Help! My child's pencil grip is all wrong...

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

He is right-handed, but holds his pencil like my left-handed dh. (He's a clone of him!)

 

His handwriting hasn't improved in years. We have done HWT print and cursive books. This week I started to really look at how he is holding his hand. I realized that he is bending 90 degrees at the wrist and holding the pencil above the line he needs to write on. (Insert hanging my head in shame).

 

The only way I can figure out to correct this, is to make a splint of some type, so he can't bend his wrist. Any better ideas out there!

 

K

[xxxxxxxx]

Someone, anyone have any ideas...........I failed so miserably because usually this subject results in tears at our house.

[Sorbie]

 

The only way I can figure out to correct this' date=' is to make a splint of some type, so he can't bend his wrist. Any better ideas out there!

 

K[/quote']

 

There are products like this on the market. Here is one called the handi-writer:

http://www.otideas.com/Items/PencilGrips.htm

 

I had this same problem with one of my 6 year olds. I eventually bought one of every type of pencil grip I could find and then made him try them all until I found one that forced him to write at the correct angle. He still doesn't hold his pencil at exactly the correct angle, but it is close enough. I quit worrying about getting it perfect because he has developed really nice handwriting. Hope that helps.

 

-Amber

[Claire]

Above the age of 6 or so, it's almost impossible to change a pencil grip. I don't think a splint would work.

 

When researching left handedness a long time ago, I came around some research that suggested the wrap-around grip you describe may be genetically determined.

 

After watching many different people write, I realized that many, many adults have non-ideal pencil grips and have wondered if this has become more common as less emphasis is put on handwriting these days (because of computers). The solution these days is usually to start teaching keyboarding skills early.

[klmama]

One of my dc had a very twisted wrist and needed major help. I ended up using the writing frame from Zaner-Bloser. It wasn't terribly comfortable, but it made dc hold the pencil correctly. After a few days, we tried without, and the threat of having to use it again kept the hand in the right position much of the time. I think we went back and forth on using it for a month or two, and it did help. Now, two years later, I still have to remind occasionally, but most of the time the grip is okay.

 

http://www.teachers-store.com/html/xhwresults.html?xhw=Y&cat=Handwriting&series=Handwriting%20Supplements

[Karen sn]

oops

[ELaurie]

It's a bit hard to describe, but if you can find a tongue depressor (the kind used in doctor's offices) have your dc hold it in his hand, with his fingers wrapped around it (as if he is holding a bicycle handle). A Popsicle stick may also work, but I think a wider stick is more comfortable to hold. Place a loose rubber band around each end of the stick, so that the stick is under his hand, and the rubber band is on top of his hand, holding the stick in place. (Does that make any sense? I should probably go to bed instead of trying to describe this.) The stick should stick out beyond his hand, on the "pinkie" side by about 1/2 inch. It will prevent turning his hand at an angle. If this doesn't make sense, I'll try to describe it again in the morning :closedeyes:

[fulytymewyfe]

we used the idea of breaking their crayons and pencils to be very small, so they had to hold it the proper way. this cured my two children w/grip problems after awhile.

[Guest MommiJenn]

I was just researching the very same thing and not having much luck! My 4yo is right-handed but holds her pencil and crayons like a left-handed writer. My question is if it even matters? Is it necessary to correct? If so, did you find a solution? I think I may post a new thread about this and see if I get any new feedback. :)

[gingersmom]

You might want to teach him how to become a really fast typer.

 

I would think that at age 11/13 its going to be a really (near impossible) habit to break.

[min]

No real ideas, but I've been researching poor pencil grasp also. Here are some links I found, no idea if they will be useful to you, but I'd been planning to share them here anyway:

 

http://www.rch.org.au/emplibrary/ot/InfoSheet_A.pdf

http://www2.ccsd.ws/k4/ot/pencil_grasp.htm

http://www.otility.com/articles/pencil-grasp-patterns.aspx

http://www.otplan.com/

 

Best of luck!

Min