There is a sequence in which children develop the pencil grip which is fairly predictable.
First is the basic palmar grasp – child child wraps all his fingers around the pencil and moves his whole arm to make marks.
Second is the digital finger grasp where the hand is above the pencil and the child uses the whole arm to manipulate it.
Last is the tripod grasp where the child’s fingers are placed near the tip of the pencil with the thumb opposing the fingers, and movement controlled by the fingers.
Here are some ctivities to develop pencil grip:
- Playdough – pinching, squeezing with thumb and forefinger. Who can make the longest snake?
- Threading – beads, pasta, straws. Let’s all make a necklace.
- Picking up small objects – use tweezers and pipettes/eye droppers. How many peas can you put in this pot?
- Finger rhymes – stretching, curling fingers.
- Water play – using spray toys and spray bottles. Let’s go outside and water the flowers.
- Craft activities – glue sticks and paint brushes. Make a collage with lots of fine papers and decorate it with sequins.
- Icing cakes – using a plastic dispenser to push and squeeze out the icing.
- Strengthening activities – swinging from the monkey bars or grasping to climb and crawl.