‘warm ups’ for therapy or lessons eg in DT, Music
Art, ICT or Handwriting. Each sheet can be worked on for 3-5
minutes.
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
Additional Resource Sheets
 In the appendices, these recognise progress, achievement and
rewards.
1. Record Sheet – to record completed activity Sheets with feedback and
comments.
2. Activity Sheet scorecard – recording times and measuring progress.
3. Parental Guidance Information Sheet for homework.
4. Initial Training and Learning Certificate – to recognise and reward
achievement.
5. Create Your Own Hand Jive Template
6. Ideas for Creating New Jives
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
Activity Sheets - Finger Numbers
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
Part Two - The Hand Jives
 High Five Jive is a series of hand movements. When you see the
signs in Part Two unlike Part One you need to do a movement in the
air. Do not touch the page. Adult guidance sheets supplied.
 Learn the signs sequentially then perform the jive.
 It can be performed sitting or standing.
 21 signs to learn. 15 jives in total (increasing in difficulty) to the
bumper High Five Jive!
 Practise learning the signs – a few at a time, then learn a jive.
 Easier signs and jives can be performed by Pre-school children.
 Can create new signs and jives.
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
High Five Jive Symbols
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
Practice Sheet Symbols 14-17
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
Example of a Jive
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
Example of a Jive
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014
High Five Jive!
High Five Jive © Susan O’Connor 2012
Dyslexia Action Conference - June 2014