Show children how to hold a pencil while they draw and write with you. I worked with my son to help him develop the correct pencil grip when he was age five. The first few days were challenging. The proper grip felt "funny" and he had less pencil control, but it wasn't long before we saw improvement. Whatever the age of the child, the following approach can be taken, just remember that it may take longer to change the habits of an older child. I corrected my grip at the age of 35, and it took more than a year to make the change!
Is your child younger than five? See the Tips for Parents near the bottom of this page.
Are you working with a class? See the Tips for Teachers.

Show Children How to Hold a Pencil Correctly

The pencil should be positioned so that there is equal pressure between the thumb, the side of the middle finger and the tip of the index finger. All fingers are bent slightly. This is called a "tripod grip" or "tripod pencil grasp".
We recommend slipping a pencil grip onto each child's pencil. A pencil grip positions their fingers correctly and helps them stay in the correct position. Pencil grips come in several styles, colors and hand preference (left or right). They are available at parent/teacher stores and stationary stores with prices ranging between $ .35 to $1.79, depending on the style. See our favorite grip.

Check for Tension in the Children's Fingers and Hands

Is the first knuckle of the pointer finger hyper-extended? Is the index finger red and the knuckle white from too much pressure? There should be no sign of pressure in the knuckle or the finger tip. The index finger rests on top of the pencil.
Is the tripod grip too tight? The three fingers should gently grip the pencil and keep the pencil stable while writing. Have the entire class go through this simple exercise: Have the children pretend to tightly hold a small stone in their fingertips as you count to ten. Discuss how their hand feels. Next, have the children pretend to gently hold a feather in their fingertips, and count to ten. Discuss how their hands feel. Help the children understand that they can write more quickly and for a longer time when their hand is relaxed.
Is the hand a tight fist? Have the child pretend they have a round ball inside their hand as they write, or have them hold a wadded paper towel as they write .
Tension indicates weak fine-motor skills. Work with manipulatives to improve these skills: cut with scissors, play with finger puppets, play with modeling clay, stretch Silly Putty, play games that require a pinching motion (Pick-Up-Sticks), and string beads. We like the ideas for developing fine motor skills shown on the website of the Beal Early Childhood Center and at Jean Warren's Preschool Express.
A training tool that we've found helpful is the pyramid-shaped crayons.
Do simple prewriting excersizes, like EarTwiggle's Pre-Writing Skill Workbook.

Is a Child Bearing Down on the Pencil?

Is a child bearing down on their pencil? They want to see the lines they are making. Give them a soft-lead pencil. The pencil mark goes onto the paper easily, so they won't feel the need to bear down. Ask for soft-lead drawing pencils at an art supply or stationary store, or see our pencils.

Check the Position of the Pencil and the Wrist

The eraser end of the pencil should point toward the shoulder. Some children prefer to position the pencil vertically, so that the eraser end is pointing up. It is not the classic grip, but it is fine as long as the hand is relaxed.
The underside of the forearm to the thumb should be a straight line. The hand does not hook back toward the body.

Regular Practice

Practice daily if possible, keeping the lessons short. Five minutes of writing is enough for a child who is age five, and ten to fifteen minutes is plenty for a nine-year-old. Add drawing instruction to your practice for a fun way to gain even more time using the correct grip.

Why the Correct Pencil Grip is Important

Some children respond well to knowing the reason for using the tripod grip. Using the correct grip allows a person to write quickly and fluidly, while a tight or awkward grip can slow writing. The correct grip also prevents physical problems with the hand and arm later in life. I share my own experience with carpal tunnel syndrome, which caused me problems at the age of 35. The constant aggravation of clenching my pencil –– a habit I had formed in childhood — had caused the ligaments in the wrist of my dominant had to become inflamed. My hand became numb and pain shot up my arm. I began retraining myself to hold a pencil correctly. It took more than a year before I consistently held my pencil with a relaxed hand, but the relaxed grip completely cleared up the carpal tunnel problem. My son, who was five at the time, practiced holding his pencil correctly, also, and it took him only six weeks to change his grip. A new habit is easier to change than an old habit.

Tips for Teachers

Focus on the correct grip and correct posture during the drawing and writing lessons. The kids should know that at other times of the day your attention will be focused on other things, like math or writing composition skills, so you may not notice their grip or posture throughout the school day. This gives your students a break -- the fun drawing lesson (with a little writing) will be the only time of the school day where the teacher will correct and challenge them on how they are holding their pencil.
Changing to a tripod grip feels awkward to many children, since it requires changing habits that they have established. After practicing for several weeks, you will notice that some of the children use the correct grasp at times when they aren't doing the lessons with you. Continue to require these skills during the lessons, and watch for more improvement within the coming months.
Seat the children who need to develope a correct grip near each other. When you point out something to one individual, the others will benefit, too. Seating the students together keeps you from running all over the classroom when you think about checking on the tripod grip.
Keep the writing lesson short — five to fifteen minutes is plenty of time for practice. Stretch the amount of pencil time by incorporating drawing instruction.
Give a lesson daily, or at least three times a week.
We like to give the children a special pencil during the drawing lesson (a soft-lead pencil with a Pencil Grip), and have them use a Jumbo Grip Pencil during the rest of the school day. Due to the triangular shape of the pencil barrel, the children are encouraged to use the tripod grip.

Tips for Parents

What can you do to help your child naturally use the correct grip? At the age of two, have the child draw and play with a fat crayon on a vertical surface, such as an easel, a large piece of paper taped to the wall, a wall-mounted white board (see white board crayons), or a chalkboard. We've found that a fat crayon works better than a felt-tip marker or pencil, so we highly recommend the use of crayon.

When should you check to see if your child uses the correct pencil grip? When you notice that the child wants to learn to write, around the age of five. Some children naturally use the correct grip, others will need your gentle guidance.

Stress the correct grip while you do the drawing and writing lesson together, but be patient. This is the only time of the day that you will remind them to hold their pencil correctly. It takes time to establish new habits.

We like to give the children a special pencil during the drawing lesson (a soft-lead pencil with a Pencil Grip). During the rest of the day, we like the children to use the Jumbo Grip Pencil. Due to the triangular shape of the pencil barrel, the children are encouraged to use the tripod grip.

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"It was hard to hold my pencil like this at first, but I kept trying. Now I do it all the time."
— Sarah, first-grade student

"At first, my son said that the pencil with the pencil grip was uncomfortable, but I explained that it was uncomfortable because he was familiar with the other way of holding a pencil. I told him that the more he practiced the new way, the sooner it would feel good. After practicing six weeks, I noticed him holding his regular pencil correctly while he was drawing independently. I said, "Look how you are holding your pencil." He looked down at his hand and said, "I didn't mean to do it!" We practiced together with the pencil grip a few more weeks, then he told me, "Mom, I don't need this any more. I hold my pencil like this all the time."
— Kim Stitzer, coauthor, Draw Write Now

"It was really easy. My daughter changed her grip within two weeks."
— Carol, mother of a five-year-old

"The first grade teacher did a good job of teaching basic pencil skills. When her class moved on to my second grade class, most of the children could use their pencils pretty well. Of course, there was always some who needed more time and practice, but everyone got it eventually. Occasionally, I'd have a student who had bigger problems with their grip, which required regular one-on-one time. For one girl, before the time when we had aides, I went so far as to enlist the help of the school secretary so she'd get some individual attention."
— Marie Hablitzel, coauthor, Draw Write Now series