Children struggle to hold pencils due to too much tech, doctors say

When I was in middle school, I developed a permanent red bump on my right middle finger, usually stained with the blue ink from a PaperMate erasable pen. Though I shifted to typing when I was in high school, I still wrote with a pen enough to turn that bump into a permanent feature on my finger. (Does everyone who went through school in my generation have such a bump?)

“It’s easier to give a child an iPad than encouraging them to do muscle-building play such as building blocks, cutting and sticking, or pulling toys and ropes. Because of this, they’re not developing the underlying foundation skills they need to grip and hold a pencil.” — Sally Payne, head pediatric occupational therapist at the Heart of England foundation NHS Trust (UK Guardian)

Post was last modified on 26 Feb 2018 6:34 pm

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Dennis G. Jerz