They may have a hard time feeling the smaller size pencils or being able to put the proper amount of pressure on them.Īs a general rule, however, little fingers should get little pencils. However, some children really do benefit from the thicker, fatter pencils, particularly if they have a weaker hand grasp. Typically a suggestion given is to use smaller, shorter pencils or crayons to promote a good grasp. You could also make a sign to have hanging or on the child’s desk as a visual reminder instead of always verbally reminding them. This worked pretty well with a lot of my kiddos. When I saw a child using the wrong grasp, I would remind them to use their “Go” fingers. “Go” fingers are the fingers on the pencil, and “stop” fingers go in the hand. I had a sign with a picture of the green “go” fingers for writing and a red stop sign with a picture of the “stop” fingers. This was a little trick I used when I was working in the school system as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. This reminds the child to keep those fingers closed in their hand with the correct fingers on the pencil. The fingers that are not on the pencil hold onto a small pom-pom, coin, or bead. Using pom-poms, coins, or beads in the last two fingers.
#Pencil grip types how to
You particularly want to focus on fine motor activities that require them to imitate how to hold a pencil or strengthen the fingers used in a pincer grasp. I know it seems counterproductive to not have them practice with a pencil and paper to write, but for children of this age, working on fine motor activities and strengthening the fingers for handwriting is going to get you a lot farther than just route practicing with pencil and paper. Focus on Fine Motor and Hands-On Activities NOT Pencil and Paper. Here are some ways you can address pencil grasp concerns.ġ. 5 Tips for Correcting Your Child's Pencil Grasp That could include their pencil grasp or it could be something else. They will be able to look for any underlying issues that could be affecting your child's handwriting. It's important to have any concerns addressed by an Occupational Therapist. If your child is complaining of hand fatigue when writing and has slower writing speed or legibility issues, then addressing any pencil grasp concerns could be helpful. If your child is older, it's important to look at other factors that may be affecting their pencil grasp, such as hand strength, writing speed, and legibility. Pre-Kindergarten and the beginning of Kindergarten are the perfect times to help correct a child’s grip, typically because they are still learning how.
However, if you do start to notice habits forming, it's important to address them. You should always model an efficient/functional grasp that is developmentally appropriate for your child's age. At what age should you correct a child's pencil grip? You can read more about pencil grasp development here.
0 kommentar(er)
