Home Hot Topics Articles Directors' Choice Awards About Us / Contact Us Activities & Curriculum Activities for Outcome-Based Learning Arts & Crafts Music for Learning Recommended Reading Sharing Boards: What Do YOU Think? NEWSlink Current National News Conference Calendar Topics In Early Childhood Education Art and Creativity in Early Childhood Education Job Sharing Board State Licensing Requirements Stay Connected! Each month we'll send you an email filled with articles and ideas for your classroom. Subscribe Now Date: 1/19/2007 12:03:00 PM Author: Kelly Fowler and Melanie Tinney (Kelly@chomonline.org) Subject: holding a pencil Hey Guys, Children develop the muscles in their hands in progression. The whole hand grasp is the first step in learning to write and hold pencils correctly. Ways to strengthen the whole hand grasp include grasping small balls to throw, playing with playdough, and games using kitchen tongs to pick up things like pom pom balls. The second step is being to pinch using all fingers, and then on to the pincer grasp. Be careful not to force children to try to write before they are ready. There are many ways to encourage pre-writing skills by fun activities. Any activity in which children use the muscles in their hands and fingers is preparing them for writing. Name: Email: Subject

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