Fine motor Early Grasp Activities for Min-Mod Levels of Readiness

The development of a child’s grasp is influenced by their growing interest in objects and desire to hold them.  The pincer grasp is an essential grasp to develop as it is the basis for many functional tasks that includes able to manage clothing fasteners and beginning use of tools such as a crayon or pencil.

Some of the activities you may want to try in developing early fine motor grasp skills follow. Have fun! Share any ideas you have as well!

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 Here are some activities you might want to try with your child:

Lacing and Threading Activities – Encourage lacing and threading by holding the string, yarn, or cord between the thumb and index / pointer finger. 

o   Try lacing using different sized thicknesses of string, shoelaces, or yarn

o   Use lacing cards in different sizes and shapes

o   Lace/ thread large sized pasta noodles

o   Lace / thread large beads

o   Cut up some plastic straws and lace through to make a “chain”

o   Lace / thread through a variety of different sized buttons

o   Make your own lacing cards by poking holes into a section of a cardboard box

o   Alternate lacing the string through the card with adding in a large bead for each hole laced

o   Take a pot-holder kit and string the loops across the loom and then weave / lace them over/under across the loom. They do sell larger loops for easier handling.

o   Use slim cylindrical lacing pegs

Coin & Button “Bank” – Use the thumb and index / pointer finger to pick up small buttons and coins (all of different sizes and denominations)

o   Cut a slit in the lid of a plastic container to push the coins and / or buttons through

o   Have a race to see how many they can get into the container in 30 seconds or 1-minute

Clothes Pin Races -  Using wooden or plastic clothes pins try to pinch them open using the thumb and index/pointer finger.

o   Place clothes pins around the edge of a cardboard box

o   Place clothes pins onto a string or piece of yarn placed low enough for your child to reach

o   Use a variety of different sized clothes pins (wooden and plastic)

Craft Activities – Any age appropriate craft activities are great!  Some ideas where use of thumb and index finger include:

o   Make collages using dried pasta, dried rice, seeds, sequins, beads, pieces of lace or ribbon, small pieces of pictures or colored paper, pom-poms, craft feathers, etc

o   Stickers to put together to make collage pictures

o   Ripping pieces of paper for use in an art project using only their thumb and pointer finger

o   Take a pot-holder kit and string the loops across the loom and then weave / lace them over/under across the loom. They do sell larger loops for easier handling.

o   Glue and stick some paper colored discs onto a drawn line or to fill an outline shape

Finger Sized Food - Fill a shallow bowl with a mix of dried pasta, raisins, dried beans, dried seeds, large beads, and so on.

o   Ask your child to sort them into a variety of jars and cups using only their thumb and index finger. 

o   Give your child a variety of small food items, or cut up foods into finger sized snacking size. Use cut up grapes, raisins, apple, carrot, cheese chunks, strawberries, blueberries, small bite sized chunks of ham, turkey, etc. 

o   If they do not want to eat these items, ask them to help make you a dish!

o   Always supervise for choking hazards!

Scribble Time - Just how it sounds! Scribble Away!

Get your child to scribble on paper with short chunky crayons, or washable markers. Outside you can have them draw on the sidewalk or driveway with short pieces of chalk.  

Play-dough – It’s always fun!

o   Hide small toys, buttons, large beads, bottle caps, marbles, and so on, in the play dough and have your child find them and pull them out.

o   Have them use their thumb and index finger to squeeze and find the solid items within the playdough. 

o   Supervise and be aware of choking hazards! 

o   See blog on TheraPlay4Kids.com for playdough recipe and activities

Tongs & Tweezers – Use large tweezers, various sizes of salad tongs, large plastic clothes pins, or large bag clips. Have your child try to pick up and transfer a variety of items from one container to another – you can use:

o   foam puzzle pieces

o   cotton balls

o   craft pom-poms

o   bottle caps

o   game pieces

o   rolled up balls of playdough

o   pieces of ribbon and lace

o   large thick buttons

o   thimbles

o   bobbins

o   large nuts and bolts

o   and so on - look for more items you can use!

Pegboards – There seems to be an unending variety of pegboards from teeny tiny too big and clunky! If you have pegs and a pegboard or tactile pegboard mat, these are great for practicing pincer grasp and placement skills.

o   Sort by color

o   Sort by size

o   Timed race to fill pegboard or tactile mat

o   Use the pre-made pegboards or tactile “rubbery” mats

o   Make your own “pegboard” by using Styrofoam where they need to press pegs into the material

o   Make holes with a screwdriver into clean cardboard boxes, then have your child push the pegs into the holes (let them help make the holes too if they are able to safely do so)

o   Try Lite-Bright activity (observe for choking hazards!)

o   Using slim cylindrical pegs in a pegboard, place washers over the pegs one at a time

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