Twelve years ago, I published the very first blog post on Your Kids OT.

It was about something that therapists, teachers and parents still ask me about every week.

Does it really matter how a child holds their pencil?

Looking back, I can see how much I've grown as a therapist, educator and writer. I smile at the graphics, the formatting and even some of the wording. If I were writing it today, I'd explain things differently, but...

The heart of the message hasn't changed.

Pencil grasp has never been about achieving the "perfect" grip. It's about understanding development. Children's grasps evolve through play, experience, opportunity and practice. They experiment. They find functional ways to interact with the world around them.

Our role is to understand why a child is holding a pencil the way they are, whether it's helping or hindering them, and what skills might need support. 

The first article was the beginning of a journey that has led to countless articles, resources and now, a book devoted entirely to understanding pencil grasp and hand development. I am looking forward to sharing it with you very soon. 

A part of understanding the fundamentals, is to be aware of the developmental progression of pencil grasp and what is expected according to age.
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Transitional Grasps
These grasps develop as the child gains stability in their shoulder, elbow and wrist. The forearm may be elevated from the table or the child may be beginning to rest it on the table. The movement of the pencil is controlled by extrinsic hand and arm muscles (Schwellnus, et al 2012). Finger movements are beginning to develop. These grasps are seen as transitional by Schneck & Henderson (1990) as they are continued until six years of age. Children can work on upper extremity weight bearing or vertical surface activities to promote development of a mature grasp.

Mature Grasps
A mature pencil grasp involves intrinsic muscle function for efficient distal movements of the pencil, minimizing fatigue from muscle tension (Schwellnus, 2012). Forearm stability also enables the wrist to rest on the table with slight extension. The forearm can comfortably glide across the table as the child writes from left to right. The position of the fingers may be the same as some of the transitional grasps. Mature pencil grasps are categorized with dynamic finger movements and ulnar stabilization. Ulnar stabilization means that the pinky and fourth finger are stabilized or “tucked in” to the palm.

Download your FREE copy of the developmental progression of pencil grasp reference sheet. This is an updated version of the one I shared all those years ago. It now includes separate right hand and a left hand pages. Use it to support observation, education and discussions about pencil grasp. 

Includes:

• Visual progression of common pencil grasps
• Developmental sequence from immature to mature grasps
• A quick-reference guide for therapy, classrooms and home
• Left and right hand images

But that's not the end of the story. If you are keen to learn the research behind pencil grasp, what to do when your child is not using a typical grasp, how to describe a grasp to others, decision making about when to change (or not change) a grasp pattern and a whole lot more; stay in touch as Gripipidea is coming soon. 

Until next time, 

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a contributing author of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​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. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​​​
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As a parent, we have all been there.

"Brush your teeth."
"Put your shoes on."
"Where's your drink bottle?"
"Did you pack your homework?"

Some mornings can feel like we're repeating ourselves over and over again.

It can be really frustrating especially when you are trying to get ready yourself in order to get out of the door. This is a common reason that occupational therapists are asked to help. During the last week, I've worked with two families in their homes to help them to develop some strategies. It is a struggle for so many families. 

Many children know what they need to do, but remembering the steps, staying on task and finishing independently is hard. 

Why are routines so hard for some children? 
Getting ready in the morning isn't just about putting on clothes.
Children need to:

• remember multiple steps
• organise materials
• manage time
• stay focused
• switch from one task to another
• monitor what they've already completed

These are all executive functioning skills.

Executive functioning refers to the mental processes that help us plan, organise, initiate tasks, sustain attention, regulate emotions and monitor our own behaviour. These skills continue developing throughout childhood and adolescence, so many children benefit from external supports while these abilities are still emerging. 

Daily Routines: Morning and Bedtime
​Morning routines are often time restricted. During the school holidays, the pressure is off but when school resumes, the time factor plays a huge demand on children. It can be so overwhelming that some children then refuse to go to school. 

