Colleen Beck OTR/L

Colleen Beck, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist and the owner and author of The OT Toolbox website. She manages all of The OT Toolbox social media accounts and runs the popular newsletter. Read about Colleen's experience and career as an occupational therapist, including how The OT Toolbox began on our About The OT Toolbox page: https://www.theottoolbox.com/about-us/ Colleen created The OT Toolbox in 2011 and since then has written thousands of blog posts designed to support therapy providers, educators, parents, counselors, admin, and caregivers in promoting the healthy development of kids. Check out Colleen's blog posts below:

Oobleck Activities

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oobleck activities

Today we’re covering oobleck activities as a fun sensory material to challenge tactile sensory input and inspire messy sensory play. Oobleck is the non-Newtonian fluid that shifts from liquid to solid and back again, all at a person’s fingertips, just by the pressure applied to it, and it’s a great sensory material! Let’s cover some oobleck sensory play!

oobleck activities

What is Oobleck

Have you ever whipped up a batch of Oobleck, the goo that defies all rules? This magical substance goes by many names – Oobleck, goop, glop, goo, slime, or even magic mud – and it’s the ultimate fascinating substance for kids and adults alike.

This captivating mixture that most people call Oobleck, is one that children simply can’t keep their hands off of when presented with it. And do you want to know the best part? It only takes a few ingredients to conjure up this magical hands-on glop.

Recipe for Oobleck

Oobleck recipes are a great multi-step direction activity for kids to problem solve and use in direction following tasks. It’s a great visual motor task for pouring and scooping as well.

To make oobleck, all you need is 2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup of water. This means, it’s a great simple sensory recipe that kids can get help to mix.

Simple Oobleck recipe ingredients

  • Water 
  • Cornstarch
  • Mixing bowl
  • Measuring cups
  • Spoon
  • Towel or plastic tablecloth
  • Tray or tub for sensory play
  • A copy of the(Amazon affiliate link) Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Suess (optional) 

To add some vibrant colors, simply just mix in a few drops of food coloring, and viola, you’ve got colorful Oobleck!

If you’re out of cornstarch, some folks have successfully experimented with substitutes like baby powder, tapioca, and arrowroot instead (although I haven’t personally tested these options), but they say it works great! 

Ingredients to make the simple oobleck recipe:

  • 2 cups cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  • Food coloring or approx. 3 Tbsp. of tempera paint (optional) – use the amount you desire based on how much color you want the Oobleck to have – less is lighter, more is darker. 

Instructions:

  1. Initially mix the cornstarch, water and food coloring or tempera paint in bowl with a spoon.
  2. Next, get your hands in it and begin mixing and scrunching together. Add more cornstarch or water as needed. Note: You may need to use more cornstarch at higher altitudes. The right consistency is when it reaches the feel of honey, but will rip as you pull your fingers across the surface. 
  3. Place the Oobleck in a play tray or in a bin for kids to explore. Hint: You can use a plastic shower curtain or plastic tablecloth underneath it to make clean up a little bit easier. 
  4. To store the Oobleck, use a container that has a good closing lid. When using the Oobleck again, if the cornstarch and water have separated just squish and mix together again. 

This is important – safety always comes first! Adults should always supervise children using Oobleck to prevent accidental ingestion and keep the little ones safe while playing. 

Oobleck Recipes

You can also change the oobleck recipe a bit with an alternative to cornstarch. For even more sensory fun, explore alternative Oobleck recipes that target scents, sounds, textures, or colors.

Oobleck recipe with baby powder:

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups baby powder

Oobleck recipe with baking soda:

  • ½ cup baking soda
  • ½ cup water

Note: A little extra stirring with this recipe is required to thoroughly mix it together.

Oobleck recipe with chocolate:

  • ¼ cup cocoa
  • 2 cups cornstarch
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. water

Oobleck recipe with Kool-Aid:

  • 3 cups of water
  • 9 cups of cornstarch 
  • 2 packages of Kool-Aid 
  • food coloring (if a more vibrant color is desired)

Oobleck Recipe with lemonade:

  • 1 cup of cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 2 Tbsp. of powdered lemonade mix

Jello Oobleck Recipe:

  • 1 cup of water
  • 2 cups of cornstarch
  • 1 packet of Jell-O (your choice of the color and/or flavor)

Oobleck recipe with tapioca:

  • 2 ¼ cups of tapioca flour
  • 1 cup of water

Oobleck Activities

Make the Oobleck recipe of your choice and then think about the following senses to add a unique sensory addition to create oobleck activities that also build skills.

  • Tactile- You can also add in different materials to make the oobleck more interesting and to vary the sensory experience. Make it more tactilely interesting by adding either sand, glitter, or sequins as the sensory add-ins can add a unique feel to your Oobleck mixture.

You can also let the kiddos experiment with creating their own fun and unique tactile Oobleck – just make everything available and let them go! 

  • Visual- Make the Oobleck more visually appealing by adding colorful items or change the color of the Oobleck with a glow-in-the dark pigment, food coloring, glittery craft beads, confetti, gems, or sequins. Again, let the kiddos experiment with colorful items that make the Oobleck more visually engaging to them. 
  • Auditory- Boost the sound experience during Oobleck play by using various objects that create sound when interacting with Oobleck such as bells, plastic necklaces, sound-producing objects inside plastic eggs, squeaky toys, and musical instrument toys. By integrating these fun sound elements, it will add a multisensory experience coupled with any other sensory element you have chosen, be it texture, visual, or olfactory.
  • Olfactory- Enhance the Oobleck sensory experience by adding a few drops of scented essential oils such peppermint, lavender, mint, citrus, or cinnamon. It will create a delightful aroma as children play with it and considering a scent to match the season can provide a festive approach.
  • Movement- Give the Oobleck exciting and dynamic movement by adding the use of scoops, containers, or washable toys. You can also add some kitchen tools like spoons, strainers, forks, cookie cutters, a whisk or a potato masher.

Oobleck Activities for Therapy

There are many sensory benefits of oobleck, and some of those include targeting goal areas:

One way to work on these skills is by using plastic gloves on the hands. Grade the activity by cutting out just the fingertips of the gloves. Then, work on touching the oobleck with just a fingertip.

Another oobleck activity to target sensory motor skills is with goop painting. We created a thinner oobleck consistency and painted with the messy material.

You can foster fine motor and visual motor skills by using mixing utensils or paintbrushes to mix the oobleck. We created a flour oobleck recipe and used paint brushes to combine the colors for sensory painting and creative painting fun.

Utensil use- For those who have goals to improve independence with utensil use, you can incorporate a spoon to scoop and stir the materials.

Oobleck Activities for each season

The use of Oobleck during therapy and at home is abundant and included below are some fun and creative ideas for Oobleck recipes or designs for each holiday and season to help give you a little bit of inspiration and motivation to create your own version of Oobleck fun!

Pair these oobleck activities with therapy themes for skill-building.

*Just remember that adding other elements to Oobleck may change the recipe amounts and you may need to adjust the amount of cornstarch and water accordingly to maintain the consistency that you desire for play. 

Oobleck Tips

Caring for your Oobleck and knowing when it’s time to part ways and be tossed out is important. Here are some key points to consider: 

  1. To clean up Oobleck, warm water works wonders, but be cautious about letting excessive amounts go down the sink drain, as it can potentially clog your pipes.
  2. The easiest way to cleanup is to let Oobleck dry out, which transforms it into a powder that can be safely tossed into the trash. 
  3. Emphasize always having clean hands when playing with Oobleck, and for added safety, check it before each play session to ensure there is no sign of mold growing. 
  4. While you can store Oobleck in the fridge and freezer, remember not to store in the refrigerator for more than one week or in the freezer for longer than 3 months.
  5. Always clearly label the Oobleck when storing it so there is not a chance of it being mistaken for actual food. 

*Note: Emphasizing again, adult supervision should always be provided when children are working with Oobleck in any form or with any materials as it can be very dangerous if consumed or in some cases, deadly depending on the substances used. The best practice is to simply not allow children to consume any type of Oobleck even if it is consumable as it can be confused as edible when it is not! Additionally, small objects in the Oobleck can pose a choking hazard. 

Regina Allen

Regina Parsons-Allen is a school-based certified occupational therapy assistant. She has a pediatrics practice area of emphasis from the NBCOT. She graduated from the OTA program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina with an A.A.S degree in occupational therapy assistant. She has been practicing occupational therapy in the same school district for 20 years. She loves her children, husband, OT, working with children and teaching Sunday school. She is passionate about engaging, empowering, and enabling children to reach their maximum potential in ALL of their occupations as well assuring them that God loves them!

Sensory Goop Painting

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goop painting with pink goop and cookie cutters

This blog on sensory goop painting was originally published 1-23-14 and updated 11-8-23.

This goop painting activity is a creative painting idea that uses messy sensory play to build skills in a creative way. Pair this goop activity with one of our oobleck activities for more ways to foster skill-building through messy play.

