Pencil Grip and Posture

Presentation

1
Sit next to the child on the side of the child's writing hand.
2
Show how to sit with feet flat on the floor and back against the chair.
3
Place the paper slightly angled: top tilted left for right-handers, right for left-handers.
4
Pick up the pencil slowly. Hold it between the thumb and index finger, resting it on the middle finger.
5
Show that the fingers are about one finger-width above the sharpened point.
6
Place the other hand flat on the paper to hold it still.
7
Draw slow, light lines and circles, then invite the child to hold the pencil the same way.
8
Check the child's grip once, gently adjusting fingers if needed, and then let the child work.

Extensions, easiest to hardest

Pincer-grip practice with the knobbed cylinders, tongs, and tweezers from Practical Life
Short triangular crayons for children who hold with the whole fist
Checking grip and posture independently before starting any written work

Control of error

The adult; a triangular pencil guides the fingers into the correct position.

Ready to move on when the child…

Picks up a pencil into a tripod grip without adjustment
Keeps the grip during a five-minute drawing or tracing work
Holds the paper with the non-writing hand

Guide note

Do not correct grip repeatedly during work; correct once at the start. Left-handed writers should sit on the left at a shared table so elbows do not collide. A child with persistent fist grip after age 4.5 may benefit from an occupational therapy referral.