HandTutor improves fine motor co-ordination in children

Fine Motor Coordination

Fine motor coordination requires the use of the small muscles for finger dexterity to manipulate objects. Various functional and play activities will ensure the development of mature grasp patterns. Children with developmental delay have an impairment in the development of fine motor skills and will have difficulty picking up and manipulating small objects, button/zip clothes, color, build with Legos, dress doll babies and eat appropriately with fingers and utensils as well as difficulty in performing everyday daily tasks and activities.

Because fine motor coordination is developed through strengthening and using our hands, it is important to provide a variety of activities to develop well balanced muscles and coordination. In addition it is advisable to limit the use of hand held video games, watching TV, and computer activities.

Some ideas: Children need to dance, run and play outside, act out a story with dolls or action figures etc. Additionally, they need to color and draw . The below examples are fun ways to develop strength and coordination.

Strengthening:

* Dig in sand or dirt
* Play dough
* Stretch rubber bands around a cup or can
* Pop bubble wrap
* Squeeze a hole puncher
* Pick up cotton balls, small blocks, puzzle pieces with clips
* Squeeze clothes pins.
* Water play squirt toys, fill up and pour water out of various size bottles

Coordination

* Play with finger puppets
* Pick up objects with tweezers
* Puzzles
* String beads, noodles or cereal on pipe cleaners or string
* Play games such as memory, Hi HO Cherry Oh, Candy Land
* Wind up toys or spin tops
* Use tongs to stack block or pick up objects
* Flip coins over so all are “heads up” and place coins in a bank or container
* Find objects (buttons, shapes, letters) in a bowl of dry beans or rice
* While at restaurants keep busy by coloring, have small squeeze flashlight to shine on objects on the table, spinners or wind up toys.

he HandTutor system has been shown to improve fine motor movement ability in patients with DCD.