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Has anyone had success in correcting pencil grip?

21 replies

Blackpuddingbertha · 08/02/2014 18:13

DD is 6 & in Yr 1, she crosses her thumb over her pencil so sort of grips it in her fist. Teachers and us have been trying to correct it for two years but she will simply not do it. If you tell her she will hold it correctly but 10s later she's back to the original. Teacher says they do not agree with using triangle pencils or grips as they were advised not to do this by a physio when looking at another child (but not mine notably).

I'm not sure I agree as simply reminding and bribing is not working and I want to try something at home but don't know what. I've read other threads on here advising a range of things but wanted to know if anyone has had experience or success with anything in particular.

Thanks

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PeanutButterOnly · 08/02/2014 18:16

I don't know what is best but both dd(7) and ds (9) have unconventional grips. DS' teacher last year said it wasn't causing a problem so to leave it. Up until that point I hadn't noticed it wasn't right Envy. One of those things I entrust to the teacher.

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PurpleAlert · 08/02/2014 18:21

One of my pupils uses the StabiloEasyergo pencil This was recommended by an OT and a physio. Might be worth a try.

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PotteringAlong · 08/02/2014 18:22

My parents and teachers spent years trying to correct my grip. They eventually gave up - my writing is fine and even at the age of 9 or 10 I refused to write in a manner that was completely uncomfortable and unnatural (to me) just for them.

Leave them be if their writing is fine!

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PotteringAlong · 08/02/2014 18:23

Easy grip pencils are only easy if you have a conventional grip. Otherwise they're uncomfortable and a bit of an annoyance... :)

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clary · 08/02/2014 18:26

DD has a bizarre grip but her writing is very neat.

I recall her teacher saying she had tried to correct it but then figured the writing was fine.

I teach secondary and one of my absolutely lovely and bright yr 9 students, whose book is a delight of neat notes and beautifully set out, writes (I noticed yesterday) with her pen held in the most odd way. Doesn't seem to be holding her back Grin

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CoffeeBucks · 08/02/2014 18:26

I grip a pen with my thumb crossed over it - used triangular pencils at school (in the 90s, interesting that they are advising not doing this now) & my writing is fine. If it does not affect her writing, leave her be.

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Panzee · 08/02/2014 18:28

What is her writing like? I once worked with a teacher with the most beautiful handwriting. When I looked at her hand I saw the pen in between her first and middle finger and held in a fist! If her writing is fine and it's fast enough then I wouldn't worry personally.

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RightRoyalPainInTheArse · 08/02/2014 18:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrz · 08/02/2014 18:42

You could try the writing claw and lots of nagging

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clary · 08/02/2014 18:43

Grin me too rightroyal. All my students complain

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Olivegirl · 08/02/2014 18:48

My dds teacher used to try and correct her grip... This was natural to my dd. now she's 18 writes well, off to uni soon and still holding her pencil a little strange.
As long as they can write they will find their own way.

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SapphireMoon · 08/02/2014 18:54

Another fan of stabilio easygrip here...
Really helped my ds with his grip.

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Blackpuddingbertha · 08/02/2014 19:05

I think her writing is ok and on a par for her age currently, but she struggles to write neatly as it's a bit clumsy and her hand obscures where she's writing so it's difficult to see to ensure it's neat. My niece is 10 and has exactly the same grip, she struggles to write in a conventional size and still writes very large letters to compensate for the grip. I think DD will be the same unless we can correct it.

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Beamur · 08/02/2014 19:11

DD's grip isn't perfect. Reception teacher had her using various aids, but next teacher seems less concerned (prob because it has improved) Her writing is clear and neat. She had some triangular and other shaped thingamebobs on her pencils.

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mrz · 08/02/2014 19:19

Children don't need to to use a conventional tripod grip but they do need a comfortable effective grip to write

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MushroomSoup · 08/02/2014 19:48

Ok, try this.
Lay a pencil on the table with the writing tip pointing directly towards you. Pick it up, with a pincer grip (thumb and first finger), an inch away from the point. Then, with your other hand, touch the end of the pencil and flip it in an arc so that it lays on your hand.

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tess73 · 08/02/2014 20:00

Give her a fountain pen and see if it works. It didn't for my yr 3 DD due to her grip. I got her some rubber grips on eBay "solo pencil grips" and it has improved enormously.

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ContentedSidewinder · 08/02/2014 22:50

I worked in a school and for year 4 children very set in their ways they used this (dolphin pencil grip, this was the best photo of it in action)

They hold the dolphin with their last two fingers (gets them off the pencil) but they can have issues getting their fingers in the right position on the pencil to form that pincer grip so it was sometimes combined with a normal little moulded pencil grip too.

They did find it frustrating at first as the pencil pings from their fingers but it did help a lot. But I should add these were children who had an unusual grip and poor handwriting. If the handwriting was okay then I can't see why they would need to correct the grip.

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Blackpuddingbertha · 08/02/2014 23:28

Thank you everyone. I shall try the Stabilio easy grip pencils. I'm also quite tempted to try and make a version of those straps Contented as I think that would appeal to her.

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practicallyperfectornot · 09/02/2014 16:47

DS uses a 4 finger pencil grip (I hadn't even noticed!) because he has very very bendy fingers, OT observed him and said it doesn't seem to be hindering so not a problem. In the past CT's have tried to change the grip to his annoyance. At the end of the day if it is comfortable for the Dc why change it?

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Honeysweet · 09/02/2014 16:49

One of my kids used the wrong grip for a while before either myself or the teacher noticed. The teacher wasnt able to correct it, said she had been doing it for a while, and it wasnt a problem, so it was left. I trusted the teacher. Many years later, she still holds incorrectly, but it has never been a problem.

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