Toddler

Teaching Pencil Grip With Pre – Handwriting Practice Pages

Everyone learns how to properly hold a pencil at some point but I don’t think very many of us remember it. I would like to share with you the importance of young children learning to use proper pencil grip and how to teach them to properly hold their pencils. Plus, I will share with you some helpful tools and resources that will make teaching this skill to your toddler or preschooler super easy. 

 

If you are just here for the handwriting practice pages, scroll to the bottom. You can’t miss them. 

 

Importance Of Learning Proper Pencil Grip

 

When a child is 3 years old it is the perfect time to start teaching them proper pencil grip and start developing their fine motor control. This can easily start with thicker crayons and does not need to be extremely structured. 

 

If a child is easily getting irritated and doesn’t want to continue to color or trace, more than likely, they need to have their pencil grip corrected. 

 

Improper pencil grip can cause pain, discomfort, and can lead to a child easily giving up. 

 

A child’s handwriting will be better and they will have more writing endurance if they are using a proper pencil grip. 

 

How To Teach Proper Pencil Grip

 

There are multiple different ways to hold a pencil. I will show you one way that is easy to teach. 

 

teaching pencil grip

This post contains affiliate links. 

 

Step 1: Have the child make a fist with their writing hand

 

Step 2: Have the child make an L shape with their thumb and pointer finger

 

Step 3: Place the pencil on their hand between their thumb and pointer finger

 

Step 4: Have the child pinch the pencil with their thumb and pointer finger. It is okay for the pencil to be resting on their middle finger or for them to hold their middle finger on top of the pencil.

 

Step 5: Provide your child with pre-handwriting practice pages that have lines they can trace

 

Step 6: Every few minutes check your child’s progress and gently correct their pencil grip if needed

 

Don’t expect perfection right away and keep things light-hearted. 

 

The Best Pencils

 

Pencil grip can be practiced with any marker, crayon, or pencil. When you are ready to get a bit more serious about pencil grip and handwriting a good thick pencil is great when first starting. 

 

Our favorite pencils are the #2 mechanical pencils by Paper Mate. They are perfect for smaller hands. 

 

 

 

When Pencil Grip Is Hard and Frustrating

 

 

As my daughter got closer to 4 years old I started to correct her pencil grip more often because she was complaining of her hand hurting after just seconds of coloring. 

 

She did not enjoy me making her change her grip so I looked into getting her some rubber pencil grips to use on her pencils. I found a lot of great options but this one is by far our favorite. 

 

 

 

She is a lefty so the one above is specifically meant for left-handed children. 

 

Here is a great option for right-handed kids. 

 

 

 

After we put these pencil grips on her pencil I noticed that she was holding her crayons, colored pencils, and markers properly as well.

 

The pencil grip has trained her fingers to be in the correct position. Plus, at 4 years old getting a package in the mail with some colorful things to put on your pencil is super exciting!

 

Tracing Practice Pages

 

My handwriting practice pages are specifically designed to be for beginners. They consist of simple horizontal and vertical lines and then do get a little more challenging as you work through the packet. 

 

You can print the pages and use them as many times as you need. 

 

You can also print the packet, laminate the pages, and have your child practice with a dry erase marker. I use this laminating machine to laminate homeschool preschool work whenever I want to. 

 

 

 

I hope this helps! Don’t forget to grab your tracing pages below. 

 

>>>Get Your Pre – Handwriting Practice Pages Here<<<

handwriting practice pages

 

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Katie is the owner of Daisies and Diapers. She loves sharing ideas for spending intentional time with your kids. Katie is also the owner and writer of KatiesKottage.com where she shares simple tips that will help you enjoy homemaking.

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