Writing obstacle

Delores has been struggling with proper grip of writing utensils for sometime. I've tried all the usual recommended tricks to help develop her muscles and to practice her pincher grasp but nothing seemed to work.  We've done the small knobbed puzzles, tongs, triangle shaped crayons, clothespins, you name it, we've tried it. 

The roundness of the utensil really bothered her delicate slender little fingers. Her muscles were fine for the task but using a proper grip caused a problem because it hurt her fingers and because of that she had gotten into the habit of fisting the utensil.

Obviously, this bothered me a bit but I did what I could to show her and guide her and then I just ignored the issue when it didn't get any better which, of course, bothered me too. I just figured she wasn't ready until I was reading over her new curriculum and day 2 of the first unit required her to do some writing. I want to make this new school experience as enjoyable as possible for her so I set out to find a solution. 

I really wanted her to start using pencils because they have a finer tip and, since Delores' writing tends to be on the smaller side, pencils seemed like a resonable utensil. I had heard somewhere that there were pencil grips for preschoolers to help with grasp but I haven't been able to find any in stores. I'm sure they probably have some at the teacher supply store on Woodruff road, but I don't have any free time to get over there and honestly don't to want to brave that store this time of the year.

So, next option; finding a different shaped pencil. If only there were fatter triangular or even flat shaped pencils. Kind of like a... carpenter pencil. Eureka! A carpenter pencil.  Why didn't I think of that before?

At my trip to Walmart today I found some for 0.83 a piece. I got 2. When I got them home I had Josh whittle the point and cut them in half.  Making a writing utensil shorter, about half the size, forces the child to hold it in the proper place for lack of having anywhere to hold it. And the result?  See for yourself:

Beautiful isn't it? It fixed all our issues. It lays flat on her middle finger. It's wide enough that it fits perfectly behind her pinches and it's short enough that she can maneuver it with ease. It doesn't hurt her fingers and she loved it so much she drew a very elaborate picture of daddy holding a baby. She hasn't even attempted any drawings in a while because she's been so frustrated with writing. I just love when things click and everything falls into place.

So, if you have a preschooler who complains about writing utensils hurting his/her fingers or just can't seem to grasp the concept of holding it properly, give the shortened carpenter pencil a try. You might just be amazed.