Hand strengthening and finger strengthening are a part of occupational therapy interventions, in everyday tasks. One thing to keep in mind when it comes to hand strengthening is that it is very possible (and a theme of a pediatric OT!) to develop hand strength and fine motor skills through play.
Occupational therapists use functional tasks, or daily occupations, to improve hand strength so that the clients they work with can lead functional lives: so they can have strong and efficient hands to do those tasks that take up their day.
Think about it this way: with weak hands, it is very difficult for a child to color a coloring page. But, through coloring and using crayons, they are improving their hand strength so they can color larger pictures or tackle more difficult fine motor tasks.
Adequate finger and hand strength is a crucial foundation skill necessary to successfully perform most activities of daily living such as opening snack wrappers, flushing the toilet, turning on the faucet, buttoning your shirt and so the list goes on.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A CHILD HAS WEAK HANDS?
Hand strength is an important area of development.
Kids who struggle with hand strength may have difficulty with grasping a pencil, coloring, holding and using scissors, managing clothing fasteners, attaching a seatbelt, squeezing a glue bottle, opening and managing food containers, and tying shoes. There are many fine motor activities needed in school that will be a red flag for determining if a child has weak hands. Luckily, there are many fun ways to improve a child’s hand strength. The best way to improve overall strength is through meaningful and motivating activities…especially everyday play!
So often, we see weak arches, instability, and low tone in the hands that transfers to awkward use of the hands, impractical grasps, and poor endurance in writing or coloring. Sneaking in a few strengthening activities each day can make a world of difference!
There are tons of creative and playful activities for kids that can target hand strength. Some of our favorites fall into 3 categories: weight bearing, pushing and pulling, and squeezing!
Weight Bearing Activities for Kids
Weight bearing activities for kids are a great way to build strength in the hands and stability in the upper body.
1 || Crawling
Try relay races, obstacle courses, and other games. These are great hand strengthening exercises for kids that can help with building strength in the hands and wrists.
2 || Donkey kicks
If you’re wondering how to build hand strength in kids – the most effective way is through play! Have the child bend forward to place his hands on the floor and then kick his legs up behind them like a donkey.
3 || Wheelbarrow walks
Have the child place her palms on the floor while you or another child holds her feet. See how far she can walk on her hands.
4 || Yoga for kids
Yoga poses are great for building hand strength! Poses like downward dog, table pose, and handstand are great weight bearing poses for kids to try!
5 || Play in All Fours
Try playing board games, coloring, or playing with toys in a crawling position so the child is holding his weight on his hands.
6 || Tummy Time
Here’s a great hand strengthener for babies…Tummy Time! Fun tummy time toys help keep things a little more entertaining too!
Pushing and Pulling Toys and Activities for Kids
7 || Lego or Duplo blocks
Legos and Duplo blocks awesome for developing grasp strength! Smaller Lego bricks are great for older kids with more advanced skills, while the larger Duplo version is best for the younger crowd
8 || Velcro
Pulling against heavy duty Velcro is another great exercise for hand strength. Try adapting books using Velcro, making file folder games, or making other fun velcro fine motor tasks!
9 || Connecting Beads
These large beads that pop together are great for strengthening the larger muscles of the hand and these pop beads are a smaller version, great for developing the precision muscles.
10 || Mr. Potato Head
A toddler and preschool favorite, Mr. Potato Head is a great starter toy for hand strengthening. The pieces are relatively big and easy to grasp and the repetition of changing the faces over and over again is great for strengthening!
11 || Rubber Bands
Kids can stretch and pull against the resistance to create masterpieces on a geoboard. We also love this rubber band passing game and this easy fine motor activity! Or try these fun loom band ideas.
12 || Pegs and Foam Pegboards
This is another great starter activity for young kids working on hand strength. The foam pegboards are a little tougher to push the peg into, providing resistance and a great opportunity for strength building!
Squeezing Activities for Kids
13 || Playing with play dough, putty, or clay
Squish, pinch, roll, squeeze, smush – all great for building muscles in the hands!
14 || Sponges
Get kids involved in chores where they have to wring out sponges or wet rags – clean house and strong hands? Don’t mind if we do!
15 || Spray bottles, water guns, squeeze bottles
Have a water fight in the backyard, have kids water your plants with a spray bottle, or try Erupting Rainbow Sidewalk Chalk Paint in a squeeze bottle!
16 || Clips and clothespins
Some of the most commonly used materials in my therapy practice! There are a zillion ways to play with clips and clothespins! This fun Monster Munch Fine Motor Game is my students’ favorite (and mine too)!
17 || Turkey Baster
Squeezing the squishy end of a turkey baster…what could be more fun? Use one to blow pompoms across the table or try a turkey baster relay!
18 || Crumpling Paper
We love doing this during handwriting practice. Use smaller pieces of writing paper and have kids write sight words, spelling words, or short sentences on them. Then, crumple up each piece to shoot a basket into the recycling bin! This is one of our favorite fine motor strengthening activities for preschoolers!