School OTs often get questions from teachers and parents about how students should hold their pencil when writing. Here’s how to promote functional pencil grasp with your kids. 

<div>
  School-based OTs often get questions from parents and teachers regarding their
  student&rsquo;s pencil grasp. Here are tips for promoting functional pencil
  grasp in the classroom and at home.&nbsp;
</div>

<h2>The Importance of Pencil Grasp</h2>

<div>
  By age six, students should be able to write and color with a functional
  grasp. There are a variety of pencil grasps that can be considered functional
  including a tripod (three-finger grasp) and a quadrupod (four-finger grasp),
  among others.&nbsp;
</div>

<div>
  Once a student has developed their pencil grasp and has been writing with the
  grasp for many years, it can be very difficult (and likely unnecessary) to
  change. Research shows that pencil grasp does not necessarily impact writing
  legibility (Schwellnus et al., 2012). However, there are some reasons that a
  pencil grasp should be corrected including: pain, fatigue, stress on the
  joints of the hand, and decreased writing speed.&nbsp;
</div>

<div>
  It is important to offer a variety of activities to children before the age of
  six to promote the development of a functional grasp from a young age.&nbsp;
</div>

<h2>Tips for Promoting Functional Pencil Grasp</h2>

<div>
  Here are some ideas for fun activities that can be done at home or school that
  require the use of a tripod grasp.&nbsp;
</div>

<ul>
  <li>Painting with Q-tips or small pieces of a sponge&nbsp;</li>
  <li>Stringing cubes or beads&nbsp;</li>
  <li>
    Using tweezers to pick up items, transfer items, or remove items from
    playdough&nbsp;
  </li>
  <li>Playing with blocks or Legos</li>
  <li>Making a sticker collage</li>
  <li>
    Playing with finger puppets on the thumb, pointer and middle fingers&nbsp;
  </li>
  <li>Using stencils with a tripod grasp</li>
  <li>Using dot markers</li>
  <li>Drawing with chalk&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<div>
  Here are some strategies to try in the classroom during writing or coloring
  activities to promote the use a functional tripod grasp.
</div>

<ul>
  <li>Provide students with short pencils (for example golf pencils)&nbsp;</li>
  <li>Use small broken pieces of crayons</li>
  <li>
    Use a rubber band wrapped around the pencil as a makeshift pencil grip&nbsp;
  </li>
  <li>Demonstrate a tripod grasp prior to writing activities</li>
  <li>
    Place a visual of a tripod grasp on the desk during writing activities&nbsp;
  </li>
  <li>
    Have student hold a small object in their pinky and ring fingers while
    writing (such as a pompom, marble or eraser)&nbsp;
  </li>
</ul>

<div>
  Thanks for reading our resource on how school OTs can help promote functional
  pencil grasp in the classroom and beyond. We hope you find this a welcome
  addition to your occupational therapy toolkit!
</div>


Cross Country Education

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Pencil Grasp in the Classroom and at Home

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