Hand and Finger Strength

It may appear that someone has strong hands when they are able to squeeze something really hard. But that's not the whole story. That type of strong grip comes mostly from the forearm muscles. When squeezing, some of the strength comes from the smaller muscles within the hand, but these muscles contribute only a little bit to total grip strength.

There are well over 25 muscles in your forearm and hand. The muscles in the forearm control elbow, wrist and finger movements. Smaller muscles within the palm of the hand control the more refined movements of the thumb and fingers.

So, when we look at hand strength, we also need to look at the strength of those small muscles within the hand. In infancy, these muscles are not fully developed. Babies are able to grip and squeeze first with all of their fingers in unison before they are able to control movement in each finger individually. As infants develop, they are able to control the thumb and fingers individually, rather than as a mass grip or squeeze.


Why is hand strength important?
When the large and small muscles of the forearm and hand are slow to develop, weakness and incoordination may result. The large muscles of the forearm may overcompensate for weak inner hand muscles. As a result, the child will find ways to hold, pinch and grip small objects in awkward ways.

Activities used to strengthen the small muscles of the hands involve materials and tools that provide resistance. Try these materials and activities:

• Clay, therapy putty, Silly putty, play-doh, bread dough, modeling foam (Crayola
Model Magic). These are all excellent materials for squeezing, squishing, pushing, pulling and moulding. Try hiding small objects (beads, pennies, beans) inside and then try pulling them out. Use a rolling pin to flatten it out, then use cookie cutters to make shapes

• Interlocking construction toys
o Mega Blocks are large sized Legos and are best for preschool age children
o Bristle (Krinkles) blocks are a good choice for preschool age
o Legos, Zoobs and K'nex are best for older children
o Pop beads: large size for preschool, small (play jewellery type) for older children
o Linking chains

• Water play with spray bottles, water guns, squirt toys, sponges
o Spray bottles: help water plants or spray the windows to clean, play with it in the
bathtub, play outdoors in warm weather, add
food colouring to make spray bottle pictures in the snow.
o Water guns and squirt toys: outdoor summer fun as well as in the bathtub.
o Sponges: squeezing to wring out the water is great for strengthening hands and
forearms. Help wash the car, wash toys and dolls
in the sink or bathtub, squeeze sponges on your friends during water play
outdoors, bring a bucket or cooler filled with water and
sponges to cool off on a hot day when on picnics, soccer games and other outings.

• Clothespeg games
o Use the pads of the thumb and index finger to open the clothespeg rather than
pinching it open against the side of the index finger
o When pinching open, try alternating each finger to squeeze opposite the thumb.
o place clothespegs along the top of a container and then on top of each other to
construct a design.
o Pick up small objects with the clothespegs: cotton balls, pompoms, crumpled
paper, beads, pegs, etc.
o Attach several clothespegs along the bottom hem of shirt and then pull them off.
o Hang up pictures or plush toys on a string, like a clothesline.

• Hole puncher
o Punch holes along strips of paper (1 to 2 inches wide) or along the edges of a
sheet of paper or paper plate.
o Use hole punch clippings to make confetti or 'snow' to glue on paper for pictures
o Grip style hole punchers are easier for children to use, rather than the small
punchers that require a strong pinch to operate.

• Bubble wrap
o Pop the bubbles on large or small bubble wrap by pinching with thumb and index
finger or by pushing down on bubbles when sheet is placed on a hard surface.

• Squeeze toys and materials
o Tennis ball "Hungry Guy". Cut a slit in a tennis ball. When you squeeze the ball the
mouth will open. Hide coins, pegs, beads and other small things inside. Squeeze to
open and shake out the contents, then feed the "hungry guy" by slipping in the
"food". The wider the slit, the easier it will be to open the mouth wide. Start
with a wide slit for young children.
o Bulb syringe (usually in infant supply sections of shops) or turkey baster to squirt
water, or have a race by squeezing them to blow cotton balls and pompoms across
a finish line.
o Craft activities that require using bottles to squeeze: glue, glitter glue, puffy
paint, fabric paint, etc.

Pinch strengthening
• Tongs, tweezers, connected chop sticks, strawberry hullers: use these to pick up small
objects for sorting, such as beads, marbles, beans, pompoms and cotton balls.
• Corn cob holders or large push pins (thumb tacks): Place a picture over a sheet of craft foam or cork board (or trivet). Then use the push pin or corn cob prongs to punch holes along the lines of a picture. Hold it up to let the light shine through.
• Push a toothpick point into a styrofoam tray or plate, or in aluminum foil placed over craft foam or corkboard to make a picture.
• Dress up dolls: requires a surprising amount of hand strength and endurance


What about in-hand manipulation skills?
In-hand manipulation is the ability to move and position objects within the hand without using the other hand. It is, perhaps, the most complex fine motor skill. Three types of skills have been identified as being important components of in-hand manipulation. These are translation, shift and rotation. Translation is the movement of objects between the palm and fingertips, similar to moving coins from the palm to the fingertips to place them into a vending machine slot. Shift involves moving objects between the fingers. An example is "walking" the fingers along the shaft of a pencil, from eraser to pencil tip. Rotation is the turning of an object around using the pads of the fingers, such as flipping a pencil around so it's point end is where the eraser end was. All of these components are needed to get the object oriented so it's just right for using, viewing or grasping.

Children who have difficulty with in-hand manipulation may need to use both hands for
activities that would typically require only one. Or they may need to unnecessarily stabilize an object against their body or an external support to get the job done. They may appear clumsy when handling objects or be slow to complete projects. Many daily activities require this high level hand skill. Examples include positioning a pencil when writing and drawing, adjusting grip on paper when cutting with scissors, using a fork and knife. Positioning buttons, zippers, snaps and laces for dressing involve these subtle hand movements. Operating tools, handling nuts and bolts, nails, turning a screwdriver-- all involve in-hand manipulation ability.


To improve In-Hand Manipulation Skills

• Pick up a small object with fingers (beads, coin, M&M candy, popcorn, etc. ) and "hide" it in your hand. Then pick up another and another.
• Move one item from your palm to your fingertips and place it down on the table (or put it in your mouth if it's food)
• Practice removing small objects from a change purse, or container one at a time and hiding each within the palm. Then placing them back, one at a time.
• "Connect 4" game: hold several chips at a time within the palm while placing chips in the slots
• Place coins in a Piggy Bank starting with several coins in the palm.
• Place items in Hungry Guy's mouth (tennis ball with a slit cut to form a ‘mouth’) while palming several items in your palm
• Place items in slots (Bingo chips, coins, pegs) while holding several within the palm
• String beads holding 2 or 3 beads within the palm
• Pegboard games holding 2 or 3 pegs within the hand
• Twist open or closed lids on small bottles or toothpaste tube held within the palm of the hand
• Cut with scissors and practice adjusting the grip on the paper with the helping hand
• Practice buttoning, zipping and prestuds.
• Turn dice within the fingertips to see different sides.
• Hold a small cup filled with water. Practice turning it with the fingertips without spilling
• Play with construction toys such as Duplos, Legos and Zoobs

Pencil Games

• Hold the pencil in the fingertips, ready for writing, then "walk" the fingers to the eraser end of the pencil, then back to the tip
• Turn the pencil between the thumb and fingertips: try turning it like a windmill in one
direction, then the other
• Practice flipping the pencil from eraser end to tip end
• Use a hand held pencil sharpener to sharpen your pencils

By Bronwynn Saunders

For more ideas follow us on Pinterest
Follow Child Integration Centre's board Fine Motor Fun on Pinterest.