My child isn’t holding their pencil properly, what should I do?

If you’re concerned about your child’s grip or control over a pencil, it’s likely that you have no need to be worried. It can be helpful to remember that motor development does not progress at the same rate, or in the same pattern, for all children. There is broad variation in the ‘typical’ age that children progress through motor milestones – so the way your child is comfortable holding a pencil could look very different to their friends. 

Your child’s unique journey of development has been unfolding since before they were born,^[1] and you will have seen how inter-connected the streams of development are.  

Your child’s motor skills are linked to aspects of their sensory and cognitive development – so the way your child learns and perfects their fine motor skills will be influenced by all the other ways their body is growing, changing and learning.  

To perfect a complicated skill like holding and controlling a pencil, your child will need lots of practice – not just of holding a pencil, but also making all the movements that come together to allow for their pencil grip to be effective.  

Letting them spend most of their time playing, especially in ways which they are choosing themselves and which involves lots of movement, will help your child’s body to strengthen and coordinate the skills they most need to build up to holding a pencil comfortably.  

If we want children to have spectacular pencil control then they will need to have good control over their whole body; the journey starts with good 'core muscles' to hold themselves up.  

By playing, moving and being creative with how they move their body, your child will be developing the strength and stamina they need to sit and write for extended periods of time once they’re older. 

You can also ensure they have access to a variety of fine motor activities to build up strength in their fingers and hands.  

Watch your child’s fine-motor coordination in different situations, as they use other tools or implements, and encourage them to try completing tasks themselves before you jump in to help. Good opportunities for this include doing up zips or buttons, using a knife and fork or building with LEGO® (or other construction toys). 

When you think your child will be open to it, you can suggest sitting together and doing activities like lacing and threading, card games, puzzles, sewing, using play dough and clay.  

These ways of playing all support fine motor development and so will combine over time to support your child in developing a comfortable pencil grip. 

Reference: 

[1] K.E. Adolph and J.M. Franchak. (2017) ‘The Development of Motor Behaviour’. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 8(1-2) 10.1002/wcs.1430.