| Author | |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: Jan 20 2009 at 8:49am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
My 4.5 year old has excellent fine motor skills. He was coloring inside the lines when he was 2, and really enjoys learning to write letters (he doesn't even know all his letters, but he's learning to write them as he learns them), and has good handwriting for his age.
His pencil grip is not correct, and as we've slowly introduced more "School" time in recent weeks, I've noticed and tried casually to correct it. This morning, dh was watching him color and commented on correcting his grip.
The big discovery this morning was that dh and I don't hold the pen/pencil the same way! I hold it with the barrel resting on my fourth finger and my middle and first fingers one above the other on the same side together. Dh holds his with the barrel resting on his middle finger and just his pointer finger on the first side.
Now, I consulted dh's calligraphy manual and his grip matches that in the pictures. I'm assuming dh's way is the better way since he went to Catholic school, took calligraphy, and is always complimented on his writing when he signs checks 
The trick is that *I* am the one who will most likely put in the most instruction time. So, do I attempt to teach him differently from how I do it? Do I attempt to change my own grip? I won't be 30 until December, so maybe there's still time to relearn?
My second appears to be a strong lefty--so, I'm sure this will be a piece of cake compared to trying to teach him (both dh and I are righties).
I am using the ferby pencils from Lyra--which is what ds colors and draws with most of the time as well.
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: Jan 20 2009 at 8:52am | IP Logged
|
|
|
PS-I have perused past threads, but they seem to address the whethers, whys, and readiness. I do want him to do it "correctly", and I think he's ready--just not sure HOW to go about it.
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Rachel May
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 24 2005
Location: Kansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2057
|
| Posted: Jan 20 2009 at 12:50pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Your husband's grip sounds the same as mine, which I have seen shown in the cover of some book as one possible correct grip....
However, I finally gave up with one of mine this year. It was never comfortable for him to hold it my way, so I told him that as long as his handwriting is good, I won't bug him. He holds it your way, seems happy, and his handwriting is fine. I think the beauty of his writing is connected to his concentration rather than his grip.
I'm using Ferbys with my younger kids, but they still hold them wrong. 
__________________
Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Jan 20 2009 at 1:04pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
i hold my pencil the same way you do Lindsay.. I can hold it the other way but it's not comfortable.
I can't say there's any real difference because the grip is the same.. just using different fingers.
he is still pretty little.. But I don't see why you can't teach that either your's or your dh's grip are correct and let him pick between the two for what he prefers. Seems to me that once he's a bit older.. he'll latch onto one as a preference and you'd be hard put to change it anyway.
I can remember my mom teasing me that I'm weird re: my grip.. but it was never done to make me change.. just gentle teasing.. and I think I might have tried out the other way.. and just didn't care for it.. so stuck with mine.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: Jan 20 2009 at 1:29pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Yk, I wonder if its one of those things like if you lace your hands together, which thumb is on top? The left or right? You can do it the other way, but it won't feel right. Come to think of it, I think dh and I have opposite thumbs on top for that one, too
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
|
| Posted: Jan 20 2009 at 2:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Lindsay - I corrected/remediated an incorrect grip with one of my older boys last year.
My son has very poor fine motor and in working on those, I accidentally discovered that we'd corrected his club-like grip of the pencil.
I used simple Montessori activities that require a pincher grip. These are things you can gather from home to set out.
Here's a link to some online Montessori albums - Shu Chen Jenny Yen Practical Life Album for some ideas.
In particular the activities under section "A2 - Small Muscle Squeezing" really help develop the proper pencil holding grip...things like pinching clothespins on a small line you string, squeezing tweezers and transferring small wool puffs from bowl to bowl, using chopsticks to transfer small wool puffs. I also found that some work with nuts and bolts - holding the bolt with thumb and forefinger of one hand while using the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand to screw/unscrew the nut...hard to describe...here's a Montessori presentation describing this work much better than I am.
You might try these.
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: Jan 20 2009 at 5:56pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I have had the worst time with my son's grip. I use images like a crab pincer with a thumb on the bottom and the index and middle finger on top to "snap" at the pencil.
I have used triangular pencils, which help just a bit, but with lots of reminders.
