7 Fun Activities to Help Seniors Strengthen Fine Motor Skills
When we perform activities that require the use of the small muscles in our hands, fingers, or wrists, we're using our fine motor skills. Routine activities such as buttoning a shirt, writing, cutting, and using a fork all involve fine motor skills. Unfortunately, it's not unusual for seniors to experience a decline in their fine motor skills. Now, let's move on to the good news. Our home caregivers can engage clients in fun activities to strengthen fine motor skills. We want our clients' days to be purposeful. That's why many of these activities involve creating something that seniors can be proud to use, display, or give.
Making Jewelry
Creating jewelry is a great fine motor activity because it's easy for a home caregiver to modify the task to fit the client's skill level. Even someone new to jewelry making or with weak hand muscles can work on a simple project like stringing large beads to make a necklace.
Origami
The art of folding paper to create figures and objects is known as origami. It doesn't require special equipment or even origami paper. It's possible to make origami projects for beginners with newspaper, copy paper, or pages from unwanted books and magazines.
Fiber Arts
A home caregiver can encourage seniors who already know how to knit or crochet to pick up the hobby again. Clients may even teach their senior companions a thing or two about knitting or crochet. Seniors who don't knit or crochet may enjoy using a kit to make a no-sew tie blanket.
Cooking
For clients who can work safely in the kitchen, a home caregiver can help the client with preparing homemade bread or cookies. We want clients to warm up their small hand muscles with tasks like kneading dough, using cookie cutters, squeezing frosting bags, and decorating cookies.
Crafts
We like having clients make homemade greeting cards to practice skills such as folding, writing, and drawing. While it's nice to send homemade greeting cards to brighten days of friends and family, making cards for hospitalized children can give the activity a deeper meaning. Another craft that puts small hand muscles to work is making models of airplanes, boats, or cars.
Games
Like everyone else, we realize our clients also want to participate in activities that are primarily for fun. Our home caregivers can engage clients in games like Checkers, Jenga, Topple, and Sorry. Those games combine the thrill of competition with working on grasping skills.
Puzzles
Putting together puzzles is also a task that can develop grasping skills. Since puzzles are available in many levels of complexity, there are puzzles to fit each client's skill level. For instance, clients who are struggling greatly with their grasp need puzzles with larger pieces.
Conclusion
These activities serve as examples of ways consistent senior care can enrich your life or the life of an older loved one. Our home caregivers can provide many types of activities that bring enjoyment and purpose to our clients' days. Contact us for more information about our live in home care services in Severna Park, Bowie, Crofton, Annapolis, and the surrounding areas.