Preparing for Braille with DUPLO

DUPLO bricks, being larger than LEGO and LEGO Braille Bricks, are specifically designed for small hands, making them easy to grasp and manipulate. They are ideal for stimulating motor and sensory development in young children. (It’s important to note that LEGO Braille Bricks are not recommended for children under 4 years old due to the risk of mouthing.)

For older children who may still use palmar or digit-palmar grasp and have not yet developed fine pincer skills, DUPLO provides an excellent intermediate step. These larger bricks help build foundational motor skills and encourage the transition to more precise hand movements.

Transcription

So I started first with the activity “Cover the brick”.
I wanted him to explore the baseplate and feel the bricks on the baseplate,
and then pick another brick and put on top of the first one.

“And what we can do is, we find a brick and we put one on top, on top of it.
Here, can you put it back?”

Immediately, I saw that tactile exploration of the baseplate was difficult, not that easy.
What can happen is when you have that tactile, defensive issue,
it means sometimes you were scared of touching something,
and then you stop exploring and you stop developing all the fine motor skills.
So it means all the steps for the manipulation and fine motor skill development,
he missed some of them.
We can see that when we look at him playing the piano, for example, he has no finger isolation
and he’s using the whole hand. Sometimes it was even, the top of the hand
and not in the correct position.
So it shows us that he needs to go through activities with DUPLO bricks and braille bricks before,
acquiring these finger isolation skills, and be a good brailler, a writer on the brailler.

“Can you put the big brick on the baseplate?”

The second activity, I used the biggest bricks because I could see that he had difficulties
with the grasp and release, and orientation of the bricks. So the biggest are easier.

“And you pull it like that? Yes. Okay.”

I changed a little bit and we did “Feed a caterpillar”.
So it’s a small, caterpillar that needs to eat some salad and kale, and it’s a be-manual activity.
He had to hold a brick with one hand, and then I helped him take another one and orientate
and adjust with coordination. So to make the caterpillar grow.

DUPLO bricks feature smooth textures and gently rounded edges, making them an excellent tool for exploring and enhancing tactile skills.

Tactile awareness: by touching and manipulating the bricks, children can feel their texture, shape, and weight, helping to refine their sensory perception.

Size and shape differentiation: with DUPLO bricks available in various sizes, children can practice distinguishing and comparing dimensions through touch, fostering their ability to perceive differences.

Playing with DUPLO bricks helps children develop various types of grasping skills, which are essential for complex tasks like writing and reading braille.

Palmar grasp: Children use their whole hand to hold a large brick. This is often the first step in fine motor development.

Pincer Grasp: manipulating smaller bricks or fitting them onto a baseplate helps children refine their ability to use their thumb and index finger.

Hand-eye coordination for children with low vision: Building with DUPLO requires synchronizing visual input with hand movements, promoting better coordination.

Bimanual coordination: For children with limited or no vision, assembling bricks involves using both hands to adjust and align pieces effectively.

Finger strength and precision: Connecting and disconnecting bricks strengthens finger muscles and promotes independence, which is vital for braille literacy and other fine motor tasks.