So many of us really worry about our kids handwriting. The letter formation, speed, alignment of words are few of the areas of concern. The grip (tripod or quadrapod) is one of the essential and most important parameter to check, but in addition to that there is a small hack which really helps in not only attaining this correct grip but otherwise too it’s a big saviour.
Before I share this ‘QUICK TIP’, let me just brief you a little on the origin of the problem. In most cases, children keep their thumb very stiff, not allowing any agility. If the thumb is not flexible enough and is stiff while writing, it will restrict the pencil movement. (by thumb stiffness I mean, keeping the first joint of the thumb tight). The pencil (while writing) must move freely, otherwise the hand and the wrist gets tired very quickly leading to either bad formations of letters or slow speed – and of course irritation!
WHAT TO DO THEN?
The tip is to put a dot (refer pic) on that first joint of the thumb. This dot acts as a visual reminder to the child that he needs to bend it and keep it moving. Reinforce this so that it becomes an inherent mechanism while they write.
Alternatively, give his thumb little exercise before writing –pinch the thumb and index finger (like you hold a pencil) and move them back and forth. This exercises the fine motor muscles releasing the stiffness.
This is a very small detail, which we generally miss to note but it helps a lot in regaining that correct posture of the grip.
I am not on occupational therapist but a pure passionate educator and so have experienced this trick working well with many of my kids, hence thought of sharing here. Really hope that it works well for you as well.
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