6-String Acoustic Guitar

Product Description

Sensory 4

Skills

• Children may enhance motor planning skills when playing the guitar.
• Children can isolate finger movements to pluck individual strings on the guitar.  This strengthens fine motor skills used for dressing, eating, writing, and etc.
• Music is an avenue to express individual creativity.  Children can use this guitar to express themselves.

Play Ideas

• Strum the strings from the top down and then from the bottom up. Listen to the different sounds from high to low and from low to high.
• Touch the strings on the guitar to explore how they feel and compare the different sounds (higher or lower) they make.
• Encourage the child to explore the different tuning knobs and listen to the different sounds the guitar makes. Access to a tuner can assist in auditory attention and processing. Caution: Be sensitive to over stimulation.  

Communicative 4

Skills

• Encourage vocalizations while playing the guitar. Have the child make a sound he is working on in speech therapy each time he strums the guitar.
• Encourage social play by having children create a band together.  Each child can play a different musical instrument simultaneously. As development progresses, they can incorporate rhythm and coordination of the song in play.
• Memory and recall skills can be incorporated into play as children remember what string corresponds to which chord or song.

Play Ideas

• Create a “jam session” and have the child dance and sing while playing the guitar.
• Children can have a sing-a-long using the guitar.
• Have the child put on a show for the family. The audience can sit and clap to encourage his performance. Alternately, place the child’s stuffed animals and dolls in a row along the couch and have the child perform for this unique audience.

Physical 2

Skills

• Children can isolate finger movements to strum or pluck individual strings on the guitar.  This strengthens fine motor skills used for dressing, eating, writing, and etc.
• The guitar supports two-handed play and bilateral coordination.  One hand is used to hold and stabilize the guitar while the other is used to strum.
• Encourage the child to use the guitar pick to engage in pincer grasp (pointer finger against thumb) to pluck or strum the strings.  

Play Ideas

• Music provides a perfect avenue for inclusive play. Create a band with friends both with and without disabilities.
• Play a game of follow the leader. The leader can play the guitar and move the line around the room while the group follows.
• Pretend to be in a marching band. Use the guitar and other household items like pots and pans and wooden spoons to march around while playing music. 

Adaptation Ideas

• The guitar can be played in different positions for successful play. It can be placed on an easel stand for an upright play position or laid flat on a table or wheelchair tray for optimal positioning for individual needs.
• Place non-skid rubber shelf liner on a flat surface under the guitar to help stabilize it during play.
• Use a Popsicle stick to strum or pluck the guitar strings using whole hand grasp instead of pincer grasp with the pick.