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Primary education

DS2's SLOW handwriting is holding him back...

27 replies

Whippet · 22/01/2010 12:35

I'm sure this must be a common complaint for 'young' summer-born boys.

I still find it frustratingly painful to watch DS2 (7.5) write. It still looks like such a struggle for him. His pencil grip isn't ideal (he brings his thumb up over his finger, rather than 'pincer grip') and although he is using pencil grips it doesn't seem to have helped that much.

He presses hard, and although his is mostly doing joined up writing it is still painfully slow.

He is good at Maths, but falling behind in English, and I'm sure it's because he physically CAN'T write fast, not because he doesn't have the ideas etc.

His teacher last year weas very helpful - was happy to let him use pencil grips etc, but said it was very hard to change a pencil grip once a child got into 'bad habits' (I think this was a snipe at the fact that he oved from another school at the end of Reception .

his teacher this year has said he needs to 'speed up' but hasn't offered many practical solutions .

Just wondering if anyone has had this experience and has any advice?

Does it really 'just happen' as they get older/ stronger muscles, or should I be maing him do more practice? (Hard to see how, as he already is very tired after school, and is very resistent to me giving him 'homework' !)

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Whippet · 22/01/2010 12:36

Sorry, that should have read "His teacher last year wasn't very helpful"

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scattyspice · 22/01/2010 12:41

DS (6.5, yes also a summer baby) is exactly the same. His problem is more that he can't decide what to write, how to spell it and how to write it all at the same time. When he copies from the board he copies words letter by letter, he finds it difficult to look at the whole word and write it. He is a bit of a perfectionist and worrys about spelling and being neat. I have told him to try and 'just write' not worrying too much how a word is spelt or how neat it it (he doesn't like this idea though ).

Lets hope someone comes along in a minuts and says that it all falls into place at 8yrs .

How did your ds manage with sats last yr? I think slowness is going to be a real drawback for ds.

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Buda · 22/01/2010 12:43

I have had similar issues with my summer boy who is now in Year 4. We noticed in Year 1 that he wasn't holding the pencil correctly. I mentioned it a few times to the Year 2 teacher. Her response was to send him sheets for him to practice on. Not a lot of help if he is not holding the pencil correctly in the first place!

I was talking to a few friends here whose sons had similar issues so new it was quite common. We are very lucky in that DS's school (we are in Budapest) has an occupational therapist and I finally got the teacher to have him assessed. She said, yes he has a problem, VERY common. Basically DS was writing from his shoulders if that makes sense. He wasn't holding the pencil correctly because the right muscles were not developed (happens later with boys) so to control the pencil he was holding on tight, pressing down hard from his shoulders and it was really tiring!

There are lots and lots of threads on here about handwriting with lots of suggestions for improving fine motor skills. It takes time and it will happen but you need on concentrate on other ways to improve the fine motor skills and grip rather than just writing.

I will try and find some of the threads with suggestions on as I can't actually think of anything off the top of my head!

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Buda · 22/01/2010 12:44

I do know the word is 'knew' not 'new'!

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Whippet · 22/01/2010 13:21

Buda - that's really interesting, about them 'writing using the wrong muscles' because that looks like exactly what DS is doing. Although I've tried and tried to get him to hold pencil correctly and use a flowing movement he always ends up hunched up and awkward - almost in pain!

I think I need to investigate further - any links gratefully received!

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Buda · 23/01/2010 06:46

Sorry I didn't get back to this yesterday Whippet. Frustrating day so just drank wine and vegged last night! Anyway here is one thread.

There are lots more! Try searching "fine motor skills" on here or google and you will find lots of info.

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overmydeadbody · 23/01/2010 07:10

I think the best thing to do in this case is to make sure your DS does handwriting practice every day at home, for say 20 minutes. It doesn't matter what he writes, as long as he writes for this long and concentrates on pencil grip, letter formation etc rather than content or spelling.

I did this with my DS as he was so slow and forming his letters all wrong, and he has been doing this for about a year now and his handwriting and speed has vastly improved!

I used to get DS to do handwriting practice after breakfast, rather than after school when he was tired. A kitchen timer helps too!

