How to train children's hand flexibility? 6 stages of hand-skill games to strengthen finger flexibility

After children go to kindergarten, they start a series of activities. Why are they slow in doing everything? Is it because they don’t know how to do it or for other reasons? Is it because their hand flexibility is not good enough? If you can effectively train their hand flexibility, it is the key.

Stage 1: 0 to 6 months

The development of fine motor skills at this stage includes indicators such as grasping reflex, practicing opening the hands, and establishing correct grasping.

Grip reflex:

For newborn babies, the movements related to their hands are called grasping reflexes. Therapist Zhang Xukai further explained: "Put an object in the child's hand and he will naturally grab it, which is a reflex action." Although reflex actions are automatic, they also train the muscles responsible for grasping in the palm. It is recommended that parents practice grasping with their children, such as putting their own fingers or their toys in the palm of the child's hand and gently pulling the child. Parents will find that the child is trying hard to "tug of war" with them.

Practice opening your hands:

At this stage, babies often make fists, so you can let them practice opening their fists and letting them explore and feel with their hands. Parents can play finger counting games with their children, open their fingers one by one, and high-five with their babies.

To establish a correct grip:

Before the baby is 5 or 6 months old, the child's grasping direction starts from the little finger, then the ring finger, middle finger, index finger, and thumb. At 6 months old, the grasping direction starts from the thumb and ends with the little finger. Therefore, parents can put small objects in a suitable position for the child to practice grasping. However, since the baby starts with the thumb, the thumb will be wrapped by the other four fingers when grasping, and the grasping function will be lost. Therefore, in order to establish the correct grasping action of the child, gently pull out the child's thumb and wrap it on the outside of the fist.

Game Selection

Wave your child's arms to the music:

Babies aged 0 to 6 months do not have the ability to play games actively and need guidance from their parents. The simplest way is to gently pull the child's arms, sing songs or dance with music, and cultivate the stability and strength of the child's arms, that is, the shoulders, elbows, and joints. Therapist Zhang Xukai emphasized that only when the large muscles and joints are stable and strong can they perform fine movements well in the future.

Grab the child's hand and touch the parents' face:

Parents can also hold their children's hands and let them explore, feel, and understand the environment, such as touching their father's face and beard or their mother's hair and clothes. Through the sense of touch, the brain can establish the parts and feelings of the hands, which will help children become familiar with their hands and they will be able to operate better in the future.

In addition, you can also use toys, such as rattles; or some children begin to grow teeth at this stage, and parents can prepare teethers for their children to grasp. Not only do they stimulate the children with colors and sounds, but they can also let the children rotate their arms or shake their wrists, so that the children can slowly understand the function of their hands.