Sometimes fumbling fingers and helpless hands need the right tools for acquiring the power of print. Try a variety of writing implements, particularly pencils, colored pencils and crayons that have a triangular shape.

Explore an assortment of pencil grips. There are many that are commercially available at school supply stores and via the internet. I keep a wide variety on hand for children of all ages who have awkward pencil grips. It helps to break old habits.

Some early literacy intervention programs suggest using colored marking pens, although their reasoning is not about fine motor skills. However, I have found that younger children seem to let go of some of their inhibitions when they use thin or broad markers for writing on unlined paper. Too often we expect beginning writers to conform to writing within the confines of lined paper when they are still exploring the shapes and directionality of letters and numbers.

Try implementing what is known as "flexible practice," using vertical and horizontal surfaces and working for flexibility. This involves having children write letters or construct words in new places using an assortment of materials or medium in a variety of sizes: chalk, finger paint, water and a paintbrush, sand trays, white boards, MagnaDoodles, etc. They may also write it in the air, using their whole arm or writing on the carpet with their finger. Whatever you do, don't always insist on using pencil and paper at a desk for a child who has not developed fluency and automaticity in their writing performance. 

Use tactile-kinesthetic methods with a child who appears to have reversals or difficulty forming letters. Actually hold the child's hand to guide the formation of the letter. Use directionality language when guiding the writing. Have an assortment of models for tracing with the finger: sandpaper letters, magnetic letters, etc. There are many commercially produced aids, but talented teachers can create their own!

Upper grade students with handwriting problems seems to do better with mechanical pencils and gel pens. I know, some of them tend to spend too much time playing with them instead of paying attention to the task at hand. However, if you fill them with larger lead, which is softer than regular pencils, there will be less breakage and they are easier to write with. You may want to suggest this for homework if you are uncomfortable with them in class. Mechanical pencils are particularly effective for children who seem to break the lead in their #2 pencils all the time and use a heavy hand when writing. Upper grade and middle school students may also use the newer pens that come with built-in grips. My sixty year old husband prefers those, but it hasn't helped his handwriting!

Find fat pencils for fat fingers! They are often easier to grip and to control.

Take away the erasers! Children will be more willing to take risks if they can't erase. Encourage them to cross out errors and to insert changes. This will also allow you to see what their thinking processes are when they make attempts. Did they make reversals? Capital letters in the wrong place? How will you know what minilessons to do if they erase all of their early attempts?

Still frustrated? Go to hwtears.com for super suggestions and tools for "handwriting without tears," specialized writing tools and paper and multi-sensory activities that are fun, inexpensive and practical.

Set up a Handwriting Highway practice area or center in your kindergarten or first grade classroom. If you'd like suggestions or a sign, go to the Centers City link on the left. Apprenticeship in Literacy by Linda Dorn has superb suggestions for handwriting practice and manipulating letters.

Explore the feeling and the power of print with an assortment of tactile tools: pudding print, finger paint, shaving cream, Wikki-stix, and Play Doh. Place pudding or hair gel in a Ziplock bag and allow children to form letters, numbers and shapes with one finger. Caution: don't keep the pudding overnight without refrigeration! That's why hair gel works better for longevity.

Rainbow write letters and words with crayons and colored chalk. Younger students like to do this with their spelling words for homework.

Use water and paintbrushes to write letters and/or words on a chalkboard or on the sidewalk outside the classroom. All mistakes simply disappear!

Don't throw out those old pegboards or geoboards! My kindergarteners love to form shapes and letters with them and they get multi-sensory practice at the same time.

Keep your model at eye level for your children. Unfortunately, most teachers, myself included, keep a beautiful, visible alphabet chart above our whiteboards or chalkboards. This is okay if you also provide a desktop version for each student. I have multiple charts in my classroom so that any student has easy access to a good model.

Use a hole punch to develop designs and fine finger muscles!

Stencils have become an essential addition to primary classrooms. They are available from many sources, in many sizes and fonts.

tampareads.com has a convenient handwriting practice tool. You type in the child's name, for example, and it gives you a traceable sheet for practice.

Believe it or not, but working crossword puzzles helps to develop proper spacing in children who can already read and write. I also like to use a center or worksheets that I call "Configuration Station" to coordinate the eye-hand skill.

Teachers and parents have many tools for practice in their households, garages and classrooms: clothespins that snap, spoons, paperclips, nuts and bolts, and large plastic stitchery needles and thread. Each of these items provide finger fun and good practice. Gosh, this takes me way back to the dark ages when I first started teaching in a kindergarten classroom. Some of my favorite activities for fine motor skills came from a series called "Work Jobs." It's still available from Amazon.com: