Screw Tower Twist

Play time:
10 to 15 minutes
Setup:
5 minutes
Where:
Table
Screw Tower Twist

Why it helps

This activity strengthens the small hand muscles needed for future writing and self-feeding. Twisting nuts onto bolts helps develop the forearm rotation (pronation and supination) crucial for using tools and turning door knobs.

Steps

  • Before play, poke four to six holes in a piece of cardboard with a pencil, a little smaller than the bolts. Draw a circle around each hole on one side with a marker.
  • Put the nuts and bolts in the container next to the cardboard.
  • Ask your child to hold the cardboard upright on the table with the helper hand, circles facing away, and twist a bolt into each hole until the threads poke through.
  • Lay the cardboard flat, circles up, so the bolt heads are underneath and the threads stand up like towers.
  • Your child twists a nut onto each tower with the thumb and fingers, turning it down until it sits snug on the cardboard.
  • Keep building. If the bolts are long enough, add a second and third nut to make each tower taller.
  • When the towers are done, twist the nuts back off and push the bolts out to play again.

Safety tip: Nuts and bolts are small enough to choke on, so stay close and count them before and after play. Keep them away from younger siblings, and do the hole poking yourself.

These activities are for home practice and don't replace the guidance of a licensed therapist.