To teach a 4-year-old pencil grip, focus on fun, small tools like chunky crayons or short pencils to encourage the "dynamic tripod grasp" (thumb, index, middle finger) through play like dot-to-dots, using tools like tongs, or games like "Feed the Bunny," praising efforts and keeping practice short and positive to build hand strength and coordination.
Most children do not have the fine motor control or strength to hold a pencil using a finger grip until they are 4 years of age. When children begin to use a finger grip, they will usually use all five fingers to grip a pencil (known as an “immature” or five-finger grip).
Children 3 to 4 years of age begin to hold pencils with their five fingers, which is why this stage is known as the Five Finger Pencil Grasp. Take note that some children may not experience this stage and would go straight to the next one, and that is okay too!
When your child is next writing, quietly observe them and check for the below, which are the eight most common indicators of a poor pencil grip.
Encourage your child to hold small playdough balls between her thumb and index finger and squash the playdough until her fingers meet. (Pretend the play- dough is a bug or egg.) Repeat with the thumb and middle finger, and then with the thumb, index and middle fingers all together.
If their grip is not causing discomfort or hindering the speed and fluidity of their handwriting, we would suggest not changing anything. However, if their grip is causing them discomfort or hindering their handwriting ability it is most probably too late to correct a poor grip to a dynamic tripod grip.
Threading beads or cereal onto a string, pipe cleaner or dried spaghetti noodles. Painting with a q- tip, small sponge or cotton balls using water colors. Play with tongs or tweezers picking up or placing (placing beads in play-dough and then removing with tongs is a favorite of mine)
At 4, children work with more purpose and they may start to draw recognizable pictures as they gain more control over the marks. For example, they might draw a circle with two dots for eyes and four lines representing arms and legs, or long lines sticking out of a circle to represent the sun.
Grasp development timeline:
Reaching toward objects, not yet grasping (2 to 4 months) Grasp and explore objects with their whole hands, often dropping unintentionally (4 to 6 months) Use a raking grasp to try to pick up a small object (5 to 9 months) Pass an object from one hand to the other (6 to 9 months)
1) Fisted Grasp
It is also known as a palmar supinate grasp, as the crayon lies across the palm of the hand.
An efficient pencil grip is one in which the writing tool is controlled only through finger movements. This occurs when the pinkie side of the hand supports the whole hand against the writing surface, allowing the other fingers to hold and move the pencil/pen/crayon.
Triangular crayons are a great way to promote a mature grasp. They are generally thicker than regular crayons and their triangular shape creates a surface on which to place each finger. At what age should a child hold a pencil correctly? A child should be able to hold a pencil correctly between the ages of 4 and 6.
A proper pencil grip relies heavily on our fine motor skills – the ability to do things with the small hand muscles. These muscles, along with our hand-eye coordination, plus our large muscles as discussed earlier, lay the foundation for future printing.
Holding the pencil with thumb, index and middle finger with the ring and pinky finger tucked out of the way. Thumb web space (curved part between your thumb and index finger) is open. No finger joints are hyperextended, or bent too much. Pencil movement comes from the fingers.
Learn about the five blocks of Five to Thrive
Any activity that involves gripping against resistance will increase hand strength when used over time. For example, playing with playdough, or build- ing with duplo or lego. As your child's hand strength improves, increase the amount of resistance in the activity.
Offer Small Morsels of Soft Food
Always supervise and use soft, squishable pieces of food that will make it easier for your baby to pick up. She recommends soft, steamed (and cooled) carrots, cut into pieces about the size of a pea.
4. Dynamic Tripod Grasp (4-6 Years) Description: This is the ideal writing grasp, where the child uses their thumb, index, and middle fingers to hold the writing utensil with precision. Movement originates from the fingers, allowing for greater control and fluidity.
Poor hand position can cause a poor pencil grip
Some children will hold the pencil in a tripod grip but develop a hooked hand position or move the elbow too far up the table, causing the forearm and wrist to be nearly horizontal with the table edge, because they feel they can see better what they are writing.
Pencil Grippers are small, ergonomic tools designed to help children hold pencils correctly, improving both their grasp and overall handwriting skills. These tools are widely used in various therapies for children with autism, ADHD, and developmental delays.
Put an elastic band around the pencil (2cm from the tip) and encourage your child to always place their thumb and first two fingers on the band, or alternately you can buy pencil grips that will encourage your child to develop a good tripod grasp.
As a child ages, they begin with prewriting and use of classroom tools. The small, intrinsic muscles of the hand develop slower the larger muscle groups, such as in the arm and shoulder. It's ideal to focus on strengthening those small intrinsic muscles and using a pencil grip is not the best way to accomplish this.