Is handwriting really that hard?

If you are anything like me, your experience of learning to write will be a distant memory.

I don’t remember a time when I could not work out which way around a ‘b’ went -- athough there must have been such a time -- as letter reversals are quite common for children up to age seven.

Handwriting is actually a complex task that involves a multitude of skills.

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS FOR GOOD HANDWRITING

Core strength

Good core strength and posture form the ‘anchors’ on which your child’s hand skills can develop. It is very hard to control your hand if you are finding it hard to stay upright in your chair.

Suggestions: Play games outside that encourage your child to climb, swing, jump and balance. When inside, play activities in a variety of positions e.g. getting your child to lie on their tummy on the floor while supporting their weight on their forearms and lifting their chest off the ground or working against the wall whilst kneeling on a pillow.

Hand skills

This includes having a well-developed hand dominance, enough strength in the hand to hold the pencil in the first three fingers (called a tripod grasp) and dextrous finger muscles to allow the fingers to move the pencil in a controlled way.

Suggestions: The internet has millions of creative and fun activity ideas to develop “fine motor skills” but daily practice and repetition is a wonderful way to strengthen your child's abilities. Encourage them to use their hands during dressing, tidying up, washing and food preparation activities.

Eye skills

This includes the ability to switch focus between near and far, to look between a whiteboard and a desk, using one's eyes (together) to focus on what is in front of you and the ability to scan a page from left to right.

Suggestions: Move away from 2-dimensional screens and play games that encourage your child to follow moving objects such as balls, marbles, balloons, dice, cars etc. in three dimensions.

Have your child’s vision checked by an Optometrist to ensure that they have proper vision.

Perceptual skills

Visual perception is the ability to make sense of what you are seeing. The ability to recognise similarities and differences, to find things in a busy background or manipulate objects in our mind.

Suggestions: Play 3-dimensional games that encourage your child to “figure out” a visually presented problem. These include puzzles, construction activities, matching activities and board games.

Motor skills

You need to be able to plan where to place your pencil to “start” the letter, which direction to move in and where to “end”. This involves moving your eyes and hands together, at the same time and in a controlled manner, to position letters on or within the lines provided.

Suggestions: Pre-writing skills such as cutting, colouring, tracing, tearing and sticking help to develop good motor control. Encourage your child to be creative: drawing the things that they see in their environment or in their imagination and building or constructing items with recycled materials.

Attention

Children need to have good attention to be able to remain still in their chairs, concentrate on instructions from the teachers, as well as to visually focus on the work in front of them.

Suggestions: If you know that your child is finding handwriting or tabletop tasks challenging, allow more frequent breaks during the time that they engage in these tasks. Make the tasks as fun as possible and praise them for their efforts.

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For some children, difficulties in one or many of the abovementioned areas can result in handwriting that is slow, difficult to read or even painful to produce .... but thankfully all is not lost ...

An Occupational Therapist will be able to assess your child, to identify the areas of difficulty that are affecting their handwriting. Typically, the Occupational Therapist will then be able to work with you to improve your child’s handwriting - ultimately leading to greater success at school.

Bathtime struggles

WHY YOUR CHILD MIGHT BE GETTING UPSET AT BATHTIME

1. Transitioning

Finishing one activity and moving to another can be really difficult for kids and they benefit from preparation and warning before this happens.

Create predictability by having a set "nighttime routine". This will help your child understand what happens before and after bath time, making the transitions easier. Children are often engrossed in a TV program or playing a fun game when they are asked to go bath.

Younger children struggle with the concept of time and saying something like: "two more minutes before bath time" is an abstract concept to them. Showing them a visual countdown timer will help them understand when their current activity will end. In the same way, you can count backwards to zero or use a transitional sound or song to move from one activity to the next.

Make bath time as fun as playtime, by adding bubbles, water sprayers and pouring cups to the activity.

Add colour or foam to your bath water and allow children to play with sinking or floating toys. Children love drawing on the tub with bath crayons or sticking foam letters, numbers or animals on the wet tiles.

2. Avoiding bedtime

Many kids may realise that after bath time comes bedtime. If this is true for your child, think about mixing things up a bit. Move bath time to early mornings or to late afternoons.

3. Soap in their eyes

If the idea of soap in their eyes or water on their face is a tantrum trigger think about investing in a bath visor or allowing your child to wear goggles during bath time.

Have a dry cloth or towel on hand and offer it to your child should you see they feel uncomfortable or distressed by the splashing. Choose wash cloths with fun characters, puppet washcloths or even soft toys that can get soaked to "help" clean faces and tricky places.

