We received The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit ($8.81) and it included a set of 3 grips. This 3 Step system is meant to help kids from the beginning. All three grips are made of soft, rubbery-type material. They easily wipe clean if they are dirty. (We had that issue when changing the grips between pencils and pens...lol). Caty started out with the Step 1 Grip - The Crossover Grip. She used that briefly and said it wasn't comfortable. So I was worried. I switched her onto Step 2 - The Pinch Grip, and all was good in the world. She wrote all her copywork and drew her picture with no complaints.
Below is a picture of her using Step 2 - The Pinch Grip. She held her grip correctly all the way through her copywork assignments. So I knew this is where she needed to be. I don't have a picture of it, but we were able to easily switch the grip between her pencil and her erasable pens. It fit any standard sized pen/pencil easily.
Just to try her out, we had her try Step 3 - The Original Grip. She was definitely not ready for Step 3. She struggled holding her pencil correctly, and complained of her fingers slipping. She is holding it correctly as you can see in the pictures, but the Step 3 grip is smaller in size, so she struggled with holding it. She couldn't keep her fingers in the correct locations. So she grew frustrated. You can even see in the pictures below how her handwriting suffered more than usual due to this grip.
We definitely figured out that Caty is in the Step 2 - The Pinch Grip for proper handwriting. She has been working hard on her copywork, and with the help of her pink friend....she doesn't complain of hand pain after her copywork. This is a great win for us. I had bought some different pencil grips a few months ago, and she HATED them. They were definitely not as nice as this set that we received from The Pencil Grip, Inc. We will definitely continue using The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit. And because I love how it's positioning Caty's hand so well, I'm going to purchase some extra kits to help out the boys more with their handwriting struggles.
These grips can be used by young and old, people of all ages and abilities. So even if your little one is just starting to write or you have an older school-aged kiddo that needs some extra help, The Pencil Grip, Inc. has a grip option to help them.
We also had the opportunity to try out The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors that are sold by The Pencil Grip, Inc.
The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors ($4.00) were created for ages 3 and up. They look very much like typical safety scissors, except they have a permanent plastic safety shield covering the blades. I admit, when I first saw these I wished that I would have had these when Joey was little. He never cut himself with scissors, but he made me nervous.
There is a small opening between the plastic shield and top blade. This area is where you insert the paper.
And then you use the scissors as normal.
The cut was smooth, but I felt they were a bit awkward to use. You could only turn the paper so much due to the plastic guard being in place.
I had a friends young daughter use the scissors to try them out. She also struggled a bit using the Ultra Safe Safety Scissors. She had the same struggle I did, keeping the paper at the right level/straight while cutting. As we cut, our hand that was holding the paper would relax and fall slightly. This actually messed up the angle of our cutting, and that is where we struggled slightly.
If your child is used to using safety scissors already, I would not worry about replacing their scissors quickly. If they are struggling and possibly hurting themselves, then you definitely should make the small investment in The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors for your family. If you have a young one just starting out cutting, The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors are a great addition to your art box.
Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to review both The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit and The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors from The Pencil Grip, Inc. Please visit the link below to read how they used these products in their home and what they thought of them.
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