Get a grip
As parents, we do our best to look out for all the important elements in our children, on their learning journey, but one thing that tends to slip beneath the radar is the pencil grip. This is something that gets noticed far too late and as we know, the way one grips the pen/cil, influences the way one writes – so not something that is likely to change once formed. This is why it is crucial to tackle it from the onset.
As already stated, good pencil grip will improve legibility, but it will also impact
Holding / gripping a pen/cil correctly requires one to have strong finger and hand muscles. These can be facilitated by having your child engage in certain activities like drawing and colouring.
A child that has good pencil grip will not tire easily when writing or develop joints that cause pain. Your child will also have better fine motor skills as a result, as their hands won’t become sore from the pen/cil –related activities.
Once your child begins to handle a pencil - albeit to scribble, colour or join the dots, that should be about the time to teach him/her how to grip the pencil properly. The ideal grip would be described as ‘froggy legs’ - with the middle finger beneath the pencil and both the index finger (pointing) and the thumb, supporting the pencil, as in the diagram below.
