How to Hold a Pencil Correctly for Kids
Holding a pencil correctly can be extremely difficult for little hands. In fact, in some kids it is physically impossible due to their fine motor development. Finding ways to solve the incorrect hand position when holding a pencil early will result in much better handwriting skills and coordination. Teaching kids good pencil grip will give them lifelong results.
Importance of Holding a Pencil Correctly
Learning the best way to hold a pencil isn’t nearly as easy as it appears. This problem is near and dear to my heart! Not only am I a Physical Therapist who has worked with kids with this issue and the longterm effects, but I am one of those kids!
I held my pencil incorrectly until 6th grade when I had a teacher shame it out of me in front of the classroom. It was an embarrassment and took some time to re-work my handwriting in a late stage of my hand development.
Let’s talk about the pencil writing tool first and then why it works to correct kids’ pencil grip…
How to Hold a Pencil Correctly
Writing is a challenging task and when your child has to learn cursive, it can become an even bigger one because the letter formation requires more strength and coordination.
The correct pencil holding position looks a little like this:
As you can see in this photograph example:
- The thumb and the pointer finger (index finger) are responsible for the actual grip on the pencil (in this case a marker) with the pads of the finger tips.
- The middle finger also makes contact with the pencil, but it is the side of the finger next to the fingernail that is used for balance.
What you see in many children is that they do not hold their pencil correctly. Instead of using three fingers, they end up using four.
The most common improper pencil holding position in kids looks like this:
Reasons Why Kids Hold Their Pencil Wrong
Correct pencil grip is more complicated than you might think because there are several reasons that kids end up holding their pencil with four fingers instead of three fingers. Sometimes it can be just one of these reasons and sometimes several of these reasons collide making it more difficult for them to learn the proper pencil grip:
1. Bad Habit of Holding Pencil Wrong
If a child initially picked up a crayon, pencil or marker and started using an improper grip like a four finger grip, then often they just continue that habit.
2. Decreased Hand Strength
If a child has not developed enough strength in the thumb and index finger to grip the pencil and rely on the middle finger just for balance, then that fourth finger creeps up to take up the slack. You can see from the pictured example that when a child uses four fingers, three of them are doing the actual gripping and the ring finger helps with balance. This allows the child additional muscle power from that extra finger.
3. Decreased Hand Endurance
When we think of endurance, we often think of running long distances, but muscles act like muscles in all parts of the body…even the hand! Even when a child starts a worksheet or writing assignment with the proper pencil hold, as the muscles get tired, they will find their hands making modifications to try to keep on task including that extra finger into the pencil grip to finish the job.
This is one reason why Pediatricians, Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists (like me) recommend that worksheets and writing assignments be limited as children develop. Let them pace themselves to increase strength and endurance naturally.
4. Decreased Hand Coordination
Think about how amazing the intricate movements of our hands can be and how complicated that is to control. Kids are learning to control their movements and teach their body how to move in the way their brain thinks up. It is all crazy cool!
The fingers and hand are controlled by a system of 35 muscles inside the hand and up the forearm. That is a lot to learn to move together and independently. Many kids don’t have enough practice in to be coordinated with the pencil holding position.
5. Decreased Shoulder Stability
In order for your hand to move freely in a coordinated manner, your arm, head and body have to provide a stable foundation. It is something that you might not have thought about, but try reaching for a pencil in front of you while shrugging your shoulders and moving your head around. Even an adult will have a hard time coordinating that! It is a little like patting your head while rubbing your belly at the same time.
Our body solves this with a really amazing system that attaches our arm to our body/neck through our collar bone and shoulder blade. The muscles in these areas have to have strength, endurance and coordination to allow the fine motor movements of the hand.
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How to Help Kids Hold Pencil Properly
- Show them the proper three finger grip with GENTLE reminders – remember, they may not be able to fully control due to developmental level.
- Start them with writing utensils that are bigger in diameter like the big crayons, “fat” pencils and markers. This is one reason why many of the writing instruments created for toddlers and preschoolers are bigger. It takes less effort to write and color with them because the grip is larger and the result is less defined requiring less coordination, etc.
- Be careful about “required” worksheet, coloring page, pencil work time and let kids do this at their own pace to develop pencil skills.
- Use a pencil writing tool…
Pencil Writing Tool for Best Way to Hold Pencil
If you have a child that struggles with holding their pencil correctly, there is a new writing tool that can change this within a few minutes.
This pencil writing tool looks like this:
Writing Tool Teaches Your Child How to Hold a Pencil Correctly
The pencil grip. Your kids will love that they come in a bunch of different colors like pink, blue, orange and green.
Yes, “Pencil Grip” is the official name and while it may seem unexciting, the tool itself it quite brilliant and helpful! Amazon has named it an Amazon’s Choice for “pencil correction holder for kids” and I would have to agree.
Why Pencil Grip Helps Kids Hold Pencils Correctly
The soft grips help kids learn how to hold a writing utensil correctly.
The silicone grip features two finger pockets for their thumb and index finger, so there’s no room for error.
