Pencil grip development

The forming of a functional pencil grip is dependent on the development of muscle strength in the hands and fingers so that the child is able to hold the pencil in a way that allows the refined movements needed to form small letter shapes.

The type of pencil grip a child uses can be an indication of the strength of their hand and finger muscles; children would be expected to have less strength when they are young and this develops naturally as they use their hands through play.

See Using my hands and Playdough advice sheets.

The development of pencil grip begins with exploration of writing tools and other objects including mouthing, banging, dropping and throwing. When ready to start using writing tools the grip formation generally follows this developmental sequence:

  1. Dagger - maximum contact of hand and fingers around the pen producing whole arm scribbles
  2. Digital pronate - the arm is turned slightly inward and the pen is positioned under the palm. The pen is held by straight fingers and most of the movements are from the whole arm
  3. Static tripod - the pen is held by the thumb and index finger and rests on the knuckle of the middle finger. When the grip is first developing you may see the wrist ‘floating’ above the writing surface but as children become more comfortable in the position they are usually able to transition to resting their forearm on the table
  4. Dynamic tripod - The little and ring fingers are now able to tuck themselves into the palm which opens up the hand arch allowing freer movements of the other 3 fingers. The wrist is slightly extended (bent back) and the little finger side of the hand is comfortably resting on the table.

Supporting pencil grip development

There may be many reasons why children are having difficulty developing a pencil grip that allows the refined finger movements needed for efficient writing.

Here are some simple ideas to try:

  • it is essential that children have a good sitting posture when being asked to produce quality writing – see Good seating advice sheet
  • many children benefit from carrying out warm ups to ‘wake up’ the hands and arms – see Getting ready for activities advice sheet
  • have the child hold a small object between the little finger and palm as this will encourage the use of the 3 fingered grip and the opening up of the hand arch
  • try using different types of pencils, crayons and pens; chunky writing tools are easier to hold
  • try using short pens or pencils
  • try experimenting with different pencil grips