Any left hander pencil grip experts out there?

[MrsHeffley]

Dtwins just 8 is a left hander who forms all his letters correctly(Z a bit iffy but it would be being left handed). He holds his pencil correctly bar his thumb which is stretched out.As his writing can be faint and sometimes too small I'm wondering if it's due to his thumb.We just had a go and he got stroppy when I made him bend it as he said it's harder to see what he's writing.

So do I persevere(school clearly aren't going to do anything)or let it go?????

TIA

[sarahfreck]

Ideally you need advice form a paediatric OT as it may be due to other muscle or control problems (eg in shoulder). They should be able to recommend exercises etc. You may be able to get your GP to refer you to the OT service. Ask your ds if he has any pain when writing. This is a big indicator that there are problems that need addressing.

One exercise you could get him to practice is touching thumb to each finger on LH in turn. Can he do this evenly and fluently? If not try practising for a few minutes each day. (disclaimer - only a teacher myself, not OT so I may not be giving the best exercise suggestion!!)

[pinkgirlythoughts]

I used those pencil grips as a child and couldn't get on with them either. Makes it harder to see what you're writing, and makes your hand ache really quickly.

If I were you, I'd just let it go, and encourage him to practice his writing regularly to help him improve, without the grips.

[PastSellByDate]

MrsHeffley

My eldest DD is also a 'leftie'. We've found foam pencil grips work much better. Basically they cushion the fingers regardless of the grip and you can work gradually on hand position. Most office supply places/ big news agents should have them - and generally in a wide range of colours/ designs.

We found left-handed pens by stabilo (easy move roller ball) helped a lot with improving the hand position, because they're molded into the correct position so you automatically grip correctly (you can get them at most office supply/ big news agents). The ink seems to flow much better in the left hand position and the pen is shaped to improve the grip.

The Stabilo pen has helped so much that the school allows my DD to use this pen, instead of school issue pens, for her work in class (Y4).

Short of that - I think it is just practice and helping to get a grip that isn't too tiring to use when there is a lot of writing and that can work with 'normal' biros.

[mrz]

handedness.org/action/leftwrite.html

[mathanxiety]

DD4 is a leftie. She used to hold the pencil far too close to the tip and her writing was very faint, but I got her to hold it about an inch up, which really improved things. She used foam grips at the start as she tended to hold her pencil in a clawlike grip that made my teeth itch when she first took to scribbling.

[mrz]

Try "kung fu" handwriting put a "belt of tape around the pencil to show where the child should hold it and change the colour as grip improves until they graduate to a full "black belt" in pencil holding [hgrin]

[Joyn]

I'm a leftie & have just had to pick up a pen to see what my grip looks like. I also hardly/don't bend my thumb (it's weird when you try to analysis something you usually do without thinking about it). I've never really had any problems with my hand writing or the strength of my mark making, but having now analysised the way I hold a pen I can see why it might be an issue. I don't really use my thumb to grip the pen, it's just there for balance & if your ds is similar that could explain why his writing is feint, as that means it's only his index finger exerting pressure on the pen & that may not be directly towards the paper iyswim. Have a look at the orientation of his hand when he writes, (a lot of lefties change the angle of their hand to help them see what they have written,) I wouldn't really suggest changing that, but it might help you & him understand why he has feint writing and it could be that you do need to encourage him to bend his thumb & use it to grip the pen.