Dexterity
Dexterity is part of hand skills.
Various hand skills include reach, grasp, carry, voluntary release, in-hand manipulation, and bilateral hand use. We'll focus on in-hand manipulation skills here.
Types of in-hand manipulation skills
TRANSLATION (Finger-to-palm, Palm-to-finger)
SHIFT
ROTATION (Simple & Complex)
ACTIVITIES
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Finger <-->Palm Translation
Helping your child work on in-hand manipulation tasks, like finger<-->palm translation will build hand dexterity which can improve mobility when writing, coloring, or drawing!
TRANSLATION
Have your child hold several coins in one hand. Practice putting one coin at a time in a piggy bank or other slotted container
Get coins out a purse or other bag
Crumple up paper using one hand
Give your child a snack of small food like Fruit Loops or raisins. Put the food in the child's palm and have them one Fruit Loop at a time, moving the Fruit Loop from the palm, to the fingertips, to the mouth.
SHIFT
Turn pages in a book
Practice holding a deck of cards and sorting each card by color, number, or whatever picture is on it.
Practice holding a crayon, pencil, pen, marker, etc and try moving your fingers up and down the shaft using only one hand.
Stringing beads
Adjusting a spoon, fork, or knife for appropriate use
Rubbing paint, dirt, or tape off the pad of a finger
Picking up or sorting play or real money (bills)
ROTATION
Removing or putting on a small lids or caps (ie: opening water bottles or juice containers)
Putting on or removing bolts from nuts
Practice rotating pencils, from the lead side to the eraser side
Try stacking dice with the same number showing on each side of the tower. The child will have to rotate the die in the hand before he/she stacks the dice.
Do puzzles – rotating the pieces to fit into the proper place in the puzzle
Cotton Swab Painting- Using two paint colors, have child paint with cotton swab flipping from one end to the other.