1. Smaller Writing Utensils
One of the most common questions I receive from staff working with younger students revolves around pencil grasp. Staff may start expressing concerns when a student is not consistently holding a pencil or writing utensil with a more mature grasp. While there may be many factors underlying the child’s grasp, an easy way to address it in the classroom is to use small writing utensils. Break those crayons! Use pipsqueak markers and small golf pencils. The smaller nature of these tools can facilitate a more mature tripod grasp pattern.
2. Scissor Visual
Another concern I often receive when a child begins to use scissors is that they may be holding the scissors with a ‘thumbs down’ grasp pattern. Try placing a sticker or drawing a small smiley face on the child’s thumb as a visual cue for ‘thumbs up’ cutting.
3. Use Paint Samples for Cutting Practice
This is one of my favorite, easy, and FREE recommendations! As young children are learning to cut, standard paper can be difficult for them to hold and manipulate. Thicker paper is sturdier and gives nice feedback to the hand when cutting through it. The next time you are at your favorite local home improvement store, pick up some paint samples! These are perfect because they are thicker paper and have the cutting lines already built in.
4. Incorporate Flexible Seating Options
I have written a few blogs about the importance of incorporating strategies into the classroom to meet students’ sensory and movement needs. I find flexible seating options to be very easy to implement, and contrary to what you may think, many options are simple and free. A fun idea for younger students is to use a laundry basket during circle time! You can read some more ideas in my previous posts here, here and here.
5. Use a Slant Board
If a student has difficulty visually attending to tabletop writing tasks, or you notice his entire forearm is lifted off the table instead of resting on the writing surface, a slant board may be a helpful tool for this student in the classroom. Traditional slant boards can be expensive, so one of my favorite tips is to use a thick binder and a binder clip to easily create your own slant board! Try adding dycem or a nonslip pad underneath if the binder moves around the desk while the student is writing.
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