Hand Therapy in Nursery and Primary Settings

Programmes
Hand Therapy in Nursery and Primary Settings

Anna Bielak-Bajda

Specialist in therapeutic approaches

Hand Therapy in Nursery and Primary Settings

A child may avoid drawing, tire quickly at the table, grip the pencil too tightly or struggle with cutting and other fine motor tasks. But the problem is not always in the hand itself. This programme helps you understand how posture, muscle tone, shoulder stability, sensory processing and whole-body movement affect manual skills. Learn how to observe the child more accurately and use practical exercises, activities and ready-made session plans to support fine motor development in nursery and primary settings.

Essential

£49.00

£89.00

One-time · 12 months access

5 video modules
Teacher's Toolkit
Certificate
Classroom materials
Case studies
Knowledge Booster

Professional Recommended

£69.00

£129.00

One-time · 12 months access

5 video modules
Teacher's Toolkit (98 pages)
Certificate
29 classroom materials
9 case studies
Knowledge Booster (30 days)

Until 25 October 2026, this and every other programme is 45% off.

Standard price from 26 October: Essential £89, Professional £129.

Is this for you?

You work with children who avoid drawing, cutting, painting, modelling or other manual tasks.
You notice pupils who get tired quickly during table-based activities, press too hard on the pencil, break crayons, tear paper or struggle to keep up with the group.
You support children with poor posture at the desk, weak hand control, incorrect pencil grip, low muscle tone or difficulties with bilateral coordination.
You want to understand why manual difficulties are not always a “hand problem” — and why effective support often starts with the trunk, shoulder girdle, sensory system and whole-body movement.
You need practical exercises, sensory activities, observation tools, checklists, safety rules and ready-made individual and group session plans.
This programme is not for you if you are looking only for handwriting worksheets or isolated pencil-grip correction without a broader developmental approach.

We use AI as a tool to support production, but we do not hand over responsibility for the content. Our materials are based on real webinars by our trainers and are reviewed and approved by a person before publication. The videos feature an AI-generated avatar and voice of the trainer, used with her consent.

What you'll implement?

Ready to use tomorrow
- A clear observation system
  
  Use simple tools to check what may be behind a child’s manual difficulties: posture, grip, finger dissociation, muscle tone, sensory responses, workstation setup and movement patterns.
- A safe session structure
  
  Plan hand therapy sessions in the right order: body centre first, then shoulder girdle, hand, fingers and finally graphomotor work.
- Exercises without expensive equipment
  
  Use activities based on classroom, kitchen and recycled materials: clothes pegs, jars, bottles, pipettes, balls, cardboard rolls, sensory doughs and masking tape.
A different way of seeing the problem
- Functional hand, not just neat handwriting
  
  Shift the focus from “make the handwriting neater” to “help the child use their hand functionally” — to grasp, manipulate, use tools, dress, play and participate in school life.
- The body behind the hand
  
  Understand how weak postural stabilisation, low muscle tone or poor shoulder control can lead to tight grip, fatigue, poor precision and avoidance of manual tasks.
- Sensory needs behind difficult behaviour
  
  Recognise when refusal, mess avoidance, pencil breaking or excessive pressure may be linked to tactile sensitivity, proprioception or poor body awareness.

What's inside this programme?

Video modules

5 modules · approx. 79 min total · one film per module

1

Introduction

3 min

Free preview

A short opening video introducing the purpose of the programme, the trainer’s approach and the key areas of the course: foundations, development, practice and session scenarios.
2

The theoretical foundations of hand therapy

40 min
Available after purchase
Why hand therapy is not only about fingers, pencil grip or tracing lines — and how manual dexterity depends on posture, muscle tone, sensory integration and whole-body movement.

