Jonathan is starting to draw more now that he's in preschool. Scribbling and coloring some. He never really had much interest in it before (unless it magic marker and was all over my walls-ugh).
Well, while we were in Texas, I kept noticing him picking up a crayon and making some marks with it and then turning to the next page. For blue, he make four shapes. For red he made three. Finally, I figured out he was trying to write the names of the colors he was using. I had to look really closely to figure it out. But that's what he was doing.
In Louisiana, we were trying to kill some time at a restaurant while we were waiting for our food and he wrote "I Spy". You can tell what the "I" "p" and "y" were, but the "s" threw me off a little bit.
I have noticed, though, that he tends to use his left hand when he is trying to write. He's never shown any kind of preference before when he was drawing or coloring or tracing somethign with his fingers, but he does with writing.
He's still having some trouble with his gripping of the pen/pencil/whatever. I thought I could position his fingers and then position mine on the pencil right behind his and help him. But I am right-handed, so I I don't know how to really help him position it unless it's in the right hand. And I don't want to frustrate him further.
What can I do?
Well, while we were in Texas, I kept noticing him picking up a crayon and making some marks with it and then turning to the next page. For blue, he make four shapes. For red he made three. Finally, I figured out he was trying to write the names of the colors he was using. I had to look really closely to figure it out. But that's what he was doing.
In Louisiana, we were trying to kill some time at a restaurant while we were waiting for our food and he wrote "I Spy". You can tell what the "I" "p" and "y" were, but the "s" threw me off a little bit.
I have noticed, though, that he tends to use his left hand when he is trying to write. He's never shown any kind of preference before when he was drawing or coloring or tracing somethign with his fingers, but he does with writing.
He's still having some trouble with his gripping of the pen/pencil/whatever. I thought I could position his fingers and then position mine on the pencil right behind his and help him. But I am right-handed, so I I don't know how to really help him position it unless it's in the right hand. And I don't want to frustrate him further.
What can I do?
I'm a lefty so I totally understand how hard it is. Many lefties hold their pencils much different then righties, I'm sure it's because no one was around to show them. I think I would let him hold it how ever is comfortable for him. If you are trying to help him write things sit across from him that way it's like looking at a mirror. It helped me a lot to look across at someone that way because even if you are holding your pencil in your right hand he'll mirror you and hold it in his left hand.
Thanks, Mel!
I'm gonna send a letter to the teacher and OT to see what they think and see if they'll keep an eye on it there, since I'm sure they'll be seeing more of it than I will for a little while.
Hopefully his teacher will know more about how to help him if he is a lefty.
