How to Hold a Pencil: And other tips to get kids to enjoy writing

So many parents complain about their kid’s inability to hold a pencil properly. We hear this a lot, especially from the parents of kindergarteners and preschoolers.

Being a teacher, as well as a homeschool mom, I have a few tips and tricks to not only encourage proper grip but also the enjoyment of writing.

Alligator Grip

I found with young children, practising the Alligator grip is super helpful. Our goal is to get a pencil grip that is 2 fingers on top and the thumb underneath, with the pencil resting in the crook of the hand.

Using the little rhyme “Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Bite! Alligators like to write!” we chomp down our pencil and then hold it right where the paint ends.

Strength and Coordination

Most people don’t realize how much strength and coordination are required to write with a pencil. You must have the fine motor skills in your hands and the strength in your fingers to hold the pencil. Then, you need to have the upper body and arm strength to push down on the paper with enough force to make a mark. And then there’s the coordination to make readable letters. It’s a lot of work for a young child. Many get tired quickly. And tired leads to not wanting to write, which can lead to arguments and frustration for everyone.

We let our daughters use a marker for their writing work. Markers don’t require any upper body force, which means one less thing to think of. And they get the encouragement of seeing marks on the page right away. And it’s way more fun, getting to pick a fun new colour every day.

Keep It Short

If your child is still struggling with holding a pencil, consider shortening it. A long pencil gives more options on where to hold it incorrectly. It also can be difficult for them to balance it correctly on their little hands because of the long length. Consider things like golf pencils, mini markers or chalk, all of which are short and require you to hold it at the end rather somewhere in the middle.

Art and Writing are Very Different Things

Art and writing both use similar materials but the outcome is quite different. The way you hold a marker, crayon or pencil while drawing is very different from the way you hold a pencil while writing.

Allow children lots of opportunities to explore writing mediums in an artistic way to strengthen their hands and arms (but don’t focus on the grip). Only focus on the grip while forming letters. Even if your child draws letters in their drawings, let them do so how they want. It’s all part of the learning experience and they are testing out how their grip can change the way the letters look.

Writing can be a lot of fun, especially if you don’t over-burden a child with too many expectations. Let them doodle, write in a secret journal, or draw on the pavement with chalk. It’s all working towards building writers who love to write and can hold their pencil properly.