Anne Gardner's Educational Resources

Which pencil is best? 

   

All of these contraptions have been highly recommended for various reasons over the years.  

Personally, I am blessed with horrific fine motor skills.  For many years, I thought this was a curse. (I started teaching back in the days when teachers were expected to write on a chalkboard on a regular basis . . . )

Technology has been my friend.  It's so much easier being able to project work onto a screen!   

I have grown to appreciate my tendency toward weak fine motor skills as this has helped me understand the plight of students who really struggle with handwriting. This often starts with basic letter formation - but continues throughout school as students are expected to write compositions of increasing length. 

So, here's my answer to the age-old question ~ Which pencil is best?

The one the writer is most comfortable using!

   

Giving students the opportunity to experiment with and choose between a variety of writing tools can really help enhance their ability to stay focused on writing tasks (for a variety of reasons).  Just for fun, here are some thoughts on some of the contraptions shown above: 

Recently, there's been lots of discussion about how small pencils (such as golf pencils) are better suited to little hands.  I've found it true that using small pencils deters students from using a "fist grip."  There just isn't enough to hold onto . . .  They are the pencil of choice for some students. I have also found that some students are more comfortable with a large pencil, particularly when a triangular grip is added.  

Other students prefer the use of a weighted pencil.  For kids who also need a fidget tool, I love the wingnut pencil.  Kids can earn washers, spacers and wingnuts as prizes. To collect hardware, I searched through our garage. You can also go to a hardware store with a pencil in hand. (You may end up with some small pencil shavings the first time the wingnuts are used.)

The second pencil down in this picture has a pipe cleaner (or stem) wrapped around it.  It can be kept in place using a rubber band above and/or below as needed.  Many kids love this texture - and it's also a comfortable pencil grip for some. This one happens to be wrapped around a mechanical pencil. 

The 4th picture from the top was a fidget pencil I purchased many years ago for a couple dollars.  It is visually appealing, but the wingnut moves so easily that I find kids wildly spinning it instead of truly using up extra (fidgety) energy. 

The bottom pencil is one of my favorites.  It's a golf whiffle ball on a regular size pencil.  (I had to use the file from my fingernail clippers to slightly enlarge the holes.)  If I have to write for hours, this is my tool of choice.  A number of students, over the years, have found that their hands do not tire as easily using this "contraption." 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  If you have a favorite writing tool, I'd love to hear about it!

:) Anne