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Hand Strengthening Activities for Your Child

Writer's picture: Kirstin DouglasKirstin Douglas

Fine motor skills are necessary for a child to engage in self care tasks such as manipulating buttons, opening the tooth paste, putting on socks, and so much more. These activities require use of small movements from the hands, good eye contact, and overall good postural control to successfully complete the task without assistance. Though coloring and writing are some of the best ways to improve fine motor skills, there are some other activities that you can try at home.


1. Use Tongs

Tongs are a great tool to encourage your child to strength their fingers for writing, fasteners, etc. Children enjoy playing with these toys over and over again!

Here are some examples of toys to start out with at home:


2. Threading Beads

Threading beads is a great way to improve a child’s fine motor and bilateral hand skills! If your child struggles to thread beads on their own. Start with large beads on a pipe cleaner then work your way to string or smaller beads. I find that using a pipe cleaner helps develop confidence in a child before using a string.


3. Use Clothes Pins or Chip Clips

Clothes pins and chip clips are great for improving hand strength and coordination through play. Pinching the clothes pins will work on your child's motor planning, hand strength, and bilateral coordination skills. You can design your own to make letter and number flash cards or matching games.


4. Play Doh

Play doh is a great way for kids to engage in creative hand strengthening play! You can buy a set of play doh toys or use plastic silverware and cooking equipment from home. I’ve rarely met a child who does not want to play with play doh for hours on end.


5. Crafts

Most crafts include skills such as using scissors, squeezing glue, and tearing paper. All of these skills are helpful for developing your child’s fine motor skills. You can come up with your own, surf Pinterest, or Teachers Pay Teachers for more ideas on crafts to do at home.


6. Get Active!

Weight-bearing activities describe any activity that involves placing hands on the ground and holding up body weight. Some of my favorites include bear walks, crab walks, and duck walks. You can also carry or push heavy objects like buckets and wagons for improved strength.


These activities are great for kids who avoid coloring or find coloring to be difficult. Over time, your child’s hands will continue to strengthen and your child will be more comfortable with writing and coloring with practice.


Do you have more questions about medical services or the assessment process? Contact Wekiva Kids Therapy to set up a consultation with a Speech-Language Pathologist or Occupational Therapist Today.

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