If like me, you work with students who are learning to use a mouse, joystick, roller-ball or even eye gaze, you’ll always be on the look out for motivating activities that students can use to hone their skills. IT Mouse Skills is great but hardly the most exciting activity to play over and over. Here are a few web sites hosting free activities suitable for developing and extending pointing device skills.
Fungooms
Fungooms is a lovely web site packed with simple pointing device activities for early years or those with additional needs. Bright colourful images with lots of fun music and sound effects when objects are moused over or clicked make this a firm favourite. The activities change the mouse pointer too making it larger and easier to see, which is perfect for those just starting out or using mouse control with eye gaze. No reading is required to use the games and each playroom offers a selection of games providing opportunities for students to make choices.
Lots of fun and games for pointing device users on this very professional looking web site together with lesson plans, printable support material and craft ideas to help fit these activities into your teaching.
HUGE collection of point and click colouring pages featuring scenes and characters from top children’s TV shows and films. The interface is a little busy for eye gaze users with small targets for the colour palette but mouse / roller-ball users shouldn’t have any difficulty. Most of the pages can be printed too for work on pencil skills.