Handwriting

[Summertime Mommy]

I have been working on handwriting/ coloring in the lines with my 4 yrs old ds for a while now, and he isn't really getting much better. I was hoping that maybe you ladies might have some advice. One of our major problems, I think, is that he does not hold his pencil/ crayon/ etc correctly. He still holds it in the palm of his hand. I have tryed to teach him the correct way to hold it, but apparently I am not showing him correctly or something. (It doesn't help that I am left handed and he is right handed) I have been having him do tracing exercises and things like that, as well as doing alot of colorring and he gets so frustrated because he wants to do it better and can't. He is doing incredibly well learning visually and orally, but he is having lots of problems writing. Any ideas would be great thanks.

[cottonwood]

He might just not be developmentally ready for it, and the more he's frustrated, the more he's going to get it in his head that he is inherently not capable and that it's a hard thing to do.

I didn't start writing until I was 6, and I have beautiful handwriting if I do say so myself.

As for holding the pen correctly -- that may be a little beyond him right now too. My boys both had difficulty starting out, but we didn't push it, and eventually they just naturally developed the muscle strength and coordination necessary.

[UnschoolnMa]

I agree with Blue that he is probably just not there yet. Writing and the like are fine motor skills that take a bit of time which comes at different ages for different kids. Perhaps he can play with different materials of differnet textures. Things that involve pinching and grasping, poking, and tracing (as you mentioned in your post) will be helpful in developing those muscle skills. As he gets more comfortable he will likely slowly transfer the writing untensil into a more natural and effective position. Kristi

[Blissful Bee]

Im pretty sure that he isnt developmentally ready. It would be quite unusual for a child of only four to color inside the lines or write legibly. I agree with unschoolinMa. Maybe looki into games or activities that practice the pincer grasp. Once he is developmentally ready, than maybe a program like Handwriting without tears or something along those lines.

HTH :-)

[meowee]

You could have him learn touch typing in the meantime. My kids love to learn how to type, even my little ones.

But I wouldn't be worried about inability to write/ hold a pencil for at least another year, if not two.

My son has dreadful, dreadful handwriting. He could probably be diagnosed with dysgraphia. There's a disorder for everything these days. But he can type.

I would also suggest that you skip printing and go straight to cursive. This way he doesn't have to learn two different ways of writing. In the old days, this is how kids were taught their letters. The decline of handwriting neatness can be directly pinpointed to when schools started doing the printing-then-cursive thing. If I could go back and do things differently, I would have taught my son script from the start.

[lilyka]

First of all most kids don't have the fine motor develoment for writing until they are 5 or 6 and boy usually get later than girls. Pushing to ohard can actually slow things down. These things can't be rushed.

Secondly I highly recommend handwriting without tears. they have preschol/kindergarten materials that have games an activities to help kid learn how to form letters and such, work on gross and fine motor development, and things that specifically address in creative ways how to pick up a pencil and hold it and how to positionpaper etc. . . And then all of this preps them to easily be able to write. We started with thier pringing stuff because it translates very easily into cursive. effortlessly even. The only difference is that in cursive you start the next letter without picking up your penicil. My dd had terrible print writing but has lovely cursive. go figure.

Another suggestion I heard was to have them do mazes. www.lovetolearn.net has some good simple preschool maze books.

[Marsupialmom]

I agree with Liylka's advice.

I would look for fine motor activites instead of "handwriting".

Meowee might have apoint but there is some other factors also. The "Palmer method" was often taught but to older children. Children were not required to write until later (1st 2nd grades) which could be why there was better handwriting, better motor skills. Also if they were learning at home (as most did) it was taught at older ages not expected at 3, 4, 5. Also there was more attention to pencil holds and basic suppervision. Often times in our schools kids are handed worksheets and told to copy them. They come up with bad habits and "creative" in the wrong ways.

[SagMom]

I agree with the other posts--I'd put away the crayons and pencils for now and (depending on his interest) let him play with clay and Legos, string beads, sort small objects, do puzzles, build with blocks--anything that has him working with his fingers. If he wants to just scribble, let him. As he gets older, he'll gain more control and eventually, he'll WANT to learn to write, which, imo is the best motivation of all.

[cottonwood]

OT, but don't most people write with a combination of printing and script?

[anythingelse]

I disliked HWT for many many reasons, if I had a 4 yr old I wanted to write, I would get a fat soft wedge pencil grip and also some pastels and finger paints

I would model wax crayon use with mazes before teaching letter formation on lined paper and look at the dif montessori pre-writing activities to help develop the skills he needs to properly hold and move a pencil
It sounds like from your post what he wants to do he is not ready for, which would be very frustrating and by fisting the pencil he can not make it move the way he desires

I would give him lacing cards to sew, paper clips to chain together, dried field corn with tweezers, small sized legos, sugar tongs and beads to transfer from one bowl to another, sponges to use cleaning or transferring water, also spooning beans, dried peas etc.. with baby spoon and empty ice cube tray.
Also the game connect four is good for pincer muscle

HTH

[zealsmom]

May I suggest:

-writing with one finger in salt, sand, or finger paint on a tray. Make different shapes etc, just so he gets use to the movement and shapes of letters etc.
-clay (real clay, not play doh) to build the muscles in the hands
-sewing cards and beading for pincer coordination
-writing in the air for the same reasons you would write in salt etc.
-sidewalk chalk
-scissors - cut out shapes, on squiggly lines etc. (for coordination)

hope that helps. Believe me, it will come. Be patient.