Hand function: Toddlers 18-36 months

By 18 months most typically developing toddlers have acquired a basic set of abilities that provide the substrate for more complex, goal directed and sequential hand tasks that are acquired in the toddler years (about 18-36 months). 

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Video clips and analysis 

  • Playdough play: copying actions and social interaction

    Playdough encourages young children to explore different ways to use their hands and tools the shape, roll, stretch and cut playdough. It also provides a great  opportunity to social interaction and learning from a demonstration. 

  • Playdough play: squeeze, roll, poke, pull, cut

    Playdough play provides an opportunity for exploring many different ways of  interacting with a soft and pliable material. Children, with a bit of guidance will use the hands to squeeze, pull, roll, poke, pat, break apart and put it together again.  

  • Posting activities

    T 16m posting long rod 1.jpgFrom about 12 months young children develop a fasciation with posting objects through apertures. In this series you see toddlers at different ages posting objects into different containers with different sized and oriented apertures. 

  • Posting activities: long rods into bottles

    Posting rods into a bottles creates a challenge for the young child: the rod and the aperture of the bottles need to be aligned. 

  • Building towers with yogurt tubs

    W 18m tub tower 1_1.jpgIn this video you see Will (17 mo) building towers using yogurt tubs. 

  • Moving large objects: bottles of different sizes

    Once an infant is able to sit independently, they enjoy the challenge of moving large or heavy objects. Plastic bottles of different sizes, shapes and weights are great, easy-to-find and make from recycling toys. 

  • Building a cardboard box tower

    Toddlers enjoys building towers with cardboard boxes. 

  • Threading beads

    M17 threading hand position 4.jpgThreading beads involves a sequence of actions that take time to learn. 

  • Throwing and catching beanbags

    2y throw heavy beanbag.jpgThis video beautifully illustrates a typical paly session with a toddler: while I try to elicit catching and throwing actions, Max has his won agenda. 

  • Cutting paper with scissors

    Scissor cutting 
    Children are often required to perform tasks that require them to cut paper with a pair of scissors. The simplest cutting tasks involve cutting along a straight line.  Cutting angled lines, lines that require a sharp change in direction and curved lines all require increasing levels of sensorimotor control in order to achieve the desired result. 

  • Putting on socks

    Putting on socks 
    Putting on socks  is a task children commonly encounter, and which, by the age of 5-6 years are expected to be able to do independently. These video clips provide insight into how the task is performed by an adult and three children aged 8, 7 and 4 years

  • Ball activities: Max (24 mo) playing a game of skittles

    In this clip you see Max (aged 2 years) playing a game of skittles.He employs a range of well coordinated movement strategies for several different goal directed actions. 

    You see that  Max: