I often write about issues that concern my readers because I know that if one mom is worried, then chances are that others are as well. Today, I am going to address something that is a worry in my own life, and I am positive that many of you will appreciate the information.
How is your elementary school child’s handwriting?
How well is he/ she manipulating buttons and zippers?
Is cutting with scissors a struggle?
Do these issues translate to you having homework battles and buying clothes with special fasteners?
They do for me! I wish I could improve my child’s handwriting – without having him write!
I know that the underlying issue, in our case, is weak hand muscles. I have learned (the hard way) that addressing the problem is not best done by trying to make writing more fun.
(HOLY BACKFIRING MELTDOWN)
Imagine my excitement and relief when my friend Claire at the Inspired Treehouse wrote this article on 35 ways to strengthen hand muscles… without writing! We have been doing many of these, but since I read the article and stepped things up I have seen a HUGE improvement!
(Number 7 and 21 have been in full force at our house for a long time!)
Improve your child's #handwriting without writing! #PediatricOT #SpecialNeeds Click To TweetClaire wrote:
It’s one of the most common problem areas I see with kids in my pediatric occupational therapy practice: hand strength.
Kids who struggle with hand strength may have difficulty with grasping a pencil, learning to use scissors, and managing clothing fasteners. They are also likely to struggle with handwriting and other classroom skills.
There are tons of creative and playful activities for kids that can target hand strength. My favorites fall into three main categories… (Click here to continue reading – her ideas will make a note-worthy difference. They did for us!)
Check out the other articles I shared from my friends at The Inspired Treehouse:
What’s the Big Deal About W Sitting?
Is Tummy Time Really THAT Important?
Is Toe Walking Sign of a Bigger Problem?
I love this especially since i heard they were taking cursive out of the lesson plens of elementary schools. So sad
I’m glad I found this, I pinned it to read later. Thanks!
Love this, Tove! It’s crazy how these simple activities — play dough, crumpling paper — is fun but also works to strengthen fine motor skills and hand muscles! At our son’s preschool, they also do a lot of sponges as well as squeezing water basters. The director said it helps with the wrist as well as positions their fingers for future pencil-holding form. Cool right?
I love those ideas – the water basters would be so much fun. Thanks for sharing.
This is an interesting post. My husband has terrible handwriting, but he was a rock climber and general overactive kid… (who also played way too many video games). As I homeschool my own children I’d be interested to keep these in mind and see if they make a difference.
I found that any manipulation of small objects like LEGO is helpful – as is playing with polymer clay. It is a little harder than Play Doh, so it really works out their little hands.
My daughter likes playing with play dough.
I love all the possibilities there are for improving manual dexterity and hand strength during play! I have terrible hand writing so I worry about teaching my future little ones proper handwriting skills. Definitely saving this post for the future 🙂
I’m just hoping cursive is still taught when my guys enter elementary!
Thanks for sharing. Those are great ideas!
This is a great idea–my son always dreads handwriting practice.