Kindergarten - Holding a Pencil the A-OK Way
Is your child griping the pencil correctly? At first, both my children awkwardly held the pencil; they wrapped all their fingers and thumb around it making writing difficult. With some assistance they eventually learned to hold the pencil the A-OK way. Many kindergarten curriculums will devote some attention to this for those children that are not already holding a pencil correctly; however, most children learn this prior to entering kindergarten.
Using the A-OK way, a child grasps the pencil between the thumb and the index finger and rests it on the middle finger. An alternative method is to rest the pencil on the ring finger and pinch with the thumb and two fingers. Since I am accustomed to the first method, I find the alternative method clumsy. But this isn’t about me so teach your child how to hold a pencil based on her needs! If you are like me you prefer some pictures to compliment written instructions. Below you will find some illustrations on how to hold a pencil the A-OK way.
Left-Handed
