They can't move around all that well and intentional movement is a long way off, but babies are hardwired with movements, called reflexes.  When a mother puts her finger on a newborn's palm the baby clenches the fist shut. Many proud parents crow that the baby is already super strong!  What they are actually witnessing is the Grasp Reflex.

Grasp Reflex (Photo credits - Your Child's Motor Development Story )

How to strengthen your baby's hands

Placing safe objects of varying sizes into your baby's hand is a great way to start activating those tiny muscles. Over time, the baby will begin to open and close the hand on purpose.

Once your baby open and closes the hand with intent, the real fun begins. This is a time when you can introduce new shapes and textures. Each time your baby holds an object with a slightly different shape or size, the muscles work a little differently. This helps strengthen the muscle fibers in many different ways.

Encourage your baby to open and close the hands throughout the day. When your baby masters grasping and then letting go of toys, she will practice this all the time. You might feel a little frustrated when each cheerio is carefully grasped on the tray and then released to the floor. Mollify yourself by knowing that your baby is working on mastering this very important skill!

Encourage pointing

When your baby has become a master of letting go, the fingers begin to move separately. Initially all five fingers work as a single unit. You can help your baby with this difficult part of fine motor development by encouraging pointing. You may even gently move the pointer or index finger to a straight position while the other fingers stay fisted. Pointing and poking can be incorporated in story time and language games as well. As your baby's fingers get stronger, you might even have the baby help push buttons, like turning on the coffee maker in the morning.

Here are some games that help strengthen the hands:

• Holding objects of different sizes and shapes.
• Feeling a variety of textures with open hands.
• Picking up and dropping toys such as blocks.
• Pointing at pictures in books.
• Pointing at Mommy's or Daddy's eyes, nose, etc.
• Play 'Beep' when your baby pushes your nose.
• Hand play games such as 'Open Shut Them' Give your hands a Clap!'
• Counting baby's fingers-­‐holding each finger separately with each number.
• Poking and pushing buttons and objects (many toys have these features).
• Opening plastic lids off empty containers.
• Crawling.

Next: Why two hands are better than one