Pencil grip

[EverybodysSleepyEyed]

DS is 5 and still can't hold his pencil properly! He holds it like you would a dart with all 4 fingers (iyswim)

at school his teacher makes him use a grip but he still does it his way. at home i can't get him to change.

he writes remarlably well considering but ultimately his writing is never going to improve beyond this.

Any suggestions as to how I can improve the grip?

Rymans sell some very good pens/pencils made by Stabilo (I think) that come in right and left handed format. They are curved to fit correctly in the hand and have flat grip bits in the correct place down by the lead/nib so children's fingers don't slide right down. Ds would hold pencil by the actual nib if he got the chance but these really help him - he is left handed as well so the fact it was possible to get a lh one was a bonus. Well worth the money.

Oooh, just found you can get them on Amazon if you aren't near a Rymans and they made by Stabilo.

That should have read are made but there you go.

Agree with getting special pens for home and a pencil grip too - and make sure he uses them! Rewards chart maybe? But do persist - I didn't and ds 11 now has atrocious handwriting

Not saying to leave it as late as this, but my ds had a really poor pen grip until last year (yr 5). Teacher said it was too late to change, and his writing was not too bad despite this. However, I made it my one and only task to attempt to change over the summer holidays (did not do any other 'school' work with him, just reminded him every time he wanted to draw or write/label a drawing). He went back in September with excellent pen grip and now beautiful writing:-)

Stabilo Easygraph fixed this problem for DS2. I bought him a couple of the graphite ones and a set of the colours (easycolors), which are lovely, lovely quality. A year ago he was hardly writing or drawing anything, but now he's keen and does lovely pictures. I got mine from amazon.

Great! Thanks for the advice - I will look up the stabilo pencils!

DS is younger but struggles with his pencil grip. The school have given me a booklet on a method called snap and flip. It's a way to pick up the pencil so that it's in the right hold. It's probably online if not I can write it out for you.

The learning support person had said to encourage him to use this method and if his grip becomes crowded to ask him to stop writing and pick up the pencil using the method again. It seems to be helping him to hold the pencil in a less crowded way.

I googled it but can't seem to find it. Is it too long to write out? I think I can see how you could do it

here

Dd had this,worked on strengthening her grip. Used lots of pegs,got her to put loads around a tea towel. Also elastic bands are good,got her to loop one around thumb and each finger and stretched.

The stabilo pencils helped my drawing/writing and pencil work refuser to draw and write happily, she can now be found drawing in her room if I ever wonder why it is quiet.

I buy Dd3's stabilo pens and pencils from cult pens. They are super speedy and free delivery.

She uses them all the time as she has hypermobile joints and finds holding a pen/ pencil really diificult.

Chrysanthemum, does it look like

Thanks for all the advice. i will shop around and also try the youtube link - that's how i imagined doing it (maybe I have repressed childhood memories as my writing is terrible but I do at least have perfect pencil grip now!)

Hi it is like the clip but you put the pencil down on the desk facing you then pick it up and flip it over. The good thing is that if you notice your childs grip is becoming crowded they can put the pencil down and use the technique to get the right hand position.

Lots of pegging things to a washing line is good (Montessori technique) - but keep in mind that some kids, esp. aren't developmentally ready to master the pincer grip until they're 7. Which is just one reason why starting them at 4 makes no sense to me.

Esp. boys is what I meant to say doh

He's always had a really good pincer grip - he is actually quite dexterous with small fiddly toys and he can do buttons easily. It's just the pencil grip - he adds all his fingers!! the pegs are interesting because maybe there is a strength issue.

He wants to write and draw and I just don't want him to get into a bad habit.

i will just keep going and try Chrys technique too. I think he forgets how he's supposed to do it and this would be a good way of making it stick in his mind

I'd be more worried about the affects of continually trying to change him and telling him he's doing it the wrong way....I mean, it may be nothing and he may develop the right grip with time but I assume it's possible that he may just develop low self-esteem and a dislike of writing? At his age maybe he won't be so fussed about getting things 'wrong' and being different to classmates but if he doesn't learn later and you continue to try and teach him the right way then maybe he would start to change how he feels about it...?

I'm trying to being careful with my words here because I really don't want to worry you....but, are you sure his handwriting cannot progress any further? At 5, even if he were using the correct grip, he still has a long way to go when it comes to getting used to holing pencils and writing. I doubt he can't progress the way he is. If he's confident and happy then I wouldn't be too fussed. I hold my pencil wrong and I have perfect handwriting (when I want to) and can draw/paint stuff too (Art GCSE Grade A).

And 2to3, children start using pincer grip at nine months.....obviously they will not master it for many years but they won't master it without practice and if it's something they're already starting before they're 1 I don't think there's much wrong with them developing their skills at three years later....

Hi no nothing wrong with developing the skill further, obviously. But being set a task at 4 or 5 to write words with a pencil when you are not developmentally ready to do it can impact on your confidence and enjoyment of writing and drawing.

Oh well yeah, I totally agree with that. Sorry for taking it the wrong way (and possibly being a bit condescending).

He holds his pencil in a very odd way - it is not really a grip and he gets frustrated when he can't draw something because his hand is getting in the way. it isn't just writing - he finds colouring and drawing hard and he is desperate to draw at the moment. The grip he uses just doesn't give him the control he needs. When he uses the pencil grip at school he is much happier with his work.

so the problem is more that it is his way of holding his pencil that impedes his enjoyment of writing and drawing!

I never tell him he's doing it wrong - the teacher and I are trying to encourage it as a more comfortable way of holding the pencil.

Yes, ds does this, his hold is very 'crowded' and it makes it hard to see what he is drawing. The snap and flip technique really does help with it as if ds's grip is becoming crowded I ask him to 're-set' his hold.

As a parent what helped me, to help ds, was his learning support person showing me a very clear picture of a good pencil grip. It sounds odd, but it's hard to see how you are holding the pencil yourself so I found it hard to help ds change his grip. Now I've seen this picture I am much more able to see when ds's grip needs work.