Exercising The Fingers And Hands

Strengthening fine motor skills in your child’s hands and fingers is just as vital as strengthening their cognitive, social language and gross motor skills.

Fine motor skills are needed to hold a crayon or a marker, pick up small objects, build towers and play with small toys.

There are many fun ways for you to help strengthen finger and hand muscles. You can bring out paper and paint and use different size brushes or just allow him to use his fingers for painting!  Talk to him about the colors and what happens when they are mixed together.  Isn’t it incredible how many skills can be addressed in a single play session? 

Pull out a cookie sheet with edges to contain material inside of it. Spray shaving cream or cool whip within it, then have your toddler draw pictures with his fingers. You can also encourage him to practice writing letters, numbers or shapes. Add cookie cutters to have him “cut” out different shapes of the cookie cutters.

Noodles or cereal with holes in the middle, along with some shoestring can give your child the chance to enhance a variety of skills. Stringing these items not only strengthens fine motor muscles, but also improve hand/eye coordination and creativity. While making necklaces, bracelets or rings, discuss colors and shapes of the noodles and cereal also begin explaining, creating and copying patterns out of shapes and colors.  

One of my favorite mediums for developing these motor skills involves play dough which strengthens these muscles in such a way that not many other activities can do.  Utilize things around the house with the play dough such as cookie cutters or even animal figurines to make foot impressions. Rolling pins and other kitchen utensils can help create interesting patters and impressions on the dough. 

Working on the finger muscles now is setting your child up to be successful in the future with his writing, tying shoes, twisting lids on and off and many day-to-day tasks.