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rabbitstew · 23/01/2010 21:13

There is more than one acceptable pencil grip. Wrapping your thumb over your forefinger is not supposed to be one of them (creates a static, rather than a dynamic hand position, apparently, and puts strain on the thumb joints). However, I've always wrapped my thumb over when writing (although not tightly - it tends to flap around a bit!) and have very neat, fast handwriting, although I will probably get arthritis in my thumbs, later! I would say, though, that if your son has this tendency, he's likely to find it extremely difficult to learn to write with the standard tripod pencil grip. I could never get used to that - I have very hypermobile fingers and I just didn't feel my grip on the pencil was secure enough to hold it like that, hence my less than ideal resulting technique. Acceptable alternatives are allowing two fingers on top of the pencil instead of one and trying a totally different grip, where the pencil rests in the gap between your forefinger and middle finger, with the thumb underneath - it is then far easier to keep your thumb in the right place instead of wrapping it over. I sometimes wonder why everyone doesn't get taught to write that way, it's so incredibly secure and comfortable. Also, if your son has a tendency to hold his pencil a bit too upright, there is a thing called a handiwriter that you can use that helps pull the pencil back to its proper position and my ds1 found this a lot more useful than pencil grips (look at the following web-page: www.specialdirect.com/Search.aspx?ste=handiwriter& ). Ideally, though, your ds would see an occupational therapist, who could have a proper look and assess what the real problem is that is causing him to have so much difficulty with his writing.

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rabbitstew · 23/01/2010 21:16

ps OTs often say it is poor shoulder and core stability that is causing the real problems and your ds will end up being made to do lots of trampolining, shoulder strengthening, core muscle exercises and a few hand strengthening exercises...

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rabbitstew · 23/01/2010 21:18

pps they also put a lot of emphasis on seating position, desk and chair height, and sometimes it helps to provide the child with a writing slope to write on, rather than writing on a flat table or desk. ie lots that can be done, but not much point doing it all if there isn't the need (your ds might find it a bit intrusive!).

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mrz · 24/01/2010 08:19

Fine Motor Skills
Things to remember:

Upright working surfaces promote fine motor skills. Examples of these are: vertical chalkboards; easels for painting; flannel boards; lite bright; magnet boards (or fridge); windows and mirrors; white boards, etc. Children can also make sticker pictures; do rubber ink-stamping; use reuseable stickers to make pictures; complete puzzles with thick knobs; use magna-doodle and etch-a-sketch as well. The benefits for these include: having the child's wrist positioned to develop good thumb movements; they help develop good fine motor muscles; the child is using the arm and shoulder muscles.
Fine Motor Activities
Moulding and rolling play dough into balls - using the palms of the hands facing each other and with fingers curled slightly towards the palm.
Rolling play dough into tiny balls (peas) using only the finger tips.
Using pegs or toothpicks to make designs in play dough.
Cutting play dough with a plastic knife or with a pizza wheel by holding the implement in a diagonal volar grasp.
Tearing newspaper into strips and then crumpling them into balls. Use to stuff scarecrow or other art creation.
Scrunching up 1 sheet of newspaper in one hand. This is a super strength builder.
Using a plant sprayer to spray plants, (indoors, outdoors) to spray snow (mix food colouring with water so that the snow can be painted), or melt "monsters". (Draw monster pictures with markers and the colours will run when sprayed.)
Picking up objects using large tweezers such as those found in the "Bedbugs" game. This can be adapted by picking up Cheerios, small cubes, small marshmallows, pennies, etc., in counting games.
Shaking dice by cupping the hands together, forming an empty air space between the palms.
Using small-sized screwdrivers like those found in an erector set.
Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads, Cheerios, macaroni, etc.
Using eye droppers to "pick up" coloured water for colour mixing or to make artistic designs on paper.
Rolling small balls out of tissue paper, then gluing the balls onto construction paper to form pictures or designs.
Turning over cards, coins, checkers, or buttons, without bringing them to the edge of the table.
Making pictures using stickers or self-sticking paper reinforcements.
Playing games with the "puppet fingers" -the thumb, index, and middle fingers. At circle time have each child's puppet fingers tell about what happened over the weekend, or use them in songs and finger plays.

