Ways to Help Preschoolers Build Hand Muscles

Jude will be in kindergarten next year.  (Yikes!)  His pencil grip needs some work and to help him develop the muscles in his hand to make writing easier, I've researched some ways to help him do so...

1. Find beads in playdough or silly putty.  I "hide" a certain number of beads in playdough and let him search for them.  He especially likes it if I put in a special gold bead for him to find.

2. Carry tote bags.  We like filling our reusable grocery bags with cardboard blocks or large balls and carrying them around.

3. Use a spray bottle.  My kids love playing with spray bottles.  From helping clean the bathrooms to "watering" the flowers outside, a $1 spray bottle is a great investment!

4.  Use scissors.  Jude likes to cut playdough "snakes" and junk mail.

5.  Play with sponges.  We fill our outdoor water table with soapy water and sponges (also a Dollar Tree investment) and have fun squeezing bubbly water out of the sponges.

6.  Use clothespins.  Jude likes to clip a bunch of clothespins on pipe cleaners.  But they could pretty much be stuck on anything!  (Yes, he's a leftie....Aunt Margaret needs to come in town when it's time to learn to tie shoes!)

7.  Open jars.  I have several old spice jars that I have washed out that the kids like to play with.  The lids on them are the perfect size for small hands.    

And that's about as homeschool-saavy as I get.  Hoping this helps him and we are soon writing our name like a pro!

Happy Friday!

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