 Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Do you have a child who pushes down too hard onto the page when writing? Do they push so hard that the page tears or you can see their work through several pages? or Do you have a child who writes too lightly on the page... so lightly you can't see what they have written? Have you tried brush markers? Brush markers are a popular tool for those who do faux calligraphy and hand lettering. If you search Pinterest, Instagram or You tube... you will find many experts showing you how to use brush markers and the beautiful art work they can create. I'm a novice when it comes to faux calligraphy and hand lettering, but I do enjoy trying! I've been practicing with "brush markers" for a couple of years now and what do they say ... "practice makes progress"! Brush markers are marker pens or textas that have a soft tip. Depending on the amount of pressure you apply to the marker will determine the thickness of the stroke. You can see this in the writing below. Heavy pressure on the marker will produce a thicker stroke on the page and light pressure on the marker will produce a think stroke.  Brush markers are a wonderful way to work on pencil pressure! In comparison to other textas and crayons, brush markers provide sensory feedback (proprioception) as the marker responds to the amount of pressure you apply. Children can see for themselves what happens when they press down "too hard" or "too lightly" with the feedback to their muscles and joints that often can't be described to them. Brush markers are fantastic for writing letters as seen above. I often have children write their names and if they have learnt cursive writing, they can be taught some basic faux calligraphy. The essence of faux calligraphy is to push down with more pressure on the "down strokes" of a letter and to reduce the pressure so there is a thin line on the "upward strokes" of a letter. Brush markers are also a fantastic tool for colouring in pictures. I have paired brush markers with my printable "5 Mandalas to Practice Pencil Pressure" which you can purchase from the Your Kids OT shop. "Mandala" originates from sanskrit and means "circle", however they have now become a tool for mindfulness and self expression.  Brush markers are available in many different brands. The brush markers I use are called Artline Stix (not sponsored). I like them as there are a range of colours, they are economical and they have a triangular shape to grip onto (encouraging a tripod grasp). Kids also love them as they can be linked together. Watch how I use brush markers to write the heavy and light strokes in this video. If you have trouble viewing this video, please try this you-tube link https://youtu.be/q8A2NkpQ3zU For more information about "too much pencil pressure" go to "Why Your Child Presses Too Hard When Writing" from Miss Jaime OT! For more information about "too light pencil pressure" go to "Why Your Child Presses Too Lightly". Do you know a child who struggles with pencil pressure on the page? Have you tried brush markers? 
The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. You may also like:
 Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Not everyone uses a functional efficient pencil grasp. If you walk into a room full of adults and look at how they hold their pens, you will find a range of "functional grasps". In my last article I explained what makes a grasp "functional" and "efficient"; read more about this here. Functional Inefficient Pencil Grasps Some people are happy to use an inefficient pencil grasp because what they have is comfortable for them and produces legible writing. We all adjust our pencil grasps according to comfort and pain. Inefficient pencil grasps develop for a number of reasons. Sometimes these inefficient grasps develop because of weak hand muscles, low muscle tone or hyper-mobile joints. Sometimes the writing may be a little messy, however this compromise is accepted because it enables the writer the least amount of pain or the most stability. Some writers who use an inefficient grasp also make other accommodations. They may write for a short duration with regular breaks or use a modified writing implement. Typical Modifications of Pencil Grasp Here are some ways that children and adults hold the pencil to adjust for weak hand muscles, low muscle tone or hyper-mobile joints.