The morning routine might include:

• get dressed
• eat breakfast
• brush teeth
• packing a school bag
• final check before leaving

A calm, predictable bedtime routine helps children to prepare for sleep.  The evening routine might include: 

• shower or bath
• putting on pyjamas
• brush teeth
• pack school bag
• choose tomorrow's clothes
• bedtime story
• lights out

Preparing the night before means there are fewer decisions to make during busy mornings.

Why visual supports work.
Visual supports reduce the need for constant verbal reminders. Instead of hearing another prompt from an adult, children can look at the checklist and decide what comes next.
Visual checklists also:

• reduce working memory demands
• increase independence
• provide consistency
• reduce power struggles
• help children experience success
• create predictable routines

Over time, many children internalise the sequence and rely less on the visual support.

How to introduce a visual checklist

1. Complete the routine together.
2. Point to each picture as your child completes it.
3. Encourage your child to check what comes next.
4. Praise their independence rather than reminding them verbally.
5. Gradually step back as they become more confident.

If something is forgotten,  try asking, "Can you check your routine?" or "What's next?" or "How many ticks (check marks) have you put on your chart?" When we provide "strategic questioning", we are encouraging self-monitoring and self-checking. This models to your child how they can eventually question themselves. 

I've recently updated my routine resources to give families more flexibility.

Routine Visual Checklists  are perfect for everyday use and focus on self-care. 
✔ morning routines
✔ bedtime routines
✔ easy to laminate
✔ suitable for home

Lift-the-Flap Routine Checklists
Some children love interactive resources. The popular (revised) lift-the-flap morning and after school checklists allows children to physically flip each completed task over to reveal a tick/checkmark (✔️), providing immediate visual feedback and a sense of accomplishment. 

These checklists focus on packing and unpacking the school bag, eating breakfast, putting on/taking off socks and shoes. This is the "let's get out the door" and "what happens when you immediately arrive at home" checklists. 

These checklists will NOT work if you (or the parents you are working with) don't put in the time to help your child to achieve them. We can't expect our children to use these on their own immediately. We need to help our children to become invested and motivated with the process. 

For younger children, we might make this more of a game. We might introduce executive functioning activies that focus on building one step instructions to multiple steps. This could include packing away toys, playing hide-and-seek with items of clothes, washing different body parts, etc.  This executive functioning guide for parents may help you to learn about this process. 

For older children, I might ask them to think of the steps involved in looking after themselves in a day. I use strips of paper and ask them to think of what things they need to do (via strategic questionning). I might even act out their answers to help them see what is missing. Then I ask the child to order the strips of paper into a "daily routine". You could even colour code self-care tasks separately from other tasks such as homework, chores or play. Note: There is no colour coding in the photograph below, the colours were chosen randomly. 

Whether you make your own checklist or use either of the ones I've shared here (daily routine and lift-the-flap), you can support your child to participate in their own daily self-care and routines.  Visual checklists really do help children develop planning, organisation, self-monitoring and independence skills.  We are building skills that they can use throughout childhood and beyond. 

Until next time,

​It's the end of the academic year in the northern hemisphere.
It's the middle of the school year here in Australia.

Why are we talking about school readines?! 
​
Helping our children to be ready for school does not happen overnight. It doesn't even happen in just a few weeks. We are taking a look at the strong foundations that are needed in the preschool years (approx 3 - 4 years of age). 

When some parents hear the words school readiness, they often think about letters, numbers and learning to write a name. That's only a small piece of the puzzle, a small part of being ready for school. 

School readiness begins long before a child sits at a desk. As an occupational therapist, I'm looking at a holistic view of readiness; developing the physical, cognitive and self-help skills that allow children to participate confidently in classroom activities. These foundational skills are built through play, movement and everyday experiences.

Here are the key areas to focus on before they start school.
1. Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills develop the large muscles of the body. They are essential for sitting upright at a table, navigating the playground, joining in sport and having the stamina to get through a busy school day. Children this age love and challenge their gross motor capabilities. Provide opportunities such as:

• Riding a tricycle or scooter
• Climbing playground equipment
• Obstacle courses
• Balancing on beams or stepping stones
• Drawing or painting on a vertical surface

These activities build core strength, balance, coordination and motor planning.

2. Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills are important for managing classroom tools such as crayons, scissors, craft supplies and pencils. They are also important for managing cutlery, fastenings (like buttons, zippers and toggles), and daily tasks such as opening packaging, undoing bottles, opening/closing lunch boxes and more!
Some favourite fine motor activities include:

• Playdough (so many ideas HERE)
• Tongs and tweezers (check out my favourite tongs HERE)
• Threading beads (read a developmental progression of threading HERE)
• Pegs/Clothespins (I have some ideas HERE)
• Finger painting and stamping (free printable HERE)

You will have many more fine motor skills ideas on my social media pages and website.  

3. Bilateral Coordination
Many everyday school activities require both hands to work together. It's also helpful to encourage children to reach across their body (crossing the midline), which supports the development of a preferred hand for writing. The ability to cross the midline also affects posture, alignment of writing on the page, stability of the writing page (with the helper hand) and directionality for reading and writing. Read more about bilateral coordination HERE.
Bilateral coordination activities include:

• Cutting with scissors
• Holding paper while drawing
• Opening lunch containers
• Dressing independently

Activities like threading, construction toys, pretend cooking and craft help to build bilateral coordination.

4. Visual-Perceptual Skills
Children need to interpret what they see. These skills underpin reading, mathematics, handwriting and problem solving. Read more about visual perceptual skills HERE. 
Visual-perceptual skills help children:

• Complete puzzles
• Match and sort objects
• Recognise patterns
• Notice similarities and differences
• Understand shapes, colours and sequences

Simple games and everyday play provide plenty of opportunities to develop these abilities. Take a look at my room tour video of some of my favourite shapes and visual motor activities HERE. 

5. Tool Use and Early Writing Skills
It's important not to rush to writing! Offer short crayons or pencils, encourage drawing and tracing, colour within simple outlines and practise cutting along lines before moving to drawing basic shapes. The goal isn't neat handwriting at this age. 

When we (ie.occupational therapists) talk about "pre-writing skills" we are referring to drawing simple lines, shapes, representational drawing and even scribble. We are helping children to make visual motor connections, develop spatial awareness and make intentional marks. 

• Try drawing together, adding lines and talking about what these lines represent. 
• Try tracing around objects (eg. plates, blocks, scissors, cutlery, child's hand, etc).
• Try rubbing over leaves or coins. 
• Try chalk drawing on the footpath/pavement, driveway, brick wall. 
• Try "water painting" on any outdoor surfaces (this was a favourite for my own children when they were this age). 
• Try "drawing" in sand with toys, a paintbrush or even a golf tee!

I was visiting a preschool recently and overheard an educator speak with a parent. The educator was describing how the child was holding the pencil a certain way and how she would like to see them move towards a tripod grasp. She was also explaining how they were helping the child getting ready for school through various activities. 

I was listening and wishing that I had a resource that I could offer the educator, who in turn could offer it to the parents she met with.  So, I designed it! 

This printable contains (the information in this article):

• ✓ Key school readiness skills for 3–4 year olds
• ✓ Simple, everyday activities to encourage development through play
• ✓ Information about pencil grasp development and what is typically expected at this age
• ✓Tips to strengthen gross motor, fine motor, bilateral coordination, visual-perceptual and pre-writing skills
• ✓ Ideal for parent education, a teacher resource and as therapy handouts

The best thing is that I'm giving this printable to you for FREE. Download this today from the Your Kids OT shop. 

Looking for More School Readiness Ideas? Read some of previous blog articles

• Five ways to get your child's body and mind ready for school
• 10 things to practise before starting big school
• Helping anxious children with school
• School Readiness Checklist​
• I'm ready for School (lift the flap morning checklist)

Until next time!

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a contributing author of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​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. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​​​
YKOT shop:  https://www.yourkidsot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot
You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUz_5nYEOCkj32DiOCQo4Q/featured
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourkidsot
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourkidsot/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/yourkidsot/
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