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Too Light
Too Light
When a child makes strokes on the page that are barely visible, there could be a few causes that can be targeted.
First, if their grasp is non-functional by holding the pencil at the top, they are not able to control how much pressure is being used. To fix this, refer to the pencil grasp page for tips to encourage a mature grasp. This will allow the child to apply an appropriate amount of pressure to the page.
Another reason for light strokes is challenges with proprioception - the awareness of joint location and muscle strength. The child may not be aware that they are not producing enough pressure. We can activate our proprioceptive system by doing heavy muscle work before starting a fine motor task. ***Please see the handout for fine motor warm ups for easy activities to do prior to handwriting. ***
Tips:
Tips:
Provide reminders for the child to use "hard hands".
Place a piece of foam under the paper and challenge the child to make markings through the foam.
Practice colouring in a picture using a pencil or pencil crayons with different shading. Pressing hard will make the shade darker and easier to see, pressing lightly will make it softer and harder to see.
Place a coin or stamp under a piece of paper and encourage the child to colour overtop to see the picture. They will need to have just the right amount of pressure to do this.
Too Hard
Too Hard
When a child makes strokes on the page that cause the pencil to break or tear the paper, there could be a few causes that can be targeted.
First, if their grasp is non-functional by using a fist to hold the pencil, they are likely using too much pressure in order to control the pencil movement. To fix this, refer to the pencil grasp page for tips to encourage a mature grasp. This will allow the child to apply an appropriate amount of pressure to the page.
Another reason for heavy strokes is challenges with proprioception - the awareness of joint location and muscle strength. The child may not be aware that they are producing too much pressure. We can activate our proprioceptive system by doing heavy muscle work before starting a fine motor task. ***Please see the handout for fine motor warm ups for easy activities to do prior to handwriting. ***
Tips:
Tips:
Provide reminders for the child to "write light".
Practice erasing strokes with no markings left behind. Keep providing reminders until you cannot see pencil.
Try using a mechanical pencil and challenge the child not to break the lead. This may take some time before they get used to the thin lead.
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