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Learning to hold a pencil correctly requires intentional instruction and practice. This should be taught in younger elementary.
There are many "tricks" for this. You may have noticed your OT break crayons into thirds, or sharpens your pencils until they are 2" long. This works, because it forces students to hold the writing tool with their fingertips, which promotes hand strength and a functional grasp. In addition to letting your OT do this to your new box of crayons....try some of these tricks:
After getting your students to hold a pencil correctly...practice Pencil Pickups using THIS WORKSHEET. And/or place THIS on your students desks...so you can give students feedback about how they are doing holding their pencils.
Have students check their own work and handwriting. Use this CHECKLIST.
PENCIL PRESSURE RESOURCES
WHAT IF A STUDENT HOLDS HIS/HER PENCIL TOO TIGHT?
This may be because the child has poor awareness of finger placement and movement or poor control of the smaller muscles of the hand.
□ Correcting the pencil grasp might help. Experiment with various grips such as the stetro, "pencil grip", triangular, etc.
WHAT IF A STUDENT USES TOO MUCH PRESSURE WHEN WRITING OR COLORING?
□ Increase the child's awareness of pencil pressure by having the student color shapes in either light gray, medium gray, dark gray or black using a pencil.
□ Have the student write on a soft surface such as blotters, layers of paper, a mouse pad, phone book, or a piece of Styrofoam. (If the student presses too hard he/she will poke holes in their paper).
□ Modify the pen/pencil (ex.,thick pencil, pen/pencil that writes easily).
□ Try a mechanical pencil so the student has to learn to control the amount of pressure used.
□ Cue the student to write faster (if legibility is not compromised too much).
□ Utilize warm up activities prior to writing assignments.
WHAT IF A STUDENT WRITES OR COLORS TOO LIGHTLY?
Have the child practice coloring shapes light gray, medium gray, dark gray and black to increase awareness of different degrees of pressure on the pencil.
Try a weighted pencil to give the child more awareness of the pencil.
Try using pencil grippers. Correcting the pencil grasp can sometimes help the problem.
Try using NCR paper.
Use a felt pen (or other implement that requires less pressure to write).
Do warm up activities before writing.
Have the student write on paper over a grainy surface.
Try a soft-lead pencil.
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