“Hand Strengthening Tips”

A child’s fine motor development and skill progression can be hindered by a decrease in hand strength. This can impact writing, dressing and other self-care tasks, using utensils, and grasping or carrying objects throughout the day. Here are some easy to do and fun activities that will help develop fine motor strength for children.

1. Play-dough- Roll out play-dough, squeeze between fingers, hide small objects inside to find, squish flat like a pancake or use cookie cutters to make shapes.

2. Tennis ball monster- Cut a slit in a tennis ball draw or glue eyes and a nose then squeeze the ball to open his mouth to feed him (pennies, marbles, puff balls, any number of small objects).

3. Bubble wrap- Help develop pinch for thumb and index finger by popping bubble wrap with fingers. If it is too difficult twist the bubble wrap a couple times to make it a little easier.

4. Crafts- Hole punches, cutting different thicknesses of paper, squeezing glue bottles are all great activities to do with your little ones to develop hand strength.

5. Stirring- Having kids help in the kitchen is a great way to bond and enjoy time with your kids. Stirring batter or mixes are great for developing hand strength and they may get a nice treat at the end for all their hard work.