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If you're a parent or teacher supporting a child with messy handwriting,poor letter formation, or issues likewriting too softly or pressing too hard, you may have tried everything from pencil grips to handwriting worksheets. But have you ever considered using aweighted or vibrating pen or pencil?
At first, it might seem counterintuitive. After all, why would addingweight orvibration make writingeasier? But for many children and adults—especially those withpoor fine motor coordination,low muscle tone,sensory processing differences, ordevelopmental delays,these specialised tools can make a big difference.
Indeed, several of the students in our specialist tutoring centre find a weighted pen makes a noticeable difference.
Weighted pens and pencils are designed to provide proprioceptive input.
Proprioceptive input is feedback to the body about where it is in space. In this case, additional weight or vibration, provides input to the receptors in the muscles and joints of the hand. This extra input can help a child become more aware of where their hand is and how they’re moving their hand and fingers. The added weight also encouragesslower, more controlled movements, which can lead toneater handwriting.
Children who write withlight, almost invisible marks often lack the hand strength or body awareness needed to control a standard pencil. Likewise, those whopress too hard, breaking pencil tips or tearing paper, often benefit from theregulated feedback that a weighted tool can provide.
Another advantage of having a weight on (the end) of a pen or pencil is that it encourages the pen to sit or fall back into the web of the hand.
Vibrating pens and pencils providegentle sensory stimulation, which helpsincrease focus and fine motor control. For children withsensory-seeking behaviours orattention difficulties (like ADHD), the vibration can act as a calming input that helps them tune in to the task at hand.
Some find that the vibration improves theirgrip strength orwriting fluency, especially during longer writing tasks.
At Starfish Store, we offer a range of tools that can support handwriting development, including:
Weighted Pencil or Pen – it is easy to add weight to a pen or pencil. Simply place a rubber band half way down the shaft then slip on 2 or 3 nuts then pop another rubber band above (the rubber bands keep the nuts in place). The nuts used in the video below are 12mm and weigh approximately 14g. As a rough guide aim for 50g up to 100g in total. Using a home made weighted pen will give you the opportunity to see if a weight will help before purchasing a weighted pen.
ARK Z VIBE Vibrating Pen and pencil
Kaiko Weighted Fidget Spinner Pen – the best of both worlds for certain learners. Yes, it is weighted, but the oil slick spinner also provides a subtle vibration.
While no single tool is a magic fix, weighted and vibrating writing tools are an excellent addition to a handwriting support toolkit. They work by improvingbody awareness, motor control, andfocus—and can lead to more consistent and legible writing.
If you're not sure where to start, chat with an occupational therapist or visit our team in-store. We’re always happy to help you find the right tools for your learner.
Explore our handwriting tools here:Â https://starfishstore.com.au
Need advice? Contact our friendly team—we’re here to help!
Kirstie Wishart M.Ed (Special Education).
Owner and founder of The Starfish Store. Kirstie’s professional life has included: teaching (in both public and private schools in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand), lecturer and subject coordinator at the University of Wollongong, Educational consultant (working with children and young people with a trauma background), OoHC Case Work Manager, and Specialist Tutor (working with children and young people with significant learning difficulties and/or disabilities).
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