How do you encourage proper pen grip?

[crazychemist]

As in the title - how do you encourage you child to try and vary their grip?

DD is 3 and holds pens in a fisted grip with thumb pointing towards her. On the one hand, I know you wouldn’t expect a proper grip by now, and most still hold this way rather than turning their hand. BUT drawing is DDs absolutely favourite thing in the world and she spends hours on it and is very good for her age. This means she isn’t prepared to try other grips at all as the results are less good. I’m worried that as she gets moe and more control in this position she’ll be even less flexible about altering her grip later on.

Any tips?

Try putting a small rubber band where you want her to keep her fingertips, so it a specific point on the pencil more than a general advice.

Than, if you can and if there is one near you, go to an art centre that organises workshops for kids so she can see how everyone and the teacher hold their pencil. Or look at some videos together on youtube.

Another option is maybe switch to paint for a bit, so, the "tool" is different, and she has to hold it differently. Especially as paint will drip.

Something else you can try if to have her draw or paint vertically with a large sheet tapped to the wall, quite high, so she would have to stick grip to reach.

Try also some good quality colouring or tracing books, where you have to be precise in filling the spaces and following guidance (kumon has good ones for that age) and you control better drawing against the lines with a normal grip.
Unless she sees a benefit in changing there will be battles.

Give her broken chalk and crayons to use as they will be too small to hold in a fisted grasp and will encourage her to hold them in tripod grasp. Give her small pencils (like the IKEA ones) small hands = small tools.

Encourage fine motor activities that help finger strength and grip like threading, peg boards, stickers etc.

You can get special pencil grips online to help. You can get a case of different ones as they find it easier.
Pretty sure amazon stocks them. We got some for my six year old who was struggling.

I wouldn't encourage the use of pencil grips at this age. It doesn't usually promote a change in grip as children will revert to original grip when the pencil grip isn't to hand. Pencil grips generally don't correct the grip just force the hand and fingers into the correct position for writing.

At 3 she is still developing her grip

Lots of finger strength activities - play dough, plasticine etc. Try and see if she is using shoulder, elbow or wrist movements when mark making and then gross motor activities such as climbing, sweeping brushes and washing the windows to get these movements going.

Tiny pencils, coins into money boxes, peg boards and pegs, clothes pegs to peg socks on a washing line etc. These activities will all promote a pincer grip. Lots of cutting with child scissors and an old magazine.

Some great ideas here, thank you. I’ll steer clear of pencil grips in the short term at least, I don’t mind if her grips not perfect as she’s only 3, I just don’t want her to become inflexible because she’s practiced so much with a fisted grip that she won’t switch!

Thanks so much for all the advice, I’m looking forward to giving it a go!