Achievements Physical Therapy LLC

How do we hold our pencil, and why is it important to develop a functional and effective pencil grip. Although handwriting appears to be used less and less as our technology use has increased. Early education still largely depends on handwriting for its learning, and writing is still needed at times to take notes, write down a name or phone number. The development of an effective pencil grip is not any different than other areas of development, there is a set sequence based on the child's readiness. Handwriting a fine motor skill that also requires a level of understanding of language, sequencing and eye hand coordination. Fine motor skills develop from proximal to distal. This means the movements initially are large and initiated from the shoulder. As the grip gets more precise smaller muscles in the wrist and hand guide the grip and handwriting.  Pencil Grip Development Fist Grasp -  1-1.5 yrs old; The toddler grabs the pencil or crayon with a fist and...

  Poor pencil grip is fairly common among children. Generally we use a tripod grip, however  I have experienced that there are many modifications to the traditional pencil grip that allow the child to write neatly, fluently and without fatigue. If this is the case there is no need to change the grip. Often though poor grip is related to fatigue,  poor finger strength, coordination or poor upper extremity and finger dissociation (the ability of the shoulder to work separately from the hand and wrist and the fingers to work separately from each other). This goes back to the pre handwriting skills and fine motor skills in particular  https://www.elsorourke.com/2020/10/when-is-your-child-ready-to-write.html 1 -1.5 yrs old 2 -3 yrs old 3.5 - 4 yrs old 4.5 - 7 yrs old For additional information, read my previous post on pencil grip  https://www.elsorourke.com/search?q=pencil+grip

What do we mean by Tall Letters   these are the letters that are written between the   Hat and Boot line  That means all the Capital letters and only some of the lower case letters. All the letters start at the Hat line except for the lower case f, which starts just below the hat line.    How to practice: Practice for  short periods  of time 5-10 minutes Make sure your child is  seated comfortably  with his/her feet on the floor Use a proper  pencil grip   https://www.elsorourke.com/2020/10/pencil-grip.html Follow the following steps Write  the letter to write  in the air Model  the letter to practice Trace  the letter to practice (3-5 x)using the hat to boot lines  Copy  the letter to practice (3-5 x) Write the letter from  memory  (3-5 x) Related Links Handwriting readiness Pencil Grip Pre-handwriting; Drawing Magic C

The importance of handwriting readiness A few years back I screened a 3 yr old during our annual child find. The child had just started preschool and did well with the screen, there were no concerns. The following year the child was screened again and the minute the crayon and paper came out the child became non-compliant and refused to do any more.  What happened to this child. There could be many reasons however the trigger was the crayon and paper, which  was not a problem the year before. Was actual writing pushed  despite the child not being ready for  handwriting?  Now there is so much frustration, apprehension and anxiety build up around crayons and paper that the child just shuts down.  Is it possible that this could have been avoided by making sure the pre-handwriting skills were mastered and that pencil and paper activities were presented in a fun and play full manner without any pressure to perform.   From a developmental perspective actual ...

  Trampoline letters are those letters that require you to trace back on the same line to complete writing the letter. This keeps you from having to pick up your pencil and allows for a more fluent and faster way of writing these letters.  Practicing these letters is the same as described in the previous posts, air write, model, trace, copy and write from memory. Use some of the other letters learned in the previous weeks as a warm up.    How to practice:  b - h - m - n - p - r Practice for  short periods  of time 5-10 minutes Make sure your child is  seated comfortably  with his/her feet on the floor Use a proper  pencil grip   Follow the following steps Write  the letter to write  in the air Model  the letter to practice Trace  the letter to practice (3-5 x)using the hat to boot lines  Copy  the letter to practice (3-5 x) Write the letter from  memory  (3-5 x) Handwriting is an important sk...

  There are many ways to teach handwriting. Years ago I was introduced to Handwriting Without Tears. This program uses a variety of means to teach handwriting. I like the language  used including the Magic C. This refers to the letter C as a starting letter for several other letters. Below I will show you how to write the letters using the magic c.  How to practice: Practice for short periods of time 5-10 minutes Make sure your child is seated comfortably with his/her feet on the floor Use a proper pencil grip   https://www.elsorourke.com/2020/10/pencil-grip.html Follow the following steps Write the letter to write in the air Model the letter to practice Trace the letter to practice (3-5 x)using the hat -belt -boot lines  Copy the letter to practice (3-5 x) Write the letter from memory (3-5 x) To practice handwriting you can use a variety of tools to make the letters such as crayons, pencils, markers, water paint, finger paint, or shaving cream. Next time...

  Over the past several weeks I have been reviewing letter formation in handwriting. I talked about Magic C letters, letters that all start with the curvature of the letter c. Tall letters all started on the hat line and finished on the boot line.The Trampoline letters all made strokes down to the boot line and back up to the top of the letter. And there were the Fishing letters, they all start on the belt line and go below the boot line. There were only 5 letters left that do not fall in any of those categories the lower case i, e, v , x and z .   Practice these letters, make sure your child continues to use their pencil grip for any handwriting practice. Practice in the same pattern as before.   Make sure your child is  seated comfortably  with his/her feet on the floor Use a proper  pencil grip   Follow the following steps Write  the letter to write  in the air Model  the letter to practice Trace  the letter to practice (3-5...

For most kids handwriting is not fun or a  preferred activity. It is something that is part of school. Some kids struggle so much with writing that it becomes a trigger for dys-regulation and out of control behavior. We are not talking about that today though. This post is for those kids that want to write and try hard, they may have struggles with letter formation, memory, sizing and spacing of the letters or the speed (fluency) with which to write. Writing is largely influenced by language, it is the way to express ideas and thoughts. What is writing if you don't understand what letters are, that letters make words, words make sentences, sentences make paragraphs. If the language piece is in tact handwriting is a fine motor skill that can be learned and improved upon with practice. When language is compromised writing may become an exercise in copying with little meaning. Just writing letters and or words is not much fun. However Today I will be giving you some ideas of how to ...

Bubbles are an old time favorite of mine. I have had many fun times playing with bubbles when our children were little. Now I still pull out the bubbles on a regular basis when working with the kids, they are fun, engaging and unknowingly access a variety of skills. Bubbles can be bought from the store in many sizes with a variety of accessories, however plain bubbles and a wand is all you need. You can even make them yourself using warm water, liquid dish soap and sugar. For stronger bubbles you can add a table spoon of glycerin. Skills that can be taught using bubbles : Relationship building: Playing with your child is the best way to find out what is happening in their world, sharing thoughts and ideas while having fun. Following directions : Have your child help make the bubbles following the recipe, while playing with the bubbles directing the child e.g. "look up to see the bubble", "pop the bubble", "blow harder or softer" Focus and Atte...

  Fishing letters,  are those letters that fall below the boot line when writing. There are only five lower case letters that go fishing. To practice these letters use the same strategies as before (see post on Magic C) : write them in the sky, model the letter for your child, trace the letter, copy the letter and finally write the letter from memory. Before introducing new letters do a warm up with the Magic C letters,   Tall letters,  or   Trampoline Letters  .You can also have some fun making the letters out of play dough, painting them with water colors or finger paint, write them in shaving cream on the kitchen counter or dining table, use chalk to write on the side walk.  My next post will be about the "Left Overs"  the letters we have not talked about. Then the there will a post with a quick review to pull it all together and the final post some thoughts if your child continues to struggle with handwriting.  If you have questions or ...