Fine Motor Exercises

With guidance from your occupational therapist, you can use the activities and exercises below to help to develop your child's fine motor skills.

• Pencil Grasp

  Developing a Pencil Grasp

  A tripod pencil grasp is the best hold for handwriting activities. This grasp is where the pencil is held between the tips of the thumb, index and middle finger. Three fingers (index, thumb and middle fingers) are placed about 1.5- cm from the pencil point for a right-hander, and 2.5-3cm for a left-hander (to increase the visibility of the writing). The wrist and the little finger side of the hand need to be resting on the table at all times. This will help control finger movements.

  Activities to try at home:

  • Use one hand to crumple tissue paper into a small ball. Your child can then try and flick it with their thumb and first two fingers
  • Peg board patterns or threading games. Thread small beads or pasta tubes onto string to make different patterns
  • Play a game of jumping frogs or tidily winks to develop strength in finger muscles.

• Cutlery

  Using a knife and fork is an important skill for home and school. There are lots of different skills required to use a knife and fork successfully, including bimanual manipulation, grip strength and sequencing.

  Can Different Cutlery Help?

  You can buy special cutlery that is designed to help support children and young people to gain a functional grasp. This is because it is designed with a moulded space for index fingers. You can speak to your child's occupational therapy team about this.

  

  Activities to try at home:

  • Stickers or nail polish can be placed on your child's cutlery to show where place their index finger
  • Talk about the actions they are taking as they use their knife or fork - "poke" with your fork, and "saw" with your knife
  • Try non-slip matting to stop your child’s plate or bowl from moving.
  • Consider the size of their cutlery – adult-size cutlery does not always fit comfortably in a child’s smaller hands
  • If your child’s hands often slip down the cutlery – try placing an elastic band around the handle.

• Exercise Putty

  Activities to try at home:

  To do these exercises you will need a container of exercise putty. Please talk to your occupational therapist about the best type of putty for your child.

  Grasp

  Squeeze the putty 10-20 times using alternate hands, keeping the shape of the ball. Make sure that all fingers and the thumb are included. Ensure the small finger joints remain in a flexed position as shown in the picture.

   

  Grasp Pull

  Grasp one end of the putty with each hand. Slowly pull arms and hands apart until the putty is stretched.

   

  Pancake

  Flatten a ball of putty with the palm of the hand into a flat pancake. Hide small objects (pennies, marbles) in the putty.

   

  Extension

  Roll out a ball of putty into a sausage shape. Make sure that your child is using both hands and rolling the putty slowly. Try to get them to make a long sausage, keeping the putty the same thickness all the way through. Make sure this is done using their fingers and not the palm of their hands.

  Make a loop from a long sausage attaching the ends. Put one hand into the loop and get your child to stretch their fingers outwards slowly. Repeat with the other hand.

• Using Hands For Play & School

  Bilateral coordination is the ability to use the two sides of the body together smoothly. When we use our two sides to perform different tasks, one side usually takes the lead and the other side has a supportive role.

  For example, when writing we use the pen in one hand whilst stabilising the paper with the other hand, or holding a jar with one hand whilst undoing it with the other. Development of bilateral coordination helps to establish hand dominance and the use of each hand in a different role.

  Activities to try at home:

  • Building/construction games. For example screwing nuts and bolts, lego or duplo

  • Jigsaw puzzles. Start with insert puzzles and progress to smaller pieces

  • Threading. Use beads, pasta, buttons or straws cut to length. Start with a thick cord and progress to a thin string

  • Musical instruments such as cymbals, drums and shaking instruments

  • Messy play games such as water play, finger painting or playdough.

• Scissor Skills

  Holding Scissors

  For a functional scissor grasp encourage your child to place the thumb in the top handle and their middle finger in the lower handle. They can use their palm to support and steady the scissors.
  An adapted scissors grasp may use more fingers in the lower handle or use the index finger outside the handle (see picture).

  

  Activities to try at home:

  • Talk to your child as they try and cut. Say “thumbs up” when holding the scissors and paper, as well as “turn” just before your child reaches a corner
  • Use a card to practice cutting to help with holding and turning the paper
  • Practice holding playdough, putty or straws and snipping off small pieces
  • Use visual cues. For example thick marker lines or placing stickers along a line.