You can add utensils to scoop and pour to build hand eye coordination, work on handwashing hands, or just be creative!

goop painting

Goop Painting

There are many sensory benefits of oobleck, and goop painting activities support those skills.

When you use goop painting as a therapy tool, you can support a variety of needs. Whether you are focusing on the tactile benefits listed above, or using the goop paint activity as a calming or alerting sensory medium, you can support regulation needs.

How to make Goop Paint

The goop paint that we used in the activity below actually used left over moon sand that we made using cornstarch and lotion.

The cool thing about “goop” is that as a sensory material, you can basically mix up any ingredients to get a messy sensory material.

To make this type of goop paint, use these ingredients:

  • 2 cups cornstarch (or baking soda or flour would work as well)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup glue
  • food coloring

To make the goop paint, mix all of the ingredients together. Use a spoon or craft stick to stir until they are combined.

You will need to adjust the ingredients, depending on the type of glue used and the type of dry material. You’ll want the goop mixture to be liquidly, but not too runny.

Then, you are ready to paint!

Paint with Goop

 
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.  We don’t normally do holiday crafts and activities this far ahead, but our Valentine’s Day Goop Painting came about from a previous material…and it was so much fun, that I was excited to share, haha! This Valentine’s Day activity is perfect to add to occupational therapy plans this time of year.
 
Sensory Play is so much fun.  We do a ton of sensory activities, crafts, and play every day. 
 
Whether the kids are messing around in the sink, exploring textures in a bin of toys and “stuff”, or crawling under blankets and cushions…sensory play happens ALL the time in a child’s daily play.  Inviting a child to try new experiences like with this goopy Valentine’s day play activity is just another way to learn through play.
 
 
Valentine's Day Goop Painting
 

Valentine’s Day Goop Painting

You may have seen our Candy Cane Scented Moon Dough post back around Christmas-time.  That post turned into this Valentine’s Day Goop activity (and sensory-tastic painting fun!).   When we finished up that activity back in December, I saved the red and white (turned pink once we were done playing!) moon dough in a gallon sized baggie.  This was the perfect shade of pink for a Valentine’s’ Day themed sensory activity!

Note: This post contains affiliate links.  

Valentine’s Day Sensory Activity

The powdered left-overs from our Candy Cane Moon Dough and a little water were all that we needed to make this goopy fun. 

We had about 2 cups of the powdered material…Check out the post here to see how we made it.  I added a half cup of water and got a nice goopy, messy, sensory texture to play with.  The peppermint scent was still really strong and when we were playing, Baby Girl said it “smells like candy canes, Mom”! 

I threw in a few (Amazon affiliate link) heart cookie cutters
and Baby Girl got to playing.  She liked to have a wet washcloth right next to her to wipe her hands off every once in a while.  This was some messy stuff!

We had paper and a felly roll pan next to the bin of goop and did some goop painting by stamping the cookie cutters onto the paper.  It was so meant to paint like this!  Baby Girl sat there for a LONG time stamping, and stamping, and stamping some more. 

(seriously…we had 14 pages filled with hearts!!)

Messy, sensory, goopy fun!
 
 
The goop made the heart stamps a big lumpy texture.  So much fun to stamp!  I joined Baby Girl and stamped a bunch of hearts too…
 

When the hearts dried, they were a pretty stamp.  However, this is not something that can be saved to decorate cards or hung on the wall.  The hearts flaked away if you touched them.  Maybe a little glue added would help to preserve these pretty hearts?  We’ll try that next time!

Let us know if you try this activity.  We would love to see your play in action!

 

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

Development of Hand Arches

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lines on the palm of the hand to show three arches . Text reads "hand arches"

Did you know there are several hand arches that make up the curve of the palm of your hand? It’s true! And, did you know that the arches of the hand and the shape of your hand affects fine motor skills, specifically hand strength, and supports finger dexterity, and endurance in daily life tasks? Hands have something we call “hand arches” and they are part of what allow us to use our hands in a variety of ways. That’s right – just as you have arches in your feet, you have arches in your hands! In this blog post, we’re covering arch development!

diagram of hand arches

What are hand arches?

Hand arches refer to the curved surfaces of the palm of the hand, in three distinct planes, or curved places on the hand. The ability to control the hand arches allows the hand to mobilize and hold a variety of objects of different sizes. Refined hand arches allow the hand to cup water, hold a few coins, gently hold a small firefly, or curve the hand on a golf ball or basketball.

These hand arches are called:

  • Proximal transverse arch- formed by the metacarpophalangeal joints (MCP joints) These are the joints at the base of each fingers. This arch does not mobilize as much as the other two arches, and offers stability.
  • Distal transverse arch- formed by the distal row of carpal bones. These bones make up the wrist.
  • Longitudinal arch- follows the curve of the fingers of the hand, from wrist to MCP joints.

Cup your hand into a position that would hold water. When you look at your hand, you can see a curved arch at the joints, closer to the thenar eminence, or bulk at the base of the thumb. These two transverse arches of the hand cross the hand and form a cupped position.

The longitudinal arch runs proximally to distally. This arch forms as the MCP joints of the fingers move closer to the wrist in a flexed, or curved position of the hand.

All three arches of the hand work together.

Arch development

Arch Development

Arch development progresses from infancy. Refined arch development allows us to do so many things with the hands. The list below shows a progression of refined motor skills.

  • Pinch small objects
  • Pinch small objects while separating the sides of the hand to hold items within the palm of the hand
  • Curve around balls or curved objects of various sizes
  • Cup and hold items in the hand (several coins, small items like beads, etc.)
  • Cup the hand to hold coins
  • Create a curved surface to hold water in the hand

Refined arch development also lends itself to motoric control and precision in everyday tasks:

  • pencil grasp
  • tying shoes
  • engaging zippers
  • managing buttons
  • opening small lids like toothpaste
  • using a toothpick
  • manipulating a paperclip
  • threading a needle
  • many other small motor tasks!

You can see there is a developmental progression at work here! Let’s go through Arch Development from infancy to preschool age:

Arches of the Hands- Birth to Toddlerhood

From the moment a child is born, their hands are on a journey of growth and grasp development. When we are first born, we use reflexive movements, or movements out of our control, to interact with the world. In the hands, the most well-known reflex is called the palmar grasp reflex. This is where their fingers curl around objects that are placed in their hands.

This is moving along the direction of one arch (the longitudinal arch); from fingertips to the bottom of the palm. You may do this same movement of opening and closing your fingers when you wave “hello”. As a baby grows, they gradually transition to voluntary grasping and releasing along this same path.

As toddlerhood approaches, you may notice children be able to hold and control items more and more. This is concurrent with the arches in their hands starting to develop, and their grasp becoming more refined.

In other words, the big palmar grasp that holds onto a rattle in infancy becomes more delicate to hold a piece of cereal in toddlerhood. This precision grasp is described as a pincer grasp.

As babies turn into toddlers, they no longer are moving just along that one arch to open and close the fingers- they are now forming and using the transverse arches.

These two arches run horizontally across the top and bottom of the palms. You can see all three arches in action while holding a tennis ball. This refined grasp pattern is known as a spherical grasp.

Arch Development in the Preschool Years

The development of the hand arches during the preschool years are a pre-writing skill needed for early handwriting and manipulation skills.

As children enter their preschool years, they should have a great baseline of arch development to build on. It’s time to refine and strengthen what they started as babies! This is an exciting time to build fine motor skills, hand control, and coordination. Preschoolers are able to use tools like crayons, markers, and scissors with increasing precision. They can string beads and pull zippers and take pride in their skills!

But all this play is really important work: proper arch development is essential for efficient pencil grasp and fluid handwriting without discomfort. This will one day impact their abilities and confidence as a student.

Encouraging a variety of activities that promote finger isolation and arch formation is crucial during this phase. That means limiting screen time and promoting purposeful play time!

To support refined arches of the hand, incorporating meaningful, play-based arch development activities is key.

Arch Development Activities

There are fine motor activities that foster intrinsic muscle strength which refine the arches of the hands.

How to encourage arch development in infancy:

Encourage exploration by providing various textures and shapes for them to grasp and manipulate. Blankets, books, balls, you name it! Just always be aware of safety when giving your infant any objects to explore.

Craft and Play Activity: Finger Painting Fun

Engage your little one in a finger painting session using non-toxic, washable paints. Encourage them to poke, smush, and smear with their hands. Offering a paint brush or paint stamps will engage different muscles of the hand, too!

This activity also promotes finger dexterity, hand-eye coordination, sensory development, and overall hand strength. Plus, you get to have an adorable piece of art in the end – talk about a win-win!

Craft and Play Activity: Playdough Party

Playing with play dough offers excellent opportunities for arch development. Encourage your child to roll, squish, poke, cut, and shape the dough using their fingers. Ask them to make tiny balls or create imaginative sculptures.

