Baumgartens 00071 Twist and Write Pencil, Assorted Color

Really good product for helping strengthen fine motor skills, and at a great price. I’ll be ordering lead to refill.My son is not very patient with gadgets, especially one that is complicated or weird looking, but as soon as he started using one of these to write and draw, he instantly took to it. I was surprised!He’s getting faster and steadier at writing (previously hated it and it was hard to read); he gripped his pencil with his fist to write, resisting the “proper” grasp and writing held him back a lot.His therapist suggested these pencils when I told her he’d like to write better IF it’s not stressful, and she assigned some simple finger exercises, explaining that building the muscles used in fine motor skills will naturally lead to an understanding of why he resists working on his writing. The goal to find out if it’s due to inability vs lack of a natural level of strength and dexterity that comes with use of certain muscles, in certain ways, on a regular basis.Seems logical, he’s a gamer, and has no issue using controllers, he types really fast due to gaming in his past using the keyboard, and now he’s found a way to ease into handwriting more neatly and quickly, without “practicing”. Drawing comes easier, as well, which is even better as writing isn’t always necessary when being creative (typing can usually do), but drawing allows his creativity to flow in ways that were previously stunted!I never intended to force him to write out long sentences, and he has modifications and accommodations and we will keep them, but if he can learn to do something without exhausting himself and without it causing him more discomfort than he chooses, I love it for him, and he seems to feel better about himself every time he accomplishes something he hadn’t before. He’s 14.These pencils are awesome for fine motor skill strengthening. I use them myself when he’s using his, and gotta say they are pretty fun and a super cool design.

Excellent mechanical pencils for dysgraphia. Helps the child have better control of movement when writing. Easy to use. Children and adults can use it.

I bought these pencils for 3 specific students in my K class. They worked wonders! Two of my students were getting support with their fine motor skills from our occupational therapist. The other student is left handed, and he was having so many issues with his pencil grip. I could not efficiently sit with all 3 to help them with their work. They constantly needed 1:1 help for everything. Once I bought these pencils for them, they started attempting to write their names without me. By the end of the year, they didn’t need me nor these special pencils anymore. These pencils have thick lead. They are easy to twist to lengthen the tip, but you rarely need to do so. I was worried these would be a waste of money, so I didn’t buy the set with the extra lead. Now I wish I had for the future.

Love these pencils and so do my students!

I LOVE these pencils!I have used them for quite a while to fix minor pencil grip issues with students over the years. A few months ago, after trying in vain to correct a third grader’s horrendous grip most of the year, I ordered some more.I had INSTANT success with these. (Just so we’re clear, I honor a functional grip even if it’s not pretty.) I had tried everything from modeling to hand over hand to different, less obvious grips (I didn’t want to embarrass this third grade boy with a “baby” pencil) and nothing worked. No matter what, he always reverted to holding his pencil between his *extended* thumb and index finger which made for painstakingly slow writing, frequent hand cramps, and lots of frustration with legibility.I gave him this pencil, showed him how to use it, and let him write. OMG. It was like I was watching a different kid writing! His speed, legibility, and confidence improved dramatically before my eyes. It was like someone turned on the turbo boost- even HE was astonished at how quickly he was writing. Also, it’s not often you get a heartfelt “thank you” from a third grade boy when you give them a glittery blue “weird” looking pencil.I cannot recommend these enough. Many other pencil grips can be “cheated” when a kid has the determination to do what they’ve always done, but THIS one forces (in the nicest way possible) the kid to hold the pencil between three fingers for a proper grip.Worth it! However, I do wish there was an option that had an eraser on the end. Other than that, they’re perfect.

Between students with intellectual/developmental disabilities, students with lower motor skills, or just plain need to focus on correcting their handwriting, these pencils work great!As far as people who say it’s not for older children due to the size of the pencil, I agree and disagree. I work in a middle school, and none of the students I’ve had in the past 3 years could not use it due to the pencil being too small. Even I use the pencil from time to time. BUT I could see it being difficult if you have larger than average hands. Nothing is ever truly accessible for EVERY single person. That being said, they are well worth the money so long as they’re taken care of!

I love these pencils to help my 6 year old. But after a day at school the lead keeps falling out.

This product was purchased for an Elementary student who struggles with hand grip and writing.He enjoys using these pencils because he doesn't have to think about the grip. It's ergonomically created to assist with the writing grip and it does a fabulous job. There is also a small eraser made onto these pencils which is convenient for small mistakes. I still recommend having an extra eraser when using these.Cons: small eraser, refills do not work, pricey. Even when I purchase the twist n write refills they do notbalways fit in the pencil. 50% of the time it works. The other 50% I have to purchase new ones.I recommend this item for students with dexterity issues.