Poor pencil control and what to do about it.

poppyscorner

Hi all,

Have been to a curriculum evening at DS1's school its a bit like a parents evening but where the teacher talks to the parents as a whole group rather than 1 -1 conversation however at the end of the session she came over to say she was concerned about DS as he has very poor pencil control we do sit down with him at home but he refuses point blank to colour in draw write etc and tbh it is not something I have pushed as he is reception year and still 4 yrs old so I did not think its a major issue as yet.

If we try and get him to do this he gets very cross and will shout usually out of frustration so how do I do anything about it or more so do I need to be doing anything about it any one got any ideas thanks xx

Edited to add.. He loves reading and I can get him to sit reading for ages with his reading books and games etc he loves puzzles but give him a pencil and he hates it.

sooz

At our school they were recommending some special pencils that encourage correct pencil hold...I think they were triangular.

can you go to the cbeebies website with him, and print off some colour in sheets of characters he really likes?

celyn90

Oh yes, triangular pencils are great - I use them now because they are more comfortable (I got mine in WHSmiths) You can also buy triangular pencil grippers that slide over a normal pencil and these are great too - they are soft and increase the width of the pencil making it easier to hold.

You could also try chunky crayons, chalk and thick paint brushes to get him to hold and use things first. Even to scribble on large sheets of paper might be something to think about so he loses that fear first.

The other point is that he could be left handed and the school may be encouraging him to write with his right hand. I don't know if that is the case now, but I'm an ambidextrous adult because of that sort of behaviour from my school when I as younger and I remember hating being told to write at school because was uncomfortable Is he happy using scissors and a knife and fork?

cookie54

with my son we did lots of fun puzzles like maze or dot to dot and played nought and crosses as these improved skills without him knowing.. My son school were able to give us sheets and your hv may also be albe to get some advise from OT too

sylphraven

It was noticed when I was about 9 that I didnt hold a pencil correctly making my handwriting very poor, so I had a weird shaped rubber thing that slipped over pens, pencils etc to make me place my fingers in the correct positioning - I havent seen these sold since I was young but I know triangular pencils & pens work in a similar way, maybe you could treat him to some (gift for christmas) & find some fun activities to do together? Print some colouring-in pictures of his fav character & leave him to it, no pressure.

Changing the way I held a pencil messed up my handwriting & pencil control even more as I had to relearn it & though its unusual for it not to be noticed earlier I think him practicing with a pencil to gain the control will stand him in good stead later on.

ooooo, maybe get him to draw in clay with a pencil, or a similar shaped tool, or paint over a piece of paper coloured with wax crayon for him to scratch off - maybe more unusual things may get him interested?

frivolous_fay

I used to get nagged to hold pencils properly. They didn't nag enough though (either that or I was really stubborn) and now I'm 30 and can't hold a pen the 'proper' way.

I remember seeing the pencils with shaped attachments in ELC and pointing them out to my mum... I think she was too embarrassed to buy them for me

isme_2

poppyscorner wrote: »

Hi all,

Have been to a curriculum evening at DS1's school its a bit like a parents evening but where the teacher talks to the parents as a whole group rather than 1 -1 conversation however at the end of the session she came over to say she was concerned about DS as he has very poor pencil control we do sit down with him at home but he refuses point blank to colour in draw write etc and tbh it is not something I have pushed as he is reception year and still 4 yrs old so I did not think its a major issue as yet.

If we try and get him to do this he gets very cross and will shout usually out of frustration so how do I do anything about it or more so do I need to be doing anything about it any one got any ideas thanks xx

Edited to add.. He loves reading and I can get him to sit reading for ages with his reading books and games etc he loves puzzles but give him a pencil and he hates it.

Hi there! what you have written could have been you talking about my son! Hes now nearly 7 and his handwriting isnt great, but its SO much better than it was, we did things like writing shopping lists and stuff that was "fun" .. if it wasnt onthe list we didnt buy it!
also check out http://www.littlesheep-learning.co.uk/index.php?cPath=2_17 for grippy things, triangular pencils etc. I have bought stuff from her before and she really is very helpful!

geekgirl

It might be nice to take him somewhere (cheap) and let him choose some crayons, pencils, drawing pad and a nice case to put them in. Let him choose where to keep them and let him know he can get them out when he feels like it.

Also painting on a large scale is really good to get them interested in putting marks on paper. I used to get a roll of lining wall paper, tons of newspaper on the floor with large paintbrushes and a few colours of paint and just go wild with it with my kids. They loved it.

dora37

DS2 (nearly 14) has always held his pen/pencil oddly and still does! His writing now is fine and neatish. He is left handed so don't know whether that makes a difference. His pen/pencil seems to move loads as if the movement is coming from the pen rather than his hand .

In year 6 a teaching assistant was trying to get DS2 to hold a paintbrush 'correctly' and told him to hold the brush like a pen, to which his class teacher said to her "have you seen the way he holds a pencil?!"

DS2 has always had problems with holding scissors and pens etc, so I have always allowed him to do it in his own way and at his own pace and because of that is happy in his own skin.

I think to progress with your DS without any friction is to find something that he is happy with initially - no matter what it is and progress from there at his pace. If he is happy he will definitely move on quicker.

rio

I would get him one of those magic drawing boards that allow them to wipe things off and start again, and just leave it lying around and let him pick it up and use it. I wouldn't have a formal 'drawing' time for him to do this sort of thing, but let him use it when he wants to. We have one in the back of our car for LO to use on journeys, it has helped his pencil control no end, and he enjoys drawing things and then making them disappear. Some boys don't really have the fine motor skills needed for writing until they are six, so it may just be that he isn't ready for it - far better to let him enjoy what he is doing rather than feel it is a chore and that he has to write neatly. Also you can get play putty for him to mess around with, it's like blue tack and kids can pull it and squash it and this helps with their fine motor control.

Gingham_Ribbon

He's still only little. My lad will be 4 in a couple of weeks and he's only just started being interested in writing/drawing in the last month.

Our nursery say they use the sandbox and ask the children to 'draw' in the sand and they make shapes in the air. I get him to draw shapes and letters on my back and he draws in the condensation on windows. Maybe that kind of thing will help? Learning to make patterns/shapes without a pencil in his hand might make him more confident when holding one.