These activities promote finger strength, coordination, and the development of the intrinsic muscles that support the arches in the hands.

School Age: Handwriting Mastery and Beyond

As children progress into school age, their arches continue to mature, enhancing their ability to perform more intricate tasks. Handwriting becomes a focus, and proper arch development contributes to a stable pencil grasp, increased writing speed, and improved endurance.

This is what we mentioned in the preschool phase – where the arches can be a factor in academic success. Beyond that though, we may see development of the arches being used to play the violin, flute, or piano!

Craft and Play Activity: Lacing Adventures

Engage your child in lacing activities using lacing cards or threading beads onto a string. These tasks require finger manipulation, bilateral coordination, and arch support, helping strengthen hand muscles and promoting proper arch development.

This stage is usually where parents start to see the real strength of a child’s hands come into play – when their teachers note that they often struggle to open their lunch, zip their coat, or write for more than a few moments.

While things like increased screen time and decreased access to fine motor toys and tools can reduce hand strength, there are certain medical conditions that impact the development of the hands, too.

Medical Conditions and Arch Development:

Hypotonia: Low muscle tone can affect hand arch development, making fine motor tasks challenging. Common conditions with low muscle tone are Down Syndrome and Autism.

Hypermobility: Excessive joint mobility may lead to weak arches and difficulty with fine motor control.

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD): Children with DCD often experience difficulties with fine motor skills, limited strength of arch formation.

Occupational therapy interventions can support hand function and promote arch development in everyone! 

The development of arches in children’s hands is a remarkable process that lays the foundation for fine motor skills and hand function throughout their lives. By understanding this journey, we can actively support and promote optimal arch development. It’s always easier than it sounds – just by engaging craft and play activities, we can nurture their hand muscles all while having fun!

Sydney Thorson, OTR/L, is a new occupational therapist working in school-based therapy. Her
background is in Human Development and Family Studies, and she is passionate about
providing individualized and meaningful treatment for each child and their family. Sydney is also
a children’s author and illustrator and is always working on new and exciting projects.

Working on fine motor skills, visual perception, visual motor skills, sensory tolerance, handwriting, or scissor skills? Our Fine Motor Kits cover all of these areas and more.

Check out the seasonal Fine Motor Kits that kids love:

Letters Fine Motor Kit
Kit de motricidad fina de verano
Summer Fine Motor Kit
Outer Space Fine Motor Kit
Space Fine Motor Kit
Spring fine motor kit
Valentines Day fine motor kit
winter fine motor kit
Winter Fine Motor Kit

Or, grab one of our themed Fine Motor Kits to target skills with fun themes:

Want access to all of these kits…and more being added each month? Join The OT Toolbox Member’s Club!

Pickle Picker Therapy Tool

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pickle picker and craft pom poms Text reads "pickle picker for fine motor skills"

One of the favorite items in my collection of occupational therapy tools is a pickle picker. We’ve shared how to use a pickle picker to support fine motor skills over on our social media channels in the past, but we wanted to put all of that information together in one place for building those skills!

pickle picker

Ok, when we pull a pickle picker out of our fine motor kit from our collection of occupational therapy supplies, the typical response is…”what is that?” But if you have ever used a pickle picker to grab pickles from a jar in the kitchen, then you know how beneficial this kitchen tool is. Let’s explain…

What is a Pickle Picker?

A pickle picker, also known as a pickle grabber, is a kitchen tool that has found it’s way into occupational therapy supplies because of the fine motor benefits of using the small kitchen gadget. The utensil’s original use is to retrieve pickles or other items from a jar or container without getting one’s fingers or hands wet.

A pickle picker (Amazon affiliate link) is a long grabber that has a plunger that when pressed, moves long metal prongs from inside the hollow tube. As the plunger is pressed, it pushes the prongs out of the pickle picker tube to grab items (pickles, olives, or other items in a tall jar or container).

When I started out as a school-based occupational therapist, a pickle grabber was a therapy tool that I loved to have in my therapy toolbox.

While we don’t use the pickle picker to pick up pickles, we do use it to grab small objects:

  • craft pom poms in different sizes
  • mini erasers
  • small objects like mini koosh balls
  • crumbled paper
  • anything that is small and grabbable!

The point to using this tool is to sort, foster fine motor work, and to us the tool as a manipulative while building underlying skills.

As a functional task, the pickle picker makes fine motor work and finger strengthening tasks fun and engaging. But, you can also use the pickle picker in learning, too:

Use a Pickle Picker for Fine Motor Skills

While this under-rated kitchen tool has so many benefits, it actually has fine motor benefits as well. The pickle picker (affiliate link) is a powerhouse when it comes to fine motor skills!

Pickle pickers, or pickle grabbers can strengthen hands, develop eye-hand coordination skills, promote motor planning, add heavy work to the hands, and be used to facilitate so many more skills. Occupational therapy providers LOVE the pickle grabber as a therapy tool! There are may reasons to have a pickle picker or two in your therapy bag.

Just some of the ways that a pickle picker builds skills:

Let’s break these down…

Use a Pickle Grabber for Heavy work.

When you press down on the plunger of the pickle picker, the spring inside the device pushes back against the thumb. This resistance offers proprioceptive input that alerts the muscles of how much pressure is needed to grab objects.

You can grade this task and require more force to push the plunger all the way to the bottom of the tube in order to open the grabber’s tongs all the way open. This is necessary for grabbing larger items such as extra large craft pom poms.

To grab and pick up smaller items like mini craft pom poms or mine erasers, less force is required to push the prongs open. Knowing the difference between the force required and the resulting heavy work input against the thumb offers proprioceptive input through the thumb.

Facilitate thumb IP joint flexion by pressing the plunger of a pickle grabber.

In order to press the red plunger down on a pickle picker, you need to hold the tube steady. When you move the plunger down, one needs to stabilize the fine motor tool at the base of the thumb. You also need to have flexion at the MP joint and the IP joint of the thumb.

Read about this concept in our blog post on thumb wrap grasp.

This joint mobility is important because it promotes precision in fine motor tasks. We see this especially, with tasks that require neat pincer grasp.

Use a pickle picker for separation of the sides of the hand.

Separation of the sides of the hand is so important for fine motor tool manipulation and dexterity in fine motor skills. The pickle picker is an ideal tool for this skill work because the ulnar side of the hand is used to stabilize the tool while the thumb presses against the pickle picker tool with a lateral key pinch.

Pickle picker tool for crossing midline.

There are many ways to use this therapy tool to foster midline crossing.

Place objects in different locations and planes and use matching colored containers to place the objects. You can position the materials across the midline, or use the materials in an occupational therapy obstacle course.

Target eye-hand coordination using a pickle grabber tool.

Positioning the materials and using the pickle grabber to pick up and move objects fosters eye-hand coordination skills as well. Target motor planning and use games to improve motor skill speed to pick up the objects and move them to targets.

Wrist stability with a pickle picker-

Another nice benefit of using a pickle picker in play is the wrist stability. So often, we see a flexed, or bent wrist which doesn’t put the wrist and hand in an optimal position for precision skills.

Holding a pickle grabber tool requires the wrist to be in a stable position, improving hand and grasp strength.

How to use a pickle picker in occupational therapy

Now that you know the various ways a pickle picker can support hand strength and finger strength, let’s go over a few ways to use this tool in OT sessions.

  1. Grab craft pom poms– Scatter craft pom poms onto a table surface. Use the pickle grabber to pick up the craft pom poms and sort them by color. We show how to do this activity in the video below.
  2. Use mini erasers– You can pick up the erasers and stack them to work on precision skills.

We shared many ways to target specific skills through play in the descriptions above, but sometimes it helps to see the skills in action. Check out our video where we share how to use a pickle picker in fine motor work. You can also check out this pickle picker video on The OT Toolbox YouTube channel.

A pickle picker, or pickle grabber, is a great fine motor tool for occupational therapy!

Want to get your hands (literally) on a pickle picker? Here are our top picks from Amazon (affiliate links):

Working on fine motor skills, visual perception, visual motor skills, sensory tolerance, handwriting, or scissor skills? Our Fine Motor Kits cover all of these areas and more.

Check out the seasonal Fine Motor Kits that kids love:

Letters Fine Motor Kit
Kit de motricidad fina de verano
Summer Fine Motor Kit
Outer Space Fine Motor Kit
Space Fine Motor Kit
Spring fine motor kit
Valentines Day fine motor kit
winter fine motor kit
Winter Fine Motor Kit

Or, grab one of our themed Fine Motor Kits to target skills with fun themes:

Want access to all of these kits…and more being added each month? Join The OT Toolbox Member’s Club!

