Sign-up for my weekly child development newsletter and receive this free fine motor checklist for ages 0-6. This strengthening activity can be graded by using different types of paper — tissue paper, plain paper or construction paper — as the child’s hand gets stronger. 15 Hand Strengthening Exercises for Kids. Squeezing clothespins or spray bottles. Without the proper development of these muscles, children will have delayed fine motor skills or fatigue during fine motor activities. Activities to promote hand strength include: For more activity suggestions and resources on hand grasp strengthening, check out the links below. Syringes: Also add these to water activities! Please see my disclosure policy for more details. read our website terms of use and policy page. Childhood is a critical time for the development of intrinsic hand muscles. Like I said, stock up on these fine motor materials and keep them handy. Many children struggle with hand strength so today we are going to look at this topic in more detail and I'll also give you some hand strengthening activities for children. Hand Arches Site provides activities that parents can do at home with their child to develop fine motor skills. Smaller bubbles are best for strengthening individual fingers and larger ones for the whole hand. Popping bubble wrap. One hand will be facing palm up and the other will be facing palm down. s.setAttribute('data-uid','7bc3dfda50');document.head.appendChild(s) Squeezing glue bottles instead of using glue sticks. 1) Put the fingers and thumb together in the center of a blob of playdough. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Paper can be a good tool for strengthening hands. Just have your child squeeze the bubble between their fingers for exercises. March 21, 2017 Nushabah Zakir Educational Pediatrics. Problems with hand strength may look like difficulty holding a pencil, tiring easily during handwriting or other fine motor activities, difficulty using scissors, trouble using zippers or buttoning items of clothing. 2) Slowly stretch the fingers and thumb apart. fckInited7bc=!1; Climbing. There's lots of … 1) Hand Warm Ups Before you begin any hand strengthening exercises with your kids, take a few minutes to warm up the muscles in their hands. For this exercise, place your fingers in a hook fist, then clasp, or hook, the fingers together at your chest. 13 || Tape – Pulling tape off of the roll and/or pulling it off of various surfaces (walls, tables, floors) is a great hand strengthener for kids. Building with blocks. Kitchen tongs: Pick up stuff around the house with them. You shouldn't feel pain. Have your child knead it, roll into logs or small balls with their finger tips, squash it with open palms and use their fingers to mold it into a larger ball. Repeat this workout for kids 10 times. 5 FUN HAND STRENGTHENING ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS. So think beyond the traditional geoboard because these 15 simple fine motor activities for kids using rubber bands are fun and creative ways for kids to build hand strength and fine motor skills. Clay Marble Mazes – Hand and Finger Strengthening. Here are some handy affiliate links to get you started: Plastic Sewing Needles for Kids, Colorful … Activities to promote hand strength include: Rolling, squeezing, or kneading play dough. These activities strengthen the gross grasp of the hand to be able to move onto skillfully using the thumb in opposition. Early Learning Ideas by Jennifer Hier, How to Use Office Supplies for Fine Motor Activities at Home, 40 of the Best Fine Motor Activity Ideas with Kitchen Items. Fill up an old shampoo bottle and let your child squeeze it empty. Click here to read Pencil Grasp Development, Fine Motor Minute to Win It Games for Kids, The Best Activities for Proprioception Input, Typical Visual-Motor Development in Children. #handstrength #finemotorskills #finemotor #occupationaltherapy The OT Toolbox- Pediatric Occupational Therapy ActivitiesOT PT … Get these now and feel confident you have great exercises that you and your kids will LOVE! Hold for 15 seconds, breathe, and then slowly lower your hands to your sides. PRIVACY POLICY. You may not alter or reuse text/content, photos/graphics, or videos in any way (print or digital use) without express written consent from Heather Greutman. My name is Heather and I’m a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based Occupational Therapy. You can do this in so many ways, like asking your little one to squeeze a stress ball or stretch a few Monkey Noodles, but I love using Emotions Putty the most. 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