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Summer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist

By July 10, 2012July 16th, 2012No Comments

If summer vacation means that your child has the summer off from Occupational Therapy (or if you just think he/she could use a little work-out for those growing muscles), here are some of my favorite ways to improve grasp and hand strength. Improved hand strength can translate to improved handwriting, better endurance while writing and cutting, and better fine motor and self-care skills. These are fun ways to improve skills (without it feeling like work ).

Playdoh, Clay, or Silly Putty
A good clay is Crayola Model Magic. Squeezing with the whole hand to soften the dough increases overall hand strength. Be sure to switch back and forth between hands. Hide treasures that the child has to find.
Roll the dough on a table to make snakes, using one hand and then the other, and then both together.
Practice pinching off pieces of the snake, using thumb and index finger. Roll dough into a ball, then squish it flat like a pizza between fingers and thumb. Poke holes in the dough using index finger.
Wrap a rubber band or silly putty around the student's flexed fingers. As he straightens them, have him spread them apart against the resistance.

Tennis Ball Monkey
Parents can use a knife to cut a 2-inch slit in a tennis ball for the mouth and draw eyes with permanent marker. Then, have the child use one hand to squeeze and hold the mouth open, and the other hand to feed monkey pennies, beads, small buttons, etc.

Movement Ideas
Doing gross motor play while weight-bearing the hands is great for strengthening the shoulder, wrists and hands. Some suggestions are: wheelbarrow walking, tug-o-war (with a towel or blanket), crawling through a tunnel, sustaining a grasp while hanging from monkey bars, climbing ladders/playground structures, and rock climbing walls. Even biking and scooters can help with hand strength.

Water Play
Squirt guns are great for strengthening fingers.
Plastic turkey basters are good for strengthening the whole hand.
Squeeze sponges or squeeze out a wet washcloth.

Games
Don’t Break the Ice
Lite Bright
Whack-a-Mole

Paper Play
Tear paper into little pieces (as part of a craft project) and/or wad paper into balls.
Cut thick paper (e.g. cardboard, index cards, several sheets of construction paper).
Coloring in a confined space (the smaller the space, the harder it is and the more strengthening it is).
Color with small pieces of crayon (broken crayons are great for this). Put the paper on a vertical or inclined surface (tape to a wall, use an easel, or attach to a large 3-ring binder to make a slant desk ). Together, the incline and the small crayons will encourage a child to use a finger grasp and hand muscles, instead of relying on using the whole arm to color.

Lynn-Marie Herlihy is an Occupational Therapist in private practice in Park Slope, Brooklyn. She has over 12 years experience treating children from birth to school-age, with a variety of sensory and motor deficits, developmental delays, and learning issues. You can also visit her website at http://www.ParkSlopeOT.com/.

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Summer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn Letters
Summer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn Letters

Craig Selinger

Owner at Brooklyn Letters
Craig Selinger is the dedicated owner of Brooklyn Letters, a reputable private practice renowned for its exceptional services. Together with his team of skilled professionals, they extend their expertise across a wide range of locations, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut. With a New York State license as a speech-language therapist (pathologist) and a learning specialist, Craig boasts an impressive track record spanning over two decades, during which he and his team have helped more than a thousand families, establishing Brooklyn Letters as a respected practice in the field. Craig's proficiency encompasses a diverse array of domains, including addressing early childhood speech-language delays, skillfully managing expressive and receptive language disorders, and adeptly tackling language learning obstacles such as reading, writing, executive functioning, social and pragmatic communication. He also demonstrates mastery in speech production concerns, i.e., articulation and enunciation. What sets Craig and his team apart is their dedication to providing comprehensive care. They actively collaborate with the finest professionals in the NYC metro area, including neuropsychologists, mental health therapists, and allied health professionals. This network of expertise ensures a holistic approach to each client's unique needs.
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The following two tabs change content below.
Summer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn Letters
Summer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn LettersSummer Occupational Therapy: Fun Ways to Increase Hand Strength, by Lynn-Marie Herlihy, M.S., OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Brooklyn Letters

Craig Selinger

Owner at Brooklyn Letters
Craig Selinger is the dedicated owner of Brooklyn Letters, a reputable private practice renowned for its exceptional services. Together with his team of skilled professionals, they extend their expertise across a wide range of locations, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut. With a New York State license as a speech-language therapist (pathologist) and a learning specialist, Craig boasts an impressive track record spanning over two decades, during which he and his team have helped more than a thousand families, establishing Brooklyn Letters as a respected practice in the field. Craig's proficiency encompasses a diverse array of domains, including addressing early childhood speech-language delays, skillfully managing expressive and receptive language disorders, and adeptly tackling language learning obstacles such as reading, writing, executive functioning, social and pragmatic communication. He also demonstrates mastery in speech production concerns, i.e., articulation and enunciation. What sets Craig and his team apart is their dedication to providing comprehensive care. They actively collaborate with the finest professionals in the NYC metro area, including neuropsychologists, mental health therapists, and allied health professionals. This network of expertise ensures a holistic approach to each client's unique needs.
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