Here are a few ways we work on hand strength and fine motor skills to develop an appropriate pencil grasp. Please see our Pencil Grasp handout for more ideas. Have fun!
Performing writing and coloring activities on an inclined surface puts the wrist and hand in a good position for appropriate grasp. Also coloring with broken crayons helps to strengthen hand and finger muscles.
Tongs, tweezers, chopsticks and clothespins of many varieties to work on fine motor strengthening. Use them to transfer objects from one container to another, play games, sort, eat a snack!
Working with putty, playdough and clay help to strengthen hand muscles. Our students love hiding objects in the playdough for each other, and then finding them like a treasure hunt.
Fun activities that work fine motor skills: stringing beads, putting toothpicks in a sugar shaker, spin tops, wind up toys, coins in a bank.
Lots of strengthening can be done with water! Spray bottles, squirty toys, eye droppers on bath suction shapes, squeezing out a sponge, wringing out a washcloth to water plants, transfer water from one container to another, or play!