[blparent] Holding a Pencil Right

[Erin Rumer]

Hello Joe Elizabeth,

I spoke to my husband about this who was a teacher of the visually impaired for several years before working with vets who are blind in the VA.  He says that in the early years especially it is important for kids to learn the optimum way to hold a pencil to maximize the muscles ability to write the best.  Soon, certain ways of writing become muscle memory and poor grip of the pencil can lead to poor hand-writing in life or at least a lot of retraining down the line.  Some folks choose to hold their pencil a certain way that is different from the traditional pincher grip but this is after years of writing the traditional way and customizing their style.  I think that in your daughter's case, it would be best for her to learn the traditional way and if she likes it differently later down the line then you know she has the foundation mastered for having a clean writing style and steady hand.  Of course, this is all assuming that your daughter has no muscle or motor issues with her hands and that she can grip a pencil just like any other child.

Have a great day.

Erin 

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 3:11 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: [blparent] Holding a Pencil Right

I got an e-mail from Sarah’s preschool teacher. Apparently they were working on letters, and the teacher noticed that Sarah wasn't holding her pencil right. She wants me to do some exercises to strengthen Sarah’s pincher grip. Has anybody heard of this? Does it matter how you hold a pencil anyway?

Jo Elizabeth

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