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

This is a subject close to my heart because I don't hold my pen correctly. It wasn't until I was in Year 3 at school when one teacher said to me one day "Curly hold your pen properly!" that I realised I wasn't doing it right. I can't believe it didn't get picked up earlier...but even then the teacher didn't show me how, I think she just thought I was being silly.

I looked at the other kids and tried to copy them but even though I managed to modify my pencil grip it still isn't right - it was too late for me to relearn. I always used to have trouble copying large amounts from the blackboard because my hand would get sore.

So....I really want DS to learn to hold his pencil correctly but because I don't do it properly myself I am not sure how to teach him.

Do you teach kids to hold their pencil with thumb and index finger, resting the pencil on the middle finger?

Or do they grip the pencil with thumb, index and middle fingers? I have bought DS some triangular pencils and that seems to be the way those pencils encourage him to grip, is that right?

N was terrible at holding the pen right. His kinder teacher told him to 'pinch' the nib on the pencil with this thumb and pointing finger on the end then flip the pencil back onto the back of his hand whilst holding the end. It helped him heaps and now he has perfect grip ;)

Hmm this is hard to explain online but i'll do my best.

You grip the pencil with your thumb and index finger and your third finger rests underneath the pencil and is supporting the pencil. The rest of the fingers just curl underneath your hand.

There is a pencil grip story that helps children remember, I have it at work so I am no help right now.

Also the triangular pencils are good to help with grip.

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Also the triangular pencils are good to help with grip.

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I think there are little things you can get that slip onto the pencil to help kids get the idea of holding there pencil properly too??? There are triangular and from the newsagency??

Pencil grip their called hon :)

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 :hug:

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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 :hug:

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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.

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

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.

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!!"

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!

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

Ohh i would fail now :)
my pen rests on my ring finger then middle and index rest against the pen and my thumb loops over the top resting on the second knuckle of my index finger.

OMG I had to actually do that to work out how you hold your pen and WOW! Now thats SKILL :rofl:

haha i think it sounds worse then it is...