Using imaginary or pretend play is a lovely distraction from the reality of getting clean.

4. Sensory sensitivities to touch

Bath time involves many textural and temperature changes from removing one's clothes, being immersed in warm liquid, touched and washed by different cloths and sponges, splashed by water and dried again with different fabrics.

Giving a child with sensitivity to touch as many choices as possible during this time, helps them to feel more in control e.g. "which item of clothing are we going to take off first?" "Should we wash with the loofa or the sponge?" "Are we going to use the bar soap or gel soap?"

Wrapping them up tightly in the towel when they are done may also provide some much-needed deep pressure. Using firm strokes or squeezes to dry them is preferred to soft, fast strokes of a towel.

5. Sensory sensitivities to sound

Bathrooms tend to echo or distort sound which can be very dysregulating to some children. The noise of rushing water or a flushing toilet may be a sensory trigger for others.

Filling the bath before your child gets there or only emptying it after they leave, may assist with the lowering of sound levels in the bathroom. Dressing or undressing in a different room can also help to decrease the time spent in the bathroom.

6. Sensory sensitivities to smells

The bathroom is filled with pleasant and unpleasant odours, but to some kids, it is all just too much.

Pay attention to your child's preference for certain soap flavours or smells and try to use the ones that they prefer.

Odourless options may also be a good idea.

7. Irrational fears

When imagination takes flight, things like "water monsters or bugs" might be lurking in the bath. Some children may be scared of slipping or getting stuck in the drain.

Creating positive associations with bath time will help your child to overcome their fears.

Respect instead of force is key to breaking the chain of negative ideas. Add toys that you can catch or scoop out with a net and pretend that you are removing all the bugs from the bath.

Bring out the dinosaur toys or your child's big shark toy to gobble up the other monsters so that it will be safe for your child can get in.

Playfulness, fun and laughter can help them relax and make them much more willing to have a bath.

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The challenge is to not see your child's refusal to bathe as a "naughty or bad behaviour" but rather to seek to understand the reasons for their avoidance. This way you can support them and still get it done!

Should difficulties in establishing and following daily routines or activities remain a challenge in your home, seek out support from an Occupational Therapist.

The Benefits of Active Seating

"Sit still", "stop fidgeting" or "sit down" are commonly heard phrases around the dining room table, in the classroom or at the homework desk.

The idea that children will actually learn and focus better when they are moving, is a foreign concept to many parents and teachers.

However, changing positions and adding a little wiggle, bounce or wobble to everyday activities, can make a world of difference to a child's behaviour, attention, overall blood flow and core muscle strength.

Active seating involves moving away from "traditional" seating options and exploring alternatives:

1. Movement breaks

Create regular opportunities to get up off the chair to stretch arms and legs, shake bodies, dance, exercise, spin, swing or run.

These breaks do not need to last long and can be structured at specific times with set activities, something as simple as a surprise musical statue midway through a lesson!

2. Tummy time

This is typically a word you first hear when you have a baby but encouraging your child to continue engaging in activities whilst lying on their tummy on the floor can also be beneficial.

Ensure that children prop themselves up on their forearms, with their elbows under their shoulders, keeping their chest lifted off the floor. This is a great position for story time, drawing or puzzle building.

3. Vertical work

Standing and working on an easel, blackboard or kneeling and working against the wall is a great alternative position that builds strength in the upper limbs and trunk.

Try these "vertical working" alternatives when revising work or practising for spelling tests.

4. Theraband

Tying resistive exercise bands or even stockings around the legs of your child's chair, will allow them to bounce their legs or push with their feet against the band or tubing whilst working or listening.

This will offer an opportunity to get additional muscle and joint (proprioceptive) feedback without having to get up.

5. Air cushions

Light, rubbery pillows that the child can sit on and that allow for wiggling and rocking whilst being seated. They can be easily transported or moved between chairs and classrooms.

They can be used during structured table time activities, or while sitting on the floor during the morning ring.

It is important to note that these cushions should not be used all day and that they should preferably be offered at specific times or intervals.

6. Balls, adapted chairs & wobble stools

There are multiple online suppliers of specifically designed chairs for alternative seating. Remember to check with your child's Occupational Therapist (OT) or teacher before ordering these larger pieces of equipment.

This should not stop you from purchasing a therapy/gym ball or exercise trampoline for use at home, as these offer wonderful opportunities for movement.

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Multiple seating options will offer your child alternative ways of having their sensory needs met while learning and growing.

Ask your OT for specific home-based exercises or activity ideas suitable to your child's abilities.

This will enable your child to complete their work without adults scolding or constantly disciplining them, ultimately leading to a happier and more confident little human.