Help your child with their pincer grip
One of the most critical fine motor skills developmental milestones is the pincer grasp, where an infant learns to pick up and hold tiny objects with the index finger and thumb.
Why is the pincer grip so important?
This is such an important skill because it means kids can more easily interact with all kinds of everyday items, from food to toys. It is a building block for many more skills to follow, as well as overall independence and self-sufficiency.
*This article is based on our own experience with special needs children and their occupational therapists, doctors, physical therapists, and early Intervention professionals, as well as extensive independent research on the subject. However, it has not been reviewed by a doctor and is not to be considered medical advice or a substitute for consulting with a physician or child development specialist.*
These occupational therapy tools are useful products for developing the pincer grip and other fine motor skills. These therapeutic gloves will help your child work on various aspects of their fine motor skills, including the pincer grasp.
Best toys for practicing the pincer grip
Ellie Grip
This therapy glove helps kids learn (among other things) to hold their pencil in the appropriate position by keeping the thumb and forefinger free while automatically curling the other three digits into the right placement. By maintaining a proper grip, it helps reduce a child’s hand fatigue when mastering holding a pencil, reducing frustration and helping them learn faster! It is recommended for pre-kindergarten and early elementary age students, and there is a blue glove for the left hand and red for the right.
Handy Herbert Handwriting Glove
Similar to the Ellie Grip, the Handy Herbert Handwriting Glove is another take on a glove to develop the pincer grasp.
Munch Mitt
One quick DIY method to encourage fine motor skills when picking up small objects that require no customization at all is simply to repurpose an existing product known as the Munch Mitt. The Munch Mitt was originally designed and is marketed as a teether for young children, although it can be repurposed by flipping it upside down so only the thumb and forefinger are free. This forces the pinch motion to pick up objects instead of using the whole palm. The best part about repurposing the Munch Mitt as a pincer grip practice glove is that there is already a Velcro strap to keep it securely fastened to the wrist (many parents have found that kids quickly learn to remove socks with holes cut in them, or other DIY methods made out of standard gloves).
MagnaGrip gloves
Older children, or kids that already developed the coordination to use the pincer grip (but may need some extra help on the fine motor strength side of things) may benefit from MagnaGrip gloves. These specialized occupational therapy gloves have magnetic fingertips, as well as a magnet attached to the palm. The slight resistance provided by the magnets is enough to help develop the fine muscles of the hand without being so challenging as to frustrate the child.
Other weighted handwriting gloves and handwriting development tools may also be useful for slightly older kids:
How to make your own pincer grip glove
You don’t necessarily have to shell out a lot of money to buy a therapeutic glove to help your child develop their pincer grasp. There’s a good chance that you already have all of the materials that you need to make one in your house. Read on to find out more:
An Easy and Inexpensive Method To Help Develop Your Child’s Pincer Grasp
One method that many parents of special needs kids have historically turned to is to find a tiny sock that fits around your child’s first and cut two holes for the forefinger and thumb. This is a great DIY method, but it’s imperfect. The holes often stretch, tear, or fray enough that more fingers start to poke through, allowing your child to “cheat” on their pincer exercises. And the sock is usually only too easy to pull off.
Some craftier parents have taken infant-sized gloves, cut off the thumb and forefinger only, sewn together with the remaining three fingers, and velcro-d those fingers to the palm. This is certainly an improvement and a clever solution to the problems with the DIY sock pincer gloves. For those of us who don’t have the time (or arts & craft skills) to make this work, here is another method to make your own pincer grip glove that we’ve found useful.
Have you made a DIY glove to help develop your kid’s pincer grip? Let us know your ideas!
Toys for developing pincer grasp
Now that you have the gloves, here are some toys that can be used alongside them for helping to develop the pincer grip:
- Activity boards, especially those that have numerous buttons to prod, switches to flip up and down, or dials to manipulate.
- Nesting cups are a great and motivating way to get kids to grip one part of a larger set of toys.
- Blocks or balls that can be picked up or clapped together. Try incorporating a variety of sizes and textures for optimal practice.
- Everyday household items including kitchen gear can sometimes be the best tools for developing the basis for future “life skills”. Try measuring spoons and cups, wooden spoons or spatulas, and small pots and pans with graspable handles.
Activities for developing pincer grasp
Put some Cheerios, small marshmallows, or another motivating small food for your child inside an ice tray. Hold or fasten the ice tray down so that they cannot flip it over, and encourage them to pick the items up with their thumb and forefinger. We like using a silicone ice tray like this one, so that there is a little give (plus silicone is naturally food-safe, BPA and phthalates-free)
In typically developing kids, it is typically expected that infants around 12 months old will be able to pick up and hold small objects using a pincer grasp. However, every child is different and a delay in developing the pincer grip is not necessarily a cause for alarm. However, for some kids additional trouble developing the pincer grip is a marker for developmental delays. In some situations, significant delay in fine motor skills is associated with autism.
What kids can reap occupational therapy benefits of pincer gloves?
Any child who is having trouble with fine motor skills, regardless of their developmental status in other areas, can probably benefit from using the tools mentioned in this article. But, consult your doctor, OT, or PT if you have any questions, concerns, or doubts.
More from Smart-Toys you might enjoy:
Awesome alternatives to LEGO
Best fort building kits
Stop motion animation toys for creative kids
Cool kids stilts
=========
We may receive a commission from certain affiliate links, which allows you to support our site’s mission at no additional cost to you. You can read our full disclosure here. We strive to bring you the best!
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice or a substitute for advice from a medical professional. This article is based on our own experience with children with special needs. However, it has not been reviewed by a doctor and is not to be considered medical advice or a substitute for consulting with a physician. Smart-Toys.info is not affiliated with Early Intervention or any other organizations mentioned. Please make sure to confirm the manufacturer recommended age, instructions, and other warnings.
