In the past, children who hold a writing instrument incorrectly have been helped by this exercise when carried out over a long period of time. It is important that when a child is relearning how to hold a writing instrument, he or she should never (!) have to concentrate on specific content at the same time. Changing a movement takes up all of a child’s concentration; this is why this exercise should also additionally be carried out during leisure time or in differentiation phases.
This exercise should only be practised with the writing hand!
To do this exercise, you need a non-varnished wooden bead of around 10 mm diameter for each child.
The exercise helps children learn to use their middle finger as the supporting finger under a writing instrument. If the middle finger remained on the top of the pen or pencil, there would be a gap at the side as the ring finger and little finger are holding the bead. The pen then cannot be held stably and it becomes virtually impossible to write without losing the writing instrument.
Thanks to the exercise with the bead, the child successfully finds a three-finger grip which will ensure he/she can hold a pen in a relaxed way and write without tension.