Dear Melissa,
The school just sent us our school supply list. Do you have any other recommendations for back-to-school supplies for my 1st-grade son with ADHD?
Back to school time! The smell of new crayons and paper always makes me giddy! Along with the new notebooks and pencils, there are additional items that can keep your young scholar more organized and focused this school year! Here are a few of my favorites.
Broken Crayons
This is a secret of OT’s. We all have art boxes full of broken crayons. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone! A broken crayon is a fantastic little tool which magically turns almost any funky, immature grasp into a proper, mature tripod grasp. No therapy required! See for yourself in the pictures below taken just seconds from each other.
Now the magic effect of the crayon only lasts while the child is using this shortened crayon; the child will likely go back to a more immature grasp when using a longer pencil. However, the more a child gains practice with a proper grasp with the broken crayon, the more likely the child will transfer this skill to other writing instruments.
Looking for one more OT magic trick to teach a proper grasp? Tape the picture to a vertical surface, such as the wall, or have the child write on a vertical chalk board. Again, no instruction required, just an instantly better grasp.
Pencil Grippers
A variety of pencil grippers will help to create and reinforce proper grasping patterns to make writing easier. Even though I work on handwriting with kiddos on a daily basis, it is generally trial and error to see what works best for your child. Here are a few of my favorites (all can be picked up at your local school supply store or Amazon.com).
Chewing items
School days can be crazy and stressful. Chewing is calming. If your child tends to chew on his pencil, fingers, or shirt, these are the items for you! Consider chew pencil toppers, s chew necklace or a chew zipper pull.
Visual Timers
Learning to stay on task and to complete assignments on time sometimes requires a little extra support. These tools can help.
Picture Schedules
Parents and teachers can work with a child to make a picture schedule binder for home and during the school day. They can simply be made with wallet-sized pictures, clear contact paper and Velcro. With Velcro on the back of each picture, the schedule is rearrange-able. Additional photos of various activities can be kept in a pencil case inside the binder.
Writing Paper
I can’t tell you how many times I have had a parent/teacher complain about a young first or second grader’s handwriting skills! Then, when I ask for a writing sample, I am given a sheet of typing paper with the child’s letters written in all different sizes all over the page. This example reminds us that kids need structure! I personally like dashed-line paper. It comes in all different letter heights and line colors. There are versions where the bottom half of the line is highlighted in yellow to help children discern the difference between the “regular” letters and the “tall” letters; you can also purchase paper with raised lines to help keep letters from sinking below the lines. Again, check out Amazon.com or your local school supply store.
Resource:
What’s in My Therapy Box?: 60+ Supplies for School-Based OT’s (accessed July 2015)
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