The Claw!

No, not the fictitious evil bedtime story character from whatever that Jim Carrey movie was... No, this is just a innocent rubber pencil grip. But don't let its innocence fool you - this little doodad will blow all the other pencil grips out of the water! My ds9 has a strong, almost unbreakable tendency to cross his thumb over his pencil when writing, often aiming his hand towards himself so it looks like he has a broken wrist. I've tried all kinds of memory tricks, demonstration videos, incessant nagging, and every style of pencil grip I could find (in town), but his improper form persists. And it's evident in his tedious and laborsome writing and awful penmanship. So, about a month ago, I did a bunch of research to see if anyone has invented some sort of specialized device that will FORCE his little fingers to stay in the right position, perhaps for disabled or special-need children (there's some great inventions for that market that are very applicable for other children as well). And I what I found was the CLAW! It's PERFECT! Unlike the Crossover grip (the only other pencil grip that had any potential), ds9 finds the claw comfortable and natural to use, almost as if he's using nothing at all, but with the correct form. One other lovely feature about the claw is that it stretchable, and can fit around even the biggest kid pencils or markers. PERFECT for getting your child to start out holding a pencil the right way from the get-go, so you don't have to conquer their bad habits when they're 9. :) The only "con" to this product is its durability. The centers are prone to breakage, especially if you have a kiddo who tends to fidget with whatever's in their hands. It's still very much worth getting - just be sure to get a bunch of them when you do. :) Oh, and make sure to get the right size - the Claw is available in small (up to kindergarten), medium (through elementary), and large (through adult).