Movement of the pencil using these grasps may be either static (control coming from wrist, elbow or shoulder) or dynamic (from the fingers).  Joint Hyper-mobility Children with finger joint hyper-mobility (often called "double-jointed") have difficulty stabilizing their joints to control pencils and other implements. These children are prone to fatigue so consideration should be provided with how much they are expected to write and for how long. Joint protection should also be considered (this may depend on the severity of joint hyper-mobility). Joint protection may be achieved through strapping or splinting to provide extra support to their fingers during tasks that require manual dexterity. A quick trick is to use a hair elastic twisted into a "figure 8" over the joint to provide some extra support (see photo below). Some children with joint hyper-mobility also benefit from using a modified pencil grasp such as those mentioned previously. Benbow (2006) describes the grasp held between the second and third fingers as the adapted tripod grasp. The "Twist n write" pencil (pictured below) provides an alternative way to hold a pencil. If you suspect that you child has hyper-mobile joints, seek professional medical advice.  Inefficient and not functional Pencil Grasps. An inefficient pencil grasp moves from functional to not functional when there is an issue with: -
When to change a pencil grasp if it is inefficient? Pencil grasps should be looked at as part of an overall age-appropriate handwriting assessment and remediation. Consider working on a more dynamic pencil grasp with children who may be demonstrating one of the following :-
For some great ideas to work on pencil grasp - check out my "Handwriting and Writing" Landing page. There will be more practical ideas to come here on the blog! Where a grasp can not be changed due to a child's age or the issues described previously with low muscle tone and joint hyper-mobility; then consideration should be made with regard to the use of technology such as laptops, ipads and speech to text recognition. Additional exam support may also be considered for older children such as extra time or the use of a scribe. Do you or someone you know use an "inefficient" grasp? Is it functional? 
References: * Benbow, M. (2006). Principles and Practices of Teaching Handwriting. In Hand Function in the Child Foundations for Remediation (pp. 319-342). Mosby Elsevier. You may also like:
 Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Ever been called "The pencil grip lady?"? Ever had parents say to you "I've got a shocking pencil grip but I've been alright with writing"? Ever been asked by friends at a kid's birthday party about how their child holds the pencil? Ever had friends say, "Can you check my pencil grip"? Ever have your own kids correct YOUR pencil grip? What's the big deal? Is it really important how our kids hold the pencil? Pencil grasps have been an ongoing discussion with teachers, parents and therapists. This article will be of particular interest to teachers and therapists. Some say pencil grasp doesn't matter. Some insist on change. Our children develop so differently. Benbow (2006)* tells us that boys have a tendency to develop their fine motor skills more slowly than girls and may have great difficulty managing writing tools; whilst girls may begin "writing" when they are as young as 2 1/2 years and may adopt pencil grasps that are inefficient or harmful as they pursue an early fascination with letter formation. Benbow also tells adults that we should not assume that children will know the best way to hold a pencil or that they will acquire the ability through incidental experience. Some studies have indicated that how a child grasps a pencil does NOT have significant influence on handwriting performance, however children WITH poor handwriting use significantly less mature pencil grasp patterns than children with good handwriting. ** There is also much discussion in the literature about dynamic (mature) grasps being suggested as the best grasp for writing when compared with static (immature) grasps. *** SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? PENCIL GRASP AND HANDWRITING Pencil grasp is just ONE aspect of handwriting that occupational therapists consider. There is a developmental progression that is expected that children work through in their early years. Grasp patterns develop through play and experiences that children have interacting with their environment and objects they find in their environment. Read more about the developmental progression of pencil grasp here. Evaluation of Pencil Grasp. When looking at a child's pencil grasp, there are a number things that occupational therapists consider.
