Skill· 1mo–3mo· 2 min

Little Hand Discoveries

A gentle play activity to help your infant practice opening their hands from their natural fisted position.

Start voice activity

Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.

How it works

  1. 1

    Let's start by gently stroking the back of your child's hand with your finger. Use slow, light strokes from wrist to fingertips. This gentle touch can help trigger their natural hand-opening reflex.

  2. 2

    Now let's try something different. Gently place your open palm against your child's fisted hand. Don't push - just let your warm hand rest against theirs. The warmth and gentle pressure might encourage them to open up.

  3. 3

    Let's try engaging your child's sense of touch. If you have a soft textured fabric, gently brush it across their palm when their hand is slightly open. If not, just use your fingertip to make little circles in their palm.

  4. 4

    For our last try, let's combine touch with sound. Gently shake a soft rattle near your child's hand, or if you don't have one, make soft clicking sounds with your tongue. Sometimes new sounds capture their attention and their hands respond.

What this develops

Visual example

Coming soon