Writing slopes and a homemade option!

Using a sloped desk is nothing new! Victorian school classrooms had desks like the one below.  These school desks were designed with a slight slope to help the child to write comfortably (no comment about the fixed chair being too far from the table).

Image found at http://www.objectlessons.org/

The designers of these school desks understood some of the ergonomics of writing. The slope encourages good posture for the student bringing the work closer to look at. The slope provides support to the child's wrist {in slight extension) and forearm to encourage fluent writing {imagine what the "pencil grip" of a quill may have been!}.

There are many products on the market now with "slopes" to encourage the same things the school children of the Victorian era experienced.  These are available to both adults and children, for writing and computer keyboards and tablets.

Here are a few writing slope options. 
1. Windmill Desk Top Writing Slope $49.95

Windmill Desk Top Writing Slope

2. Perspex Writing Slope Board: Pencil Grips Plus - $79.95

Pencil Grips Plus Perspex Writing Slope Board

3. Make your own using 3 easy items.  

• Use a strong A4 binder (this one is a 3D ring 50mm binder)
  
• A clipboard
• A non-slip mat (you can buy this by the roll, however I found my small non-slip mat used for turning jars worked perfectly).

Simply assemble and you are ready to use it! 

This is definitely an economical way to make a slope board and is perfect for those wanting to try out a slope board before paying for a longer term item. This homemade version cost me less than $15.

Does your child hold their head too close to their work?

Does your child "hook" their wrist when writing?

Does your child rotate their arm when holding a pencil?

Does your child tend to move their arm as a whole unit rather than using the "skilled side" of their hand?

Your child may benefit from writing on a vertical surface (such as a whiteboard) or using a slope board to support their wrist and forearm. 

Have you tried a slope board? Have you tried making your own?

Note: I have not received any renumeration for the products in this article.

You may also like:

Pinch and Flip

Creative Card Holding

Homemade Salt Art