Place a variety of forms (eg. blocks, felt, paper, string, yarn, cereal, cotton) on outlines
Match shapes, colour, or pictures to a page and paste them within the outlines

Self-Care Skills
Buttoning
Lacing
Tying
Fastening Snaps
Zipping
Carrying
Using a screwdriver
Locking and unlocking a door
Winding a clock
Opening and closing jars
Rolling out dough or other simple cooking activities
Washing plastic dishes
Sweeping the floor
Dressing
Scissor Activities
When scissors are held correctly, and when they fit a child's hand well, cutting activities will exercise the very same muscles which are needed to manipulate a pencil in a mature tripod grasp. The correct scissor position is with the thumb and middle finger in the handles of the scissors, the index finger on the outside of the handle to stabilize, with fingers four and five curled into the palm.
Cutting junk mail, particularly the kind of paper used in magazine subscription cards.
Making fringe on the edge of a piece of construction paper.
Cutting play dough or clay with scissors.
Cutting straws or shredded paper.
Cutting
Use a thick black line to guide cutting the following:
A fringe from a piece of paper
Cut off corners of a piece of paper
Cut along curved lines
Cut lines with a variety of angles
Cut figures with curves and angles

Sensory Activities
The following activities ought to be done frequently to increase postural muscle strength and endurance. These activities also strengthen the child's awareness of his/her hands.
Wheelbarrow walking, crab walking
Clapping games (loud/quiet, on knees together, etc.)
Catching (clapping) bubbles between hands
Pulling off pieces of thera-putty with individual fingers and thumb
Drawing in a tactile medium such as wet sand, salt, rice, or "goop". Make "goop" by adding water to cornstarch until you have a mixture similar in consistency to toothpaste. The "drag" of this mixture provides feedback to the muscle and joint receptors, thus facilitating visual motor control.
Picking out small objects like pegs, beads, coins, etc., from a tray of salt, sand, rice, or putty. Try it with eyes closed too. This helps develop sensory awareness in the hands.

Midline Crossing
Establishment of hand dominance is still developing at this point. The following activities will facilitate midline crossing:
Encourage reaching across the body for materials with each hand. It may be necessary to engage the other hand in an activity to prevent switching hands at midline.
Refrain specifically from discouraging a child from using the left hand for any activity. Allow for the natural development of hand dominance by presenting activities at midline, and allowing the child to choose freely.
Start making the child aware of the left and right sides of his body through spontaneous comments like, "kick the ball with your right leg." Play imitation posture games like "Simon Says" with across the body movements.
When painting at easel, encourage the child to paint a continuous line across the entire paper- also from diagonal to diagonal.









Activities To Develop Handwriting Skills
There are significant prerequisites for printing skills that begin in infancy and continue to emerge through the preschool years. The following activities support and promote fine motor and visual motor development:
Body Stability
The joints of the body need to be stable before the hands can be free to focus on specific skilled fine motor tasks.
Wheelbarrow walking, crab walking, and wall push-ups.
Toys: Orbiter, silly putty, and monkey bars on the playground.

Fine Motor Skills
When a certain amount of body stability has developed, the hands and fingers begin to work on movements of dexterity and isolation as well as different kinds of grasps. Children will develop fine motor skills best when they work on a VERTICAL or near vertical surface as much as possible. In particular, the wrist must be in extension. (Bent back in the direction of the hand)
Attach a large piece of drawing paper to the wall. Have the child use a large marker and try the following exercises to develop visual motor skills:Make an outline of a one at a time. Have the child trace over your line from left to right, or from top to bottom. Trace each figure at least 10 times . Then have the child draw the figure next to your model several times.
Play connect the dots. Again make sure the child's strokes connect dots fromleft to right, and from top to bottom.
Trace around stencils - the non-dominant hand should hold the stencil flat and stable against the paper, while the dominant hand pushes the pencil firmly against the edge of the stencil. The stencil must be held firmly.
Attach a large piece of felt to the wall, or use a felt board. The child can use felt shapes to make pictures. Magnetic boards can be used the same way.
Have the child work on a chalkboard, using chalk instead of a marker. Do the same kinds of tracing and modeling activities as suggested above.
Paint at an easel. Some of the modeling activities as suggested above can be done at the easel.
Magna Doodle- turn it upside down so that the erasing lever is on the . Experiment making vertical, horizontal, and parallel lines.

Ocular Motor Control
This refers to the ability of the eyes to work together to follow and hold an object in the line of vision as needed.
Use a flashlight against the ceiling. Have the child lie on his/her back or tummy and visually follow the moving light from left to right, to bottom, and diagonally.
Find hidden pictures in books. (There are special books for this.)
Maze activities.

Eye-hand Coordination
This involves accuracy in placement, direction, and spatial awareness.
Throw bean bags/kooshi balls into a hula hoop placed flat on the floor. Gradually increase the distance.
Play throw and catch with a ball . Start with a large ball and work toward a smaller ball. (Kooshi balls are easier to catch than a tennis ball.)
Practice hitting bowling pins with a ball. (You can purchase these games or make your own with pop bottles and a small ball.)
Play "Hit the Balloon" with a medium-sized balloon.

