5 Exercises to Promote Tripod Grasp Development for Handwriting
About Guest Blogger Shea Ferretti:
”I grew up in New York and graduated from Dominican College with a Masters in Occupational Therapy. I love working with children because there is always an element of surprise. Every day is an opportunity for learning and growth for both the family and the therapist. I love collaborating with families to find strategies and solutions that work for every unique family’s daily routines. My experience includes SOS Feeding, sensory regulation, and handwriting. In my spare time I enjoy staying active, hiking, paddle boarding, baking, spending time with my dog, and crafting.”
As an occupational therapist working alongside teachers, poor pencil grasp is one of the most common things teachers notice of students. You may even notice many people holding their pencils differently, and you may be wondering why this is important. Often, there are no prolonged problems with alternate grasp patterns, but these alternate patterns can cause pain, loss of endurance, fatigue, slow writing speed, and impact legibility of handwriting. Thus further impacting the student's ability to perform optimally and keep up with requirements within the academic environment. Functional and mature grasp patterns are typically described as the movement of either 3 or 4 fingers controlling the writing utensil. Building up strength in the muscles used to hold a pencil efficiently also improves overall fine motor function for a student. One of the most common efficient grasp patterns is the tripod grasp which involves the thumb, pointer, and middle finger. Below are five activities you can complete with your students to help promote a tripod grasp!
Finger Walks
Use a small, lightweight ball. Use tripod fingers (thumb, pointer, and middle) and have the child move the ball up and down their leg or tabletop surface.
Want to challenge the child?
- Change up the size and/or weight of the ball!
- Add a small pompom or object for the child to hold with their ring and pinky finger while completing finger walks.
Slot Games
Create a slotted container by using a recycled container with a lid. Cut a small slit into the top. Use any small items such as coins, paper clips, mini erasers.
Want to challenge the child?
- Work on in-hand manipulation skills and have the child hold a few items in the palm of their while working their tripod fingers to insert into the slit.
This challenges the child to bring items from the palm to the fingers
Tweezer Activities
Have the child place their thumb on one side of the tweezer, and with the other side, have the child use pointer and middle finger. Ensure the child is using the pad of their fingertips.
Have the child pick up various items (pompoms, mini erasers, game pieces).
You can also have the child use clothespins and place items onto a cup or pieces of paper.
Want to challenge the child?
- Try out different resistances or mini clothespins!
- Try picking up smaller sized items and crate a target to place items onto (example: picking up pompom and transferring to place into the cup)
Pomp Pom Painting
The child can use a pompom or cotton ball to paint or draw with. The child should have the thumb, pointer, and middle fingers.
Want to challenge the child?
- Use various sized pompoms (can get mini ones)
- Use connect the dot or maze activities to challenge motor coordination as well!
Small Writing Utensils
Get those broken or old crayons out! Broken crayon pieces are naturally easier for smaller hands to manage. The small size of the broken crayon makes it challenging for inefficient grasp patterns to exist.
A note from Candi: I am grateful to Shea for providing her insight and expertise! I hope you can try some of these exercises with your own students. Stay tuned to the blog and social media for more information on handwriting. Be sure to sign up for the webinar on February 17, 2022.