Is your child having a hard time holding a crayon or pencil?
Do they switch grasps while writing? Or switch hands?
Here are a few tips to help them figure out how to handle their writing tool?
1. When handing a child a crayon place it in the middle of their body. For example, while they are sitting at the table, place the crayon on the table even with their nose. Notice which hand they pick up the crayon with because that is the hand you want them to continue to color/write with. You can also take note of which hand they use to brush their teeth or pick up a fork. Before the age of five this is considered their hand preference, around five years old your child will have a hand dominance.
2. Smaller hands should have smaller writing tools. So don’t throw away broken crayons! If you go miniature golfing- save the golf pencil. Small or broken crayons are a great way to start promoting a mature tripod grasp (thumb, index and third fingers). For your older children that are still having a difficult time with a mature grasp give them a golf pencil or sharpen a pencil to about half it’s size.
3. Don’t just write at the table. Tape large pieces of construction paper to the wall or if you have a chalkboard or write and wipe board practice writing on there. This will promote the proper wrist extension position necessary for writing. Some other positions to write in: place paper on the floor and have your child lay on their stomachs or you can use a slantboard or binder.
