Grip Development

As with every other stage of a child’s development a child will develop their grip in a sequenced manner.

Having said that it is important to be mindful that each child is individual and so if they pass through a stage quicker or slower than the general milestone it may not be a cause for concern.

A child develops from the inside out; from the core of the body to the outer of the body.

This is called proximodistal development. This influences the stages of development including grip development.

This growth pattern in young children sees gross motor development, such as waving develop before fine motor skills such as grip development.

A child needs to have developed the muscles in their hands in order to be able to hold a pencil correctly.

The strength and development of their muscles required to hold a pencil are embedded in play.

The holding of a paint brush, the manipulating the play dough, the using the trigger in a spray, building with the blocks, threading. All these, and many more play based experiences assist to build the muscles required for a child to be able to learn to hold a pencil correctly. These experiences will lay the foundations for good pencil grasp.

Don’t be surprised if you see your child swapping between grips either. It is not dissimilar to a baby learning to walk. As they become tired or as they are learning to master the skill they may switch back to crawling for ease, speed or until their new skill is further developed. As they continue to grow you generally find the switching  between grips will occur less.

Developmentally each child will progress through different grip stages. If you factor in that a child’s muscles need to be developed in order to progress through the stages of grip development it then makes sense that young children will not be strong enough to hold small pencils, nor will they have the control to stabilize their shoulders/wrists which is also required.

This is why chunkier crayons and pencils are best to be offered in the younger age group to assist them as they will still be using whole arm movements to draw, colour etc.

Developing a correct grip is not just about just learning to write. Developing the correct skills required for using a pencil efficiently will also help to develop other fine motor skills.

As a child grows and develops they will move from using their whole arm, to using their wrist, and finally to the fingertips. This will result in the correct grip.

When supporting a child to develop the correct grip it is key to be aware of their current stage. Wanting a child to develop a grip before they are physically capable and their muscles aren’t developed enough will only result in them using an awkward version of the grip and these incorrect habits are hard to correct over time

Supporting the development of a child’s pencil grip can be achieved by supporting them to develop the underlying skills required for manipulating a pencil properly, such as grip strength, finger isolation, shoulder stability and postural control.

1-2 Years- (Palmar- Supinate grasp) Fist grip:

• Fisted hand
• Wrist slightly bent
• Wrist is turned upward slightly
• They use their whole arm
• Scribbles spontaneously

2-3 Years- (Pronate grasp) Pincer Grip:

• Hold the utensil with their fingers
• Their wrist has become straight
• Wrist is also facing downwards
• Wrist is slightly bent forward towards the little finger
• They move just their forearm
• Imitates drawing a circle. Can copy a line

3-4 Years- (Quadropod to a Static Tripod Grasp) Beginning Tripod Grip:

• Will hold utensil with thumb, index finger and middle fingers
• They will use their other hand to fix the grip
• Their fingers are only slightly bent
• They have grasped away from the point of the utensil
• They move only their hand
• Draws a simple person with body then adds arms, etc

4-6 Years- (Dynamic Tripod Grasp) Developing/ed Tripod Grip:

• They will develop the ability to hold precisely with the tips of the thumb and index fingers, resting also against the middle finger (the way we hold a pen)
• Their other fingers are bent
• Wrist is only slightly bent
• They will hold the utensil at the correct point (near the tip)
• Their finger movements control the utensil
• Draws a circle, more recognizable person.