Manual dexterity is the ability for the hands and fingers to make coordinated movements. Strong fine motor skills, such as used with writing, knitting, sewing, and other activities that involve the hands and fingers, rely on manual dexterity. In young children, manual dexterity is developed normally through routine activities that also require hand-eye coordination.

Some children’s manual dexterity develops faster and stronger than others do. A child with weak final motor skills may struggle some when learning to form letters and beginning to write. Because there are many reasons why fine motor skills and manual dexterity may be affected and weaknesses in these areas may cause problems for children in school, pediatric occupational therapists often work with a variety of children to improve manual dexterity and fine motor skills.

There are several ways to help a child improve their manual dexterity through simple hands-on activities. For a child, exercising the fingers and hands can dramatically improve their manual dexterity. Try some of the following activities:

• Threading O-shaped cereal pieces onto a length of yarn. This activity requires fine motor skills and is repetitively exercising the same muscles, all while practicing hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity.
• Give children wooden peg games or similar toys that require placing pegs into small holes.
• Sewing with yarn and cardboard cutouts is another activity that can improve manual dexterity and builds on fine motor skills. Children simply feed the yarn back and forth through holes, which is again repeating the same skill over and over.
• For particularly young children who cannot play with small objects, a classic shape sorter toy is a great place to start. For older children, small, interlocking building blocks are great ways to play while building fine motor skills and strengthening manual dexterity.

Where young children are concerned, the goal is to improve manual dexterity to build fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. However, in older individuals suffering from the onset of arthritis, preserving manual dexterity is the primary concern. Exercising fingers and hands without overdoing it is key to the preservation of manual dexterity.

Avoid prolonged activities that cause pain in the joints of fingers and hands and simply perform activities in shorter periods. When possible, use both hands to reduce the strain and be sure to rest the joints before pain sets in. Consider periodic and passive hand massages, obtaining them either from a manicurist, physical therapist, or family member. Sometimes working through the pain to keep the fingers limber is necessary, yet do not let the pain get ahead of you or your pain reliever. If painful arthritis has set in, consult a doctor for management and treatment. He or she can recommend hand exercises specifically for you.

Early arthritis detection and pain management along with a commitment to continue using fingers and hands is necessary to preserve manual dexterity – which will mean you can retain most normal use of your hands for a long time to come.