Farrar Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Anyone know any tricks to help a kid not try to bore the pencil through the paper, deep into my dining room table and then eventually into the floor? Okay, that was an exaggeration, but he really does push really hard. The other side of the paper has the letters all raised and occasionally he does end up poking holes through it. Not to mention how a pencil needs to be sharpened after just writing two sentences. Just saying, "Not so hard," is so not cutting it. I feel like there must be some great OT type method of teaching him to relax a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayt ul-Hikmah Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 My older ds had this problem too, and it came to a head when he was trying to do some shading in a drawing exercise -- it was so hard and dark that it was more blacking-out than shading. I just told him to put his weight on his *hand* so he can move the pencil lightly. It seems so obvious, but to him it was a lightbulb moment. I hadn't had any success trying to get him to relax his hand. When he adjusted where he was pushing, he ended up really relaxing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Mechanical pencils with thin leads. Pushing too hard will break the lead every time, so there's instant, objective feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Mechanical pencils with thin leads. Pushing too hard will break the lead every time, so there's instant, objective feedback. This was going to be my suggestion, too. With a .5 lead, my 7yo learned not to push hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Using a fountain pen helps, too. You cannot press very hard with one or you'll bend the nib. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Using a fountain pen helps, too. You cannot press very hard with one or you'll bend the nib. :-) :iagree: Back home, elementary students learn to write in fountain pen. There is no pressure needed, the nib glides on the ink, and it is so much easier on the hand. No cramping ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 Well my other ds likes to write with a quill pen! He's not been doing it lately, but after our trip to Williamsburg, he was doing his copywork with it all the time. But this kid... Honestly, putting a nice pen in the hand of this kid seems like a mistake. He'd probably just break them all. He smashes the points of all the markers and he's bent the metal tips of my pens before. Sigh. Besides, we're eraser people. Not that you can erase when you've made marks that dark, but the idea is there. But I like the idea of the mechanical pencils! I'll just have to buy a LOT of leads to get him started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Well my other ds likes to write with a quill pen! He's not been doing it lately, but after our trip to Williamsburg, he was doing his copywork with it all the time. But this kid... Honestly, putting a nice pen in the hand of this kid seems like a mistake. He'd probably just break them all. He smashes the points of all the markers and he's bent the metal tips of my pens before. Sigh. Besides, we're eraser people. Not that you can erase when you've made marks that dark, but the idea is there. But I like the idea of the mechanical pencils! I'll just have to buy a LOT of leads to get him started. You can purchase a "disposable" fountain pen called a Pilot Varsity (V Pen outside the USA) very inexpensively. Despite being in the roughly $3 price range they are pretty darn good fountain pens. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 I like those Pilot Varsities. My mom always has them and I've stolen... ahem... borrowed them before. I still think he'll just smash the tips and $3 is still a lot more than the pencil leads... I have to go to Staples anyway. Maybe I'll get both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Stocking stuffers ;) Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 I wish I could make them stocking stuffers! The grown-ups in my family always swap names and this year the kids came to me and were like, we want to stuff each other's stockings! So I gave them a budget (it turned out to be a nice living math thing to have them tally their spendings) and let them do it. But, of course, I've been seeing millions of things *I* want to put in their stockings - silly things and useful things like better pens and new toothbrushes with stickers or Phineas and Ferb. So I have decidedly mixed feelings about this experiment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacefully Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 Thanks, Yllek. That does make sense about the "feel" of the pencil. And I may try that with the cardboard. His grip seems fine to me and I've dealt with kids with poor grips before. He does it sometimes when doing art (and he's my doodling, artsy kid), but he's usually much better - he likes to shade and do things with oil pastels. It seems to be solely an issue with writing... which probably means its tied to his anxiety and not a specifically small motor skills issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Maybe he could try writing with a pen on a balloon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 How is his upper body strength? Calvin's OT said that pressing too hard often comes from leaning too hard on the hands/arms to support the upper body. Swimming might help. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 That's interesting... how would I know how his upper body strength is? He's my stronger swimmer. We actually went the other day for the first time for the winter and the kiddie pool was closed so he saw in the lap pool really proudly. Mostly doggie paddling as he's never had proper lessons, but he went back and forth over and over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 That's interesting... how would I know how his upper body strength is? He's my stronger swimmer. We actually went the other day for the first time for the winter and the kiddie pool was closed so he saw in the lap pool really proudly. Mostly doggie paddling as he's never had proper lessons, but he went back and forth over and over. If he's sitting next to you, does he lean on you all the time? Does he lie down to read rather than sitting? These are some things that Calvin used to do. Another thing that can cause excessive pencil pressure is lack of hand strength. If the fingers are not strong, then the child will hold the pencil in a 'death grip' in order to have control. This tense grip is then not flexible and leads to too much pressure on the page. Have a look to see if he directs the pencil flexibly with his fingers or whether he has to move his whole hand. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 My kids do that due to lack of hand strength, which they are in OT for. Lots and lots of playdough work, tong/tweezer work, squeezing triggers on water guns or spray bottles, etc. We have large mouse pads under their papers, and when they press too hard, they go through. Just be aware that there will be a LOT of holes in paper for a while if you do that, and tears from little ones who are upset with the holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Have him use a mechanical pencil, either .7 or .5. Have him write on top of a mousepad. He pushes too, hard, he gets holes. Have plenty of extra lead and scotch tape on hand. These do work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 So today he finished up the math he chose not to do earlier this week but with the mechanical pencil. Wowza. I could literally see the difference on the paper where he stopped from before and started again with the mechanical. His numbers were neater as well. So that's a win. I'll look at the hand strength and upper body strength stuff too. Thanks, guys. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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