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Some children have low muscle tone in their hands. Lack of hand strength makes it difficult for them to cut. Other difficulties that children face with cutting is positioning scissors in a proper thumbs up position and using their non dominant hand as an assist.

Fun, engaging activities for children who are able to cut in a “thumbs up” position:

· Provide your child with straws and scissors. Children enjoy cutting straws and seeing then fly across the room!

· Place a sticker on both ends of a piece of paper and draw a line connecting the two stickers. Have the child cut on the line. Start out with a small piece of paper such as an index card. Gradually increase the size of the paper as the cutting improves.

· Collect grass, leaves and flowers from outside. Have the child cut the items.

· Have the child cut pieces of playdoh.

Suggestions for those who need assistance positioning scissors in a “thumbs up” position:

· Draw two eyes and a nose on the thumb. Remind the child to use their “driver”. The thumb should be close to the sky.

· Sing the Scissor Song to the Tune of “Are You Sleeping”

Keep your thumbs up

Keep your thumbs up

When you cut

When you cut

We can cut with scissors

We can cut with scissors

Open and shut

Open and shut

A suggestion for those who do not use their non dominant hand as an assist (moving the paper with the hand that is not cutting):

• If the child cuts with their right hand place markers such as pen marks or stickers on the left edge of the paper. Remind the child to move their left hand to each marker as they cut up the page. Place the markers on the right edge of the paper for those who cut with their left hand.
  

PTOT Notes from Your Therapist- Tablev2-Oct2004

Some children have low tone in their hands and fingers. This causes the child to have difficulty with fine motor (small muscle) activities including writing, painting and cutting with scissors. To improve strength in the hands and develop a functional grasp on writing utensils try the suggestions below.

1. Place a piece of paper on an easel or tape it to the wall. Have the child paint or draw. Using a vertical surface helps develop arm and shoulder strength and encourages the use of a functional grasp.
   
2. Have the child read or play a board game while placed on their stomach. This helps children who have low muscle tone build strength in their arms and trunk.
   
3. Place various small objects in playdoh or silly putty. Have the child dig for the objects using their fingers.
   
4. Have the child use large tweezers or salad tongs to pick up small objects off the ground and place them in a container with a large hole. This could be a baby food jar or a coffee can with a hole cut out of the lid. This strengthens fingers as well as improves eye hand coordination.
   
5. String beads on a pipe cleaner. The strength of the pipe cleaner makes it easier for the child to control. Start our with beads that have a large hole and then move to beads with smaller holes. Beads that are in the shape of animals can be found at Michaels craft store.
   
6. Cut a slit in a tennis ball and draw a face. Have your child squeeze the ball with one hand and feed the “animal or person” pennies with the other hand.
   
7. Pop bubble wrap between the thumb and each individual finger to encourage finger isolation.
   
8. Place a piece of large chalk in the end of a turkey baster handle. Have the child draw with the chalk. The shape of the baster helps the child control the chalk and develop a functional grasp.
   
9. Play games that help develop fine motor skills including Hi Ho Cheerio, Lite Brite, Bedbugs and Operation.
   
10. Decorate zip lock bags and place desirable objects or prizes inside. Have the child place both thumbs on either sides of the opening and practice opening the bag.

Is your child holding writing utensils with an awkward grip? I was introduced to a product called the grotto grip this year and I am a huge fan. The grotto grip is real easy to use and children who are right handed or left handed can use it. Put the grip on a pencil and help the child position their fingers using a tripod grasp. There are indents where the fingers should go on the grip. Place a small item in their palm if they are having difficulty closing their pinkie and ring finger to their hand. I have noticed that students who use this accommodation in my class get acclimated to using a proper grasp which helps their writing ability.

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