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

Indoor Gross Motor Activities for Preschool

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indoor gross motor activities for preschool

Today, we wanted to get you loaded up on the best indoor gross motor activities for preschoolers. This time of year, the weather starts to turn in some areas and colder days and mornings can mean a preschool classroom isn’t always able to get outdoors during the preschool day. That’s not always the case however, especially in nature-based preschool settings, but in many preschool classrooms, the students need to adjust to the weather and turn to indoor activities.

indoor gross motor activities for preschool

Indoor Gross Motor Activities for Preschool

Developing gross motor skills in early childhood is known to be one of the most foundational skills that support all other areas of learning. As children grow, if they can’t sit in a chair, they are unable to attend for school.

We do have recommendations for gross motor toys that are great for the preschool-aged child as they build skills through their primary occupation: play. These toys and suggestions can improve strength and offer input in the contributing factors, or underlying skills impacting gross motor progression and functional performance of tasks requiring gross motor work.

In this blog, I’ll share with you the best indoor gross motor activities that you can do at home or in the classroom that supports all area of gross motor development. 

Indoor Gross Motor Activities Foster Development

During the preschool years, any components of gross motor skills develop through play and learning exploration. This includes the development of balance and coordination. This progression supports the skills and abilities that foster learning and functional participation in every aspect of daily activities as the child grows.

Depending on where you live, there many be lots of activities to do outdoors, but with every season, (whether it be extreme heat, humidity or extreme cold) the ability to complete those activities change.

There are many components to gross motor development. These include:

As soon as an infant opens their eyes, they see the wonderful world around them. Their drive to get to everything they see takes over their purpose. Infants develop quickly, developing skills such as rolling over, transitioning from laying down to sitting, crawling, pulling to stand, and eventually to walking independently. As they gain new skills, their coordination and muscle development changes.

But walking isn’t the “final step” in gross motor development.

Toddlers are known for the  “toddler waddle” as they gain more balance in their walking. As children grow, each new age provides them new gross motor milestones to master. This blog explains all the gross motor milestones that children work on from ages birth through five, which a great for an overall picture of development.

Let’s break down when gross motor skills typically develop for the two to five year age range.

They include:

gross motor skills for 2 year olds

Some preschool classrooms begin at the two year age range. Because of this, we’re including two year gross motor milestones.

  • Walks with coordination
  • Runs
  • Can run with quick stopping and direction changes, may struggle with direction changes
  • Kicks a ball
  • Throws a ball overhand
  • Jumps in place with both feet off the ground
  • Walks up and down stairs alone or with assistance

For the 2 year old preschool class, gross motor activities might include walking on a line, simple obstacle courses, rolling and kicking a ball, crawling tunnels, simple climbing structures, throwing a ball at a large target or to a teacher, and position changes such as getting down on the floor.

All of these activities should be rooted in play.

Gross motor skills for 3 year olds

Preschool for three year-olds includes more gross motor coordination and balance skills as the child gains more strength and coordination of the large muscles of the body.

  • Balance on one foot  
  • Jump forward   
  • Walks on tiptoe
  • Catches a large ball   
  • Rides a tricycle

For the three year old preschool classroom, gross motor activities may include standing on target spots, balancing on balance beams, climbing structures or playground equipment, riding toys, throwing and catching balls of different sizes, hopping, playing Simon Says with gross motor commands, and play that fosters gross motor movement.

gross motor skills for 4 year olds

Preschool gross motor tasks for the 4 year old classroom start to offer more refined and coordinated work. You might see kids at a variety of levels at this age, especially determined by the child’s home and life experiences, outdoor time, and interests.

  • Can run, jump and climb well, is beginning to skip  
  • Hops proficiently on one foot  
  • Can do hopscotch  
  • Catches a ball reliably  
  • Begins somersaults

For the 4 year old preschool classroom, gross motor activities might include more riding toys, running games, tag games, more refined and coordinated balance activities, playground equipment with more climbing and movements, lawn games, etc.

gross motor skills for 5 year olds

Preschool for five year olds, or even Pre-K classes will see more refined gross motor skills, coordination, and skill development. Many preschoolers at this age will begin to play sports like T-ball or soccer (among other sports and gross motor activities). Some things to consider about gross motor skills for five year preschool:

  • Skips on alternate feet and jump rope  
  • Begins to skate and swim  
  • Rides bicycle with/without training wheels    
  • Climbing playground equipment

For the 5 year old in preschool, or Pre-K classes, gross motor activities might include more climbing equipment, ride on toys with more balance requirements such as bikes and scooters, ball and bat games, target games like basketball, and more complex gross motor games.

Gross Motor Indoor Activities

Providing children with the opportunity to move when stuck indoors is critical. Little ones are built to move. According to two pediatricians in this article, “Keeping your toddler moving daily is key to a healthy development.”

Daily play activities and movement experiences foster development.

Although it’s important for children to have gross motor activities always available for them, it’s not always easy to provide, especially when you are indoors.  

Here are my 5 favorite playful activities to foster development of gross motor skills to preschoolers:

  1. Games with painters tape.

I love painters tape, not only because it is cheap but it can easily be placed on any flooring or wall and removed with ease! Painters tape is perfect for indoor gross motor games, as it encourages balance, coordination, and more. You can even form circles and numbers to complete this snowman bowling and jumping game. Here’s a visual for that activity.  

  1. Games with cardboard squares.

Do you have any Amazon boxes lying around? Cut those boxes up into squares of all sizes to play some amazing games. Place them on the floor in a line and have children “jump” over them. Write numbers on them and place them in a circle for a freeze dance! When you stop the music, have your child find a square and say the number they found. You can even create an indoor hopscotch game for hours of hopping and jumping fun!

  1. Children’s Yoga Games

If you have a small space, you can still encourage gross motor games with some children’s yoga! Yoga is an amazing activity for people of all ages, but is exceptional for young children. Yoga has many benefits that include increasing attention span, encouraging connection between body and mind, boots immunity, increases flexibility and strength and other benefits.

Try this unicorn yoga, penguin yoga, or even partner yoga for working on balance and strength with a friend or in small groups.

  1. Empty Plastic Bottle Games

Recycling doesn’t always mean that we need to put our used containers in a recycle bin. As a preschool teacher, I know that all objects can be used for some type of learning activity. Empty plastic bottles are one of my favorite things to collect. Do you have any empty plastic bottles laying around? These can be any size that held any type of drink. There are so many movement games that we can do with empty bottles, including bowling or a water bottle ring toss game.

  1. Activity Jars

If you have some popsicle sticks, a die and an empty cup, you have everything you need to make an activity jar! Write one action word on each popsicle stick and place them in the jar…or use our free list of Simon Says commands that fit on craft sticks. Roll one or two die and count the total number that was rolled. Pick out a stick from the cup and now your child knows how many times to do that movement activity! Here are some examples of movement activities to add to the popsicle sticks:

  • Spin
  • Jump
  • Hop on Right Foot
  • Hop on Left Food
  • Tap your nose
  • Walk on Tip Toes
  • Touch your Right elbow to your Left knee 

6. Make an indoor balance activities

There are many way to make an indoor balance beam and you don’t need special equipment. Use a blanket roll balance beam or use pillows, string, or other items.

Providing young children with safe movement games is crucial to their development, not only to support their gross motor development, but also to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Kids can learn all sorts of new skills while they move.

Even if you are stuck indoors for a while, using these simple movement games will keep your kids engaged and give you some piece of mind.

Jeana Kinne is a veteran preschool teacher and director. She has over 20 years of experience in the Early Childhood Education field. Her Bachelors Degree is in Child Development and her Masters Degree is in Early Childhood Education. She has spent over 10 years as a coach, working with Parents and Preschool Teachers, and another 10 years working with infants and toddlers with special needs. She is also the author of the “Sammy the Golden Dog” series, teaching children important skills through play.

Finger Dexterity Exercises

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Hand holding coins by the fingertips and dropping one at a time into a stack of coins. Text reads "finger dexterity"

Fine motor skills are a complex thing, but one thing that plays a major role in fine motor coordination is finger dexterity. The precision movements and endurance in small motor activities is driven by the ability to maneuver fingers and isolate the joints in holding and manipulating small objects. Let’s explore the role of manual dexterity in fine motor skills.

The finger dexterity activities and exercises in this post can be used along with manual dexterity goals to support functional tasks.

finger dexterity

Fine Motor Dexterity

Fine Motor Skills in kids are so important for independence in self care tasks.  Children need to develop the ability to manipulate their fingers in a coordinated manner in order to skillfully maneuver buttons, zippers, shoe laces, pencils…and the tools of learning and play…TOYS! 

Dexterous movements are used in everyday activities throughout our day.

What is finger dexterity?

Finger dexterity refers to the ability to use coordination and manipulation of objects in the hands with precision. Dexterous motor skills can be broken down into areas: grasp and release, coordination with in the hand (in-hand manipulation), and proprioception (knowing how much effort is needed to manipulate objects without dropping them). There are many other contributions that impact finger dexterity and we list these below.

