Teaching grip to a 4.5 DS?

[cseitter]

I know that it is just immaturity and that is why he holds his pencil in his fist but what should I be doing to fix that?

 

I have HWT preschool and have been following their information about teaching the correct grip but has no affect. He has a twin sister that colors like a champ and is writing her letters beautifully and we can't do anything that needs writing because he can't do it..

[FairProspects]

Have you tried offering M & Ms? Works like a charm for my 4 y.o. ds. I didn't even realize he knew how to hold a pencil until I offered to give him an M & M for a proper grip.

 

Also, have you tried that pick up with 2 fingers and flip trick from HWOT? That worked for both my kids and the kids I tutor. If it doesn't work for some reason, the claw pencil grips worked for my first (with fine motor delays who needed OT) to put the thumb and fingers in the right place.

 

4.5 is really young though and boys have such a hard time with fine motor skills, it probably is just developmental and I would just keep playing games with these tricks until he gets it.

[boscopup]

Also, have you tried that pick up with 2 fingers and flip trick from HWOT? That worked for both my kids and the kids I tutor. If it doesn't work for some reason, the claw pencil grips worked for my first (with fine motor delays who needed OT) to put the thumb and fingers in the right place.

 

The pencil flip worked for my oldest too. Great little trick!

 

My 4 year old HAD a great pencil grip. Then he got a Leapster for Christmas, and it's more comfortable to hold the stylus with the writing end coming out of the top of his hand instead of the bottom (due to the string being in the way). I found myself doing this too, actually. So after playing that a bit (and not even every day or every week), he started holding his pencils and crayons the same way! :banghead: Thankfully, I had talked with him a lot about pencil grip earlier, and corrected incorrect grip (just by placing his fingers in the right spot - before I knew about the pencil flip), so now I can say "Hold your pencil correctly" and he'll change it. If I needed to, I would totally do the M&M bribery too! :lol:

 

Another idea is to give him crayon PIECES instead of full crayons - so he has to hold just a small piece and can't fist grip it.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I've never heard of the pencil flip thing before, but this is how I taught my son-

 

http://celebratingasimplelife.blogspot.com/search/label/writing

[blondeviolin]

We get these at Lakeshore. They are great for developing the muscles and the memory to hold a pencil properly for younger kids.

[boscopup]

We get these at Lakeshore. They are great for developing the muscles and the memory to hold a pencil properly for younger kids.

 

I think you pasted the wrong link. :D

[Nart]

Did you buy the little Flip crayons to go along with the pre-school HWT program? My son is the same age and his grip was not good. I ordered the whole Pre-K program including the flip crayons and the chalk bits. I was amazed at how small they are in both length and diameter. But they work because they are so small it is hard to hold them incorrectly. The HWT program also recommends not using pencils or dry erase markers on white boards until they are in K, instead they suggest crayons or chalk.

Jenn

[melmichigan]

Ticonderoga new large triangle pencils and these.

[Ellie]

Just gentle, consistent correction and replacment of fingers. Check his grip on his eating utensils, too (if he holds his fork/spoon in his fist now, he'll do it when he's 6 and 7 and older. You don't want that.).

[cseitter]

I think you pasted the wrong link. :D

 

LOL I just clicked on it and thought "Military camp!?" :lol:

[cseitter]

Did you buy the little Flip crayons to go along with the pre-school HWT program? My son is the same age and his grip was not good. I ordered the whole Pre-K program including the flip crayons and the chalk bits. I was amazed at how small they are in both length and diameter. But they work because they are so small it is hard to hold them incorrectly. The HWT program also recommends not using pencils or dry erase markers on white boards until they are in K, instead they suggest crayons or chalk.

Jenn

 

I did get the flip crayons. He can't hold those correctly either... He just fists them.

[peacefully]

The Kleenex trick worked well for my ds.

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2007/07/works-for-me-te.html

 

Ds didn't like the claw grip, but sometimes he'll ask for the crossover grip. I find that one more comfortable too.

[Satori]

Ooh, I'll have to try the Kleenex trick with my dd! I pretty much gave up on her grip after 2 years of trying to correct it.

[JudoMom]

You might want to try the PipSqueak markers from Crayola. That's what Barchowsky recommends for young students, and my youngest LOVES them. Without the cap, they are quite short.

[blondeviolin]

LOL I just clicked on it and thought "Military camp!?" :lol:

 

Didn't you know they have military camps to correct errant pencil-gripping? :lol:

 

The right link here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001SN8HOY/ref=mp_s_a_2?qid=1299888575&sr=8-2

[gardening momma]

The Kleenex trick worked well for my ds.

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2007/07/works-for-me-te.html

Does this make them put their fingers in the correct place on the pencil (finger/thumb tips, rather than farther back on the fingers) or does it only teach the 3 fingers to use? Does that make sense? Dd7 holds her pencil with a tripod grip, but her index finger and thumb extend too far out.

 

ETA: I tried it myself, and it doesn't look like it would change her grip.

[KristenR]

Also, have you tried that pick up with 2 fingers and flip trick from HWOT? That worked for both my kids and the kids I tutor.

 

Okay, so what is this flip trick?? Inquiring minds want to know!

[boscopup]

My sons are really glad I didn't send them to military camp over this. :lol:

 

Okay, so what is this flip trick?? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

For a right-handed kid, lay the pencil down in front of the kid, with the point pointing toward the right, and the eraser toward the left. Now have the child pick up the pencil between thumb and index finger (pincer grasp) just above the shaved part of the pencil (where he's supposed to hold it), and flip the pencil so that it lands in the space between the finger and thumb.

 

Hopefully that makes sense. Try it yourself. It's pretty cool!

[KristenR]

 

For a right-handed kid, lay the pencil down in front of the kid, with the point pointing toward the right, and the eraser toward the left. Now have the child pick up the pencil between thumb and index finger (pincer grasp) just above the shaved part of the pencil (where he's supposed to hold it), and flip the pencil so that it lands in the space between the finger and thumb.

 

Hopefully that makes sense. Try it yourself. It's pretty cool!

 

 

Thank you. That makes sense. :)

[kristinannie]

I struggled with this for awhile. Finally I told him that he had to hold his pencil correctly while we did school. I made a point of showing him how much better his writing (or coloring) looked when he was holding his pencil or crayon correctly. He could really tell the difference between a B written correctly or not. It was a constant struggle for several days, but then he finally admitted defeat. I think it was the consistency of making him hold his pencil correctly for every letter he wrote. Also, I would put a check mark next to the letters that looked really good and he really wanted that check mark.