The Pencil Grip Original Universal Ergonomic Writing Aid for Righties and Lefties, 6 Count, Assorted Colors (TPG-11106)

Product Information

This stages of pencil grip poster can be used to help teachers or parents become familiar with the different stages of pencil grip. The poster outlines what each child should be able to do at different ages. The poster starts at 1 years old and works its way up to 7 years old. An awkward or unusual pencil grasp becomes more difficult to change as a child gets older; therefore it is important to encourage your child to hold their pencil with a grasp that: Using pegs for learning games e.g sums on the pegs and attach to the correct card, or place the number of pegs on the card, colour match pegs with cards, place words onto pegs and use the too clip onto card to make a sentence, follow a sequence pegging the pattern along the line using pegs to secure it. Explore the other blog posts we have here at The OT Toolbox regarding pencil grasps by reviewing the convenient list of these just for you: Please also see out pencil skills advice sheet for further activity ideas and out fine motor skill advice sheet.

Be patient, encouraging, and rewarding to your learners, as they work on these skills. A good grasping pattern will be essential later in school, as handwriting tasks become longer and more complex. You are supporting their present AND future success! Pencil Grip Kit Tweezer activities – sorting objects / balls into colours, numbers, sorting into containers, using tweezers to pull out beads This type of grip is great for the children that have a thumb wrap grasp which closes up their web space. The Grotto Grip is not as cushiony as “The Pencil Grip”, but it is easier to use, as it has molded finger slots for the thumb and index fingers, and an indentation on the bottom for the grip to rest on the middle finger. It also has a wing on the front, and the material is stiffer in design, which can help aid in the prevention of any finger or thumb wrapping. This grip is similar to the Writing C.L.A.W. as it has two cups for the thumb and index fingers, but it has a ring for the placement of the middle finger. The Firesara Grip can easily be used by left and right-handed writers. Learners place their thumb and index fingers into the cups, and the middle finger goes into the ring finger of either hand.A pencil grip may be a tool provided to support a functional pencil grasp, depending on the needs of the individual student.

Helping parents to understand the pencil grip stages and to give their children support when needed. It is also useful for when a substitute or any other practitioner would be helping in the class, so that children are not forced into a stage when it is not age appropriate or to stimulate or guide a child when they need the support. The visuals will help parents and teachers understand grasp development and the goals for an appropriate grasping pattern. My prediction is that these tools will help get buy-in from the educational team and the family. It helps them understand exactly where the child is developmentally and where you, as the OT, wants the learner to head, and why! pencil grips and Occupational Therapy The type of pencil grip can also serve to support the child as they focus on the writing process, therefore not exhausting their thought and energy, trying to remember to grasp the pencil properly for the best function. Now, without further ado, let’s proceed to types of pencil grips that most OTs recommend, what their purpose is, and why they are recommended!Before we get into the various types of pencil grips you may see an occupational therapy practitioner recommend, it’s important to cover functional pencil grip. One final note on the use of pencil grips, they WILL be uncomfortable to use at first. Learners are having to utilize the correct finger and hand muscles. In my opinion, pencil grips should only be considered for children over the age of five who have received some support to develop their pencil grasp already. They should not be the first strategy that is tried for a child who is having difficulty holding onto their pencil.

You can put a grip on an existing tablet stylus, or buy get his great stylus that has a gripper on it! I tried this device with some of the kiddos I work with, and it worked well with the added index finger placement into the cup that is on the shaft of the stylus. KIM: Oh good idea Max. Oh spindles. I'm not very good at drawing teeth. I think I need help holding my pencil. Has the child’s handwriting improved? Or does it deteriorate when they use the grip? Initially there might be a slight deterioration as the child gets used to using the grip. However, the quality of their writing should improve over time. Has the child’s pencil grasp changed? Or is the child continuing to hold the pencil with their preferred grasp over the grip? This is commonly seen with smaller pencil grips. The child will just put their fingers onto the pencil how they had initially had them. They won’t have their fingers on the pencil grip. This means the grip is not helping! Lastly, for children who have started to hold the pencil with their fingers rather than their whole hand, but who are still struggling to get the correct fingers onto their pencil, a pencil grip can be tried. How do we monitor the pencil grip?Is the pencil grip in the correct position? Or has the child moved the grip up and out of the way, so their fingers are still on the pencil? If they have moved it, it usually means the child isn’t using the grip to help their grasp. Helpful supports to use with these children are finger crayons and small pencils. These help the child to improve their finger control and the movement needed to develop their pencil grasp. We discuss them further in the video below. This grip has three finger cups to support finger placement, and can be used by both left and right-handed writers with a simple change of finger placement within the cups. The finger placement indicators are on the bottom of each cup. The design leaves little room for error, and supports a variety of children, as it comes in three different sizes.

Most children naturally develop a pencil grasp that is comfortable for them and a variety of different grasps can be seen in any classroom. A pencil grasp only becomes a problem if the child complains of fatigue, pain in their hand, or has difficulty writing neatly and at a reasonable speed (as compared to their peers). In occupational therapy sessions, the OT practitioner is striving to achieve the most effective and functional pencil grasp for each individual. A therapist may have 40, 50, or even 70 students on their school-based OT caseload…and each student will be completely different when it comes to grasp patterns, pencil pressure, positioning of the fingers, preferences, letter formation strokes, executive functioning skills, self-regulation, visual motor skills, sensory preferences, and handwriting considerations. All of these areas play into handwriting. If a child isn't progressing as they should be, then holding a pencil incorrectly could cause them strain when they are writing. Make sure to keep an eye on children's pencil grip and help them if they are not progressing as they should be. What are the different stages of pencil grip?It is easy to achieve, and I often use it if I am writing a lot. My husband uses it all of the time, and has since grade school. In the adaptive tripod grasp, the child places the pencil between the index and middle fingers rather than within the traditional web space. They grasp the pencil shaft with the thumb, index, and middle fingers. The placement of the pencil between the index and middle fingers provides ample support and stability allowing for good pencil control, and less hand and finger fatigue. a weak grip or a hand tremor. A writing aid like a pencil gripper provides a wider, more contoured surface for the fingers to connect with. This tends to help with control and comfort. The latter is especially relevant for people with arthritis in their hands, who often find it uncomfortable holding narrow objects. A pen gripper works in the same way, usually sliding on and holding the pen midway up. View all our Work & Leisure here.