Teaching kids how to hold a pencil correctly - prep teachers help please!

[AliBaby]

Yep Sunshine you are right and Maz is right that they are called pencil grips.

I am not really a fan of the little pencil grips that you put on pencils. They can be helpful for some kids but they are big and weighty and can actually make it harder to hold the pencil.

I would recommend them to children if they still haven't got the correct pencil grip after midway through kindergarten when they have already been exposed to alot of direction on how to write.

The triangle shaped pencils are good for the meantime. Given that he is only three years old I wouldnt expect him to be holding it properly yet but he will get lots of exposure in kindergarten and preschool.

Also just wanted to add that Curly I am so sorry that you were let down at school and someone didn't offer you help with writing a lot sooner

[Curly]

Also just wanted to add that Curly I am so sorry that you were let down at school and someone didn't offer you help with writing a lot sooner

LOL thanks! I'm more cross about it now than I was then, I was so perplexed at the time, I had no idea what I was doing wrong. I do occasionally get a comment on the funny way I hold my pen...but usually it's just compliments on my handwriting which is really nice despite my weird grip...but I still wouldn't be able to write for ages without getting a sore hand.

Thanks girls...I have been teaching DS the wrong way, I taught him to hold the pencil with a thumb and 2 fingers, ie not resting the pencil on the middle finger. Poor kid, I'm going to have to unteach him. DH told me it was wrong but I didn't believe him because he has horrible handwriting LOL.

[UntoldAngel]

The NSW Board of Studies lists the following ways in which pencil grip is accepted
• having the thumb and index finger pinch while the writing implement rests on the middle finger;
• having the thumb and middle finger pinch with the index finger resting on top of the writing implement;
• having thumb, index and middle fingers share the task equally

I wouldn't say that you are teaching your child incorrectly, just make sure that his writing as he further develops it is legible (nothing worse than trying to read children's writing sometimes) and try and make sure you use foundation writing so that he doesn't become too confused at school

[Indadhanu]

At school I was taught the 'driving' grip: thumb and index in the front seat, three kids in the back (ie. thumb and index finger pinch while the writing implement rests on the middle finger) and used to get in trouble for holding it the way I find most comfortable (thumb and middle finger pinch with the index finger resting on top of the writing implement).

At the centre we have students up to 6, and when kids 4+ hold a pencil basically as long as they are using a combination of thumb, index and/or middle, and not using ring and pinky finger to hold, then thats ok.

[mrsmac]

Leash- I teach my class that one too!! I say that the thumb is the steering wheel and index is mum and dad driving, the 3 kids are in the back but the middle one is Jess (my DD) and she is learning to drive so she watches closely but sometimes she is naughty and tries to get into the driver's seat LOL The kids love it, you hear them saying "oh no Jess is trying to drive again!!"

[Curly]

Okay I won't sweat it too much...he seemed to pick up the "3 finger" grip quite easily and if that is acceptable then that's great...he was just tending to hold his crayons and textas in his fist like he was going to stab something and I thought he should be guided a bit. It's only something I've been doing for the last couple of months.

I love that driving analogy, that's awesome! Thank you!

I'm not teaching him writing or anything yet, the most I do is try and get him to draw shapes, and he likes to colour in pictures, but when I do start teaching him to write letters I'm going to print out a sample of Queensland's foundation handwriting. I've already been told not to teach him to write his name in capital letters because then his prep teacher will have to unteach that!

[Indadhanu]

LOL mrsmac thats so funny!!!! Great that it goes down well too hehehe