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

2020.03.23 - Finger<->Palm Translation.mp4

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.