Lessons in this module
1. What is hand therapy and who is it for?
2. The development of fine motor skills - from movement to writing
3. Developmental principles and the planning of hand therapy
4. Muscle tone and its impact on the child’s functioning
5. Postural stabilisation as the foundation of hand therapy
6. Stabilisation of the shoulder girdle and the hand
7. Sensory integration and the development of fine motor skills
8. Observation and assessment in hand therapy
3

Exercises in hand therapy

16 min
Available after purchase
How to structure safe hand therapy sessions and select exercises in the right order: from postural stabilisation to shoulder girdle work, proprioception, manual exercises and graphomotor preparation.

Lessons in this module
1. The structure of hand therapy sessions
2. Postural stabilisation exercises
3. Shoulder girdle stabilisation exercises
4. Proprioception and deep-pressure activities
5. Manual exercises
6. Manipulative and graphomotor exercises
4

Activities to support hand therapy

8 min
Available after purchase
Sensory, fine motor and movement-based activities that support hand therapy through play and can be used in everyday educational settings without expensive equipment.

Lessons in this module
1. Sensory play activities
2. Activities to develop fine motor skills
3. Movement activities to support hand therapy
5

Hand therapy session plans

12 min
Available after purchase
Ready-to-use individual and group session plans for children with low muscle tone, tactile hypersensitivity, graphomotor difficulties and school-age support needs.

Lessons in this module
1. Session plan for a child with low muscle tone
2. Session plan for a child with tactile hypersensitivity
3. Session plan for a child with graphomotor difficulties
4. Group session plan for a nursery or reception class
5. Individual session plan for a school-age pupil

Teacher's Toolkit

98-page implementation guide · PDF

The written backbone of the programme. The Teacher’s Toolkit expands the video content with theory, observation tools, exercises, activities and ready-to-use session plans.

Theoretical foundations of hand therapy
Observation and assessment tools
Practical exercises and sensory activities
Individual and group session scenarios

See sample pages

Classroom Resource Library

Practical resources for real classroom situations

The Professional version gives you access to the complete library of practical resources created specifically for this programme. Inside, you’ll find ready-to-use materials that support classroom practice, behaviour analysis, communication, planning and implementation. Selected resources are available to preview for free, so you can see the format and approach before accessing the full library.

38

materials total
3

free for everyone
38

in Professional

Knowledge and practical resources

5 materials
- Checklist: What Can I Do from Tomorrow?
  
  Eight immediate principles for classroom implementation, including the proximal-to-distal sequence, 90-90-90 rule, therapy safety and one change at a time.
  
  Open
- Glossary of Hand Therapy Terms
  
  25 key terms explained in accessible language, including biokinematic chain, hypotonia, finger dissociation, tenodesis effect, ATNR and stereognosis.
  
  Open
- Hand Therapy Safety Card
  
  Four key safety rules: never force, do not start from the end, do not treat a grip aid as a cure and always check for allergies.
  
  Open
- If–Then Procedures
  
  Seven ready-made responses for common situations such as slouching, refusing messy materials, breaking pencils, palmar grasp, rapid fatigue and fidgeting.
  
  Open
- Language Bank: From Label to Fact
  
  Examples of replacing evaluative labels with factual descriptions for reports, documentation and parent conversations.
  
  Open
Diagnostic tools

5 materials
- Finger Isolation Test
  
  Observation checklist assessing finger dissociation through practical tasks such as finger tapping, pincer grip and the Coin Trick.
  
  Open
- Hypotonia Detector
  
  Postural checklist covering symptoms of low muscle tone across desk work, grip, gross motor skills and self-care.
  
  Open
- Workstation Audit: The 90-90-90 Rule
  
  Ergonomics checklist for checking feet, knees, hips, back, desk height, elbows, lighting and paper angle.
  
  Open
- Red Flags: When to Refer
  
  Table of symptoms that may require medical or specialist consultation, with referral direction and a model for parent conversations.
  
  Open
- Pupil Observation Record
  
  School documentation form covering posture, ergonomics, grip, handwriting endurance, sensory responses, gross motor skills and recommendations.
  
