Pencil control, a crucial skill for developing legible writing, is a key milestone in a child’s early education.

This is a crucial skill; we need it for our children to be able to write.

So, how do we tackle this?

As a primary school teacher and tutor, I’ve encountered numerous children struggling with pencil control, even at the age of 8 when they were expected to write in cursive. This personal journey has inspired me to develop techniques that I now use with my 3.5-year-old to teach him how to control his fingers, arms, and wrists. It’s a joyous process filled with discovery and growth.

1. Practice opening and closing your hands, focusing mainly on your fingers. With my son, we pretend to be puffer fish, putting our fists tightly and opening our fingers wide. He enjoys that very much and we have so much fun with it.
2. Get a small squashy ball. These are the ones that you can squeeze to form small balloons to pop. This is a perfect exercise for strengthening your child’s grip, and you can take turns popping the balloons.
3. Play with anything that requires fine – motor skills, lego, peeling and placing stickers ( my son’s favourite)

Of course, when you get a chance, draw with your child. We have a blackboard at home with dust-free chalk; a masterpiece is on every day. The whole point is to have fun with your child while preparing them for the skill you want to introduce. Learning should be fun and engaging, not a chore.

 

Another big thing about pencil control is how your child holds the pencil. We all go through stages, which you can find in my awesome freebie, From Scribbles to Scripts, but by age 6, children should be able to hold the pencil in the so-called tripod grip.

 

• Place the pencil on your middle finger, close to the tip.
• Use your thumb and index finger to hold the pencil, forming a tripod-like structure.
• Ensure the grip is firm yet relaxed, and don’t squeeze too hard.

It would help if you practised writing basic shapes. My son draws circles; we start on the blackboard and then move to a pencil and paper. He can still not trace over lines correctly, although he follows them. But the whole point is to move the pencil smoothly across the paper.

Lastly, I will be talking about posture—it is crucial we maintain good posture from a young age. Good posture is not only important for pencil control but also for overall health. Young children are usually very good at that, and once they start school, the slouching begins, so keep reminding your child to sit up. If they are too little, always have a step stool to support their legs and a pillow for back support.

Oh! I was just about to forget—patience! Being patient and setting appropriate age goals is crucial so our children feel accomplished with their work. Remember, some things get better with age, so don’t get frustrated or discouraged if your child can’t control the pencil as well as you’d like them to. It’s all part of the normal learning process.