Pencil Grip for Kids. Should I Change this Grasp?
There is enough out there on pencil grasp development to know when a pencil grip looks a bit – or more than a bit – dodgy. But the question that comes up repeatedly is when to change pencil grip for kids and when to leave it well alone. There is no one answer to this… Read more »
Motor Skills Development and the ABC of Handwriting
For those who are new to the field of handwriting, this can serve as a checklist for the areas that must be considered when preparing our children for this life skill. While not exhaustive, many of the critical areas are covered here. What follows is a summary of handwriting and motor skills development that you… Read more »
The Wall Model® of Occupational Performance
We know that motor planning, spatial perception, sensory modulation, figure-ground perception and bilateral integration, amongst many other modalities, underpin the learning process in the classroom. But how do all these modalities fit together if at all? Are they just a random collection of foundations, or do they actually fit together in some kind of meaningful… Read more »
Tactile Discrimination Activities for Pre-Writing Skills for Preschoolers
Tactile discrimination is the ability to use the touch information from the fingers and hand to identify an object without seeing it. The brain uses this touch information to know which fingers are holding onto the pencil. In addition to the the information from the touch preceptors of the fingers, it also gets information from… Read more »
Why Kids Should Work on a Vertical Surface
It is no secret that one of my favourite working positions is the vertical surface. I have always said that if you wanted to take one thing out of my occupational therapy practice, you could have my tables. I just needed the walls! So let’s look at why kids should work on a vertical surface… Read more »
Pencil Grasp Should be Taught or do Kids Learn it Automatically?
More and more, I hear people asking if pencil grasp should be taught, or will our children automatically learn the correct pencil grip on their own? Is it inherently pre-programmed that we can confidently leave for nature to take care of? Or, do we need to be paying it attention, and if so, how? We… Read more »
Occupational Therapy for Handwriting – How Does it Help?
By the time our children enter Grade 1, they have usually learned to write their names and may be able to write letters and numbers. The more advanced amongst them will even be able to write words and sentences. But for the most part, handwriting is the domain of the Grade 1 classroom. Our teachers… Read more »
Pre-Writing Skills. Walk Before you Can Run. Free Download!
They say you can’t run before you can walk and I am certain that we all agree that this is true. Just as true, is that children cannot learn to form letters and numbers before they have mastered the drawing of shapes. And they cannot draw shapes before they are able to draw the component… Read more »
Pre-writing Skills Activities. From Scribbles to Handwriting
Our children’s first works of art are random scribbles on a page. Within a few short years these scribbles have been transformed into the beautifully crafted letters that make up handwriting. Handwriting is a critical scholastic milestone because it is the foundation for story writing and composition. Some children make the transition from scribbles seamlessly,… Read more »
Ambidextrous and Hand Preference.
From time to time we hear of children who are ambidextrous. This seems such an amazing thing! Imagine being able to write with both hands! Does it matter if a child hasn’t established a hand preference or hand dominance? Is it really an important thing and when, if at all, should we intervene? Although only… Read more »
Development of Handwriting Skills in Kids | 8 Steps
We all know what untidy, illegible handwriting looks like. The quality of fine motor skills and pencil control are on the decline in our techno age where pre-schoolers are pointing and swiping, rather than engaging in the manipulative skills required for developing the hand muscles essential for controlling a pencil. What are the best approaches… Read more »