how/when do you teach them how to properly hold a pencil/crayon?

One of my random ponderings... Bryan holds his crayons in his little fist and pitches a fit if I try to make him hold it correctly. Do I need to be fighting this battle now? Is there a good way to convince him he can color "better?" What do think? I'd like to start teaching them how to write their names since they recognize the letters of their names, but I can't get them to hold a crayon properly!

 

i think if he's pitching a fit, it's better to back off.

but i would model the correct grip and sit and draw with them and try to do some "brainwashing" about it: "oooh i want to color with the red crayon...let's see--this finger here with my thumb, and i use this other one to hold it steadier. yep, that's comfortable... (color color, draw draw). wow, that came out so nice! it probably helped that i held it that way." or if his brother is holding it correctly, praise him "i like how you've taken the crayon in a way that you can move it more easily"....

it's not too early to keep him from developing a bad habit that may lead to problems later on--having a wrong grip while writing can lead to his hand hurting or getting tired and a dislike for schoolwork later on...and it can affect posture, sometimes causing kids to complain of bachaches

 

I usually base these responses by what my kids did in Nursery school. In the 3 year old class, they were mostly concerned with a child finding their dominant hand, and would look at which hand they used to color, cut, etc. In the 4 year old year, they started with holding a "more correct" grip, and started writing the letters--both capital and lower case. Teachers in Kindergarten are fully prepared to teach kids the proper grip. I never did anything with my kids to teach them how to hold a crayon, but I did see the natural evolution as they got older and their fine motor skills got more precise.

 

I agree with everyone else - don't push him toward one hand or another. I did find this site that has a lot of ideas I've been using to help them with there grip. They are all exercises and activities to strengthen fine motor skill.

 

Sharon-- that's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I was hoping that by letting him color the way he wants to wasn't "hindering" him too much and that we'd pay for it later. Based on that schedule we've got plenty of time.

Stacy- what a great site!!! So many neat ideas to try out, even if just for fun!

 

I am glad to help!

 

Ignore my first sentence! I just read a very similar post and got confused!

 

Ditto pps - at 2y4m, you totally don't need to worry about "correct" form and coloring better! Just keep drawing together, provide lots of time with paper and crayons/markers, let them have fun with it and grow at their own pace.

 

Ditto! One of my DDs has been holding her crayons the 'correct' way from the beginning, but my other DD fists it and actually draws better than her sister.. like even I can recognize what she drew!!!