A tracing guide is a useful tool for children learning handwriting skills. Tracing guides show letters in a variety of styles such as uppercase, lowercase and cursive. The letters are displayed between lines outlining the correct dimensions of the letters. Children can trace the completed letters and work themselves up to tracing over dashed and then dotted letters until they can write them alone. There are several free tracing guides available online at websites such as Handwritingworksheets.com, where you can make your own worksheets for kids to copy using fun and interesting sentences to engage their interest.
Handwritingforkids.com has an online animation guide to help children see how letters are formed. The child can view upper or lowercase letters. Diagrams of each letter along with numbered annotations show how each letter in the alphabet is formed. When the mouse moves over the diagram, an animation begins, showing the strokes necessary to complete the letters. These can be repeated again and again, as many times as it takes for the child to learn the strokes.
Rubber pencil grips that slide onto a pencil or pen are specifically designed to help correct improper pencil grasping. According to Drawyourworld.com, holding a pencil incorrectly can lead to health problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, in later life. Pencil grips work by providing a barrier to stop the thumb from overlapping other fingers. A rim around the bottom of the pencil keeps the fingers the correct distance from the point to improve form. There are many brands of pencil grips available, such as the Start Right Pencil Grip, the Grip Tech and the Pencil Pal.