Picking up small objects trains the fine pinch between the tip of your thumb and the tip of your index finger. Sitting at a table, you lift coins, buttons or paper clips one at a time and drop them into a small bowl, keeping the thumb curved rather than flat. It turns up often in occupational therapy and physio programs when the thumb has gone weak or clumsy, for instance after a hand injury or a stroke.

How to do the picking up small objects

Sit at a table with a small bowl in front of you. Spread a few small objects, such as coins, buttons or paper clips, on the table on the side of the hand you are working with.
Reach for one object and pick it up between the tip of your thumb and the tip of your index finger.
Keep the joints of your thumb bent and the thumb lifted, so it makes a round O shape with the finger instead of pressing flat against it. Let your other fingers stay loose.
Carry the object over to the bowl and let it drop in, as in the video, then go back for the next one.
When the table is clear, tip the objects back out and start again.

What you should feel

Light, steady work in the thumb, the index finger and the fleshy pad at the base of the thumb. It takes more focus than strength.

Common mistakes

Letting the end joint of the thumb bend backward, so the pinch turns flat instead of tip to tip.
Clenching the other fingers into a fist while you pinch.
Sliding an object to the edge of the table to get hold of it.
Lifting the shoulder or leaning the whole body toward each object.

How often

Many programs use 10 to 20 small objects, moved into the bowl and out again 1 to 3 times, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

A sharp pain where your thumb joins the wrist, or in a finger joint.
New or worse numbness or tingling in your thumb or fingertips.
Call emergency services straight away for any sign of a stroke, even if it goes away: sudden dizziness with unsteadiness or falling over, a face that droops on one side, an arm you cannot lift or keep up, slurred or muddled speech, weakness or numbness on one side of your body or face, sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight, or a sudden severe headache.
Thumb or finger joints that feel more swollen, hot or stiff later that day.
Since the fracture or cast, the hand is getting more painful rather than less, the skin becomes very sensitive to light touch, or the hand changes color, temperature, swelling or sweating compared with the other one, or looks shiny. See your doctor or physio as soon as you can, within a few days at most, as this can be complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and early treatment may help.

From the clinic

Start with objects that are easy to hold, such as large buttons or dice, and work down to smaller, flatter ones like coins and paper clips as your pinch gets steadier. Turning over small discs and thumb opposition practice the same thumb control. For resistance later on, there is key grip with putty.

Small things like these are easy to choke on. Keep them out of reach of young children and clear them away as soon as you finish. If you have trouble swallowing, pick objects too big to swallow. If you are helping someone who has trouble swallowing or who may put things in their mouth, do the same and stay with them the whole time.

If your fingertips have reduced feeling, you may not notice a scratch or a jab. Leave out anything sharp, such as pins, needles, thumbtacks or broken glass, and look over your fingers for marks when you finish.

After a stroke or a nerve injury, the size and number of objects are best set by your occupational therapist or physio. After a broken wrist, hand or forearm, or surgery on any of them such as a tendon repair, start only when your doctor, surgeon, physio or hand therapist says the bone or repair is ready for this, and follow their plan for how much to do.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Picking up small objects