pencil grippers

One thing that Josh struggled with as a toddler was holding a pen/pencil properly. He always preferred holding his writing instruments with his fist. Even though he could still write letters and numbers with a fist grip, I always wondered when he would change and hold a pen correctly. Early last year, I decided to experiment with some pencil grippers with him to see if that would help encourage him to form a proper grip. When I was growing up, the only pencil grippers that I remember were the little ones (like the one pictured above in yellow to the far left). Nowadays, there are a lot of different styles that are appropriate for different ages. Some kids don't need pencil grippers, but some kids find it helpful.

The best pencil gripper for Josh turned out to be the one pictured above in green on the far right, which is more comfortable for smaller hands. We tried the gripper shown above in red too, but he seemed to like the green style better. There is a neat little "shield" that keeps his fingers snugly in place and now it's more comfortable for him to write. So far, he has improved quite a bit with his pencil grip and I'm happy with the progress he's made.