Theraputty Activities
Therapy Putty can be used to improve grip strength, dexterity, and hand strengthening through finger, hand, and wrist resistive exercises.
Theraputty Activities
Make your name
Hold the putty with both hands and roll into a ball. With the thumb and finger pads of your preferred hand, pinch off small pieces of putty by twisting and pinching the end of the ball. Roll small pieces into small pea shapes and then roll these into long sausages. Use the long sausages to make your name.
To increase the difficulty you could ask the child to make various letters, numbers and shapes using the putty.
2. Hide and Seek
Try hiding small objects (beads, marbles, coins)
inside the putty and then try pulling and
pinching them out.
3. Pancake spread.
Roll the putty into a ball using both hands.
Place the ball on a table and flatten the ball
to make a pancake by placing one hand flat
on top of the other and arms straight.
Pick up the pancake from the table and
close one set of fingers together whilst extended.
Place the pancake over the top of fingers and thumb and open them out as far as you can.
4. Donut Stretch
Roll putty into a ball using both hands. Roll the ball in to a snake. Squish ends together to form a donut.
Place putty loop around fingers. Stretch loop by opening at large knuckles only. Keep the thumb still and finger straight.
Complete with both hands.
To increase the resistance, make the donut thicker or use a higher resistance putty
5. Finger Scissor
Using a small amount of putty roll into a ball.
Spread your fingers and place the ball in between
two fingers (e.g. index and middle finger).
Squeeze the ball with your fingers until they touch.
Repeat with all fingers and complete on both hands.
6. Pinching/ Poking
Roll the putty into a snake, making sure it’s not
too thin and both sides are even.
Place the snake on the table and any of the below
exercises can be completed:
A) Pinching: using the tip of the thumb and index finger start pinching the putty at the top and make a
dinosaur or crocodile tail.
B) Poking: push the index finger into the top of the
putty from the head of the snake to the tail.
Repeat with all fingers and complete for both hands.
Theraputty Animals
Make a caterpillar
Make a snail
Make a spider
Make a crocodile
Or invent your own.
You may like to try using other things with the putty;
Rolling pin
Scissors
Paddle pop sticks
Beads
Cookie cutters
If the child is sensitive to the texture of the putty then it can be put in a plastic zip lock bag or covered with plastic or glad wrap.
Reference:
http://www.nhsggc.org.uk/kids/resources/ot-activityinformation-sheets/theraputty/