Look at how the picture below is an example of proper pencil hold position for kids and compare that with the pictures below that discuss the problems that kids have when they hold their pencils wrong:
See how the Pencil Grip positions the thumb and index finger into the holding or pinching position leaving space for just the middle finger to balance. This removes the space kids use to pinch with a third finger and balance with the ring finger.
The Pencil Grip:
- Provides the correct writing position to develop the habit of the proper pencil holding position.
- Designed with ventilation so little fingers don’t overheat!
- Made with silicone so it is a safe and soft product for kids to use.
- Good for all ages – kids aren’t the only ones who need this! Adults who need a little extra stability due to neurological disease or tremor to write can benefit as well. Those who suffer with arthritis can benefit because of the decrease pressure on the hand.
Using Writing Tools in the Classroom for Handwriting
I personally think that this tool should be given to each class in a school and honestly, with Pencil Grip tools being less than $5 each on Amazon, you can afford to get one for every student in your child’s class.
This is going to not only help the students develop better writing skills faster, but allow teachers time to concentrate on things other than correcting pencil grip.
Let’s just agree that this seems a lot easier with a simple tool like this!
Proper Pencil Position for Left-handed Kids
Because of the simple design, the Pencil Grip will work for both right handed kids and left handed kids. I always find it really difficult to assist left handed children with proper positioning because when you try and mirror your own pencil grip position, it feels completely backward!
Now let’s take a deeper look at why kids hold their pencil wrong and additional insight and solutions…
Check out the Pencil Grip on Amazon.
More Writing Tools that I Recommend for Kids
- Training Pencil Grips – this may work well for kids who are having trouble keeping the middle finger resting as a balancing finger or who have difficulty writing for an age-appropriate amount of time.
- Variety Pack of Pencil Grip types – if your child is struggling to find a writing tool that works for them, this has a variety of different types to choose from.
- Animal Pencil Grips – these have a little different mechanism than the type we talked about in this article, but could be helpful to some kids.
- Traditional triangle pencil grip – this is what I used as a child and I suspect it still works. A bonus is they are some of the cheapest alternatives.
- Ergonomic writing aid – another traditional shape that has worked for years.
Does it REALLY matter how you hold a pencil?
Yep, as you can see by this article and all the information inside, we are passionate about getting kids at a young age to hold a pencil or pen correctly which sets them up for handwriting success in the future. Improperly holding a pencil affects the way you write as well as your ability to write for long periods of time comfortably. The recommended way to hold a pencil is the tripod grip that is described here.
What is a tripod grip for holding a pencil?
The Tripod grip is the most commonly recommended method of pencil-holding. A successful tripod grip involves placing your thumb and index finger in a “V” shape around the pencil, while resting the tip of your middle finger on top of it. Using this proper pencil grip encourages a more comfortable writing posture by allowing you to rest your hand on the table and move your shoulder in a circular motion during writing.
Why do I hold my pencil so weird?
There are a number of reasons why you might be holding your pencil incorrectly. Most commonly, you probably were not taught the proper techniques as a child and never developed a good pencil holding habit. Another reason you might not be holding your pencil correctly is that it could be uncomfortable to use the recommended grip due to physical problems such as arthritis or tendonitis – try some of the writing aids mentioned in this article to make pencil holding more comfortable.
If you are right-handed, you may be more comfortable using you left hand to hold the pencil, resulting in an incorrect grip. Finally, you may not have realized there is a correct way of holding the pencil and so you grip it however feels natural.
Whatever the reason, it’s important to learn and practice the correct technique for writing
Handwriting Activities for Toddlers, Preschool, Kindergarten & Above…
- Use some of the fun techniques for handwriting that are used in name writing practice.
- Check out our list of free handwriting worksheets for kids.
- Make practice fun with these secret writing codes.
- These pre writing worksheets are great for handwriting practice…no matter what developmental level. They can help increase strength & coordination.
- There are a ton of benefits of crafting and beading activities for kids of all ages – one of them is development of fine motor skills that will help their handwriting indirectly.
- Whether you are doing preschool at home or finding fun things to do with your preschooler, we have some play-based solutions to developmental education.
- We have a huge resource for the entire alphabet for kids — writing, tracing, crafts and more for every single letter of the alphabet…yep, all 26!
Did you hold your pencil correctly as a child? What techniques have helped your kids learn how to hold a pencil?
I know this is the 21st Century now and handwriting is more or less out of fashion… but even in the old days, how important is / was it to hold a pencil “correctly”? Isn’t legibility the whole point, and wouldn’t each individual person find her / his own most comfortable way of holding a pencil?
Wtf?
Cursive? Almost no one teaches that anymore.
“Correct” grip on a pencil? What anal-brain is obsessed with that?
I’m gonna buy a crap load of these for our President, though. A little superglue in each part of the grip and he’ll be done with tweeting for good…
Perhaps make adult sized one for senior citizens who have had strokes or can no longer grasp a writing implement or paint brush. I know my mother in law would love to have several for different things she would like to do. 95 years old.
