Our pincer grasp, a long with many other milestones, is an important fine motor milestone to develop. Pincer grasp, or the ability to pick up and hold between the thumb and first finger, is a precursor to tasks like feeding ourselves, interacting with toys, and even holding a pencil for writing!
Pincer grasp naturally develops around 7-12 months of age. At this time a child begins to interact more with their environment to include toys, food, and this will begin to refine with more and more practice.
Ways to help promote pincer grasp or strengthen pincer grasp:
-Here are some ideas for play to encourage pincer grasp (note increasing level of skill as we go down the list, your child may not be ready for each activity listed)
Transferring objects from one hand to another
Finger feeding peas, cheerios, and other small items (as developmentally appropriate)
Building with blocks
Imitating lines with large crayons, markers, or chalk
Tweezing with tongs, clothespins, eyedroppers, etc.
Threading large beads (tip: if a string allows for too much room for error, help master this by using a pipe cleaner and a bead so they are stringing onto something with greater resistance).
Playing with play dough, kinetic sand, modeling clay (you can also make edible play-doh for younger children if your child is still exploring via putting their favorite toys in their mouth).
Q-tip painting
Items required (washable paint, paper, Q-tips)
You can begin by modeling how to dab the paper after dipping into the paint to create your own unique image. The other day we made a "snow" painting to add to our abstract works of art collection ;).
Have fun! I ended up painting my daughter's hands at one point because she was enjoying the feel of the paint so much :)
**If you don't have q-tips, or if they are difficult for your child to hold onto independently, cotton balls are a great substitute, or you can band together multiple Q-tips for easier grasp.
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