Pre-Handwriting Activities for the Young Child

Getting the Hand Ready for Pencil Grasp and Management

Mar 4, 2009 Carolyn Marie Choo

The child must have the muscular maturity to hold and manage the writing instrument. Here are some ways in which the child's hand can get ready for handwriting.

Handwriting involves the motor ability of holding and manipulating the writing instrument, specifically the pencil in this article. It is important that hand muscles be matured and developmentally ready for handwriting. Otherwise the child will develop poor pencil gripping habits which will affect his or her mastery of the writing tool.

The Correct Pencil Grip

When the child holds the pencil correctly, he or she can control it and direct its movement across the writing surface, forming legible letters and working within the space constraints of writing on and within the lines. This is known as pencil management. Good pencil grasp and management improves the quality and quantity of the child’s writing efforts.

The correct pencil grip calls for the ability to grasp the pencil with the pads of the thumb and index finger, with the middle finger supporting the pencil. Such a grip also requires the ability of the thumb and index finger to form a circle, as though one is holding an imaginary ball in the hand. Control over finger pressure is also necessary.

Prerequisites for Pencil Grasp and Management

Pre-handwriting activities can get the child's hand ready to hold and control the pencil. Appropriate activities can be planned taking into account the child’s physical development, specifically the development of the hand. These may be everyday activities that children can engage in, which are fun and meaningful for them, but serve indirectly as excellent preparation for handwriting as well.

A Stable Body and Shoulders

Physical development follows a proximodistal pattern with growth beginning at the centre of the body and moving towards the extremities. Muscular control of the trunk must be achieved first before hands can be skillful. Children, therefore, need plenty of opportunities to roll about, crawl, creep, walk, climb, run, jump or even wheel-barrow walk. Crawling, for example, strengthens shoulders, arms, wrists and hands, all of which are necessary in writing. Shoulder strength is essential for the child to isolate hand from arm movements.

Strong and Flexible Wrists

Wrist flexibility can be developed through kitchen activities such as pouring, spooning, whisking eggs, and grinding with a peppermill. Turning door knobs, unlocking padlocks, drawing tiny circles in the air and playing jump rope also work the wrists.

Firm Hands that Come Under the Control of the Will

Molding play dough or plasticine provides young children with the necessary squeezing and pressing activities that stimulate the necessary hand muscles needed for a successful pencil grip. Cleaning up activities which involve squeezing a sponge, wringing cloth or using a hand held spray bottle are equally fun and effective.

Agile, Flexible and Coordinated Fingers

Children can easily engage in a range of activities that require them to use the tripod or pincer grasp – ie holding items with the thumb and next two fingers. These include:

• dressing activities such as buttoning and zipping
• art activities like finger painting or tearing and pasting paper for a collage
• craft work such as threading beads and lacing
• pegging
• screwing and unscrewing bottle lids
• transferring solids with tongs, tweezers and chopsticks, and
• transferring liquids with a turkey baster and an eye dropper

Additional Support for the Correct Pencil Grip

In addition to the maturational factor, some children may need extra support to break away from their ineffective pencil grips. There are many types of pencil grippers which can be slipped onto pencils. These can help the child to correct his or her finger placement on a pencil. Some children may resist the new grip which feels alien, with different muscle groups being used. It may help for the child to select his or her grippers and to understand why they are necessary. Triangular pencils also encourage the use of the tripod grip. Consider as well pencils about 5 cm in length. These are too short for the whole handed grasp.

In short, when young children are phyiscally prepared for handwriting, their initial handwriting efforts will offer them success and pleasure. These in turn propel them to further explore the pencil as a wonderful tool of self-expression and communication.

The copyright of the article Pre-Handwriting Activities for the Young Child in Early Childhood is owned by Carolyn Marie Choo. Permission to republish Pre-Handwriting Activities for the Young Child in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Spooning, an Excellent Pre-writing Activity

Is the Child's Hand Ready for Handwriting?

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