Hi All,
Hope you are well, Happy New Year!
Recently some parents have been asking me for a list of fine motor (finger and hand) strengthening activities for their children.
Here is the list, feel free to try these at home:
ripping paper into little pieces (you can make a game out of it - pretend snow),
making pointer finger footprints in theraputty or play dough (use lots of play dough so increased resistance if possible),
small sized leggos - pulling them apart and pushing them together (with supervision so they do not swallow them of course),
pop beads - they are great for hand strengthening,
lacing cards,
clothespin games,
having the child make little balls of play dough - rolling them into small balls her pointer and thumb fingers,
Finding and removing beads in a blob of theraputty or firm play dough,
making a rope from twist-ties - with supervision of course so that he does not poke himself,
putting a rubber band around her writing and/or coloring tool and asking him or her to squeeze the rubber band as he or she writes/colors to strengthen grip and improve grasp pattern,
make sure he or she is stabilizing the paper she is writing on or coloring with the opposite hand (sometimes a child does not like to use two hands together and this can be a problem.),
Stringing a necklace with small beads (with supervision so they are not swallowed)
Yoga to help stabilize core muscles. A mommy and me class or even a video for kids can be very helpful. I am a big advocate of yoga for overall strengthening.
Hope that is helpful. Let me know how it goes… Feel free to email me at dancingroserecords@gmail.com with any questions or things you would like for me to elaborate on in the next post.
Best,
Jennifer Richman
Singer/Songwriter
Senior Occupational Therapist NYSPI OTR/L
Consultant for the NYC Department of Education
