Yes, the tripod grasp is the optimal grasp, however when testing for hand grasp and fine motor skills, most fine motor tests also consider the quadruped grasp (the one pictured above) a typical grasp and do not mark off points for it. I actually write with a quadruped grasp myself. They are not used to using them in this way, therefore they will be uncomfortable and met with resistance. With this discomfort comes less motivation and desire to use. Invented by Tina M. Butterfield, MSOT, OTR/L and developed by ARK Therapeutic, the Butter Grip is specially designed to promote proper finger posit... This one is fairly self-explanatory. The fingers that are not on the pencil hold onto a small pom-pom, coin, or bead. This reminds the child to keep those fingers closed in their hand with the correct fingers on the pencil. Finally, we’ll cover a variety of related resources and activities to support the development of pencil grip use.

Designed to make writing easy for right or left-handed users. An important teaching tool to train the kids for gripping the pencils correctly. Pencil grips are designed to support the most functional and efficient pencil grasp a child can achieve. Sometimes the easiest way to ensure a better grip on a pencil is by getting a smaller pencil into those hands. Golf pencils are some of the best tools for smaller hands, as they are the right size. The use of larger pencils and crayons leads to compensatory grasping patterns, as they are too long and too heavy for little hands to grasp and hold for long periods of time. A typical sized pencil in the hands of a child, is the equivalent of an adult trying to use a 12 inch pencil! Since establishing the company in 1993, Crossbow Education has won numerous awards for both its customer service and its products, including awards from the Education Resources Awards, Business and Industry Today and Global Educational Supplies and Services.

Functional pencil grasps

I will also note that the only way to really know what type of pencil will work is to get the advice of an Occupational Therapist who can assess your child’s fine motor skills and make a professional opinion based on their evaluation. If you feel your child truly has a delay in fine motor skills and handwriting, please seek the help of a professional and don’t try to treat them yourself. Ergonomic Pencil Grips: These grips are contoured to fit the natural shape of the hand, reducing hand fatigue and promoting a comfortable writing posture. In the main illustration of your article you show a child pinching a pencil with three fingers. Isn’t the optimal grip where the pencil is held with the thumb and forefinger while resting on the middle finger? Since technology is not going anywhere and does more good than harm, adapting is the best course of action. That is where The Tech Edvocate comes in. We plan to cover the PreK-12 and Higher Education EdTech sectors and provide our readers with the latest news and opinion on the subject. From time to time, I will invite other voices to weigh in on important issues in EdTech. We hope to provide a well-rounded, multi-faceted look at the past, present, the future of EdTech in the US and internationally. In occupational therapy sessions, the OT practitioner is striving to achieve the most effective and functional pencil grasp for each individual. A therapist may have 40, 50, or even 70 students on their school-based OT caseload…and each student will be completely different when it comes to grasp patterns, pencil pressure, positioning of the fingers, preferences, letter formation strokes, executive functioning skills, self-regulation, visual motor skills, sensory preferences, and handwriting considerations. All of these areas play into handwriting.

There are a few types of functional grasps. It's important to remember that children are still developing their grasp until age 5 and older. A 3-year-old is not going to be developmentally ready for these types of grasps.

How do we monitor the pencil grip?

Rest assured, the use of the right pencil grip, when coupled with the activities you are using to get to the root of the problem, will help. I know it seems counterproductive to not have them practice with a pencil and paper to write, but for children of this age, working on fine motor activities and strengthening the fingers for handwriting is going to get you a lot farther than just route practicing with pencil and paper.