Awesome idea! Some children have such difficulty writing because they do not hold their pen/pencil correctly! I mean they have big time trouble with it. This could definitely help them. Texas did away with teaching cursive years ago and yet have recognized the error of their ways and put it back into the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills) required to be taught. Great idea!
Is this made with latex?
no, it is silicone.
Do they come in Lefty also? I have lost use of right hand, this might help!
Where do I order?
Hi, Julia! There is a link in the post (towards the bottom) that leads you right to where you can buy it!
Definitely want one please
How much and where to buy?
Hi, Matro! There is a link to where you can buy, in the post!
I think this is a great thing. I have a special needs child that doesn’t have the fine motor skills needed to write. The way he holds his pencil he does not have control over it. The teachers, occupational therapists, and I have worked with him for13 years ,but he’s made very little progress. I believe this could possibly help him.
So long as they are able to write in a manner that is legible, who cares how they hold their pencil?
I wish we had these when I was growing up. I never learned how to hold a pencil correctly, and now I have a hell of a time writing notes at work during meetings without cramping in my hand, and my handwriting is almost illegible to everyone but me. Learning to hold it the right way is extremely important.
Attention! There IS NO “CORRECT” way to hold a pencil or pen,however you feel comfortable holding it is correct. Yet another waste of money! What’s next? A tool to make you hold a fork or spoon correct? Rofl
where can you buy this writing tool
Hi, Carol!There is a link to where you can buy it in the post!
I learned how to properly hold a pencil in grade school and believe it or not it helps with penmanship. Most kids can’t even sign their name anymore which is a shame. Not sure what brain surgeon came up with the bright idea to exclude cursive from education these days as if they’re teaching so much more, NOT! I guess this is the easy way out rather than actually teaching them how to hold a writing utensil since were all so super busy (sarcasm)!
What about the left-handed children. May help my 7 year old drandson.
Left handers?
That looks even more awkward and uncomfortable than the little triangular torture devices they slid on pencils when I was in school. Didn’t teach me anything, I just went back to holding it a way that made sense as soon as it was gone. I don’t hold paint brushes like that, either.
Can’t find a link to buy from ?!
Hi, Brenda! The buy link is toward the bottom of the post.
Another commenter asked if left handed people could use it. I noticed no reply. I was looking at it wondering if it could be switched around for a leftie,but couldn’t tell. In my opinion left handed people would benefit best from the tool. And older people who can’t hold pencil anymore. I remember a teacher taping my fingers in this position. True I developed my own way to hold my writing tools. And I am a fairly good artist but to this day my handwriting (cursive or print) is something only I can read. And sometimes I struggle with that haha.
I didn’t find a link to buy…. Sad
Hi, Dolores! The buy link is toward the bottom of the post! I hope that helps 🙂
Would love to purchase this for my granddaughter.
Where do you buy this gizmo? And how much?
Hi, Sid! The buy link is toward the bottom of the post!
Looks like a good idea – training wheels for the hand! What’s wrong with that? I noticed that the most negative comments were also pretty vile, sarcastic and nasty.I wonder why? ANYWAY …Do you have any ‘track record’ yet for how this has been working? I’d be very interested in that. Thanks.
This would be very helpful for people who are disabled or have arthritis that cannot hold a pen or pencil because it hurts or they’re not able to. Do you have these in adult sizes? It’s a great idea.
Hi, Patty! If you click on the buy link, toward the bottom, it takes you to the page where you can buy the product.On that page, it states that this is for both kids and adults!
Where can i buy the pencil holder….
Hi, Betty! There is link to where you can buy it toward the bottom of the post!
I am 43. And went through school as a dyslexic and dyspraxic child constant bullying from teachers to hold my pencil correctly when I am dyspraxic I had a rubber thing that went round my pencil to force me into holding my pencil correctly I got smacked on the hand for not holding my pencil correctly I am dyspraxic which enables me not to hold the pencil correctly. We are all individuals and we can deal with our life in our own ways thanks
Are adult sizes available please!
Hi, Stevie. Yes!
I would think this would be a good tool for students who struggle with holding a pencil, a pen and etc, as for the elderly who have arthritis. The negative posts was a waste of their time. Of course if you feel this is a waste of your time just scroll through, no one is asking you to buy it. As soon as a person-child, gets the hang of writing they will understandably choose to hold their pencil the way they want. Kudos for the post.
Yeahhhhh nope. I’ll use my three fingers like a heathen, thank you.
Where can i buy this?
Hi, Shay! There is a buy link toward the bottom of the post.
There IS a correct way to hold a pen/pencil. Can children still write while holding the pencil incorrectly? Of course! But it will slow them down (in many cases, considerably) for a lifetime.
There is NO right or wrong way to hold a pen or pencil. If it gets the job done, then you’re holding it correctly. This is so stupid.
So true. The cool thing is that you get to decide how you hold your pencil. I did have issues later as a student because I was holding it in a way that caused fatigue and didn’t allow me to write for long periods of time so I switched to the way shown here. I hope it helps others, but under no circumstances are we telling you, Julie, that you need to hold a pencil a certain way! Have a great day.