How important is pen grip when starting school?

[theyetijumpedoverthemoon]

DS will be starting school in September as one of the youngest in the year. He is a pretty good writer in terms of letter formation but still uses a fist grip to hold the pen. Does this matter at this stage? Or should we be encouraging him to change his grip?

I would gently encourage and maybe use a pen grip.

I should add that pen grip was one of the things listed in the starting school 'skills list' we've been sent by the council

Encourage pen grips we brought animal pencil grips the kids liked them

It matters as it will impact writing stamina. Try to encourage it during all activities like colouring as well.

Definitely show him how to grip now before he gets wedded to this way of writing. We used pencils with flat edges pentagon shaped I think. Then encouraged a finger and thumb grip. Actively show him how to hold his pencil. School will also intervene in due course. Very impressed with his brilliant writing, well done!

Ie this sort of pencil (not specifically this brand!) - tho to be fair, this was maybe year 1, so your child is still so young!

www.amazon.co.uk/BIC-Kids-Learner-Graphite-Pencils/dp/B00L4C67R8/ref=sr_1_3_mod_primary_new?sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&crid=3PNM4JJ4O5M4A&keywords=Flat+sided+pencil+handwriting&sprefix=flat+sided+pencil+handwriting%2Caps%2C57&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1647171581&sr=8-3

You can buy "crayon rocks" that teach pen grip because there is a way to hold them comfortably so it sort of naturally develops!

Encourage proper pen grip bit school will correct. Great writing!

Might be easier with the thicker type pencils rather than a pen

Can I ask what age he is? My DS will be starting school in September too but as one of the older kids where we live and he has the same pen grip and definitely couldn't write letters to the same standard as your DS. I've been encouraging him gently and he will hold it properly for about a minute but then goes back to the old way. So I'm following this thread with interest!

When I taught reception it was common to see children with different grips. They often make changes over the year to tripod grip etc. I would model but not overly worry at the moment.

When I was teaching reception I used to give children a small furry pompm to hold in their fist and then hold a pencil. It's hard to describe without a diagram but it makes it impossible to hold the pencil in the wrong way. I got the idea from an Occupational therapist article online.

I retired from teaching and started invigilating exams so I can confirm correct grip makes a big difference by that stage. Bad habits are hard to break so it is important to establish a good grip early on but without casting stress, obviously.

Many thanks all!

@confusedlots he is 3.8 . He is really into writing and has much better control than my other DS (who is much older in the year and had the tripod grip down) had when he started school.

(DS1 picked it up fast when he started school though).

Wow - that's great handwriting for a 3 year old 👏