But what is working best for us is using a pencil grip from Our Father's House. That's what he uses for his seat work, and I'm seeing that he's naturally gripping correctly even without the gripper.
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Lori
Forum Pro
Joined: Sept 10 2008
Location: Arizona
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 257
|
| Posted: Jan 20 2009 at 9:39pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I, too, write on my 4th finger, but then again, my best friend in 1st grade taught me how to tie my shoes with "bunny bows" and I've never tied them another way! LOL
IS there a "correct" way to hold the pencil? I know there is a correct way to formt the letters, and some of my kiddos struggle with confirming to that (especially top to bottom), but does it extend to how you hold the writing implement? My handwriting is nice, and I don't notice much of a difference when I switch to my 3rd finger (in neatness, that is...it definitely FEELS different!)
I can see how the pinching work and bolts/screws would help develop the 3rd finger grip...guess I never had that!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
chickpea
Forum Newbie
Joined: Sept 04 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 11
|
| Posted: Jan 20 2009 at 10:00pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Lindsay,
we just started using Handwriting Without Tears and it has improved DD's grip wonderfully, after just a handful of times!! I was really surprised to see her doing it correctly after all these years of incorrectly....and it's so easy to use, just follow the manuals and do the exercises! For us, it is working like a charm!
Terry
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: Jan 21 2009 at 7:14am | IP Logged
|
|
|
JennGM wrote:
I have had the worst time with my son's grip. I use images like a crab pincer with a thumb on the bottom and the index and middle finger on top to "snap" at the pencil.
|
|
|
So is he resting the pencil on his fourth finger if the third (middle) is on top with the index finger?
Are there two different "official" ways of teaching it? I wonder if dh's way isn't better for my boys since as and adult, his fingers are almost twice as wide as mine, and I imagine he wouldn't be able to hold a pen very well "my way."
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
violingirl
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 27 2008
Location: Missouri
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 219
|
| Posted: Jan 21 2009 at 9:26am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I've always thought that the "correct" way is to rest the pencil on your third finger with 1 finger on top so that the index finger and thumb are guiding the strokes. That being said, I think the other way mentioned could work equally well if you're able to produce good handwriting.
Maybe it's like being right handed or left handed and the child will produce better work holding the pencil one way or the other.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Schelleau
Forum Newbie
Joined: Jan 13 2009
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13
|
| Posted: Jan 21 2009 at 10:14am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I can't remember where I read it - it was years ago on someone's blog - I think she was a teacher. I always remembered the tip and have been waiting for my son to get old enough to try it out.
The idea was, when the child is holding the pencil, give them a crumpled-up tissue to hold against their palm with their fourth and little finger. Trying it myself, it does seem to automatically put the other three fingers in the right position.
I'd love to know if it works! DS is *almost* ready to try it but he is a bit resistant to 'doing things right' at the moment so I am trying to pick my time carefully before introducing something new that I want to work
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Jen L.
Forum All-Star
Joined: Oct 18 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2148
|
| Posted: Jan 21 2009 at 11:45am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hey Lindsay, if I understand your description correctly, both you and your husband have "efficient grips". (I hold my pencil like you do so I had to find someone to tell me it was efficient lol)
Here are some "inefficient grips"
My kids do not have the best grips.
The very basics of HWT are great - how to pick up the pencil so you start with the "right grip"
and we like the pencil grips that are contoured - not just a comfort thing but for positioning.
Look like this:
__________________
Jen
dh Klete,ds (8/95),dd (12/97), dd (11/00), and ^2^ in heaven
"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: Jan 21 2009 at 11:58am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Jen L. wrote:
and we like the pencil grips that are contoured - not just a comfort thing but for positioning.
Look like this:
|
|
|
Great images, Jen! 
That's what we use, to great success.
And while I start with the pincer idea, that's just to get him to hold the pencil with his fingers, not his whole fist. He does rest the pencil on his third finger, not his fourth.
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: Jan 21 2009 at 12:09pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thank you so much ladies! This clears things up well. I think I will try the tissue idea with the ferby pencils and see if that helps before buying the grips, but they do look neat. I would probably invest in them before buying any more ferby pencils (though, I love the colored pencils!) since that would be more economical in making any pen or pencil we already have acceptable. 
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Pencil Grip--Which way? How to teach...