 Defining Pencil Grasp. What makes it good? Functional? Efficient? Static? Dynamic? For efficient pencil control, OTs have for a long time looked for a dynamic pencil grasp (see photo below). The dynamic pencil grasp involves the thumb opposed to the index and third fingers with all three fingers position in a tripod on the pencil; creating an open web space (the nice circle made by the thumb and index finger) with the fourth and fifth fingers stabilized against the writing surface.*** It is the preferred grasp for writing speed, control and letter formation with movement of the pencil being controlled by the first three fingers (thumb, index and third fingers). **** This grasp is described as efficient, functional and dynamic. HOWEVER, this is not the only grasp which can be described in this way. Let's look at some definitions. FUNCTIONAL: A functional pencil grasp is any grasp that produces output on the paper whether that is scribble for a toddler, legible or messy handwriting for a school age child or adult. Whilst functional, this grasp may (or may) may not lead to fatigue, pain, slow writing speed or poor endurance. EFFICIENT: An efficient grasp is any grasp that produces writing on the page which is legible and was completed within a reasonable time frame. It enables the writer to produce a reasonable quantity of work without pain or fatigue. DYNAMIC: A mature pencil grasp where pencil control comes from movement of the thumb, index and third fingers whilst the fourth and fifth fingers are tucked into the palm and stabilized on the writing surface. STATIC: An immature pencil grasp where pencil control comes from the wrist, elbow or shoulder so that the hand moves as one unit. TRIPOD: A grasp where the pencil is held with three fingers touching the pencil (thumb, index and third fingers). QUADRUPOD: A grasp where the pencil is held with four fingers touching the pencil (thumb, index, third and fourth fingers). LATERAL: A grasp where the thumb lies adducted to the side of the index finger or crosses over the pencil and the movement of the pencil comes from the index and middle fingers predominantly (without the thumb's assistance).  Which grasp should we teach? As occupational therapists we are primarily concerned with helping a child achieve a functional and efficient pencil grasp. This has been seen in recent literature as being achieved through dynamic movement of the fingers which can be seen in 4 differing grasps. These grasps are the dynamic tripod grasp, dynamic quadrupod grasp, lateral tripod and lateral (thumb) quadrupod. *** Schwellenus et al (2012) found that neither speed nor legibility of writing was affected by these grasp patterns. These authors continue to recommend that the dynamic tripod grasp should be taught to children when commencing writing. If a child has difficulties with writing then the grasp pattern should be observed and if it was one of these grasps mentioned then the therapist should look at other areas of handwriting remediation. Just a side note from my personal experience as an occupational therapist. There are also many children who may hold the pencil using the grasps described in this section (and seen in the photo below), however it is also important to observe where pencil control comes from. Does the child hold these fingers rigidly and move their hand at the wrist, elbow or shoulder? In which case these grasps are no longer dynamic but static and child demonstrates some difficult with separation of the two sides of the hand (read more about that here).  THIS month is all about PENCIL GRASPS at Your Kids OT! I have more to share with you about inefficient and adaptive grasps; and a fun easy way to practice applying the "right" pencil pressure. Can't wait?!
I'm looking forward to seeing some wonderful creative ways to address pencil grasp and pencil control! What is your favourite way to encourage a dynamic, functional and efficient pencil grasp?
References: * Benbow, M. (2006). Principles and Practices of Teaching Handwriting. In Hand Function in the Child Foundations for Remediation (pp. 319-342). Mosby Elsevier. ** Pollock, N., Lockhart, J., Blowes, B., Semple, K., Webster, M., & Farhat, L. et al. (2009). Handwriting Assessment Protocol (2nd ed.). McMaster University. *** Schwellnus, H., Carnahan, H., Kushki, A., Polatajko, H., Missiuna, C., & Chau, T. (2012). Effect of pencil grasp on the speed and legibility of handwriting after a 10-minute copy task in Grade 4 children. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 59(3), 180-187. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2012.01014.x **** Elliott, J. M & Connolly, K. J. (1984). A classification of manipulative hand movements. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 26 (3), 283-296. You may also like:
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. 
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Disclaimer: The information on this site is general in nature and should be used for educational and entertainment purposes. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. This blog does not replace formal therapeutic professional advice given by a health professional or medical practitioner. Reviews and endorsements of products will only be made based on my expertise and personal opinion; and deemed worthy of such endorsement. The opinions shared in sponsored content will always be my own and not that of the advertising company or brand. Content, advertising space or posts will be clearly identified if paid, affiliated or sponsored. Affiliate links may be found throughout this website in advertising. This means that if you follow through with a purchase from these links, Your Kids OT will receive a percentage of the sale. Your Kids OT undertakes to meet the requirements of the "Social Media Policy" as published by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Further information about this policy can be found here.
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. 
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