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8 Av 5762 - July 17, 2002 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Home and Family
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
Getting to Grips with a Pencil

by R' Zvi Zobin

An adult usually holds a pencil with his first three fingers, forming a three-point grip, usually called a "tripod grasp." This grip provides agility and flexibility for controlling movement of the pencil.

A child, whose fine motor skills have not yet been developed, uses a "fist grasp" with his whole hand wrapped around the pencil. With such a grip, he can make larger movements but he cannot make more intricate designs.

A girl can develop fine motor skills several years before a boy, so often she can begin to write with a pencil at a younger age than a boy.

You can give your child activities which encourage him to use the tips of his fingers, like playing with modeling clay, untying knots, sewing (yes, even boys can learn how to sew), threading beads, and making baskets.

At first, you should give the child thick crayons, which are easier for him to hold than thin crayons and pencils.

If you see that your child cannot hold the pencil with the tips of his fingers but insists on holding it with a fist grip, he is not yet ready.

 

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