1 way to hold a pencil in order to join your letters?

[Emmielu]

DD is struggling to hold a pencil how her teacher asks her to (shes in reception). The way to hold is your thumb & first finger only. DD holds a pencil, thumb & 1st & 2nd finger for extra grip. I do the same. DD got upset about this because she felt she was different & wasnt able to do the work properly. I couldnt understand what the fuss was about, so i asked her teacher. Turns out in YR1 they learn to join all their letters in sentences & the only way to join the letters is to hold a pencil the way they're asking the children to do.

Is there REALLY only that one way to hold a pencil in order to join letters? I can join letters holding a pencil the way i do. I still dont understand why its one way. Especially since how many of you can honestly say you join all your letters when you write now? I dont. DD's teacher doesnt. Why the need to have one particular way? Why not help the child join the letters in the way they feel comfortable to holding a pencil? I dont get it.

Strange advice!
Primary Schools teach joined up as it gets extra marks at SATs etc. At secondary it's ok to print.

I join up by using thumb and index finger to hold then pen and middle finger for support. My 3 children and dh write like that too and we all have neat handwriting.

This is what i cant understand. Surely there are ways to join up writing eventhough you dont hold the pencil how they ask.

The 'correct' way to hold the pencil is with the little and ring fingers crooked in and out of the way, the middle finger curled in, with the pencil resting on it, and then the index finger and thumb either side of the pencil.

It is the index finger that does all the fine movements to form the letter shapes, and the whole hand moves along as the letters are formed.

When you look down at the point of the pencil, the thumb, index finger and middle finger should form a triangle round the pencil. The whole hand should be so relaxed as you write that it should be possible for someone to come along and pull the pencil out easily.

All of the above is 'ideal', and if a child gets into these habits at first, then it will set them up for being able to write in a neat, consistant joined-up style in the future, especially when using a fountain pen. It will also enable the child to write for extended periods without developing hand cramps or the writing dejenerating.

Byt the time our 5 year olds are adults, handwriting as an art will have become archaic, and they will need their keyboard skills much more, so it could be argued that, so long as she is comfortable holding the pencil 'her way', and so long as she can correctly form the letters, she is doing well enough.