We're going to talk about grasp for a minute. Next, we'll discuss pencil grasp specifically. One thing you can do is lay the pencil flat on a surface and have the student pinch it, then push it up into their web space.
To have a proper pencil grasp, use a quadrupod grasp with four points of contact, or a tripod grasp with three. I hold my pencil with three fingers since my last two are not touching it. The first three fingers are your precision side, and the other side is the power side of your hand.
When looking at different grasps, the thumb wrap probably means the student needs more precision. Tucking the thumb is inefficient and indicates they are using more of the power side of their hand. You can see other samples here.
Pupils are using more shoulder muscle when they hold the pencil in this manner. To help with that, you might want to practice your fine motor skills. In a moment, I will discuss a few of those. I have to go back to presenting mode after that.
The following slide illustrates how handwriting grasps typically develop. The pincer grasp appears at 10 months. The pincer grasp is demonstrated when a student can grasp an object with two fingers, such as picking up Cheerios. They then begin to hold a pencil with their entire palm using the palmar supinator grasp.
The digital pronate grasp, in which they point their hands down, is visible when they are two or three years old. At three or four years old, the quadrupod grasp should begin to emerge. In a static tripod grasp, the entire hand moves while the pencil is held in place.
Prehensile skills are used in the dynamic tripod grasp. The thumb, index, and middle finger on the skilled side of the hand are used for precise tasks, while the ring and pinky on the power side are used for stability. When writing, placing their hand on the paper gives them stability.
The child is prepared to hold a pencil once the sides of their hands have clearly separated. Finding out if the student can separate picking up and gripping is crucial. To separate the grasp from the pinch, have them hold something and try to pick up a snack or Cheerios.
We can grasp objects of various shapes thanks to the palmar arch, which also shapes the hand. I have an arch in my hand when I hold this object. I have an arch when I roll the dice and hear them click.
If I hold the dice tight and there is no clicking, there is no arch. The arch allows us to grasp both small and large objects. This is important for development and for writing with precision.
