Strengthening Shoulder Muscles

As well as fine motor control, children also need a combination of shoulder and elbow movements required for writing in the future. You may not know but strengthening the shoulder muscles is extremely important for writing. Children need:

 

Shoulder stability  is the ability to contract (pull together) the muscles on either side of the shoulder girdle to hold the upper arm steady. This allows the arm to be held in different positions while the forearm and hand do an activity like writing.

 

Shoulder control refers to the ability of the muscles on either side of the shoulder joint to relax gradually on one side while contracting on the other side. This allows the arm to move in a controlled and accurate way. Shoulder stability and control are important as they enable the child to place and hold their arms and hands in a good position for writing and other fine motor tasks. 

 

Forearm position for writing is pronated (turned) so that the palm faces partially down. This helps to position the wrist back for writing. Two muscles in the forearm need to be strong to keep the forearm pronated