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Developing Pencil Grip

An unusual pencil grip is only a problem if a child has difficulty writing legibly, at a reasonable speed, or complains of a sore or tired hand when writing.

The free movement of the fingers whilst gripping the pencil is essential for good letter formation. Encourage a child to hold their pencil in a way that allows their hand and fingers to move freely and easily when writing or drawing. 

The majority of people learn to hold a pencil in what is known as a dynamic tripod grip:
Dynamic - because it allows the fingers to move freely without having to involve the wrist, arm or shoulder in the movement
Tripod because the pencil is held only by three digits, the thumb, the index finger and the middle finger.
 

To be able to achieve a dynamic tripod grip to use a pencil efficiently the hand has to have the following skills:

• Finger isolation.
• Joint stability.
• Strength
 


Grotto-pencil grip
Pinch-pencil grip
Cross guard - pencil grip
Soft pencil grip