I want a consultation

Graphometry: How it develops and how to help a preschooler with it

For some, writing is as natural as breathing; for others, it’s difficult even in adulthood. The development of graphomotor skills begins from infancy. But there are milestones that are crucial for the successful mastery of writing and all further studies.

What to watch for and when to help the child? Can the kindergarten teacher handle everything? Do you know what a proper grip looks like and why it is important to practice graphomotor skills?

procvičování grafomotoriky width=

From birth, parents and other caregivers must monitor the child’s proper motor development. Any deficiencies may manifest themselves in graphomotor skills, which are a set of activities leading to written expression. It is, in simple terms, the movement of the hand that is carried out in order to make a mark, i.e. drawing, writing and doodling. Good graphomotor skills are essential for school success, so they should be practiced not only in the preschool years.

Milestones in graphomotor development

  • The first deliberate attempts to leave a mark occur in children around 18-24 months. Before a child picks up a pencil for the first time, he or she is likely to “draw” something with a finger or spoon in the sauce. This is also why it is important that children are given the opportunity to feed themselves. Just as the child’s movements develop, the child’s grip on the pencil changes, following the historical development of the human being and his grip on tools. At first the child makes isolated movements, drawing only lines and holding the pencil in the palm of the hand with the thumb up or down.
  • Between the 2nd and 3rd year, the movements become more coordinated and round and square shapes appear. The child holds the pencil in a handful grip that resembles holding a flint. It is advisable that the writing utensil is thick and short and therefore easy for the child to handle. Examples of such pens are wax pens, children’s markers and special crayons.
  • By the age of 3-4.5 years, the child will be more fluent in drawing lines and will start to color. At this time, incorrect grips may already appear and need to be corrected to a pinch grip to prevent fixation.
grafomotorika, úchop tužky, jak držet tužku, školní zralost, twigsee Young children around 3 years of age do best holding short and thick writing utensils such as wax pens. (Foto: Pixabay.com)
špetkový úchop, úchop tužky, správný úchop, jak držet tužku, grafomotorika, twigsee The pinch grip is the most effective pencil grip in terms of hand movement.
  • Around the age of 4.5 – 5 years, when children like to draw ‘cephalopods’ and their creations are becoming recognizable, the pinch grip should be stabilized. Incorrect grips should be corrected so that by the time they start school the correct grip is fixed. The pre-school child should be able to draw the figure including details, which is checked by the child and adolescent practitioner at the 5 year check as part of the school maturity check.

 

Pinch grip – correct pencil grip

The pinch grip is the most natural and efficient grip for the pencil in terms of hand movements. It is essential for proper learning of writing and easier learning in general, so it is necessary to pay special attention to its fixation. The child should start school with a fixed grip, as there is no room for learning it in Grade 1 and move straight on to learning to write. Therefore, it is up to the parents and kindergarten teachers to ensure that it is mastered.

3 fingers are used – thumb, index and middle finger, the other fingers are loose on the paper, the palm is free. The thumb and forefinger are against each other with the pads of the fingers gripping the writing utensil, while the middle finger supports it from below. For young children, this hand positioning can be likened to a crib in which a pencil rocks. The middle finger is the crib, the index finger the pillow, and the thumb the comforter. The comforter is meant to gently surround but not press. This animation of the fingers and pencil also helps when correcting. Instead of saying to the child, “You’re holding it wrong.” We say, for example, “The pencil is falling out of the crib and the cushion is pushing.” This way the child doesn’t get the feeling of being clumsy and we can correct him more often.

špetkový úchop, úchop tužky, nesprávný úchop, jak držet tužku, grafomotorika, twigsee Incorrect grip – thumb and forefinger are not clasped in a pinch, thumb protrudes. (Foto: Pixabay.com)
špetkový úchop, úchop tužky, nesprávný úchop, jak držet tužku, grafomotorika, twigsee Incorrect grip – too much pressure on the pencil, index finger breaks.

