Helping an 8-year-old with handwriting

daska

IF the problem is fine motor related then some theraputty might be useful for developing some muscle tone and dexterity. You can play games with it such as hiding small objects for him to find or using it to model words etc for charades. It comes in different levels of resistance so can be quite tough to work with, my muscle tone and grip are very poor and I struggle with my 4 yr old's yellow level.

Triangular jumbo pencils are great for improving grip without looking like medical aids. I can't find them at the moment but I ordered some for DS1 several years ago with his name on.

Is he a wriggler/ floppy? Do you think he might be up for doing some gross motor exercises immediately before attempting sedentary activities - wheelbarrows, bouncing on a trampoline etc? You may find that this helps him concentrate.

geoffky

There is a book that has swirls patterns and shapes that do help.I am left handed and my handwriting sometimes embarrasses me..I had a fantastic teacher who got me the book...

marisco_2

How is his pencil grip? Does he struggle to form letters and therefore finds the whole experience daunting? Take it back to square one and get him relaxed and happy about forming letters. Forget about using pencils for now and get him writing letters in sand, shaving foam, soapy water. Get him air writing, point his finger in the air and practice moving his arm/hand in the shape of any letter. Use your finger and form any letter on his back, or on the back of his hand. All this sensory work will go in. Use playdough and get him making letters that way.

When he seems happy and relaxed about it all then try using pencils again. A 2b type pencil makes a darker mark even when the child presses lightly. Or use felt tip pens as they flow nicely. Draw patterns on paper like squiggly lines or /\/\/\/\ and get him following these. Dot to dot books help as well. You can get triangular grips for pencils that help the child hold the pencil easier.

Have a look at this website www.teachingideas.co.uk you can print off sheets that help children form their letters. There are seperate sheets available that show you how to encourage them to move on to cursive writing. Start with the child forming a 'c'. This is the basic for forming the letters a, o, d and g.

Speak with the school and see what systems they have in place. I work one to one with special needs children. I am not suggesting your child is at this level but techniques I use may well help. The children I work with struggle to look at the board and transfer what is written on it onto paper. That is a real skill that takes time to develop. So having someone write out what is needed on a white board the child can have in front of them, makes it far easier to copy things down. If I can help any further please feel free to PM me.