Here are some points I found to help in the development of childrens’ fine motor skills:
Chair and table
These need to be at the required height to suit the child. The adult needs to make sure that the child is sitting comfortably with both feet under the table
Direction
If the child is of school age and copying from the board, it is essential that he/she face the writing to be copied. While understanding that this is not always possible because of classroom size, the teacher should then select the child with greatest need to face the correct way.
Hand support
Having decided which is the dominant hand, the child needs to be encouraged to use the other hand to support the paper. This not only prevents the paper from slipping, but gives the child the correct posture and balance for the best results.
Pressure
Children have to learn how much pressure to exert in order to make marks. Some children may need a softer pencil than the standard ‘HB’. All younger writers should use a ‘B’ pencil to achieve immediate success.
Grasp
All Foundation Stage children should use triangular shaped pencils (available in writing, coloring and felt tips). This will foster and encourage a correct grip.
Mirror writing
This is a very common occurrence. The adult can help overcome this by consistently writing names at the top left of the page to encourage left to right orientation, or mark the top left corner with a green dot. A child starting to write at the right hand side of the page will produce mirror writing.
Left-handed
Children who have a determined left hand need to be encouraged to angle their paper in order to see the writing produced.
Table contact
In order to execute successful writing, the side of the hand needs to slide along the paper. Children gradually learn to achieve this. Some children who have only used computers, adopt a grip with the pencil that avoids contact with the table, similar to using a mouse. This puts a strain on the arm and does not allow the writer any level of control.
Writing series the past few weeks is taken from an article from the Early years Update written by Maggie Parker-Heys.