 

Manifestations of graphomotor immaturity in preschool age

Immature graphomotor skills manifest themselves in everyday activities and are quite easy for a parent or kindergarten teacher to notice.

A child with immature graphomotor skills:

    • does not seek out handicraft activities
    • refuses to draw
    • is less dexterous in self-care (dressing, zipping up, tying shoelaces)
    • has a skeletal line of drawing, non-fluent lines
    • produces a poorer drawing than his peers, which corresponds in form and content to that of a younger child

 

Practicing graphomotor skills

If you observe any of the above manifestations of immature graphomotor skills in your child, include more developmental activities.

Children can practice fine motor skills through, for example, cooking and manual work. Working with modelling or clay will strengthen the muscles in their hands. Playing a musical instrument has the same effect. Handling small objects such as stringing beads forces the child to coordinate the movement of the thumb and index finger and prepares him for pincer grasp. In fact, when manipulating small objects, the fingers form a pinch just like that needed to hold a pencil.

Children train their gross motor skills best when playing outdoors, so allow them to jump, run and climb as often as possible.

Preparing preschoolers for writing

Graphomotor skills are influenced by psychomotor development. If a parent or teacher is hesitant about whether a child’s graphomotor development is in order, he or she can visit a specialist to assess the condition and recommend specific graphomotor exercises. They can advise you at the educational and psychological counselling center, whose services are free and located in every region.

There are also private counselling centers specifically for graphomotor skills. If a child has poor graphomotor skills even at school age, he or she could struggle with poor letter learning, illegible handwriting and slow writing speed. If you are vigilant in preschool and follow recommendations and practice when appropriate, the start of school and learning to write will be much more relaxed for the child.

 

Source:
www.grafomotorika.eu
www.stabilo.com
www.msmt.cz

Foto: Pixabay.com

 

 

10. 4. 2022 | Lucie Hromádková

We recommend

<strong>The risk of working in a pre-school: burnout syndrome</strong>
The risk of working in a pre-school: burnout syndrome

20. 06. 2023 | Martina Zatloukalová

The teaching profession can be exhausting. Moreover, if you are suffocating under the stress of work overload and workplace conflicts for a long time, you are heading towards burnout. Article detail »

<strong>How to keep children safe outdoors</strong>
How to keep children safe outdoors

14. 07. 2023 | Martina Zatloukalová

A spirit of discovery and inexhaustible energy are behind many childhood injuries. So we've put together some tips to keep children safe when they're outdoors. Article detail »

<strong>Sandberg Capital, Bakaláři And Twigsee founded Educleus</strong>
Sandberg Capital, Bakaláři And Twigsee founded Educleus

20. 04. 2023 | admin

Slovak private equity company Sandberg Capital, in cooperation with the creators of the most-used school software in the Czech Republic Bakaláři and the authors of the application for kindergartens Twigsee, has established a new holding group called Educleus. Article detail »

What are the preschools
currently using Twigsee saying about it?

Mr. Jimmy

Hello, so far so good with Twigsee. We have managed to create classes and upload students' names. The teachers' names have been shared already and we believe by next week we might have progressed further. Thanks to all.

Mr. Jimmy
System Manager, Greenwood Groove Academy, Kenya
Zuzana Vacíková

Twigsee caught our attention right away from the presentation thanks to the range of functions offered. It wasn't a system that only dealt with attendance or just the registry. It offered us the opportunity to have everything under one roof. And the cherry on top of the cake was the possibility of sending parents contributions about how their children are doing in preschool that day. Parents liked the app very quickly. At first, teachers were more concerned about whether preschool management wanted to give them extra work. However, they soon discovered that writing to parents made them happy, and they also finally have an overview of the children's attendance for each day. Twigsee can handle all that is on the agenda in a preschool as well as accounting. Forest preschool, Pohádky z.s., Zvole

Zuzana Vacíková
Assistant Director
Michelle Specht

Great Customer Support! Any problem gets immediate attention, and also the sales representatives are very willing to help.

