pencil grip - pls help!

[LEK]

Well this I was not prepared for. we are in our first year of formal HS with a Ker and a p-Ker. Researched curricula to death and am happy with all my choices as are the kiddies, we are making great progress in all areas except one. Holding a pencil! I kid you not, holding that pencil correctly is driving us both bonkers, she just does not get it and it is fast becoming the bane of our schooling. I cannot figure out how to correct that pencil grip, I have tried everything and no success. Honestly she holds it any old which way, in her fist, at the very end, randomly between any 2 fingers... when i try to correct it she insists she can't write like that and adjusts to the most uncomfortable looking positioning ever and completely unworkable. Help please, any advice greatly appreciated. Any website recommendations to show how I can correct it? Any tips at all? Honestly I am at my wits end here, there has to be something we are missing.

[BlessedMom]

:grouphug: I highly recommend "Stetro Pencil Grips", they can be extremely helpful! :grouphug:

[NotSoObvious]

Yep, buy a good pencil grip.

 

In the mean time, if you have silly putty, just form the silly putty like a ball around the pencil (where you would hold it) and use your grip to make indentations. She can use that.

 

Dr. Jean has a cute song about how to hold a pencil.

 

Also, my OT friend says that two fingers on top (so the pencil is resting on your ring finger, not your middle finger) is now accepted as a perfectly fine way to hold a pencil. But try a grip first.

 

Perhaps start off with only requiring a correct grip during your lessons- as in, this is school time and this is what is required. Then after a few weeks you can start nagging her during other times. :)

 

Pencil grip is hard for some kids, but it's also a reallllly hard habit to break if they learn it wrong. Don't give up!!!

[FairProspects]

I third the grip idea. The claw version was what finally worked for older ds. I also made him color with crayon rocks. They make the hand move into the correct position for pencil grips. Playdough to strengthen those muscles would also be a good idea.

[LEK]

Thanks, will try a different pencil grip and see if that helps and will look up that song.

Any other suggestions?

[LEK]

ok, I now have 2 of the stetro grips, hopefully this will help. Never heard of the claw one but will keep in mind if this grip does not work. Thanks

[MeganW]

You need a grip. Not the ones you get from an office supply store (which are just cushions), but one that truly makes you hold the pencil correctly.

 

Try Stetro grips to start with. You need a bunch - put them on every pencil, pen, crayon, or marker the child uses. They are a pain to get on and off, so it really is worth just buying a lot. I got them from Amazon.com.

 

Use those 100% of the time for a few months. If the grasp isn't fixed, come back. There are more extreme things to try, but start with Stetros.

[Pen]

Place pencil on desk with tip toward the child. (can also be with tip facing toward the dominant / writing hand) Have the child pinch the pencil about 1" up from tip, between thumb and index finger/pointer. Lift pencil. Rotate the pencil (child can do it or you can do it if this is too hard for child) until the barrel of the pencil is against the hand (will usually be touching the pocket between thumb and index finger/pointer). Let the middle finger join the thumb and pointer in supporting the finger in a tripod grip. (It is okay to do the same thing using the quad grip)

 

If the rotation stage can be made fun, with a nice twirl, so much the better. Guide a proper grip and the start of each pencil using session, and repeat often. It is better to practice it right than to practice it wrong and then have to unlearn a poor grip habit.

 

My son got into bad pencil grip habit in bm school and it was hard work to get it changed.

[Tracy]

:grouphug: I highly recommend "Stetro Pencil Grips", they can be extremely helpful! :grouphug:

 

:iagree: Yes, Stetro grips on a mechanical pencil (they break if you put too much pressure on it) has hugely improved my dd7's grip and handwriting stamina.

[FO4UR]

I also made him color with crayon rocks. They make the hand move into the correct position for pencil grips.

 

 

I simply broke up a pack of crayons into 1-2inch nubs. It works the same way. It works with chalk too.

 

 

A basic rule of thumb for teaching anything is to break a skill down into parts and teach each part, and then put the parts together. Have a time where you are 100% focused on that pencil grip (5-10min). Kumon mazes, dot-to-dots, etc...(No learning new info - just practicing grip with something that is hopefully fun.) Then, do her actual handwriting practice (letter formation) with a utensil that she cannot fail to grasp correctly (like crayon nubs...or fat sidewalk chalk where a tripod grasp is not expected.)

 

 

If you practice those two things separately for a few weeks, she will probably start writing with a proper grip on her own. Give her plenty of time. That grip needs to be 2nd nature before she can really focus on *writing* with a proper grip.

 

 

Stetro grips and cross-over grips are nice. It depends on what she's trying to do with her hands as to which one I would recommend. The cross-overs are best for kids who want to cross the thumb over like a fist.

 

 

With my oldest, I had a little chant. "Karate chop, eraser out, and grip." (I had him use a pencil grip.) He needed to be explicitly taught how to put the pencil in his hand. sigh! The good news is that he's 9yo, holds a pencil correctly, and had nice handwriting. Be patient. It's worth the effort.

[besroma]

:lurk5:

[Kel & the Kids]

I have one who has lovely long fingers and finds it difficult to hold pencils and forks properly (I think the muscles are long and weak?). She also loves sweets. So now I bribe her with chocolate chips. She starts with 10 and for every time I have to remind her to hold her pencil correctly during school time (total of about 90 minutes) she loses a chip. In 3 weeks she has learned to retain all of her chocolate chips. I'm really pleased since it's been 1.5 years of reminding and re-gripping every 30 seconds and now it's over! I need to think of a new challenge to capitalize on the momentum :)

 

Hope you find something that works!

[LEK]

:iagree: Yes, Stetro grips on a mechanical pencil (they break if you put too much pressure on it) has hugely improved my dd7's grip and handwriting stamina.

ooh thanks love this idea, she not only holds the pencil wrong but also presses so hard.

 

Thanks for the suggestions for small crayon stubs, will do that this week too. thanks everyone, hopefully we can now make some progress on this issue!