Practicing activities in the following chategories will facilitate hand development and help your child develop the in-hand manipulation skills (precise, skilled finger movements made during fine-motor tasks), which are necessary to grasp and manipulate writing instruments for handwriting.

Art—Transforms many activities into powerful exercises for developing fine-motor skills.

• Painting with paint brushes

• Drawing with stencils or a ruler

• Coloring

• Cutting with a scissors

• Switching working surfaces from a horizontal to a vertical plane (e.g. paper on a wall)

Play—Many games and toys can provide opportunities to increase hand muscle development.

• Playing pick-up sticks, sewing cards and lacing

• Turning/flipping playing cards over

• Screw/unscrew nuts and bolts

• Button/unbutton, snap/unsnap, zip/unzip

• Stacking dominoes, blocks and coins

• Legos

• Puzzles

• Creative games/tasks using clothespins

Work—A child can also develop hand strength while assisting with tasks in the home.

• Wringing out sponges/washcloths for cleaning surfaces

• Opening containers with lids