21 Ways to Help Your Toddler Increase Hand Strength

Toddlers develop fine motor skills in a progressive method and providing activities to increase hand strength helps them develop these skills.  The best way to increase these skills is through play.  Below are some activities that can be fun for your toddler, yet helps build fine motor skills.

1.  Large wooden puzzles

2.  Building and stacking blocks and Lego blocks

3.  Opening and closing clothes pins.  Give them a challenge to line them up on a piece of paper or around a thin plastic container.

4. Fill and Dump (sand box, water in the sink, or beans/rice in a container)

5. Mixing- provide opportunities to help bake or make play dough

6. Popping bubble wrap – must be supervised

7. Cutting with scissors – recommended age to start practicing is 3

8. Use an eye dropper with water

9. Pushing coins (or baby food jar lids) in a container with a slit

10.  Use a hole puncher

11.  Silly putty and play dough

12.  Paint with a Q-tip

13.  Drawing or painting on a vertical surface such as an easel or paper taped to the wall helps improve strength in arms, hands, and fingers.

14.  Putting stickers on paper taped to the wall

15. Use glass markers on a window to draw such as Crayola Washable Window Markers

16.  Use spray bottles of water to water plants or to play outside

17.  Use tongs to pick up small objects like cotton balls, small blocks, and marshmallows

18. Squeeze water out of sponges or bath toys

19.  Sidewalk chalk

20.  Color the walls in the tub with Crayola Bathtub Crayons

21.  Sing action songs with finger movements such as “Itsy-Bitsy Spider,” “Patty Cake,” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”  KIDiddles has lots of great songs for children.

Please let me know if you have anymore to add to the list!

photo credit: Paul Bridgewater

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