11/26/2023 0 Comments Pencil grip training![]() ![]() Roll Play-Doh into small balls using the pads of the thumb and index finger. ![]() If the thumb is squashed up against the index finger, it makes it hard to move items. Writing with a closed web space often causes poor and slow handwriting, especially as kids are expected to write at faster speeds the older they get.Īctivities: These activities can help open your child’s thumb web space: An open thumb web space is necessary for tasks requiring in-hand manipulation, such as moving coins from the palm to the fingertips or picking up a pencil. ![]() The thumb web space is between your thumb and index finger (it makes an “O” when you make the “OK” sign). Holding a cotton ball in the palm with the ring and middle fingers while colouring, writing, or cutting.Squeezing a spray bottle with the pointer and middle fingers.Creating shapes or pictures using pipe cleaners or wikki sticks.We are best able to control the ‘precision’ side when our ‘power’ side is stable (curled up into our palm or extended away from the other fingers). In handwriting, this allows for fluency and control, which ultimately promotes neat handwriting.Īctivity: To assist your child with this, you can encourage them to hold something (like a piece of LEGO, ball of Play-Doh or cotton wool, an eraser, button or coin) with their fourth and fifth fingers, while using their precision side by doing one of the following : Being able to use the two sides separately is important for moving and using objects like pencils, cutlery and scissors. Have your kid clip pegs to the body as the caterpillar’s legs.ĭid you know our hands can be separated into two sides? The precision side (thumb, index finger, and middle finger) and the power side of your hand (fourth and fifth fingers). Make a caterpillar! Cut out the shape of a caterpillar’s body and draw a face on one end.Have a race to see who can do it the quickest! Have your child use pegs to pick up pom poms and move them into a bucket or sort them into groups by colour or size.Pegs: Pinching and squeezing clips, pegs, tweezers, or even tongs helps build hand muscle strength. Play a guessing game, where your child makes something using the putty and you or another child has to guess what it is!.Make spaghetti by having them pull off small pieces of Play-Doh and roll them into long ‘noodles’.Make a spider or octopus by having your child first roll the putty into a ball, flatten it down, and then pinch out eight legs using their pincer fingers (thumb and index finger).Play-Doh and Theraputty Exercises : These games are always popular with kids! Write your child’s name and then they can cover the lines of the letters using small pieces of tape.Use the strips of tape to make an artwork.Then have a race to see how many they can peel off in one minute! Tape Races: Get your child to tear off lots of pieces of masking tape and place them down on a flat surface (e.g. Increase the challenge by only letting them use one hand to crumple the paper.ĬRAFT IDEA: Crumple small pieces of crepe or tissue paper into balls to decorate craft projects, like we do at our holiday groups ! Paper Crumpling: Have your child crumple up sheets of newspaper or scrap paper into the smallest, tightest ball possible. Some great exercises to help build your child’s fine motor strength include: Having strong wrists, hands and fingers helps children hold their pencil functionally, as well as helping them write with endurance and fluency. ![]() Kids need strong hands and fingers for a whole range of day-to-day activities for school and play. If your child isn’t using one of these pencil grips yet, fine motor activities can help them develop the skills they need to hold their pencil functionally, and write more easily. Another option is the quadrupod grasp, where the pencil is positioned between the thumb, index and middle fingers, the fourth finger stabilises the pencil and the fifth finger is curled in towards the palm. The most efficient way to hold a pencil is the dynamic tripod grasp (similar to that in the image below) where the pencil is positioned between the thumb and index finger with the pencil resting on the middle finger. And when children can see they’re not keeping up, it can lead to anxiety, frustration and low self-esteem, which can see them fall further behind. Left unaddressed, pencil grip problems can end up affecting a child’s academic performance at school. As occupational therapists, teachers and parents often approach us about their children’s awkward pencil grasp. ![]()
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