Progress on writing materials: Indispensable Staedtler products

My earlier post about the Dixon pencil has now been well and truly usurped by discovering the wonderful and frankly indispensable range of products that Staedtler offer. If your child has writing struggles they will find these pencils, pens, markers are designed to aide the fatigue factor.

My child initially tested a bunch of different writing materials in a specific writing class at school. The Staedtler triplus fineliner was the pen that he found most assisted him and the teacher encouraged me to seek the pens for him. We bought a packet of them from a local art shop for about 12-14 dollars and subsequently discovered Staedtler offer a bunch of other products that have generally made writing and colouring and drawing less onerous and plenty more joyful.

Can't recommend them enough. The quality of the products is represented in the slightly higher cost, but they are actually are good value overall because they are durable and well made. The most significant impact is the ink seems to come out faster and easier, thus relieving the need for heavy pressing and manipulation of the pens.

The ergosoft range of jumbo pencils have a lovely, rich tone to them. They are triangular in shape, easier to grasp and are packaged in a neat blue plastic box, which turns into a pen stand and means they do not end up rolling away under the couch never to be retrieved again.

They also offer triangular jumbo wooden pencils which have a softer colouring tone, and again nice ergonomic feel to them.

The MARS ERGOSOFT (again a jumbo triangular pencil) graphite pencil will help children with writing tasks. It has a soft, rubbery casing. If your child does not care for the rubber covered one there's a sister pencil which is identical in triangular shape, but has the ordinary casing on it.

I will be uploading links and pictures of these products when I find time. Please post comments if your child finds them useful. Also, if you're having trouble locating these pens and pencils drop me an email and I will try to point you in the right direction of suppliers etc.

To begin with you can read further about these pencils etc on their international website http://www.staedtler.com/home_gb.Staedtler?ActiveID=2131

The Canadian website is here

I hope your child enjoys as much joy as we have with these pens and pencils. The big progress has been that as soon as the child sees an improvement in representing their ideas on the page, some of the frustration can abate and hopefully a sense of achievement takes over.

Variety: Be prepared to vary the materials

A huge part of helping a child with written output issues is providing variety in the equipment and tools you use with them. Because they do not enjoy writing and find it difficult and tiring, you have to capitalize on opportunities when they are attracted to any kind of writing implements. Usually when they are interested in say a particular pencil they will inturn write.
Consider acquiring the following for use at home:
-electric plug in pencil sharpener. I found it very useful for my child to be able to instantly sharpen pencils, it also made him more interested in them!
-gel pens. I'll write more specifically about these in another post, but they sound and look different when you write with them. Children often complain they don't the feel of a particular pen or pencil, it's important to pay attention to what they do like the "feel" of.
-white board with markers that erase.
-pencils that are soft and pencils that look interesting and appealing.
-white out. I found the acquistion of white out produced a bout of writing in my child during which he happily wrote and whited out things he was unhappy with.
Like I say... one really has to grab and appreciate every opportunity that writing does happen.
More suggestions to come on this ....