  Open
Exercise bank and recipes

7 materials
- Coin Trick and Cotton Method
  
  Two simple tools for grip correction and pre-writing warm-up.
  
  Open
- Sensory Recipe Book
  
  Recipes for non-Newtonian fluid, moon sand, colour milk, sensory bags and fluffy slime, with therapeutic purpose and safety notes.
  
  Open
- Zero Budget Resources
  
  Everyday classroom, kitchen and recycling items that can replace specialist therapeutic equipment.
  
  Open
- Corridor Obstacle Course
  
  A therapeutic course using masking tape, with five stations: straight line, zigzag, islands, lazy eight and crawling tunnel.
  
  Open
- Exercise Bank: Complete Set
  
  More than 30 exercises in six categories: postural stabilisation, shoulder girdle, proprioception, hand strength and precision, sensory activities and graphomotor skills.
  
  Open
- Individual Session Plan
  
  Ready-to-use 35-minute session structure with warm-up, main section, wind-down and materials list.
  
  Open
- Super Hand Card
  
  Printable motivation system rewarding effort, not only the final result.
  
  Coming soon
Parent communication

2 materials
- Parent Conversation Scripts
  
  Three complete scripts for difficult conversations: the denying parent, the helpless parent and the demanding parent.
  
  Coming soon
- Parent Meeting Checklist
  
  A five-minute pre-meeting form helping the teacher organise facts, explain the mechanism, suggest one tool and end with collaboration.
  
  Coming soon
Activity cards

10 materials
- Who’s Walking Here?
  
  A barefoot sensory walk across different textures, supporting postural stability and sensory regulation.
  
  Open
- Balloon Rally
  
  A balloon activity supporting bilateral coordination, visual tracking, motor planning and arousal regulation.
  
  Open
- Back Writing
  
  Drawing shapes, digits and letters on a partner’s back to support tactile discrimination and stereognosis.
  
  Open
- Catch Your Shadow
  
  Movement mirroring activities supporting body schema, motor planning and body awareness.
  
  Open
- Fingertip Post
  
  Desk tasks with tweezers, tongs and small items to develop pincer grip, finger isolation and eye-hand coordination.
  
  Open
- Frozen Letters
  
  Forming letters with the whole body, individually or in groups, to combine movement, letter learning and body awareness.
  
  Open
- Kneading Station
  
  A five-minute sensory break using salt dough, modelling clay, cream or a stress ball to regulate hand muscle tone before writing.
  
  Open
- Newspaper Tunnel
  
  Crawling and group movement tasks using newspaper to strengthen the shoulder girdle, core muscles and bilateral coordination.
  
  Open
- Musical Massage
  
  A short partner massage sequence to music, supporting emotional and postural regulation through safe, consent-based touch.
  
  Open
- Bridge Building
  
  A group engineering challenge using newspaper and tape, combining bilateral coordination, planning, collaboration and cause-and-effect thinking.
  
  Open
Case studies

9 materials
- Simon, Age 7 - Hypotonia at School
  
  A pupil who rests his chest on the desk from the first minute. The case explains hypotonia, distal compensation, tight grip and W-sitting.
  
  Open
- Zoe, Age 5 - Tactile Hypersensitivity
  
  A child who avoids sensory play and refuses messy materials. The case shows how to introduce tactile input gradually.
  
  Open
- Kyle, Age 6 - The Nervous System Is Not Ready
  
  A pupil whose writing does not improve despite repeated practice. The case explains why more handwriting exercises are not always the answer.
  
  Open
- Olivia, Age 8 - Grip Correction That Is Not Working
  
  A pupil whose incorrect grip does not improve despite reminders and grip aids. The case shows when the cause lies deeper than habit.
  
  Open
- Tom, Age 9 - Proprioceptive Dysregulation
  
  A pupil who breaks pencils and pierces paper. The case shows how proprioceptive difficulties may be mistaken for behavioural problems.
  