Together, these precision skills enable us to pick up an object with the right amount of pressure and motor dexterity so you can grasp the object accurately taking eye-hand coordination skills into consideration.

After grasping the object without overshooting or missing the item, it is necessary to position or rotate the object within the hand. Isolation of the joints of the fingers and thumb allow for precise movements and coordination when manipulating objects in functional tasks.

The nine hole peg test is a good way to assess for finger dexterity.

 

Finger Dexterity Examples

 
Fine motor dexterity also looks like:
  • manipulating coins
  • picking up small beads
  • opening a tube of toothpaste
  • threading a needle
  • holding items in the palm of the hand and putting them down one at a time
  • crafts with small objects
  • peeling stickers off a page
  • opening or closing a clasp on a necklace
  • tying shoes
  • opening a bread tie
  • putting a pony tail holder in hair
  • braiding hair
  • maneuvering a pencil within the hand (rotating the pencil, erasing a small spot on the page)
  • turning a pencil in a handheld pencil sharpener
  • zippering– inserting a zipper into the zipper carriage
  • buttoning a shirt
  • lacing up shoes
  • stacking coins
  • holding playing cards in your hands
  • any other task that requires small motor tasks
 
 
We’ve got lots of posts dedicated to fine motor skills.  Finger Dexterity is a necessary step in development of fine motor skills. 
 
 

 

 
Kids will love to play this finger dexterity activity to work on fine motor skills.

 

Skills needed for Finger Dexterity

Children develop their hand skills from infancy. Hand strength develops from the time a small baby is placed in tummy time. You’ll start to see finger dexterity in action when a baby picks up cereal pieces using a pincer grasp.
 
Finger dexterity requires components such as: 
 
The terms that make up finger dexterity are explained in each of the blog posts in the list.
 
There are developmental milestones for fine motor development that are necessary for independence each stage of childhood. When kids struggle with handwriting, manipulating small objects, hand fatigue in small motor tasks, finger dexterity and the underlying contributions should be considered.
 
Children also need to demonstrate dexterity in order to manipulate objects.  They need to maneuver their fingers independently of one another (this is called finger isolation) and with separation of the two sides of the hand. 
 
Without these skills, modifications or adjustments are often made by the child. We’ll cover more specifics about the relationship of finger dexterity and these components below.


Finger Dexterity and Separation of the two sides of the hand

When using the small muscles of the hands in dexterity tasks, one uses the side of the thumb-side of the hand. 
 
The precision side of the hand is the thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger.  These are the fingers needed for dexterity tasks and fine motor skills. 
 
The ring finger and pinkie finger are involved in providing stability during precision tasks.  When the index and thumb are involved in a small motor activity, the ring finger and pinkie finger are tucked into the palm and proved a support during handwriting and shoe tying. 
 
They also provide power during grip and the force behind a gross grasp. 
 
So when will you see the two sides of the hand separated during activities?? Tying shoes, pulling a zipper, fastening a button, and manipulating small pegs into a pegboard are some examples of separation of the two sides of the hand.


Finger Dexterity and Finger Isolation

Finger isolation is a key part of finer dexterity and begins when an infant begins to point at objects with one finger. 
 
Using the fingers independent of one another is needed for tasks like turning a page in a book, typing, molding dough, sign language, and finger plays (“where is Thumbkin” and other fingerplay songs are great ways to practice finger isolation and dexterity!) 
 
Kids can identify colors by playing this fine motor game.

 

Finger dexterity Activity

 
This finger strength exercise is actually a game, which makes it a great activity for developing precision in those little muscles of the hands, isolating fingers, and separating the two sides of the hand…all SO important in independence and play.
 
Try this activity to work on separating the two sides of the hand with a fun activity for kids. 

This post contains affiliate links.

Our finger dexterity activity began with a little prep work.  We used acrylic paints to paint circles on the back of bubble wrap paper. 

Kids will explore colors in this finger dexterity game.

 

I painted the back side of large bubble wrap with different colors.   We let these dry (and it was slightly difficult to remain patient!!)

Kids will love to play "Twister" in this fine motor exercise.

 

Once our paints were dry, we got our fingers ready to play some finger dexterity games!  I had Little Guy get his fingers ready by making “legs”. 

This is a great way to encourage use of the two sides of the hand.  He tucked his pinkie and ring fingers into the palm of his hand and got his pointer and middle finger busy as they “walked” around.

Fun fine motor game for kids.

 

We played a color matching game with the colored bubbles.  I called out a color and he had to “walk” his fingers to the color and pop the color.  He was working on color awareness at the same time as we practiced finger dexterity.

kids can work on fine motor skills needed for independence in many tasks.

 

As I called out different colors, he had to “walk” his fingers around to the different colors.  He really worked on those finger isolation skills as he searched for a bubble that was not yet popped. 

Other ways to work on finger isolation and separation of the two sides of the hand include using small objects in manipulation like crafting pom poms.

The index, middle finger, and thumb are needed to manipulate items in fine motor tasks. This activity is a great way to encourage dexterity in kids.

 

Even Baby Girl wanted to get in on the fun!  This finger dexterity exercise is a great way to “warm up” the hands before a handwriting or typing task for older children. Using handwriting warm ups prepares the hands for tasks like writing with a pencil.

When there is weakness in the small muscles of the hands, it is often times, difficult for children to write, color, or type with appropriate grasp and positioning of the fingers and wrist. 

A dexterity exercise like this one is a fun way to play and get those muscles of the hand moving and strengthened in order to improve endurance and positioning.

Manual Dexterity Activities

Looking for more fun ways to practice manual dexterity of the fingers?  These are some fun games and activities you may want to try:

Finger dexterity exercises

Using the activities listed above are great ways to build fine motor skills. You can also improve manual dexterity with the following exercises:

  • Pinch putty or playdough 10 times, with 3 repetitions (find more reps in our theraputty exercises blog post)
  • Place pegs into a pegboard- time the student to see how many they can place in 30 seconds. Try to beat that time.
  • Hand gripper workouts to improve proximal stability
  • Stack 10 coins or game tokens into a pile. Then pick them up one at a time and place them into the palm of the hand
  • Deal a deck of cards
  • Creating a fine motor home exercise program
  • Using the exercises described in the Weekly Fine Motor Program
  • Finger aerobics shown in the video below.

Working on fine motor skills, visual perception, visual motor skills, sensory tolerance, handwriting, or scissor skills? Our Fine Motor Kits cover all of these areas and more.

Check out the seasonal Fine Motor Kits that kids love:

Letters Fine Motor Kit
Kit de motricidad fina de verano
Summer Fine Motor Kit
Outer Space Fine Motor Kit
Space Fine Motor Kit
Spring fine motor kit
Valentines Day fine motor kit
winter fine motor kit
Winter Fine Motor Kit

Or, grab one of our themed Fine Motor Kits to target skills with fun themes:

Want access to all of these kits…and more being added each month? Join The OT Toolbox Member’s Club!

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

Finger Strength Exercises

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finger strength activities

Finger strength exercises need to be addressed on an occupational therapy blog, because let’s face it, we need our hands and fingers for so many tasks. Here, you’ll find finger strengthening activities and exercises that can be used along with finger games and hand strengthening activities to build stronger and more functional hands for use in daily activities.

Our fingers are used for this activity and that activity. Just think about how much we use our hands and fingers throughout the day. Would you say it is morning, noon, and night? Probably so. We use our fingers for leisure, chores, personal needs, work, and many other tasks. Our hands AND fingers need to be strong and ready to go so that we can accomplish all of our to-do list tasks for the day, week, or month. 

finger strength exercises

Finger strengthening exercises can be integrated in play! When it comes to building stronger fingers, occupational therapy supports this need.

Finger Strength Exercises

Children need well-functioning hands and fingers with good overall strength and endurance too as they are constantly on the move with activity involvement throughout the day.

They are playing with siblings or friends, attending school, taking care of their personal needs, and hopefully taking on a few chores too.

Children know when things are easy for them and when they are difficult. They know whether their fingers are strong or weak. They know when they can or cannot open and close a container, button or unbutton a shirt, and when they need a little extra help to play with toys. They know if something is going to be fun and easy or if it’s going to be hard and dreaded with no way to achieve without help.

This blog post will provide some fun and important finger strengthening exercises and activities that can be used to help a child build their finger strength and endurance whether it be in the clinic, classroom, or at home.

Some exercises may be for the older kiddo population while some of the fun play-like activities or exercises are for the younger kiddos as we know they need a little more motivation to build their finger strength and endurance.

As mentioned in a previous hand strengthening post, don’t forget that gross motor activities also help to build hand and finger strength too! That’s right, keep having children do animal walks, heavy work exercises, scooter board activities, therapy ball weight-bearing activities, and encourage them to continue playing on the playground equipment. 

The reason to encourage gross motor coordination and whole body play is that children need that proximal stability and strength in order to foster distal mobility, including functional strength and use of the fingers.

