By: Brycen Raybon, MOTR/L

Sensory gyms and occupational therapy sessions provide so much room to move around, be creative, and they provide a variety of supplies and equipment which may not be feasible for the home. Yet, just because your home may not be outfitted with a zipline and trampoline, it does not mean that some household items can’t be used to implement similar activities or enhance certain skills. Many common household items can be included to create unique activities which can benefit the child and allow them to continue to grow toward their goals, specifically goals for fine motor deficits.

Fine motor movements are classified as the control and coordination of the hands, tongue, and eyes. Fine motor coordination and skill refinement are imperative in everyday life. Activities such as reading, writing, and tying shoes are a few examples of tasks involving fine motor skills that are important activities we use daily. Occupational therapy sessions work on these skills in fun and engaging ways for the child, but activities in the home can replicate and expand on these skills for continued practice outside of OT sessions. Below is a list of common household items and activities that can be used to improve both fine motor strength and coordination.

  • Coins are a great item to incorporate fine motor skills, but in a functional and “real-world” way. Maneuvering between coins and separating them by type, color, and size, works to improve finger dexterity by manipulating the coins. Coins can also be utilized in a piggy bank or homemade slotted jar to further work on not only finger dexterity, but visual motor skills and motor planning to insert the coin into the slot.
  • Peeling fruit, like oranges or Clementines, is another functional task for fine motor skills. This skill emphasizes the importance of grading pressure; needing force to peel the fruit but not squish the fruit or squirt juice everywhere. Peeling fruit also works on skills such as finger and thumb isolation so that the fingers are moving independently while still working together to achieve the goal.
  • While broken crayons and pencils may seem like a nuisance, the shortened writing utensil promotes a more functional grasp. Due to having less of a pencil or crayon to grasp on to, it essentially forces the child to use an appropriate grasp, such as a dynamic tripod or quadruped grasp. A dynamic tripod grasp is when the thumb, index, and middle finger encircle the writing utensil, while still leaving an open web space. A dynamic quadruped grasp is when, along with the thumb, index, and middle finger, the ring or 4th finger is also used to support the writing utensil. In both of these grasps, the fingers are “dynamic” and the movement stems from the wrist and fingers. It is an isolated movement, without the use of the entire arm.
  • A colander and noodles or pipe cleaners make for a silly fine motor and visual motor task! Placing uncooked noodles or pipe cleaners into the holes of the colander allows children to work on eye-hand coordination and motor planning to place the noodle in properly. The activity can be made more difficult by choosing a hole to place the noodle or pipe cleaner in, instead of selecting a hole at random. Uncooked noodles and pipe cleaners can also be used to string beads or Cheerios for another fun fine motor task!
  • Q-Tips are another common household item which can be used to facilitate an appropriate pincer or tip-to-tip grasp. Pincer grasp is the position in which the thumb and index finger touch just at the tip, creating an “O” in the web space between the two fingers. Two different ways to use these items include dipping in paint for a craft approach or using in conjunction with an empty spices or Tic Tac container to drop the Q-Tips in the small openings.
  • Finally, tweezers or clothespins are wonderful for improving fine motor strength. These supplies can be used to pick up small game pieces, toys, crayons, etc.

We understand that you may not have these items available and are happy to provide alternative suggestions to meet your family’s needs. Our goal is to make it easier and more fun to target your child’s occupational therapy fine motor goals. For other occupational therapist- recommend at-home tips, see “Heavy Work” Around The Home.