Discs on a horizontal dowel

Discs on a horizontal dowel asks the child to thread discs onto a rod that lies sideways, where gravity does not help and the hand has to do all the work. A disc that is not lined up simply will not go on, which tells the child to adjust the hand rather than to push harder. Guiding the hole onto the dowel joins eye and hand, and pushing each disc along strengthens the wrist and shoulder that writing will later need. Taking the discs off again is usually the part repeated most, and it is the same skill in reverse. The next step after the vertical dowel, for children under three years.