Simple Strength Tests to Determine if Your Child is Ready for Handwriting

This article provides information about how to use simple strength tests to see if your child or students are ready for handwriting development. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Integrated Learning Strategies (ILS) is a learning and academic center. As a reminder, ILS is not a health care provider and none of our materials or services provide a diagnosis or treatment of a specific condition or learning challenge you may see in your child or student. If you seek a diagnosis or treatment for your child or student, please contact a trained professional who can provide an evaluation of the child.

One of the best ways to help “test” a child for weak core, hand and arm strength is to get kids playing on vertical spaces.

When kids work on vertical spaces, you can watch for signs for any delays or setbacks in motor skills that may support a child’s writing development as they grow older.

Why “test” for Shoulder, Arm and Elbow Strength?

You may be wondering why we want to watch for poor strength in the arms, hands and core. The truth is, all of these areas of development provide stability and the muscle needed to make handwriting skills automatic.

When learning letter directionality, how to hold a pencil and how to space letters on the page, kids need certain foundational skills required for them to do the following:

• Write words on the page
• Stay within the lines
• Know how much pressure to apply when writing
• Understand how to hold a pencil in the tripod grip

Kids who haven’t built foundational motor skills for handwriting development may focus all their mental energy on staying seated, keeping their body upright or figuring out how to keep their hands from cramping or getting tired.

Developing these skills prior to handwriting development prepares kids for the fundamentals that come with writing. A stronger core, arms and hands helps handwriting to become effortless and seamless so the child is less worried about their body and more about how to get what they are learning down on paper.

Child Strength Tests for Core, Arm and Hand Strength

As you prepare to test your child or students for core, arm and hand strength, you must take into account their age, level and physical ability. Adjust the activities based on the child’s level as you go through each area of focus on the body.

Keep in mind, children three years and younger are still developing many of their motor skills through play so they may not yet be ready for some of these test activities. However, it is important to observe their development as they grow older and encourage play that builds these foundational skills.

Kids participating in these strength tests should be able to hold or complete the movements according to this recommended age chart:

• 4 years old – 10 seconds
• 5 years old – 20 seconds
• 6 years old – 30 seconds
• 7 years old – 40 seconds
• 8 years old – 50 seconds
• 9 years old – one minute
• 10 years old – one minute, 10 seconds
• 11 years old – one minute, 20 seconds

Before getting started with the test activities, please ensure the following:

• The child is in a safe space with room to move about
• Permission is granted by the parent or guardian to complete the test activities
• You have a mat or soft space for the child to sit, stand or lay on
• The child is comfortable and not in any pain
• You support the child’s extremities as needed throughout the testing process

If the child is ready, you can begin administering the strength tests below for each focus area.

Core Strength Test Activities

When testing a child for core strength and stability, watch for the following and ask a few simple questions:

• Does the child frequently slouch or sit in the w-position?
• Does the child hold their head up with their hand(s)?
• Does the child have poor balance when standing or moving?
• Does the child need to lean on a parent or another surface when standing for long periods of time?
• Can the child ride a bike or balance on a balance beam?
• Does the child tire easily and often when doing physical activity?
• Is the child frequently out of their chair, falls out of their chair or is always moving while seated?

If you answered “yes” to several of these questions, chances are the child needs help building more core strength. To know for sure, here are a few simple tests to learn more about the child’s core strength.

Test #1: Plank Position

On a mat or carpet, have the child begin by laying on the ground in the prone position (on their stomach). When you count to three, have the child push up into plank position with their elbows bent and core off the ground. Ensure the toes are flexed and supporting the rest of the lower body. If the child raises their bottom in the air, encourage them to lower their bottom so it is aligned with the rest of their body. See if they can hold their body parallel for the recommended time included in the chart above based on their age. Complete the activity three to five times to get better observations.

After the child completes the test activity, ask yourself the following questions:

• Did the child collapse or fall over?
• Could they keep their body parallel?
• Could they hold the position for the time that matched their age range?

Test #2: Bird Dog Position

Ask the child to get down on the ground on their hands and knees in table top position. Have the child extend the right arm straight out in front of them and have the left leg extend straight behind them (opposite arm with opposite leg). Have the child hold this position for the time associated with the recommended age above. When they have completed the activity, ask the child to do the activity again, but switch with the left arm extended and the right leg extended. Complete the activity three to five times to get better observations.

After the child completes the test activity, ask yourself the following questions:

• Did the child wobble, put their feet and arms down or collapse?
• Could they hold both their arm and their leg up at the same time?
• Did they know how to hold up the opposite arm and foot together?
• Could they hold the position for the time that matched their age range?

Arm Strength Test Activities

When testing a child for arm strength, watch for the following and ask a few simple questions:

• Do the child’s arms seem loose and floppy when doing activities or sports?
• Does the child get tired when raising their arms?
• Do they bend their elbows or try to rest their elbows on their desk or table to help hold their arms up?
• Do they shake out their arm when writing?
• Can they throw a ball?
• Do they have trouble picking up items off the floor or get tired when combing their hair?

Depending on how you answered these questions, the child may need additional help to strengthen the arms for handwriting development. To know for sure, here are a few simple tests to learn more about the child’s arm strength.

