The Pencil Grip Myth
Helene Lieberman MS, OTR/L
When I go into a classroom, teachers always want me to look at pencil grasps of several children because the child holds the pencil “odd”. I am always happy the teachers are paying attention to a child’s pencil grasp and I am always happy to look at every grasp. I look at other things as well, but I will focus on grasp for now.
For years, the tripod grasp—the pencil held between the thumb, index finger, and middle finger—has often been taught as the correct way to hold a pencil. While a tripod grasp is an effective and efficient grasp for writing, it is not the only functional grasp. Children naturally develop different ways of holding and controlling a pencil, and a grasp should not automatically be considered a problem simply because it does not look like a textbook tripod as pictured below. What matters most is whether the child can control the pencil, form letters and shapes, write comfortably, and keep up with the demands of the task without excessive fatigue or pain.
Several other grasps can be functional for handwriting. A quadrupod grasp, which is the grasp I use, uses four fingers on the pencil and can provide excellent control. Some children use a lateral tripod grasp, where the thumb rests against the side of the index finger while the pencil is stabilized by the middle finger. Others may use a lateral quadrupod grasp. The modified tripod grasp, see picture below, is another great grasp. If my hand is getting tired, I switch to this grasp. Alternate pencil grasps that differ from the traditional tripod grasp work very well if the child has good control and produces legible, efficient writing. The goal should be to develop a grasp that is functional for the individual child, rather than forcing every child into exactly the same finger position.
Instead of asking, “Does this child have a tripod grasp?” a better question is, “Is this grasp working for this child?” Look at the whole picture: Can the child control the pencil? Are the letters legible? Is the child able to write for an age-appropriate amount of time? Is the child using an efficient amount of pressure? Does the hand become tired or painful? Can the child adjust and manipulate the pencil as needed? If the answer is yes, there may be no reason to change the grasp simply because it looks different. As an occupational therapist, my focus is on function, efficiency, comfort, and endurance—not perfection. A variety of grasps can support successful handwriting, and sometimes the best pencil grasp is simply the one that allows the child to write effectively.
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