Hand Strength - OTPlan

Tissue Paper Rope Art

Steps:

Use both hands to tear the tissue paper into long strips (about 1 inch wide). Place the finished strips in the plastic container.
Take one strip. Hold one end steady with your helper hand. Use your dominant hand to twist the paper tightly. Turn it into a stiff, resistant rope.
Use a marker to draw a simple shape or a winding path onto the construction paper base.
Squeeze the glue bottle to trace a thick line of glue over the marker path.
Carefully press the twisted paper rope onto the wet glue line. Continue twisting and gluing until the entire path is filled with the colorful rope.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Small pieces of tissue paper, if crumbled tightly, can be a choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths. Ensure materials are used only as intended.

Paper Nugget Transfer Challenge

Steps:

Tear the construction paper into small strips using both hands together.
Use only your fingertips to crumple each strip tightly into a dense, hard paper ‘nugget.’ Squeeze hard for maximum strength input!
Place the finished nuggets on the table. Set the paper cup nearby as your target.
Hold the paper cup steady with your helper hand to keep it stable.
Pick up the tongs. Squeeze them open with a strong finger pinch to grab one paper nugget.
Carefully transfer the nugget and drop it precisely into the waiting paper cup target. Repeat until all nuggets are sorted.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. The small, crumpled paper pieces pose a potential choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths. Ensure materials are collected immediately after play.

Twist Cap Treasure Drop

Steps:

Place the buttons in a plastic container next to the empty bottles.
Challenge your child to hold one bottle tightly with their helper hand to stabilize it on the table.
Use the working hand to twist the cap off the bottle completely. Encourage smooth forearm rotation (twisting).
Pick up one button using only the thumb and pointer finger (pincer grasp).
Carefully drop the button into the narrow opening of the bottle. This requires strong aim and distal finger control.
Once the button is inside, pick up the cap and twist it firmly back onto the bottle using the opposite rotation. Make sure it is tight!
Repeat this entire sequence of twist-off, drop-in, and twist-on until all the buttons are delivered into the bottle.

Safety Tip:
Buttons are small, hard objects. Constant and direct adult supervision is required throughout this activity, as they pose a choking hazard for children under five.

Slot & Stitch Sculpture

Steps:

Prepare the structure ‘parts’ by cutting several index cards into different shapes (squares, rectangles, triangles). Then, cut small, narrow slots (about 1/4 inch deep) into the edges of each card. (Adult help required for cutting slots.)
Challenge your child to connect the slotted cards by sliding them into each other to create a 3D structure, like a tall building, a bridge, or a fun abstract sculpture.
Using the hole puncher, encourage your child to punch several holes around the edges of the assembled structure. Remind them to hold the structure steady with one hand while squeezing the puncher with the other to strengthen their grasp.
Give your child long pieces of yarn. Demonstrate how to weave the yarn through the punched holes to ‘stitch’ the structure together, reinforcing the corners and decorating their sculpture with color.

Safety Tip:
Always supervise the use of child-safe scissors. Yarn and small pieces of index card can pose a choking hazard for children who still mouth objects; ensure all pieces are kept away from the mouth.