As a mom of two, 13 and 8, and a teacher, i can confidentally say that handwriting difficulties in kinder are quite common and nothing to be concerned with.
With my son we used the big pencils which were easier to grip. You can try pencil grips, there are all kinds. Different grips allow a child to hold the pencil in the right way too. When my son got older we changed to mechanical pencils because he pressed so hard...the mechanical pencils reminded him to keep a softer grip.
My daughter has more dramatic writing difficulty so i have tried all the above (grip was not her problem) and then tried going over writing practice in highlighters and then have her trace over it in pencil. My daughter receives occupational therapy to work on fine motor skills and she's improved dramatically. My son's handwriting is now quite pretty.
Try some pencil grips. Handwriting takes time so don't sweat it.
Each of my three children also hold their pencils funny, but they all figured out how to write their letters, eventually. I tried to not force my kids to hold the pencil a specific way. The teachers were not worried about it, so I figured, I should not worry about it. As long as they practice everyday, which is what they do in kindergarden, they progress and later it's not an issue. What kind of trouble is she having? Is it trouble that her teacher has brought to your attention?
D'Nel S
There is an occupational therapist assigned to each public school. Find out her name and ask her for suggestions. If your child is receiving special education or just speech therapy services, you can ask for an occupational therapy consult. Occupational therapy services come under the umbrella of special education.
Betty D.
Contact Kim Worthington at Artistic Gatherings (www.artisticgatherings.com). She is a wonderful woman and an amazing artist but she is also trained as an instructor for Handwriting Without Tears, a one-on-one program to help children with their handwriting skills. Good luck!
At six, I will say that it is probably too early for her to be writing. It bothers me that children are forced to "develop" at prescribed times per "the school." Children are all different, but gross motor skill development is EXTREMELY important and actually leads to better fine motor skill development. Spend time bouncing balls and catching them (jacks are a particularly good exercise).
My son was ok with pencils, but scissors he held like shears...so later we find out he is dysgraphic (the act of writing is very hard and getting the info out of his brain to paper is particularly hard). You might consider having her tested. (timing is important, you want any developmental issues to be resolve themselves first) However, the good news is that my son is 13 now and long ago, without intervention, he moved to using scissors normally on his own...
So, if you are frantic work with a occupational therapist. The OT I talked to recommended the triangular pencil holders as the best way to help a child hold a pencil correctly (TEacher Heaven has them for sure)
I typed "awkward pencil grip, 6 years old" (without quotes) into Google, and I got these links, all which look really good-- if the only problem she's having in school is with pencil grip/writing. But if you and/or her teacher thinks she is developmentally delayed in other areas as well, then you might want to get her tested for special education (and have an occupational therapy evaluation). If the only issue is pencil grip/writing, then the links below should help. You might want to expose her to a lot of gross and fine motor activities, games, etc. that can help develop this skill--use big chalk on a sidewalk, write/trace letters in the sand, use bilateral scissors to cut. Whatever you do, make it fun! Also, make sure her vision has been tested by a pediatric ophthalmologist. Good luck! jenifer
Best Pencil Grup in the world www.thepencilgrip.com. Only one I would use (I have tried most of them!) Grip that is not corrected by age 7 is very difficult to correct.
Are there other reading difficulties?
Feel free to go to my site www.readwithkary.com
- would be glad to give reading advice.
We use Handwriting Without Tears and with good success with many dysgraphic children.
May need to consult with an OT - Cook's childrens is a good place to start and insurance covers their services.
I would say do not ignore the "funny" grip.My daughter had a similar issue and when I started to investigate I found out that this should be corrected and sooner the better.
I founded Write to Shine to help children develop those hand muscles and work on mastering Handwriting.
The Write to Shine®program is here to provide Handwriting Tutoring individualized to the child's need based on the highly acclaimed Handwriting Without Tears® program to teach writing readiness, printing, or cursive.
Handwriting workshops and education is available for schools, parents, and community groups in the form of workshops, in-services, or presentations.
I would say do not ignore the "funny" grip.My daughter had a similar issue and when I started to investigate I found out that this should be corrected and sooner the better.
I founded Write to Shine to help children develop those hand muscles and work on mastering Handwriting.
The Write to Shine®program is here to provide Handwriting Tutoring individualized to the child's need based on the highly acclaimed Handwriting Without Tears® program to teach writing readiness, printing, or cursive.
Handwriting workshops and education is available for schools, parents, and community groups in the form of workshops, in-services, or presentations.