Pencil grip

A tripod grasp is when the pencil is supported by the thumb, index and middle finger. The ring and little finger are bent and rest comfortably on the table.

There are developmental stages to how a pencil grip develops and if a child isn’t holding a pencil in a tripod grasp it may be because they are not developmentally ready to do so.

See Writing and the development of writing advice sheet.

The child's grasp should always be comfortable and energy efficient for the writing task. Try using different sized pencils, triangular pencils, hard and soft lead.

For children whose pencil pressure is too hard:

• elevate work or use easel or board on the wall
• place a sheet of paper on a tea towel. Ask the child to draw with pencils, but not make any holes in the paper
• wrap pen shaft with looped side of Velcro to give sensory feedback
• put sandpaper under work

For children whose pencil pressure is too light:

• lower work or work on the floor to increase downward pressure
• practice using writing objects in clay or play dough, which add resistance
• make a drawing, using crayons or pencils in which you experiment with thick lines (pressing hard) and thin lines (pressing not so hard)