FINGER STRENGTHENGING EXERCISES

The finger strength exercises listed below can be used along with manual dexterity goals to support functional skills. One type of finger strengthening exercise that is rooted in play is the use of theraputty exercises.

You can purchase (Amazon affiliate link) theraputty from various vendors, and use this finger strengthening tool in different ways that involves play.

Some finger strength Therapy putty exercises:

  • finger pinch is simply taking small balls of therapy putty and pinching them into small flat pancakes, repeat multiple times with each hand
  • log pinch is rolling the therapy putty between the hands to create a putty log and placing on the table top, then take each finger to the thumb to pinch the putty as flat as possible, one finger at a time, repeat with all fingers each hand
  • pancake spread is taking a flat pancake pile of therapy putty and placing all fingertips of one hand into the putty to attempt to spread the fingers out as far as possible, repeat multiple times with each hand
  • pancake pull is taking a flat pancake pile of therapy putty and placing all fingertips of one hand into the putty to attempt to gradually pull the putty upward into a pyramid shape, repeat multiple times with each hand
  • thumb press is taking a ball of putty placed in the palm (near the base of the thumb) and then pressing the thumb deeply into the ball, multiple times with each hand

Thumb Strength

The main component of pinch and grip requires opposition of the thumb. The bulky “meat” of the thumb, also known as the thenar eminence is the bas of the thumb which provides the power behind the pinch, or where we see the real strength of a precision grasp.

Strength in the thumb is explained in the dexterity of the thumb joints and the rotation of the CMC joint at the base of the thumb. We explain this in our blog post that focuses on a thumb wrap grasp.

Squeeze ball exercises

One tool to strengthen the thumb is by using a squeeze ball. In addition to the thumb strength is the arches of the hand and the hypothenar eminence, or the bulk of the hand at the base of the pinkie finger.

Squeeze ball exercises offer a single squeeze that encourages a cupped position of the palm and fingers.

Try these squeeze ball exercises:

  • power pinch is squeezing the ball and holding for a count of 5 or 10 repeatedly with each finger opposed to the thumb, one finger at a time, repeating multiple times
  • fingertip pinch is placing the squeeze ball between the fingertips opposed to the thumb and then squeezing and holding as long as possible with all fingertips working together, repeating multiple times with each hand

Finger Grip Strengthener

Another tool found in an occupational therapy bag is the finger grip strengthener. There are many types of these tools on the market, but one that is often used is the (Amazon affiliate link) digiflex. We have many other hand gripper workouts here on The OT Toolbox that can be used as finger strengtheners, too.

Try these Digiflex exercises:

  • using the appropriate pound Digiflex tool, depress each button of the device using one finger at a time, repeat multiple times with each hand.
  • Tap the buttons of a Digiflex grip strengthener to a song

Finger Stretcher Exercises

A finger stretcher is a finger strengthening tool for flexing and extending the fingers. This is a great tool for finger isolation and individual joint isolation.

  • using the appropriate resistance level tool, place the device onto the fingertips and stretch each finger outward as far as possible, repeat multiple times with each hand
  • Use the finger stretcher to work on finger flexion or finger extension. Tap out letters to spell words. Or tap out words of a song or phrase.

Rubber band exercises

Rubber band exercises are another finger exercise tool.

  • wrap rubber bands around the fingers, including the thumb, and then stretch the fingers and thumb outward spreading them as far out as possible, repeat multiple times with each hand
  • wrap a rubber band around each finger opposed to the thumb and then stretch out the finger and thumb as far as possible, repeat multiple times with each finger and each hand
  • wrap a rubber band around a neighboring finger (two fingers max) and then spread the fingers apart (spreading left to right as far as possible), repeating multiple times 
  • Use rubber bands to stretch around blocks.

Finger Exercises without equipment

There are many finger strengthening exercises you can do without strengthening equipment or weights. The ideas listed below require just your own hands and body weight or simple items you probably already have in the home.

When it comes to finger exercises, there are several aspects that will improve overall pinch strength and grip strength. These include:

  • Eccentric muscle contraction
  • Concentric muscle contraction
  • Isometric muscle contraction

Isometric Finger exercises

Isometric contractions refers to contraction of a muscle that does not produce joint motion. In other words, the joint does not move and the finger pushes against something as it is still and in one place.

An isometric exercise provides force where the internal and external forces are in a state of equilibrium. For example, holding a pencil while writing requires isometric force of the fingers.

  • Place the fingertips of both hands together and push the palms of the hands together, repeat and hold multiple times.
  • Hook both thumbs together and attempt to pull apart, hook both index fingers together and pull apart, hook both middle fingers together and pull apart, hook both ring fingers together and pull apart, and hook pinky fingers together and pull apart, repeat multiple times
  • Place both hands together in a hook grasp. Hook all the fingers together, at one time, and attempt to pull apart, and then repeat.
thumb war activity

Thumb wars Activity

One thumb strengthening activity that most of us are familiar with is a thumb war. Do you remember saying, “I declare a thumb war”? When you have a thumb wrestling battle with a friend, there are many strengthening opportunities happening.

While we might not recognize the thumb war as a finger strengthening activity, there are several components here that build finger and hand strength:

Holding the fingers in a grasped position with the thumb war partner is an isometric strengthening activity. The thumb is free to be mobile, allowing for full range of motion.

When engaged in a thumb war, both participants experience strengthening resistance from various planes: flexion, extension, adduction, and abduction.

  • Play a few rounds of thumb wars with a partner, each hand should give it a try 

Other Finger Strengthening Exercises include:

Piano push 

  • slightly curl the fingers like playing the piano and then push against a wall or table top, repeat multiple times

 Spider finger walk

  • lie a hand towel flat on a tabletop surface and then place a weighted object on the end farthest away, use the fingers of both hands to spider walk the weighted object toward self, pulling and scrunching the towel up within the hands, repeat

Crumple and roll tissue paper balls 

  • cut small squares of tissue paper and then crumple them into small balls using a pinch pattern and finger rotation, follow with rolling the ball out while pressing into a flat worm using a backward and forward rolling movement 

Pinching water out of small sponge squares

  • wet small sponge squares and squeeze water out using the thumb opposed to each finger individually, repeat multiple times

Water dropper

  • use a water dropper to squeeze water out into a container using the thumb opposed to each finger, individually, using both hands repeating multiple times

Milk the latex glove 

  • this one is one that I found online where you fill a latex glove with water and use a pin to poke a small hole into the tip of each finger then a child will work on squeezing the water out of each finger, have the child finger pinch each finger of the glove to make it work more appropriate for total finger strengthening

Pool noodle finger popper

  • cut pieces of a pool noodle and create small finger poppers and have individuals pinch to pop the finger popper and see how far they can make it soar, repeat

Strawberry finger pickers– these mini tongs are a great size to engage the intrinsic muscles of the hands.

  • Use strawberry pickers with thumb opposed to each finger and attempt to pick up and sort various colored pom-pom balls into containers

Household tools to promote finger strength when in use:

  • Seal Plastic Sandwich Bags – Pinching a plastic baggie closed to seal the bag is a great functional task. Pinch baggie to pinch it closed using the thumb opposed to each finger with each finger working individually, complete with both hands, and repeat. This is an activity that can be incorporated into lunch time or snack time.
  • Pinch clothes pins- Grab clothes pins from the dollar store for a low-cost finger strengthening tool. Pinch open and closed using the thumb opposed to each finger with each finger working individually. Here are more clothes pin exercises.
  • Pop bubble wrap- Oppose the bubbles of bubble wrap with a thumb and finger. Try to encourage the child to keep their thumb in a neutral position or slight joint flexion at the thumb IP joint.

Use commercially available tools and games to promote finger strength:

  • Squeeze stretchy toys – pull apart for poses, stretches, and molding  
  • Oppose Mini Squishies-Squash and squeeze the squeezies with fingers opposed to the thumb, each hand, repeatedly 
  • Place beads onto a Light finger ball– This is a great activity because the wrist is placed into slight wrist extension which puts the extrinsic muscles and tendons into an ideal position to enable full strength and mobility of the intrinsic muscles. Pinch and pull individual caps on the ball (you can call it ‘snap the caps’) and attempt the pinch and pull with all fingers opposed to the thumb
  • Squeeze toys like a Kitty hairball poppers are great because the arches are positioned in an ideal position for strengthening while the fingers are opposed to the thumb.
  • Oppose Boinks with a wide opposition to work on graded precision skills. Kids love these because they can squeeze and release to see how far they fly across the room
  • Pop beads-This classic toy is a fine motor powerhouse. Push the beads together and pull them apart to create a necklace, chain, or bracelet. We love this set because it includes beads of different sizes and you can grade the activity to meet the needs of each individual.
  • Marble maze – play a marble maze from beginning to end
  • Build and destruct with Lego blocks- Pinch and pull the bricks while building simple towers or even buildings or objects with the use of picture cards
  • Build and destruct Cootie Bugs using the fun game to work on hand and finger strengthening. This one is a little tricky for younger kiddos as the legs must go in at a slight angle which may make them more appropriate for older kiddos. 
  • Velcro ball and catch- roll the ball from the top to the bottom of the mitt using a finger spider walk. Pulling a tennis ball or other smaller ball off the velcro is a great strengthening activity.
  • Use pop toobs to strengthen fingers by conecting the tubes.