  Open
- Maya, Age 7 - A Difficult Conversation with a Parent
  
  A step-by-step case showing how to use the FACT–MECHANISM–TOOL–POSITIVE model in a parent conversation.
  
  Open
- Space Mission - Group Therapy
  
  A group case study showing how to introduce hand therapy through a narrative-based session with 18 children.
  
  Open
- Ridgeway Primary - From Training to Lasting Change
  
  A leadership case study showing how to move from training to sustained implementation in school practice.
  
  Open
- Case Study Cards: 4 Profiles
  
  Four quick pupil profile cards: hypotonic, hypersensitive, graphomotor delay and sensory seeker. Each card connects what the teacher sees with what may be happening in the child’s body.
  
  Open

Knowledge Booster

The Professional version includes the Knowledge Booster, which helps you return to the programme after completing the video course - step by step, without trying to implement everything at once. Inspired by Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve, it uses short emails sent at the right intervals to help you remember and apply what you learn.

Professional: 11 emails over 30 days

1

Day 1

Welcome
2

Day 4

The hand does not start at the hand
3

Day 7

Why order matters more than the exercise
4

Day 10

They’re not being lazy
5

Day 13

A box under the feet
6

Day 16

The hand’s most important neighbour is the shoulder
7

Day 19

The child who won’t touch paint
8

Day 22

The sentence that opens a parent’s ears
9

Day 25

Why your session structure is important
10

Day 28

Five materials, made in the kitchen
11

Day 30

The last email

You control when it starts. Activate from your account whenever you're ready - it won't start automatically.

Certificate of completion

Each Edutimo programme includes a short end-of-programme test. After completing the modules, take the test to confirm what you have learned and download your certificate of completion. The test is included in the programme and can be retaken if needed.

Ready? Take the test and get your certificate.

10 questions · approx. 10 min · available after completing all modules

Your trainer

Anna Bielak-Bajda

Special education teacher, therapist and PhD candidate, valued for practical SEN support and turning theory into real help for students.

therapeutic approaches
students with SEN
autism spectrum support
preschool education

What teachers say?

Trusted by teachers across Europe

Miriam Gibreel

primary school educator

"Highly Recommended CPD for Educators – Exceptional Neurodiversity and Practical Strategy Courses that are both relevant and impactful in modern day classrooms. Having spent 16 years teaching children aged 5 to 11 in London-based primary school settings, I am incredibly judicious about the professional development I invest my time in. I am thoroughly impressed by the extensive range of courses offered on Edutimo. In particular, Joanna Nienałtowska-Padło’s modules focusing on neurodiverse conditions are exceptional, providing deep insights alongside highly practical classroom advice. The strategies for navigating challenging situations and de-escalating them effectively have given me concrete, actionable tools that actually work in a live classroom environment. Additionally, the recommended resources and guidelines for creating personalised student toolkits are fantastic for helping children navigate day-to-day school life. As an experienced professional, I know that having up-to-date courses available is instrumental in confidently establishing well-prepared lessons and a welcoming classroom environment for the upcoming school year."

Margaret M.

Teacher

"Clear and well-explained step by step - what may cause various behaviours and how to deal with them."

Hedwig S.

Teacher

"Comments and examples "taken from real life." Experience, wisdom, calmness, and a courageous look at reality from Jolanta."

Questions about this programme

FAQ

What's the difference between Essential and Professional?

Essential includes the full video programme, the Teacher’s Toolkit ebook and a certificate of completion. Professional includes everything in Essential, plus the complete Classroom Resource Library and the Knowledge Booster.
How long do I have access?

You receive 12 months of access to the programme after purchase.
Does the programme include ready-to-use materials?

Yes. Depending on your package, you receive templates, scripts, cards, procedures, case studies and classroom tools.
What is the Knowledge Booster?

It is a 30-day email sequence that helps you revisit the most important ideas from the programme and apply them step by step.
Do I receive a certificate?

Yes. After completing the programme, you can download your certificate of completion.