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You are here: Home / Fine Motor Activities / Everyday Activities Building Fine Motor Strength

Everyday Activities Building Fine Motor Strength

March 19, 2017 by Amy Smith

There are endless ways to improve our fine motor strength all around us.   Great fine motor strengthening exercises are often pleasantly “disguised” as fun everyday activities. Many times, we don’t even realize that our everyday actions are building our fine motor strength!

Discover 30 fine motor strengthening activities for kids that are found in everyday actions. Perfect for improving hand strength for kids of all ages. Check it out here!

Since there are so many activities that can build strength in our hands, it seems silly to buy expensive gadgets that do the same thing.   Therefore, I put together a list of 30 great hand strengthening activities are both FUN and virtually FREE depending on what all you have laying around your home.  They are categorized so you can integrate them into a multitude of everyday activities.

Best Bets for Hand Strengthening

1.Animal Walks (i.e. crab walk, bear walk)

2.Climbing up a “rock wall” (such as those on playgrounds and indoor climbing walls)

3.Tug of War (you can use an old towel, blanket, or jump rope as the rope)

4.Yoga poses (especially weight bearing poses like downward facing dog)

5.Crawling Races (any age can do this)

Everyday Activities Building FIne Motor Skills

Crafty Strengthening Activities

6.Lace string in lacing cards

7. Stringing beads to make bracelets or necklaces

8. Pushing golf tees into styrofoam to make patterns

9. Clothespin games like this game 

10.Tearing tissue paper into pieces to make a collage

11. Using a hole puncher to make confetti

Everyday Activities Building Fine Motor Skills

Strengthening in the Kitchen

12.Peeingl bananas, eggs, and oranges

13.Picking grapes off the stems

14.Stirring/ mixing cookie dough

15. Spreading peanut butter onto bread

16. Squeezing honey out of a bottle

17. Husking corn on the cob stalks

18.Opening food containers such as string cheeses, yogurt cups, jar with lids, and bagged snacks

19.Kneading bread dough

Everyday Activities Building Fine Motor Strength

Outdoor Strengthening Activities

20. Squeezing water out of a water bottle on the sidewalk to make designs

21. Ringing out sponges to fill a bucket with water

22. Use sidewalk chalk outside to draw

23. Using a spray bottle to water plants or play water games

24.Using small shovels to plant flowers and plants
spray-bottle

Fun Strengthening Activities

25.Using scissors to cut Playdoh

26.Popping bubble wrap

27. Use kids’ tweezers or clothespins to pick up and sort cotton balls, beads, or pieces of felt

28. Shuffling Cards

29. Using an eye dropper to fill cups of water like in this game 

30. Braiding hair or string

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What other everyday activities do you use to build your fine motor strength? Leave a comment below to tell us how you build your hand muscles.

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Filed Under: Fine Motor Activities Tagged With: fine motor activities, hand strengthening

Disclaimer

Kids Play Smarter is a blog about general ideas, theories, and concepts related to the field of occupational therapy and the growth and development of all children. The information presented on this blog is not intended to serve as or replace occupational therapy services for your child. The information on this blog is for entertainment, informational, and educational purposes only. This blog is not meant to replace formal professional consultation or evaluation from a qualified clinician. All children need to have the approval of a physician to participate in physical activities, including those described on this blog. In addition, children need to be supervised by a responsible adult at ALL times when completing activities that are illustrated and described on this blog. The author of this blog is NOT responsible or liable for any damage, injury, accident, illness, death, or adverse reaction due to participation in the activities described on the website.

Comments

  1. Patty says

    May 18, 2017 at 7:06 pm

    Do you have this list so it can be downloaded with out all the pictures in between. It would be nice to have it hanging in my room, where I can easily incorporate it into my day. Thanks a bunch.

    • Amy SmithAmy Smith says

      May 22, 2017 at 3:19 pm

      I am working on it Patty! Thanks for the idea!

Welcome to Kids Play Smarter

Amy Smith I am an occupational therapist with over 10 years of experience working with children. I created this website to offer parents, teachers, and therapists FREE ideas, strategies, and activities that they can do with their children to improve their fine and gross motor skills, handwriting, academic learning, and regulate their sensory system all while "playing" (just playing smarter)! Read More…

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