Posted on by Nicole French

Who has seen all those gorgeous first day of school photos this week? The little ones starting into our school system for the first time with their new uniforms, meeting their teachers, finding new friends and finding their way.

Their little fingers will be getting a work out holding pencils, playing games, opening lunchboxes and cutting with scissors. These are all wonderful activities to help build finger dexterity and develop fine motor control which is the basis for doing so many things, one of the most important; being holding a pencil to write.

Early years teachers are planning for these activities in the first term of school to help children develop strength and muscle control in their fingers. Some children however struggle at school and home to hold and manipulate scissors, a pencil, to open and close containers and  to pick up small objects. If your little one is struggling with some of these things then we have a few ideas for you to try.

 

 

Squeezing rubber balls and fiddle toys such as Smooshos and spikey balls can help build muscles in the hand and fingers. Rubber bands are an inexpensive but valuable tool you can use, or buy some fancy ones in different colours the kids will love. By manipulating them in different ways you can focus on different areas of the hand. And the bonus….fiddle toys are ALL the rage at the moment to play with, for stress release, to help reduce anxiety, and for those who need something sensory to hold.

Tweezers are a great way to manipulate little fingers and build strength. There are lots of different types of tweezers and ways to hold them. You can use them with counters, beans, beads, small blocks etc. The differing sizes of will either make it harder or easier for the user. There are also some great games that use tweezers such as Avalanche, Totem Zen, and games for little finger control like peg boards. These make finger exercises fun!

Lacing and threading activities also help with fine motor control and manipulation of small objects. Peg boards, beads and Hema beads/Beados are great activities to help children control their fingers to manipulate small objects.

 

As a teacher I am always looking for ways to include Literacy and Numeracy into these types of activities – ‘a double whammy’ I call it! Kids are strengthening AND learning at the same time. Try writing numbers on broad beans and using the tweezers to put them in order into an egg carton. Pick up different coloured mini pom poms to put in order and make a repeating or growing pattern. Use the tweezers to pick up magnetic letters to make your spelling words. You can also use the hundreds chart wooden number blocks from one of our previous blog posts to put in order, or skip count by 3s, 56s and 10s. Think outside the box - the options are endless!

 

Have a look around your home to see what resources and games you already have that contain little parts you could manipulate and hold with tweezers to strengthen those muscles. You don’t need to go out and buy something new. Try playing chess or solitaire with tweezers!!

Developing strength and muscle tone in their little fingers will help with pencil control, letter formation, writing stories, colouring in and cutting with scissors. We often hear of Occupational Therapists recommending some of these resources to use at home and school. See our wide range of resources in store or online.