For children younger than five it is important is to look at writing utensils that will help to support their finger and hand development first, before giving them a pencil grip. This is also true for children under six who may have developmental delays. Children initially hold onto their pencil with their whole hand, this is called a gross or palmer pencil grasp. Older children using this grasp have not developed the fine motor skills needed to hold onto their pencil with their fingers. These children need more support to develop their hand and finger control. This can be done by working on their fine motor skills. My book ‘Supporting Pencil Grasp Development’ also provides relevant activities and worksheets. Helpful supports to use with these children are finger crayons and small pencils. These help the child to improve their finger control and the movement needed to develop their pencil grasp. We discuss them further in the video below.

Writing Slant Boards: These slanted boards provide an inclined surface for writing, helping to reduce wrist strain and improve writing control. When I saw a child using the wrong grasp, I would remind them to use their “Go” fingers. This worked pretty well with a lot of my kiddos. You could also make a sign to have hanging or on the child’s desk as a visual reminder instead of always verbally reminding them. Hello. My son is 14 with autism and has lost his proper pencil grasp due to being out of practice. How can I correct it? Pls help. Thanks. The Crossover Grip is very similar to the Grotto grip as it has guards that go over the thumb and index finger which help ensurethe fingers are ... The Triangular Pencil Grip is designed to aid correct pencil grip development. It encourages the fingers to form the tripod grasp, which is considered to be the most effective grasp for handwriting activities.

How do we monitor the pencil grip?

You can read more about pencil grasp development here. At what age should you correct a child's pencil grip? A couple of my favorites are the Grotto gripor the training grips. The grotto grip typically works better with older children, than the training grip with younger ones. Lastly, for children who have started to hold the pencil with their fingers rather than their whole hand, but who are still struggling to get the correct fingers onto their pencil, a pencil grip can be tried. How do we monitor the pencil grip? The alternative pencil grasp pattern that is successful for many kiddos who simply cannot achieve an efficient grasp is use of an adaptive tripod grasp, or any grasp which enables a functional grip on the pencil. These adorable egg-shaped rubber grips develop the small muscles of the hand needed to write with precision.

Again, it is best to have a professional Occupational Therapist assess which grips could be helpful for your child’s situation. But here is a good post to get you started. Pencil Toppers: These rubber or silicone toppers can be added to the pencil, providing a soft and cushioned grip for a more comfortable writing experience.Rest assured, the use of the right pencil grip, when coupled with the activities you are using to get to the root of the problem, will help. Pre-Kindergarten and the beginning of Kindergarten are the perfect times to help correct a child’s grip, typically because they are still learning how.

There are a few types of functional grasps. It's important to remember that children are still developing their grasp until age 5 and older. A 3-year-old is not going to be developmentally ready for these types of grasps. Twist-N-Write Pencils: This tool features a rotating grip that can be adjusted to fit the individual’s hand size and writing style, providing a customized ergonomic experience.The visuals will help parents and teachers understand grasp development and the goals for an appropriate grasping pattern. My prediction is that these tools will help get buy-in from the educational team and the family. It helps them understand exactly where the child is developmentally and where you, as the OT, wants the learner to head, and why! pencil grips and Occupational Therapy

Is the pencil grip in the correct position? Or has the child moved the grip up and out of the way, so their fingers are still on the pencil? If they have moved it, it usually means the child isn’t using the grip to help their grasp. The Adaptive Tripod Grip is appropriate to use when low muscle tone or hyper mobility of the finger joints limits pinching and manipulating the pencil. This pencil grip is small, so it works well for smaller hands. The indents provide cues for finger placement on the pencil in a tripod position.... This grip is similar to the Writing C.L.A.W. as it has two cups for the thumb and index fingers, but it has a ring for the placement of the middle finger. The Firesara Grip can easily be used by left and right-handed writers. Learners place their thumb and index fingers into the cups, and the middle finger goes into the ring finger of either hand.

Stetro Grips: These grips have a unique design that guides the fingers into the proper writing position while offering a comfortable grip. In my opinion, pencil grips should only be considered for children over the age of five who have received some support to develop their pencil grasp already. They should not be the first strategy that is tried for a child who is having difficulty holding onto their pencil. A pencil grip may be a tool provided to support a functional pencil grasp, depending on the needs of the individual student. This type of grip is great for the children that have a thumb wrap grasp which closes up their web space. The Grotto Grip is not as cushiony as “The Pencil Grip”, but it is easier to use, as it has molded finger slots for the thumb and index fingers, and an indentation on the bottom for the grip to rest on the middle finger. It also has a wing on the front, and the material is stiffer in design, which can help aid in the prevention of any finger or thumb wrapping.