The Pincer Grasp
The pincer grasp is one of the last developmental grasping patterns to emerge in the first year of your child’s life.
The pincer grasp is the ability to hold an object between the thumb and index finger and typically develops around 9 to 12 months. REMEMBER: All kids develop at their own pace and may show readiness for this skill before or after this time frame. This fine motor skill is important as it allows infants to pick up small items, which promotes independence with tasks such as feeding and object manipulation. Mastering the pincer grasps lays the groundwork for more complex skills later on, such as writing and manipulating fasteners (buttons, snaps, zippers, laces etc). These skills all require controlled and precise finger movements.
Here are a few activities we love to do to help develop the pincer grasp:
Place finger foods in a muffin tin.
The shape of the muffin tin will prevent a child from using a more primitive raking motion to get the food. It will encourage a child to isolate their fingers to pinch rather than using them all together to rake.
Placing pom poms or other small items in Mr. Muncher.
Feeding Mr. Muncher is a fun way to practice a pincer grasp. We often use pom poms because they are soft and squishy and easy for little fingers to hold on to. You can try small beads, buttons, coins or anything else you can think of that will fit inside! Having the adult squeeze Mr. Muncher to open his mouth and letting the child place the items in is a great place to start. You can advance to having the child pull items out of the tennis ball or add even more of a challenge by encourage the child to squeeze Mr. Muncher themselves (this address bimanual coordination and strength)
Peeling Stickers and Putting them on Paper.
This is a fan favorite. Kids love stickers! You can get the sticker started and encourage your child to pull it off the rest of the way. Then, take the sticker and place it on a blank piece of paper or make a picture to add the sticker to. This activity not only works on the pincer grasp, but will foster imagination, creativity and language! To add another challenge to this task, you can have your child stand on a dynamic surface to reach the paper to work on balance and gross motor control (think couch cushion, bosu ball, foam pad, etc).
Putting Coins in a Piggy Bank.
Having your child place a variety of coins (different sizes) in their piggy bank is an easy way to use what you already have at home to improve this important skill. It will also help them work on fine motor control and hand-eye coordination. You can add a counting component too! Want an extra challenge? Hide the coins around the room for them to go find! Have them stand on something wobbly to work on balance while they place the coins in. Get creative!
Stringing Beads on a Pipe Cleaner.
Pipe cleaners are a great alternative to using string when first learning this skill. They are more stable and easier to control. This will allow the child to focus more on using a good pincer grasp rather than controlling the string and trying to thread it through the beads. Larger beads and pipe cleaner would be ideal when first starting to practice. Maybe turn your finished product into jewelry or a keychain!