Test #1: Airplane 

Have the child lie on the ground on their stomach in the prone position. Ensure their legs are together and are straight behind them. Arms should lay gently to the sides of the body with the head down on the mat or carpet. On the count of three, have the child raise their upper body so their chest and head are slightly off the ground with their arms extended outward to each side of the body. The exercise should look like the child is flying in the air like an airplane (arms to the side rather than to the front like we do when doing a superman). Have the child hold the position for as long as they can or for as long as the recommended age chart suggests above. Complete the activity three to five times to get better observations.

After the child completes the test activity, ask yourself the following questions:

• How long could the child hold the position for?
• Did they wobble or fall to one side?
• Could they keep their arms extended the whole time or did their arms bend?
• Did the child try to rest their elbows on the ground or could they keep their arms extended and off the ground for the whole exercise?

Test #2: Monkey Bar Test

To complete this test, you will need some type of hanging bar. The child can use the monkey bars at the park, on your home playground or at their school if they have them available. They will not be swinging on the monkey bars so if you can only find one hanging bar on the playground or at the park, that will work for the purpose of this exercise. Try to find a bar high enough so the child cannot touch the ground. If the bar is too short, have the child bend their knees and tell them the floor is lava. They are not allowed to touch the ground during the exercise.

When the child is ready, ask them to hang from the bar with both hands for as long as they can. Arms should be straight and extended and should not bend at any time during this activity. Use the recommended age chart above to determine how long they should hold on to the bar or time them to see how long they can hold onto the bar. Complete the activity three to five times to get better observations. Use outdoor playground monkey bars or find an indoor playground like this one here.

After the child completes the test activity, ask yourself the following questions:

• Could the child’s arms hold on to the bar using both hands?
• Could the child support or hold their whole body during the activity?
• Did the child fall before their time was up, or did they try to put their feet down to try and stay up longer?
• Did the child try to bend their arms, adjust their hands or put their feet up to try and hold on longer?

Hand Strength Test Activities

When testing a child for hand strength, watch for the following and ask a few simple questions:

• Can the child pop of lids or unscrew lid covers?
• Can the child do their buttons, zippers and tie their shoes?
• Can the child use and manipulate utensils when eating?
• Does the child avoid arts and craft activities (activities that require fine motor)?
• Does the child know how to use scissors?
• Does the child have messy or slow handwriting?
• Does the child apply not enough pressure or too much pressure with their pencil when writing?

If the child struggles with any of these types of activities, they may have weak or poor hand strength. To know for sure, here are a few simple tests to learn more about the child’s hand strength.

Test #1: Squeeze Test

For this activity, you will need a stress ball or some type of squishy foam ball. You can use a variety of balls that are harder or easier to squeeze. This will better help you determine where their hand strength is at and what progress they need to make. Place the ball in the child’s dominant hand they use for writing or coloring. Ask the child to squeeze the stress or foam ball slowly 10 times. Make sure the thumb wraps around the ball and is separated from the other fingers when doing the activity. Complete the activity three to five times to get better observations.

After the child completes the test activity, ask yourself the following questions:

• Did the child have to shake out their hands after or during the activity?
• Could they squeeze the ball a full 10 times?
• Did the child complain of any hand pain or say it was too hard?
• Did the child use their opposite hand to hold up or support the dominant hand while doing the activity?
• Did the child try to lay their hand down on the table when doing the activity or could they hold their hand up the whole time?
• Did the child try with all their might to squeeze the ball or could they do it seamlessly with little effort?
• Did the child scrunch all of their fingers together when squeezing the ball or could they extend the thumb around the ball as if holding a pencil?

Test #2: Stretch, Squeeze, Pinch

For this activity, you will need putty that is hard to manipulate. Hand the child the putty and ask them do the following with the palm of their hand using their dominant hand:

• Smash the putty
• Roll the putty into a ball
• Flatten the putty into a pancake
• Roll the putty into a worm

After you have watched the child work with putty using the palm of their hand, now have the child complete the following with each individual finger:

• Flatten the putty with each finger separately
• Pinch the putty with two fingers together
• Roll the putty into a large ball and have the child push each finger into the ball individually.
• Create a small ball of putty and have the child roll the ball of putty with each individual finger.

Complete the activity as many times as needed to observe and determine hand strength.

After the child completes the test activity, ask yourself the following questions:

• Could the child use their palm and fingers to complete the activities or did they tire easily and give up?
• Can the child use their fingers separately to complete the activities?
• Did the child try to switch the putty to their other hand when doing the activities?
• Did the child try to use both hands during the activity?
• Did the child have enough strength to push, pull and manipulate the putty?

All of these strength tests above will give you a better idea of where your child or students are at when it comes to arm, hand and core strength. If they struggled to do any number of these strength tests, more exercises may be needed to help those foundational areas to support handwriting development.

For a few more ideas to support hand, arm and core strength, try a few of these activities using vertical spaces here. To improve handwriting development and impulse control, register for our free 5-Day Rewiring the Brain Email course below.

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Integrated Learning Strategies is a Utah-based center dedicated to helping mainstream children and children with learning challenges achieve academic success. Our services provide kids with non-traditional tutoring programs within the Davis County, Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, Farmington, and Centerville areas. Areas to find Integrated Learning Strategies include: Reading tutors in Kaysville, Math tutors in Kaysville, Common Core Tutors in Kaysville, Tutors in Utah, Utah Tutoring Programs