Recently, I shared how intrinsic muscle strength benefits handwriting and specifically a functional grasp on the pencil. Today, I’ve got a super easy way to work on endurance with the lumbrical muscles that are used in maintaining a nice pencil grasp. This will enable a child to write at appropriate speeds and lengths of time without fatiguing and allow a child to color in a picture without stopping becasue their hands are tired. The bonus to today’s activity is that the strengthening tool is very easy to re-create and (almost) completely free.
This would be an awesome compliment to our recent 31 Days of Occupational Therapy activities using Free or Almost Free Materials!
Intrinsic Muscles of the Hands Lumbricals Strengthening Exercise
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For this activity, we used a recycled egg carton, a wooden skewer, and cut pieces of straws.
Use the top of the egg carton and poke holes using the wooden skewer. Wiggle the skewer until the holes are larger. Cut the straws into one inch sized pieces, and you are ready to go!
Show your kiddo how to poke the straw pieces into the holes. We used both sides of the egg carton, but using the inside of the egg carton sections especially works on the lumbrical muscles in the hand. Holding the small straw sections requires a tripod grasp and when the child is required to push the straw through the hole in the section of the egg carton, they are positioning their hand in an Intrinsic Plus Position.
Ask your child to hold several straw pieces in their hand at once to address in-hand manipulation. This skill is needed to manipulate the pencil and rotate the pencil during handwriting tasks.
We cut off the lid of our egg carton for this activity. It was a good way to work on bilateral hand coordination which is necessary for holding the paper and pencil with two different hands during a hand writing task.
Once the straws are partially in the holes of the egg carton, your child can press them the rest of the way through the hole, utilizing finger isolation. Then, turn the egg carton over and use a tripod grasp to pull the straws the rest of the way through the holes.
Ask your child to hold several straw pieces in their hand at once to address in-hand manipulation. This skill is needed to manipulate the pencil and rotate the pencil during handwriting tasks.
We cut off the lid of our egg carton for this activity. It was a good way to work on bilateral hand coordination which is necessary for holding the paper and pencil with two different hands during a hand writing task.
Once the straws are partially in the holes of the egg carton, your child can press them the rest of the way through the hole, utilizing finger isolation. Then, turn the egg carton over and use a tripod grasp to pull the straws the rest of the way through the holes.
Read about how and why this is great for handwriting here.
Looking for more ways to recycle an egg carton? Try these:
Egg Carton Mache Molds by Teach me Mommy
Intrinsic Hand Strengthening Activity by Sugar Aunts
Flowers by The Gingerbread House
Daffodils by Nemscok Farms
Space Station by Peakle Pie
Egg Carton Mosaic Art by Our Whimsical Days
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MORE handwriting exercises you will love:
Magnetic Spoons and Handwriting Game
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