Michelle Specht
Director
Helena Zdrubecká

We have just started using the Twigsee application, as I was drawn in by an offer. Especially the time saving. I can use my time more meaningfully with my children rather than doing administration. I appreciate the professionalism of the team. Mr. Med answered all of our questions. I was impressed by the enrolment process of new children, attendance and, above all, the connection of teachers with parents, which does not disrupt them from their work with the children. Before signing the contract, we compared the offer of similar applications and came to the conclusion that Twigsee provides the most comprehensive offer of services for preschool needs.

Helena Zdrubecká
Director
Linda Janichová

We have been using the Twigsee app in our Fox Nursery for over a year now. Through the app we communicate important information to parents. We share photos of the children's daily activities, and we use surveys, to which parents respond more quickly than in person. We have an overview of how many children are coming on a given day, so we can plan and adjust the day's schedule. Parents especially like the app because they have instant information about what's going on in the preschool, they can see lots of photos and they can excuse their child for the time they need in a few clicks. The Twigsee app is responsive to the needs of our preschools and is quick and easy for teachers, nannies and parents to use. With the Twigsee app, we are simply moving with the times.

Linda Janichová
Director
Zuzana Černá

Twigsee is a wonderful app that has made communication between the preschool and parents faster, more convenient, and better since we began using it at the beginning of the school year. Also, it unbelievably simplifies the work of employees. Everybody, including the parents, are happy with the app.

Zuzana Černá
Assistant Director
Tereza Dvořáková

Twigsee is a great and innovative app for me as the preschool’s headmaster as well as a mother. There’s finally an app that eases the workload of administrative duties for the MŠMT (Ministry of Education) as well as the MPSV (Social Security) for everyone. It accomplishes all of this in a very easy to use and intuitive way. Communication with the Twigsee team is superb. They were always happy to answer all of my questions about the app and its functions whenever I needed it. As a mother, I value daily, easy-to-view information about my child so that I am informed about what they are doing and have access to information from the preschool, teachers, and administration. I strongly recommend the app for all administrators and parents!

Tereza Dvořáková
Director
Michaela Možiešíková

We’ve finally disposed of all signature forms for all applications and online photo galleries, and parents no longer forget about school activities. Parents know what is happening at preschool and are much happier and at ease. We’ve stopped needing to constantly explain and repeat the same things. Thank you.

Michaela Možiešíková
Assistant Director
Lucie England

Twigsee won us over from the moment we started using it. It allows us to manage everything in our preschool in a convenient and easy-to-view manner, all in one place. You’ll love Twigsee because it will make your administrative tasks easier and will make communication with parents faster and more effective. It will not only make your teachers very happy but also the parents! I also greatly appreciate the wonderful support from the Twigsee team which is always prepared to handle our questions and requests. In short, I can wholeheartedly recommend Twigsee without hesitation.

Lucie England
Director
Jan Vodrážka

While I was a bit skeptical at first, we have been up and running with Twigsee for a month and a half now without a single problem. We have over fifty reviews from parents and every one of them is positive. Furthermore, parents have started to appreciate all that our teachers do for them and they’ve not only decreased their demands, but have started asking how they can help. They donate toys, company gifts, or homemade Moravian honey. We are happy and are ordering Twigsee for our other location in Průhonice.

Jan Vodrážka
Director
Dominika Hájková

Our preschool Malvína has been using the Twigsee app for over half a year. It is a big help to us. Thanks to the child’s profile, we have an easy-to-view list of all their important information. Also, with Twigsee, communication with parents is more convenient. We can share photos with them and using posts, share important information with only selected parents. Not needing to inform each parent individually has saved us a significant amount of work. What we appreciate most about the app, is the easy-to-view attendance. It shows the number of present and excused children and also, alerts us to any children leaving after lunch. Our school highly recommends the app. The team of people who developed the app are definitely professionals in what they do. They responded to all of our questions quickly and are always available to assist us.

Dominika Hájková
Assistant Director

Already have an account?Sign in

Contact

required fields *