Want some fun resources for hand and finger warm-ups or strengthening? Take a look at these fun game boards Finger and Hand Exercises and Year-Round Play Dough.

These resources include 10-12 no-prep game boards that you can print and play to practice finger isolation, left and right hand discrimination, overall fine motor coordination, finger dexterity, and build hand and finger strength.

Grab them and immediately ramp up any warm-up routine. They are engaging for kids and are a great tool to use before any prewriting, handwriting, coloring, or cutting work. 

Want to add more ideas and tools to your therapist toolkit for finger strengthening? Take a look at the other posts found right here at The OT Toolbox:

Hand Strengthening Activities | The OT Toolbox

Clay Fine Motor Strengthening Exercises | The OT Toolbox

Intrinsic Hand Muscle Strengthening with Tongs | The OT Toolbox

Slime Hand Strength Exercises | The OT Toolbox

Hand and Finger Game Boards | The OT Toolbox

Handwriting Warm-Up Exercises for Little Hands | The OT Toolbox

Play Dough Hand Strength Astronaut Activity | The OT Toolbox

Finger Aerobics | The OT Toolbox

Hand Gripper Workout | The OT Toolbox

Working on fine motor skills, visual perception, visual motor skills, sensory tolerance, handwriting, or scissor skills? Our Fine Motor Kits cover all of these areas and more.

Check out the seasonal Fine Motor Kits that kids love:

Letters Fine Motor Kit
Kit de motricidad fina de verano
Summer Fine Motor Kit
Outer Space Fine Motor Kit
Space Fine Motor Kit
Spring fine motor kit
Valentines Day fine motor kit
winter fine motor kit
Winter Fine Motor Kit

Or, grab one of our themed Fine Motor Kits to target skills with fun themes:

Want access to all of these kits…and more being added each month? Join The OT Toolbox Member’s Club!

Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.

Wrist Range of Motion Exercises

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hand placing pipe cleaners into the holes of a colander. Text reads "wrist range of motion exercises"

This colander and toothpicks activity is a powerful wrist extension fine motor task. You can use this activity idea as range of motion exercises for wrist. You’ve probably seen (or tried) a colander and pipe cleaner activity. We’ve also used pipe cleaners and a cardboard box to achieve the same effect.

Let’s explore what’s happening with this activity…You’ll also want to check out our blog post on finger strength exercises, which includes fun fine motor strengthening activities.

Colander and Toothpicks Activity

You might have seen a recent post here on the blog that shared the importance of an extended wrist in fine motor activities.  If you check out that post, you’ll see why it’s important for kids to position their wrist in a functional position.  
 
Today, I’m adding a simple fine motor activity for improving an extended wrist. This is a low-prep busy bag type of activity that kids can play with at home or at the OT clinic while building fine motor skills needed for tasks like handwriting, scissor use, clothing management, tool use (like spoons, knives, and forks), and so much more.

Super easy fine motor activity for improving an extended wrist and tripod grasp for kids, using household items like a colander and toothpicks.
 

 

 
This post contains affiliate links.
 
For this activity, you’ll need a (Amazon affiliate link) colander.  We used a plastic one that is as bright as it is perfect for rinsing garden lettuce.  I love that this one has one curved handle that makes using it for fine motor activities like this one perfect for developing bilateral coordination.  Kids can hold onto the curved handle while doing this easy fine motor activity.
 
We also used summer themed party toothpicks similar to these (affiliate links) that we’ve had in our party supplies forever.  I’m really not even sure where these toothpicks came from, but it has to be true that everyone needs a pineapple party toothpick in their life, right??
 

Fine Motor Toothpick Activity

I showed my preschooler and toddler how to poke the toothpicks into the overturned colander.  As easy as that, our activity was on it’s way.
 
Super simple activities make moms and kids happy.
 
When my kiddos were stabbing the colander with summer-themed toothpicks, I was watching the positioning of their wrist and hand.  (Observation skills are ingrained in an Occupational Therapist…it might be something about those long OT school lab sessions and years of clinicals…)
 
Poking the toothpicks into the holes of the overturned colander allows the wrist to be in an extended position while the fingers are positioned in a tripod or pincer grasp as they hold the toothpick.  Be sure to position the colander in an effective place.  If the child is on the floor they may ulnarly deviate (bend the wrist toward their pinkie finger) or flex the wrist.  
 
Super easy fine motor activity for improving an extended wrist and tripod grasp for kids, using household items like a colander and toothpicks.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

More range of motion exercises for wrist

Looking for more wrist extension activities? Try these: 

Working on fine motor skills, visual perception, visual motor skills, sensory tolerance, handwriting, or scissor skills? Our Fine Motor Kits cover all of these areas and more.

Check out the seasonal Fine Motor Kits that kids love:

Letters Fine Motor Kit
Kit de motricidad fina de verano
Summer Fine Motor Kit
Outer Space Fine Motor Kit
Space Fine Motor Kit
Spring fine motor kit
Valentines Day fine motor kit
winter fine motor kit
Winter Fine Motor Kit

Or, grab one of our themed Fine Motor Kits to target skills with fun themes:

Want access to all of these kits…and more being added each month? Join The OT Toolbox Member’s Club!

Wrist range of motion

The activities described in this blog post are fun ways to support wrist range of motion through play.

Typical range of motion of the wrist is as follows:

  • Wrist Flexion: 0-90 degrees
  • Wrist Extension: 0-70 degrees
  • Radial Abduction: 0-20 degrees
  • Ulnar Abduction: 0-30 degrees

These wrist range of motion degrees are rounded to the nearest numbers and some sources may include slight variances in ROM which is considered the average normal motion.

We made this image to show hand and wrist range of motion. These movement ranges are a general depiction. SO when we measure a client or a patient, there can actually be a range of normal movement. One person might have 80 degrees of wrist flexion and another might have 90 degrees of wrist flexion. Both are within the normal range. What matters is the function. If the client can perform their daily tasks and have 70 degrees of wrist flexion because of various reasons, that’s completely normal, too!

All of this is to say that the range of motion measurements can vary slightly. This goes for the wrist, forearm, fingers, and thumb.

hand and wrist range of motion

Wrist Range of Motion Exercises

These Range of Motion Exercises for the Wrist are functional but also move the wrist through the full range of motion. We tried to include both strictly ROM exercises for wrist movements, but also functional wrist movements too.

wrist ROM exercises

For example, using the colander and toothpick activity (or a colander and pipe cleaner activity), you can set out a certain number of toothpicks or pipe cleaners. Ask the individual to place that number into the holes of the colander while moving the wrist through wrist extension to position the item into the colander holes.

Wrist ROM exercises include these for each motion of the wrist:

  1. Wrist Flexion- Holding objects and bending the wrist forward are great ROM exercises for wrist flexion.
    • Hold your forearm out with your palm facing down.
    • Use your opposite hand to gently push your hand and fingers downward. Hold for a few seconds and release.
    • Hold a hammer or something heavy and let the weight of the hammer pull the wrist into full flexion.
  2. Wrist Extension- Wrist extension ROM exercises can include holding objects like a stress ball and pulling the wrist back into an extended position.
    • Hold your forearm out with your palm facing up.
    • Use your opposite hand to gently push your hand and fingers upward.
    • Hold for a few seconds and release.
    • Use a hammer to pull the wrist into extension by flipping the forearm over into a supinated position on a table.
  3. Wrist Supination- Turning the forearm over so the palm is up.
    • Extend your arm in front of you with your palm facing down.
    • Slowly rotate your wrist to turn your palm upward.
    • Hold briefly, then return to the starting position.
    • Add repetitions with a hammer. Allow the hammer head to pull the wrist into more supination.
  4. Wrist Pronation: Turning the wrist toward the midline so the palm is facing down.
    • Extend your arm in front of you with your palm facing up.
    • Slowly rotate your wrist to turn your palm downward.
    • Hold briefly, then return to the starting position.
    • Use a hammer with the weight of the hammer head pulling the forearm into pronation.
  5. Wrist Circles- Gently rotate your wrist in a circular motion, first clockwise and then counterclockwise.
    • Start with small circles and gradually increase the size. This exercise improves overall wrist mobility.
  6. Ulnar Deviation: Turning the wrist toward the midline, moving toward the pinkie side of the hand
    • Hold your arm out with your palm facing up.
    • Tilt your wrist toward your little finger while keeping your hand and fingers straight.
    • Return the middle finger to midline.
  7. Radial Deviation: Turning the wrist away from midline, moving toward the thumb side of the hand.
    • Hold your arm out with your palm facing up.
    • Tilt your wrist toward your thumb while keeping your hand and fingers straight.

