Hi there!  I am Jan McCleskey, MA, OTR – creator of The Fine Motor Store and owner of The Handwriting Clinic!  I love OT, I love fun, and I love giving tips to teachers and OT’s on fun things that they can use in the classroom or in therapy!

A little about me: I worked in the public schools for 19 years doing occupational therapy services.  I loved the public schools, but noticed that so many students needed help with handwriting!  Not just kiddo’s in special education, but so many students in every classroom. Handwriting used to be taught in first grade, and now we have pushed handwriting skills to the preschool years.  Often the fine motor, visual motor and grapho-motor skills just are not developed because these skills develop through age 5 , up to age 6, for readiness for writing.  Using a multi-sensory approach to fine motor skills and handwriting may help with getting these skills ready for kindergarten and subsequent grades.  In 2002, I started The Handwriting Clinic in Plano, Texas (www.TheHandwritingClinic.com).  We saw about 300 students during each summer, and more during the school year.  Now I closed the building but am still operating via tele therapy.  So many students, so many problems, and so many ultimate successes!  There just was not many fine motor activities available when I first started the clinic.  There were even less fine motor products that worked on specific skills for grasp development, tongs skills, scissors skills, and ultimately handwriting or keyboarding!  I began creating products and using them at the clinic.  What a fantastically wonderful way to test out products – use them with so many children with fine motor problems.  I began giving workshops to school districts on fine motor skills and handwriting and our First Strokes handwriting, keyboarding and fine motor products are used in school districts from all over. All my products have been developed out of very specific needs for children, and target skill areas that an occupational therapist might recommend.  Most of my products even have training modules for fine motor skills, and are perfect to blend occupational therapy theory, with functional, multi sensory practice. Through all the products on The Fine Motor Store, teachers and parents are empowered to have high quality products that promote skills!  Schools use our First Strokes Products for handwriting, keyboarding and fine motor skills (www.TheHandwritingClinic.com).  Now, The Fine Motor Store is excited to bring products into a NEW format – printable products that can be used immediately.  I have a very successful store on Teachers Pay Teacher.com – Jan McCleskey, MA OTR The Fine Motor Store with over 300 products!