Why are handwriting grips now so varied in kids?

[queenceleste]

I was helping at a school do where I saw a number of kids sign their names in quick succession and the majority held their pens in very varied ways, some almost clenched in a fist.

When I was at school we had a classic pen hold with thumb and index finger holding the pen against the first knuckle of the the middle finger.

My dd has a slightly odd variation on that but it still looks traditional. But these kids were holding their pens in such extreme ways and they looked so awkward and unsuited to writing.

Did schools stop teaching handwriting holds at some point? It’s the pen in a fist which looks so crazy to me with my lens from the past!

I was never taught this. Nor are my children didn’t realise it was a thing

Why didn't you ask the teacher? If you are wondering why something is happening in the classroom, ask the teacher, or an experienced TA. Google brings up good suggestions why it hasn't happened.

Do they do most of their school work on computers/online? Maybe they're not taught it now.
I feel like hand writing is becoming obsolete. I can't remember the last time I actually wrote anything myself, except the odd birthday card. My hand writing is atrocious now.

There's always been weird pen holds you probably just haven't been in a situation where you've seen so many in one go. As long as it's functional it is fine.

Pen grip is taught in schools but not everykids develops it and to be honest past the age of 7 you're not likely to be able to change it.

Perhaps because different holds work best for different people.

I've got a terrible pen grip, always have. I'm 44

I'm 39 and my pen grip is rubbish though my handwriting is fine. I'm sure I was taught to grip the pen the same way as you were but I adapted it at some point.
I am a teacher and pen grip is still taught. You probably just didn't notice what other children were doing.

YANBU

I was taught the correct pencil grip in school in Ireland in the 70s. Teachers corrected children who were doing it wrong. There was even a correct pencil grip for lefties.

The triangular grip aids you can buy in shops even today to slip over a pencil or pen all reinforce the correct grip.

Handwriting is a lost art. I am drilling it into my kids!

When I was at school we had a classic pen hold

Thats not always the best option though. I sometimes have to do long bits of handwritten work and use the adapted tripod grasp - pen goes between your index and middle finger. I find it much more comfortable and it suits people for different reasons eg arthritis, hyper mobility, or just a tendency to grip too hard and get tired hands.

I'm hypermobile - the 'correct grip' hurts me

Schools taught the dynamic tripod grip when both of my DSs went to school. They both adapted to a dynamic quadrupod on their own, but still have good cursive handwriting. DH and I have DT grip so we don't know where the DQ grip comes from other than it's more comfortable for them.
A friend's DS, who is left handed, also uses the DQ grip.

Me too at 48yrs. And I had tons of tutoring my parents for endlessly trying to correct it.

I really admire people with nice handwriting and feel so embarassed about my own.

Same! But lots of people comment on how nice my handwriting is.

I believe the focus now is on encouraging children to use a grip that works for them rather than making them adopt a standard grip. My DS6's primary still has a lot of focus on handwriting. Personally as long as DCs writing is legible and efficient, I don't care!

Should be tripod / triangular grip and children corrected until it’s perfected. Unfortunately schools don’t have enough time and resources and most parents do nothing additional at home. Kids just swipe screens. It’s depressing.

Because everybody has a reason why they can't do something normally and schools totally pander to it.

This. Can already see it in this thread…

In my experience the focus is on the writing quality, not on the pencil hold. My kids hold pens really weirdly as a result, but their writing is fine so I didn't correct at home. My eldest is hypermobile.

Why does it matter if writing quality is good?

I am 50 my mother was obsessed with "pincer grip" when I was a child, I used to go to an occupational therapist once a week for nearly two years to address my pen grip and appalling handwriting, and guess what I still hold a pen incorrectly and my writing is messy.

The OT would leave the room and I woukd go back to holding it wrong. I can see the benefits of the correct grip, but I'm happy to risk as sore wrist to do it my way.

Seriously, who cares? I’ve never held a pen “correctly” in my life and my handwriting is great and when I try to hold it the “right” way my handwriting is much worse. I remember teachers trying to correct it in kindergarten but after that literally nobody ever mentioned it again.

I did ask a teacher (SLT - he looked about 28) and he said “yeah it’s mad isn’t it?”.

I agree it shouldn’t be punitive and adaptations are fine but the fist grip with pen coming out of the bottom of a fist makes me look away in slight horror - I won’t lie!

This is not exactly related but it is a question. In UK primary, is there not still a big focus on writing and legible handwriting? Isn’t the right grip designed (for most people) to provide the best grip for control and to remove tiredness? I live abroad and we have a huge focus on cursive handwriting from 5 years old.

My eldest used to hold his pencil with a weird pincer grip as if he was using a piece of chalk on a board. I was advised by his teacher to buy rubber grips to help him with finger placement. It took a while but his writing really improved. This would have been about 13/14 years ago. I can’t imagine much has changed in his primary school. It’s very traditional.

Looking at the images and diagrams, I don't think I hold a pen correctly and I'm a lawyer and writer, and my handwriting is quite nice if I write slowly enough.

I don't hold it in my fist either, but my middle finger goes on top and I have two fingers underneath supporting the pen. Apparently the correct way is only to involve the first three fingers and for the pen to be supported on the middle finger. I could write like that but it would be less effective.

It was never picked up at school. I always wrote reams and well well ahead for my age.

I’m 36 and always thought I held a pen normally until I drew my hand holding a pen from a photo for A-level art and my teacher commented on it being a weird hold technique. I am left handed though which might play a
part.