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JoeyBettany · 24/01/2010 11:12

hmm- well that's all very well for mums of pre schoolers.

but I've had similar problems with ds 8. His teacher similarly suggested playdough , lego etc to improve fine motor skills and therefore his handwriting. Thing is, his lego and fine motor skills are excellent!

IMO the school simply weren't making him practice writing each day. I've since bought him a daily handwriting practice book and he's now improving daily!

I'm cross at the school's lack of support though. If I wasn't motivated enough to work with him after school, he would now be falling seriously behind. Regular daily handwriting practice is all it takes IMO.

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mrz · 24/01/2010 11:32

JoeyBettany not intended for pre schoolers but any child with difficulties obviously you would package them up to make them acceptable for an older child. But even 8 year olds like climbing frames and monkey bars and using a screw driver and playing with lego and mechano playing "operation" with tweezers...
It just takes a bit of imagination to make it "cool"

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PipinJo · 24/01/2010 11:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrz · 24/01/2010 13:24

My son (summer baby) didn't write until Y6 ...but that was partly because he didn't see why he should

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rabbitstew · 24/01/2010 14:17

Your ds may not have any problems with hypermobility, core stability, shoulder stability, weak hands, etc, he may indeed just have developed a poor technique and lousy grip and have become tense and uptight about it, particularly if he is otherwise well co-ordinated. If he already loves activities like swinging from monkey bars and doing meccano, playdough and lego, I personally doubt he has major issues with core stability, hypermobility etc. My ds is very hypermobile (has a connective tissue disorder) and therefore has poor shoulder and core stability, and hates all the above/has been actively advised never to swing from monkey bars in case he pulls his shoulders out of joint. I always find it quite irritating when OTs breezily say that you can make these things fun for a child who finds these activities physically painful after a few minutes... However, oddly enough, whilst my ds can't pull lego bricks apart, he does have exceptionally good handwriting for his age. He will clearly struggle by the end of primary school, though, with the volumes of writing required by then, unless he can be persuaded to do more of the sorts of activities advised by previous posters.

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mrz · 24/01/2010 14:23

rabbitstew is your post to me?

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JoeyBettany · 24/01/2010 14:44

well it's funny

and I know I'm going to sound like an old fogey and I'm really not ! but

in the 'olden days' i.e when my great gran was at school, most children had beautiful copper plate handwriting, acheived by boring old practice.

Nowadays,IMO, school is much more fun, my ds loves going to school, but not much time devoted to handwriting. More should be.

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BoysAreLikeDogs · 24/01/2010 14:49

wrt pencil grip, I cannot praise the pen again enough

amazon sells them for a reasonable price

HTH

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JoeyBettany · 24/01/2010 14:55

'achieved' even

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mrz · 24/01/2010 15:13

There has been a discussion on the TES forum about the importance of handwriting and opinion is very divided. My school prides itself in the quality of children's presentation and while some children take longer than others most (unless there are real physical barriers and for these children we provide alternative methods of recording) achieve a lovely hand for writing.

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noddyholder · 24/01/2010 15:14

My ds is dyspraxic and this was one of the first signs iirc

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rabbitstew · 24/01/2010 15:33

mrz - intended for the poster, but also with reference to you, although not intended to be offensive as what you added was incredibly detailed and helpful for an awful lot of people (myself included, as the activities you mention are just the sorts of things my ds has been advised to do), I just wasn't convinced a lot of it would be helpful to the poster. Sorry about the reference to my irritation at people who say the activities you mention can be made fun with a bit of imagination, it's just that it has never been fun for me to get my son to do any of those things, despite having a ds2 who loves doing all of the above and with whom ds1 is quite competitive.

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mrz · 24/01/2010 15:33

I use the Pen Again pencil with reception children as it ensures correct grip right from the start. I then move onto 2B pencils which are softer (blacker) than hb and don't need as much effort to make a mark.

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MilaMae · 24/01/2010 17:25

mrz my son is in Y1 left handed and although his grip still isn't right he's forming all his letters correctly but is still quite slow(he's an able boy so this is frustrating). Should I keep banging(ex rec teacher here) on about his grip or let it go. I feel I'm the only one obsessed about it. DD is in rec and is right handed but the same.

Also are the pencils you use in rec the ones on Amazon and how do they cope with having to twist the lead up?

TIA

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