Specific Wrist Range of Motion Exercises include:

  • Picking up small objects and placing them into containers, especially those on an inclined surface
  • Using hand gripper workout exercises with a stable wrist positioning.
  • Moving through wrist mobility exercises while saying the alphabet or counting
  • Using theraputty exercises
  • Pushups or wall push ups
  • Playing with a ribbon wand or a fairy wand
  • Making a letter rainbow exercise
  • Tendon glide range of motion exercises
  • Using rubber band traction to pull the wrist into full range of motion (PROM)

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

Toys for Wrist Extension and Stability

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Wrist bending up with an arrow showing the direction the wrist is bending back. Text reads "wrist extension"

In this blog post, we’re covering wrist extension and wrist stability…and wrist extension toys that support these motor skills through play. You’ll want to check out our wrist range of motion exercises for another hands-on wrist extension activity that kids love. The fine motor skills happening with these activities are huge. And, when the wrist is in optimal positioning, we can support the manual dexterity goals needed for functional skills.

wrist extension

Wrist extension plays a big role in functional tasks, including manipulating objects, ROM, and strength.

Wrist Extension

Before we get to the wrist extension activities, let’s talk about what wrist extension means and how an extended wrist is needed for wrist stability (both as an active muscle group AND as a stabilizer against wrist flexion).

Wrist extension refers to the movement of the wrist as it bends back toward the back of the hand. When the wrist moves, there is a large range of motion and the tendons of the wrist provide great strength that offer structural stability for use of the fingers in grasping.

There are several distinct joints that make up the wrist (did you realize that there were more than one joint in the wrist?!) The joints that make up the wrist include:

  • Radiocarpal joint- this is the joint at the end of the radius which articulates against carpal bones, as well as the end of the ulna bone.
  • Midcarpal joint- This joint space is between the proximal and distal carpal bones in the base of the hand. While the carpal bones might seem like they are part of the hand and not involved with the wrist, these bones actually attach to ligaments which play a role in wrist motions (flexion, extension, and radial and ulnar abduction)
  • Carpometacarpal joints- The base of the carpometacarpals articulate with one another and with the distal carpal bones. The ligaments that attach here play a role in hand and wrist stability. However, the CMC joint of the base of the thumb has a bigger role in wrist extension and stability.

Range of motion in the wrist is dependent on the motion of the hand and fingers. This is because when the hand and fingers are relaxed, the wrist can fully flex (bend at the wrist toward the palm). The wrist can only reach full extension when the fingers are flexed into a fist. This is called close-packed. When this position is achieved, the wrist is in it’s most stable position.

Wrist Extension in Grasping

The strongest grasp will occur when the wrist is extended. If the hand is grasped when the wrist is flexed, you’ll notice a much weaker grip strength.

Why?

Because of the way the muscles in the forearm cross over the wrist. The long finger flexor muscles have an attachment in the forearm and pass over the the wrist. This is where we see wrist stability.

If the wrist flexes while the hand grasps into finger flexion, it’s actually impossible to fully flex the fingers.

You might have seen a child who holds their pencil with a bent wrist and curled up fingers. Maybe you see a kiddo who struggles to hold a fork or spoon.

They’ve probably got their elbow super flexed and their shoulder forward.  
Maybe you have a kiddo who fumbles with buttons and zippers or shows weakness in grasping items.  Perhaps you have an OT client who bends their wrist forward when they are lacing beads or other fine motor tasks.

When the wrist is flexed (bent forward towards curved fingers in a grasp), there is little chance of fine motor dexterity.  A flexed wrist in functional tasks limits use of the fingers due to the tendons of the fingers being shortened as they work to stabilize the wrist.  The fingers just can’t move like they are supposed to.

An example of this in action is when we snap our fingers. It’s possible, but it’s much harder to snap your fingers when your wrist is flexed forward. When you extend your wrist back into extension, it’s much easier to make a loud and crisp snapping sound with your fingers.

Wrist stability toys

Did you know you can support proximal stability and distal mobility through wrist extension toys? It’s true! There are toys and games that target wrist stability so the distal fingers and thumb can manipulate objects with coordination and dexterity.

A pediatric Occupational Therapist knows that with function comes FUN.  And these wrist stability toys are powerful occupational therapy toys that build development and support coordination.

So, when your child’s OT is looking for activities to build the skills needed for development, they know how to add in creative activities that promote independence.  Today, I’ve got fun ways to work on fine motor skills with a functional grasp, specifically the extended wrist.


There are many exercises and activities that can be done to build the stability of the wrist so that it maintains a slightly extended position during fine motor activities.  

I’ll be sharing some DIY creative ideas soon (so stay tuned!) but for now, here are 10 Must Have toys to build wrist stability and extended wrist:

These toys and games are perfect for building wrist stability and strengthening the wrist extension muscles needed for a functional grasp with dexterity in activities like handwriting.
 
 

Toys to Promote an Extended Wrist and Functional Grasp During Fine Motor Activities

These wrist extension toys support a stable wrist. For the child that writes with a flexed wrist, or tries to tie their shoes with bent, flexed wrists, you’ll see less dexterity and mobility in the fingers. Using wrist extension activities with toys can make this strengthening task more fun…and functional! 

1. Lite Brite (affiliate link) Position this old school toy on a slightly elevated surface to promote an extended wrist while managing the small pegs within the hand and with a tripod grasp.


2. Table Top Easel– (affiliate link) This one is double sided to allow for chalk, dry erase markers, and has a clip for attaching paper.  Use the easel for writing, drawing, painting, coloring, chalking, and games like Hand Man to make strengthening fun.


3. Avalanche Fruit Stand Game– (affiliate link) This game is a fun way to build fine motor skills with an extended wrist. 

4. Dartboard– (affiliate link) Tossing darts encourages an extended wrist while holding the darts.  This set comes with magnetic darts, which is great for kids.


5. Pop Beads– (affiliate link) The small size of pop beads promotes dexterity of the fingers as well as resistance to push the beads together.  Encouraging the child to do this task with both elbows on a table surface encourages an extended wrist.


6. Stamps– (affiliate link)  Grab a set of small rubber stamps or any stamp that has a small handle.  Tape a piece of paper to the wall or clip it to an easel.  Holding the handle while stamping on a vertical surface promotes a functional wrist position.


7. Twister game– (affiliate link) Any game or activity that is done with the child extending their wrist as the press their upper body weight through the arm is a great strengthening exercise for wrist stability.  


8. Beads– (affiliate link) Threading beads with a string or plastic cord encourages and extended wrist with fine motor dexterity. Beads can be found in various sizes to meet the needs of the child.


9. Wall Sticky Tack– (affiliate link) Sticky tack?  Really!  Use it to hand paper, mazes, tic tack toe boards, connect the dot pages, and coloring sheets right to the wall!  You can hang paper on the windows, like we did to really work on handwriting with a see-through effect. Writing on the wall is a great way to build wrist stability and promote an extended wrist.


10. Etch-A Sketch– (affiliate link) Another classic toy, the Etch-A Sketch is perfect for building an extended wrist.  Prop it up on a slanted position and be sure to place it upside down so the knobs are at the top.

 
These toys and games are perfect for building wrist stability and strengthening the wrist extension muscles needed for a functional grasp with dexterity in activities like handwriting.

 

 



More Fine Motor Skills you will love:

Motor Planning Fine Motor Maze hand strengthening activity
 
wrist extension activities

Wrist Extension Activities

The toys we listed above are fun ways to build and develop wrist extension. You can also try these activities to support wrist stability through extension:

Working on fine motor skills, visual perception, visual motor skills, sensory tolerance, handwriting, or scissor skills? Our Fine Motor Kits cover all of these areas and more.

Check out the seasonal Fine Motor Kits that kids love:

Letters Fine Motor Kit
Kit de motricidad fina de verano
Summer Fine Motor Kit
Outer Space Fine Motor Kit
Space Fine Motor Kit
Spring fine motor kit
Valentines Day fine motor kit
winter fine motor kit
Winter Fine Motor Kit

Or, grab one of our themed Fine Motor Kits to target skills with fun themes:

Want access to all of these kits…and more being added each month? Join The OT Toolbox Member’s Club!

Wrist Extension Exercises Handout

We have put together a nice resource for you…a free handout on wrist extension exercises. These activities are designed to improve wrist stability and strength needed for fine motor dexterity and handwriting.

Enter your email address into the form below. We’ll send you a copy of this handout. The printable is also found in The Membership Club under therapy tools.

FREE GUIDE: Wrist Exercises Handout

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    Let us know how you use this printable list of exercises for wrist mobility and stability!

    Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.