s/o should I just give up with improper pencil grip?

[AdamsFamily]

My dd has a similar problem. She has terrible handwriting. If I force her, she will form her letters beautifully, otherwise her handwriting is atrocious. She often forms her letters from the bottom up.

 

Should I even worry? She is excelling in every other subject. She has no problem putting her thoughts down on paper. Her handwriting does not seem to hold her back in communicating her answers nor writing paragraphs and essays. She can form cursive letters, but usually prints. If her work is illegible, I make her redo it.

 

She is generally sloppy. Her room is a constant mess. She likes to draw on her workbook pages. She forgets to complete an entire task or pick up after herself. We are constantly telling her to pick up, put dirty clothes away, shut draws of her dresser, clean up around her place at the table, etc. But she will absorb herself in a book and finish large books in a short amount of time with decent comprehension of what she read. She will choose to write a report on anything for any reason at any time. Teaching her has been easy. Except for handwriting.

 

Should I worry about her handwriting or just hope she'll become a doctor or use a computer for the rest of her life? :)

 

BTW, my other dd is the exact opposite! :~

[Mommy22alyns]

:bigear:

 

Rebecca's grip is fine, but Sylvia's is atrocious. I tried using pencil grips and I don't think they've helped her at all since it's still bad without the grip. She's about 90% legible.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

How about traditional style cursive by PenTime, pencil grips or a very, very short pencil? She might find cursive easier.

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Pencil-Grip-Crossover-Ergonomic/dp/B001SN8HPI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361387335&sr=8-2&keywords=pencil+grips

[mom2att]

She is generally sloppy. Her room is a constant mess. She likes to draw on her workbook pages. She forgets to complete an entire task or pick up after herself. We are constantly telling her to pick up, put dirty clothes away, shut draws of her dresser, clean up around her place at the table, etc. But she will absorb herself in a book and finish large books in a short amount of time with decent comprehension of what she read. She will choose to write a report on anything for any reason at any time. Teaching her has been easy. Except for handwriting.

 

 

Based on the above, I suggest you do some reading on executive function. Not because there's anything wrong, per se, just because it will give you some insight on what she may be struggling with and provide some ways to help in this area.

 

No Mind Left Behind by Adam Cox is one book that comes to mind. I am reading it now because my son struggles with poor working memory, which is one of the executive function skills.

 

Not that that helps you with the handwriting question, but there it is anyway.

[JennyD]

whoops, wrong thread.

[delaney]

I have given up in this area. I have a leftie that I am sure will figure it out at some point. I stopped badgering my 6 yr old and all of a sudden the grip is right! I guess it may be a physical maturity thing. My younger daughter has gorgeous writing and a lousy grip. If it works for her I say who cares. Most stuff is done on computer now anyway.

[Tracy]

My dd has a similar problem. She has terrible handwriting. If I force her, she will form her letters beautifully, otherwise her handwriting is atrocious. She often forms her letters from the bottom up.

 

You could try teaching cursive using a font that always starts on the baseline.

[AdamsFamily]

Based on the above, I suggest you do some reading on executive function. Not because there's anything wrong, per se, just because it will give you some insight on what she may be struggling with and provide some ways to help in this area.

 

No Mind Left Behind by Adam Cox is one book that comes to mind. I am reading it now because my son struggles with poor working memory, which is one of the executive function skills.

 

Not that that helps you with the handwriting question, but there it is anyway.

 

 

Thank you! I reserved this book and another titled, Smart but Scattered. That title describes my dd perfectly! I had never heard of executive functions before your post, so thank you very much.