Ten fine motor play ideas using what is already in your kitchen

Hand strength, finger separation and coordination all build through repetition. The good news is that the best practice does not look like practice at all.

Peg races. Clip clothes pegs around the rim of a bowl, then race to take them off. Pinching a peg open uses the same muscles your child needs for a pencil grip.

Tong transfers. Move pom poms, pasta or cotton balls from one container to another with kitchen tongs. Smaller tongs mean harder work.

Dough hiding. Push small beads or coins into a ball of playdough and let your child dig them out. Squeezing and pulling builds strength through the whole hand.

Vertical drawing. Tape paper to the fridge or a window. Drawing upright puts the wrist in a strong position and switches on the shoulder.

Tearing and scrunching. Tearing junk mail into strips and scrunching each strip into a tiny ball is quietly one of the best hand exercises there is.

Keep sessions short and playful. Five focused minutes that your child enjoys will always beat twenty minutes of resistance.