Pinchy Pinchy! The importance of a good pencil grip

This term in Autahi, we’re thrilled to welcome seven new tamariki to our learning space—which means seven brand-new authors starting their writing journey!

It’s easy to forget just how challenging learning to write can be for little hands and minds. There are so many skills that have to click together just to form a single word, let alone a whole sentence!

Our curriculum breaks writing down into three main elements: composition, the writing process, and transcription.

We already know that every single child in Autahi has fantastic ideas to share—they often plan their stories out loud by telling us teachers what they want to write. Because their imaginations are already buzzing with ideas, much of our day-to-day focus in Autahi centers on the transcription elements of writing. Right now, that looks like:

• Pencil mechanics: Sitting comfortably, applying the right amount of pressure, and building a functional pencil grip.

The most commonly taught and used pencil grip is the tripod grip.  This is likely the grip that you will use when holding a pen or a pencil. When teaching tamariki, we encourage them to imagine a crabs pincer, and make that shape with their hand. This is where the name 'pinchy' grip has come from!

As you can imagine, developing a solid pencil grip is crucial to forming letters correctly. Therefore, before we even begin to write, it's important to "limber up" and build our hand muscles first!

Just like any muscle, the muscles in our hand that help us with our pencil grip require building and growing. Surprisingly, there are many everyday activities which work on those muscles, and help our tamariki to practice and maintain their 'pinchy' pencil grip. 

Here are just a few examples!

Using tweezers or tongs to pick up small objects is a great way to practice a tripod or 'pinchy' pencil grip and a great way to build the hand muscles!

These tamariki are threading small beads onto bits of string. This activity helps to build up the finger muscles, in particular, the index finger and the thumb muscles! 

You may have noticed that in Autahi, we do our handwriting "old school" on chalk boards. This is for multiple reasons!

Firstly, in order to successfully write with a little piece of chalk, you have to use a tripod grip (a.k.a 'pinchy' grip).

Secondly, the feedback from the chalk against the chalk board teaches tamariki how to use the correct amount of pressure. If they press to lightly, the chalk wont show up, and if they press too hard, then the chalk might snap or crumble! 

Tamariki love stickers! Peeling stickers is not only fun, it is also another great way to help with finger strength and control. 

More at home ideas for building hand and finger muscles:

• Pressing open pegs
• Squeezing a spray bottle 
• Making snakes with playdough
• 
  

Ask your child to show you their 'pinchy' pencil grip at home!