Upper extremity weight bearing

To have good fine motor skills, including hand writing, it's important for children to have stability in the should girdle. As the saying goes, "proximal stability for distal mobility". So, it's important for children to do upper body strengthening (although not with weights).  Weight bearing through the upper extremity is good to improve shoulder strength and stability.  Young children should not lift weights as their joints are not yet able to handle the stress.  If you have access to an exercise ball, have your child lay on his stomach and roll forward so that his/her hands touch the floor.  He/she can then rock back and forth by using his hands.  (This is also good for core strength and stability).