Do you have a kid who fists his/her pencil while cataloging the numerous assaults issued by “good guys” and “bad guys”? While it is mostly a pleasure for you to watch your kids let their fantasy flag fly, you could get stuck on their pencil grip. And just how much reminding is actually helpful?
And if your kid is very imaginative, excess focus on the grip could end up being a red flag that causes a creativity crush. But not to worry, we’ve got the best tips you need to teach your kid the perfect pencil grip. So read on to find out more.
What is this tripod grip and why is it so important?
The Tripod Grip is a grip using three fingers of the hand – the thumb, index and middle fingers. A child typically develops this grip around the age of three or four. It is a functional grasp which is essential for a number of tasks, such as holding a pencil or fastening buttons.
Some children may require extra support in learning the technique of holding a pencil in a tripod grip. The following one to one method may be more suitable for them:
- Place a pencil on the table in front of the dominate hand.
- Make a fist with the dominate hand with the thumb tucked in.
- Place the fist palm side down on the table.
- Pop out the thumb from the fist and wiggle back and forth.
- Extend the index finger and tap on the table.
- Move the index finger and thumb together to make a pincer movement like a crab’s claw.
- Flick out the middle finger and curl back slightly so that the outside edge of the thumb rests on it when you use the pincer movement. This will make the hand gently roll over to rest on the outside edge of the curled up little finger and side of the hand.
- The ring finger and little finger stay loosely curled up (holding a cotton wool ball in these two fingers can help keep them in place).
- Place the pencil between the thumb and index finger, about 2cm up from the tip for right-handed writers and about 3cm for left-handed writers, hold in the pincer grip. The thumb being on the side of the pencil, with the pencil resting on the middle finger.
- The main shaft of the pencil should be resting on the hand with the end angled towards the shoulder for right-handed writers and the elbow for left-handed writers.
- You must ensure that the child is sitting correctly, with an appropriate paper position so that the shaft of the pencil can be angled properly.
With this, your kid will be mastering the grip in no time.
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POSTED IN: TALK · TAGGED: KIDS’ SCHOOLING, KINDERGARTEN, PARENTING, TRIPOD GRIP