Maths Writing B

From the earliest stages, children will be developing their fine motor skills when they pick up writing tools and make marks on paper. You can help by giving your child lots of opportunities to scribble, draw, colour and develop other early writing skills. Fine motor skills are the ability to make smaller movements using muscles in, for example, our wrists, fingers and hands to carry out controlled actions such as writing
or cutting with scissors.
There are a few things you can do to make sure that your child is working in a comfortable and suitable place when they sit down to write. Make sure they are sitting at a table and that the table and chair are at a comfortable height. The table should support the forearm so that it rests lightly on the surface and is parallel to the floor. Try to encourage your child to sit up straight and not to slouch. The height of the chair should be such that the thighs are horizontal and the feet flat on the floor. For all children, especially left-handers, a pen or pencil with a rounded nib or point is best for writing. For right-handers a tripod grip is generally accepted as the most efficient way of holding a pen or pencil. This means it should be held lightly between the thumb and forefinger about 3cm from the point. The middle finger provides additional support. The left hand should be used to steady the paper. If your child is left handed, encourage them to hold their pencils far enough away
from the point to allow them to see what they are writing. The tripod grip should be much the same as for a right-hander.