Does your child do any of the following?

• Gives up quickly on an activity that requires them to use their hands
• Hand swapping throughout a task
• Has difficulty opening and closing scissors
• Unable to push down with a fork in food e.g. fruit
• Very light pencil pressure when colouring/ drawing

If yes, then they will likely benefit from activities that help them build up the strength in their hands. Here’s some fun ideas you can try at home.

• Squish, squeeze, poke and manipulate play dough or putty
• Play with rubber bands e.g. use geoboards
• Pulling apart construction toys (such as Duplo bricks, LEGO bricks or pop beads)
• Squeeze “popper toys”
• Squeeze stress balls or other fidget toys
• Use tongs to squeeze and grasp small objects (such as pom poms or blocks)
• Scrunch newspaper or other paper into balls and throw them
• Tear and rip paper into small shreds
• Squeeze a hand-held hole puncher or craft punch
• Squeeze a sponge to soak up water and squeeze out the water again (i.e. washing outdoor toys or furniture)
• Squeeze a water spray bottle to water plants or spray paint
• Squeezing clothes pin (pegs) in games or to hang out laundry
• Using eye-droppers to transfer water

Our “Happy Hands” Specialist Group Program may also be suitable for your child. Run by an Experienced Occupational Therapist, in “Happy Hands” children work on developing their hand strength in fun games and activities, so that they can be even more successful at home, preschool and school!

Call 8562 5164