Do you work with students daily on encouraging the best, most correct pencil grip? I recently received a request from a reader for a one page pencil grasp hand out with a picture so she could remind her students and school staff on the best way to hold a pencil. Since many students who receive […]
Exciting news for parents, teachers, and occupational therapists! Imagine a fun-filled circus, not under a big top, but right on your child’s desk, transforming the way they learn pencil control. Thanks to Jennifer Dodge, OTR, this is now a delightful reality with the Circus Pencil Obstacle Course. And the best part? You can start this […]
A pediatric occupational therapist from Australia, Ingrid King, has created an adorable lesson on learning the proper pencil grip. She uses 5 animals to practice several finger movements. There is a story included to help the children learn the proper pencil grip. It is a free and you can download it here from Love2LearnandGrow.com.
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy published research on the writing forces associated with four pencil grasp patterns in 74 children in grade 4.The students completed a handwriting assessment before and after a copy task and grip and axial forces were measured. The results indicated the following: no kinetic differences among grasps, whether considered individually […]
Recent research completed video analysis on 120 typically developing fourth grade students performing a handwriting task. The pencil grasps were categorized into six groups (four mature, one immature and one alternating grasp). Speed and legibility of handwriting was evaluated. The results indicated that there was no significant effect for mature pencil grasps on speed or legibility. Reference: Heidi Schwellnus,Heather Carnahan,Azadeh Kushki,Helene Polatajko,Cheryl […]
The Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published research on the effect of pencil grasp on handwriting speed and legibility in 120 fourth grade students after a 10 minute copy task. A standardized handwriting assessment was completed before and after a 10 minute copy task by typically developing students and students with handwriting issues. The results indicated […]