Skill: Thumb Opposition

Touching the thumb to the tips of the other fingers. This movement creates a rounded hand shape necessary for grasping a ball, holding a pencil, or managing zippers.

Color Drop Towers

Color Drop Towers

Steps:

  • Prepare the ‘towers’: Press a large lump of playdough firmly into the bottom of a Paper Cup or container. Flip the cup upside down so the playdough forms a stable base on the outside top.
  • Insert 6-8 Golf Ball Tees into the playdough base, blunt end first, so the narrow, hollow end points straight up (these are the ‘towers’ that need filling).
  • Create the colors: Fill several small bowls or Paper Cups with water and add a few drops of different Food Coloring to each one.
  • Show your child how to hold the eyedropper using their thumb and pointer finger (pincer grip) to suck up the colored water, reminding them to squeeze slowly for control.
  • Challenge your child to aim the dropper directly over one of the empty tee towers and release one drop of liquid at a time, slowly filling the narrow space. Try mixing colors by dropping red, then blue, into the same tower to watch them blend!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise closely. Ensure the child understands that the golf tees and playdough are not for eating or placing near the face.

Carousel Clip Spin

Carousel Clip Spin

Steps:

  • Use markers to decorate the paper plate or cardboard circle (your carousel base).
  • Take 6 to 8 craft sticks. Use the clothespins to clip these sticks firmly around the edge of the plate. Make sure the sticks point straight out like spokes.
  • Place the plate on a stable surface. Use your helper hand to hold the plate steady.
  • Challenge your child to use their thumb and pointer finger to pinch and flick one of the craft sticks. The goal is to make the entire carousel spin slowly.
  • Try flicking different sticks to change the direction or speed of the spin. Focus on keeping the stabilizing hand still for a challenge.

Safety Tip:
Ensure the child maintains good posture. Encourage them to sit with their feet flat on the floor to promote core stability while working on this fine motor task.

Thumb Flick Target Game

Thumb Flick Target Game

Steps:

  • Use markers to draw a simple target or bullseye onto several index cards. You can assign point values for older children.
  • Secure the index cards flat onto a table using masking tape around all four edges. This prevents the card from moving.
  • Place a small pile of colorful buttons from the container near a designated start line on the card.
  • Show your child how to use the pad of their thumb to gently flick the button forward. The thumb should use the pointer finger as a stabilizer (thumb opposition).
  • Challenge your child to flick each button until it lands completely inside a target zone. If the button flies off the table, try using less force.

Safety Tip:
Buttons are small items that pose a choking hazard. Maintain constant, close adult supervision throughout this activity. Ensure all buttons are collected immediately after play.

Thumb Opposition with Finger Paint

Paint

For this activity, you will work on thumb opposition and provide sensory input by using finger paint.

You should use 5 different colors of finger paint.

Pour the different finger paint colors into the paper plate.

Ask the child to dip each finger in each one of the colors. Provide help as needed.

Draw a pattern on the construction paper. For example draw a pattern like a blue dot, a green dot, a red dot, a blue dot, a green dot, a red dot, etc.

Ask the child to follow your pattern using the paint on his/her fingers.

You can also have the child mix the colors and create new colors by touching his/her thumb with any other finger (i.e. thumb to the pointer, thumb to the middle finger, and so on) to work on and promote thumb opposition.

PickUp Straws Game

Straws game

Hold all the straws or pipe-cleaners together in your palm or have the child hold them this way and let go of all of them at once.

Once they are spread, ask the child to pick up one straw at a time, without moving the other straws.

Take turns picking up the straws.

If you or the child moves other straws when picking up a straw, the game is over. The winner is the one who has the most straws.

Another version of the game could be to ask the child to pick up a certain color of straws:

Start by holding all the straws together and let all of them go at once. Once they are spread, ask the child to first pick up all the blue straws, then all the green straws, and so on (for this version of the game, it’s OK if the other straws are moving).

For young children or those with poor grasp, use wider straws.