12/20/2025
Why OTs love UNO
Holding, flipping, and managing cards works the intrinsic hand muscles — the small but mighty muscles inside the hand that support precision, endurance, and control.
Intrinsic hand muscles at work 🧠✋
These include:
• Lumbricals – help with finger flexion at the MCP joints and extension at the IP joints
• Interossei (palmar & dorsal) – allow finger abduction/adduction, stabilization, and graded control
• Thenar muscles – support thumb opposition and precision grasp
• Hypothenar muscles – support ulnar-side stability for power + precision balance
How this supports functional skills
While playing UNO, kids naturally practice:
• Shift – moving cards within the hand to line them up
• Rotation – turning cards to orient correctly
• In-hand manipulation – holding multiple cards while isolating one
• Web space opening – for efficient grasp and release
➡️ These are the SAME skills needed for:
• ✏️ Handwriting & coloring
• 🍴 Eating with utensils
• 🧩 Managing small objects (buttons, coins, LEGOs)
• ✂️ Tool use (scissors, tweezers, crayons)
Start early 👶➡️🧒
Even around age 2, children can begin building these foundational skills:
• Holding a few large cards
• Passing cards one at a time
• Practicing simple grasp, release, and orientation through play
💡 You don’t need drills — play is the work.
So next time you grab UNO, know you’re not just playing a game…
You’re building strength, coordination, and lifelong fine motor skills ♠️❤️
What’s your favorite classic game to sneak skill-building into? 👀🃏
