
Then, using their two pincher fingers only, have them pick it up. Have your students put their pencils down on a desk. Let’s start at the beginning by encouraging kids to pick up their pencils in a way that will naturally lead to good positioning. She said it was really fun to use, and it helped her write more neatly and clearly. Our student tester LOVED this one the most. It should fit comfortably but also be a bit snug, so it really holds the pencil in place.

You just loop it around the pencil and then have the student slip their hand through the bottom.īe sure your band isn’t too loose or tight. We used a simple stretchy band for this one. Now that you’ve got your students picking up and holding a pencil in the right way, try our final trick to help keep the pencil in place. So you might have to cut down your napkin, paper towel, or whatever item you’ve chosen so it’s thin enough to grip for the length of the lesson. And you don’t want to tire those young fingers out.

That will make holding the napkin difficult for your students. The fourth and fifth fingers act as a stabilizing base on the writing surface. Your child will be coloring inside the lines in no time and developed fine motor skills quickly. This ergonomic handwriting aid encases the dominant fingers to help develop control over pencils, pens, and crayons. One thing to remember is that you don’t want the folded napkin to be too thick. The third finger acts like a support, bracing the forefinger as it moves. Best Grip Strength Trainer for Kids: Mlife Pencil Grips 10PCS Ergonomic Training Pencil Grip. Yes, it might feel a little weird to them at first, but it really works. Not engaging the ring and pinky fingers encourages good grip. Then have students use the remaining fingers to pick up their pencil. Just fold a small napkin and place it under the pinky and ring fingers. Pencil Grips Load image into Gallery viewer, 3 fingers Pencil Grips Red. The ring and the little finger rest lightly in the palm of the hand. The contour of a pencil grip ensures that little hands can hold their pencils. The pencil shaft is supported between the thumb and the middle finger and the forefinger rests on the top of the pencil shaft. The Pencil Grip 3-Step Training Kit with 3 Premium Ergonomic Pencil Grips. The tripod grasp is the most common configuration of the fingers on the pencil shaft. For instance, you may like to begin with a three-sided pencil. If this is the case for some of your students, use the napkin trick. Pen- Pencil Grips For Kids Handwriting, Pencil Grips. The Tripod Grip is a grip using three fingers of the hand - the thumb, index and middle. So often, we see children holding a pencil with all of their fingers wrapped around the pencil, or very awkward pencil grips and wonder what is a typical pencil grasp. Notice that the pencil rests on the third (middle) finger with the thumb and pointer holding. Sometimes our fingers have a mind of their own, and they start jeopardizing our good pencil grip. JPencil grasp development is a common concern for many parents, teachers, and therapists. The correct pencil grip is a tripod grip, using three fingers. Just slide the thumb in the largest slot and slide the middle.

We created a video to show three classroom hacks for teaching good pencil grip. This three finger pencil grip fits pencils, pens, crayons and markers. Combine this with the fact that students just aren’t holding pencils as much anymore, and it’s clear that good pencil grip is still worth teaching. Good pencil grip is key to developing strong readers, writers, and long-term students. There’s tons of research about the importance of pencil grip, especially for young learners. Both a right and left-handed child should aim to hold the pencil with a three-finger tripod grip. I offer lots of fine motor activity ideas on my site and in my e-books to help kids develop their skills, but if you or your child’s teacher are in any way concerned about an inappropriately immature pencil grip, please get an occupational therapy evaluation.We might live in a digital age, but students still need to use pencils. However, time alone may not help your child develop a functional pencil grasp if he/she is already behind his/her peers. If so, your child's pencil grip may be considered immature.Ĭhildren whose grips are immature often just need focused activities and a little more time to help them strengthen their bodies and their hands. Take a look at my page on pencil grasp development and see if your child’s pencil grip is at any of these stages. Be careful not to confuse an immature pencil grasp with a dysfunctional pencil grasp!Ĭhildren need to move through the various developmental stages of holding a crayon or pencil before they are ready to control a pencil for handwriting.įor each stage of learning to hold and use a crayon, the child needs to have the required upper body stability AND hand strength AND hand dexterity.
