Has anyone had experience with a child with an incorrect pencil grip?
My 7 yo, almost 8yo son has been holding his pencil incorrectly ever since learning to write (he hyper-extends his thumb and forefinger instead of letting it curve naturally), and although I tend to lean on the side of letting it go because he forms his letters somewhat correctly, I am concerned that later on he might have some sort of muscle problem, or not be able to write neatly or quickly. I am also concerned because his letters are a little shaky, and he writes slowly to me.
Can anyone recommend strategies or even a remediation resource?
Sent in by Dana R.
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Dana,
ReplyDeleteI HIGHLY recommend HWT (Handwriting Without Tears)!
Check out http://www.hwtears.com/ for more info.
They have TONS of free downloads that are worth checking out.
We use this handwriting curr. and both boys (3 and 6) have learned so much! Feel free to write more off-line for more info. :)
Hope it helps!
:)
The HWT is good--they recommend writing with small pieces of chalk and crayon, as it strengthens the muscles needed for the grip.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my sil was an excellent 1st grade teacher for over a decade, and she recommended getting the little pencil grips that place the child's hand in the correct position. She seemed to think that they would be easily found in an education-type store.
I wish you the best.
Lori K
When you "need to buy" little pencils, the dear HWT rep. told us to just cut off a pencil to make it shorter and then sharpen it to the length they recommend. :) Works great and MUCH cheaper than buying the official HWT pencils.
ReplyDeletePlus, golf pencils and the free IKEA pencils are about the right size. :)
A shorter pencil does make a HUGE difference! You can read all about it on their web site. :)