How do you hold a pen or pencil when handwriting?

[Phanelope]

Yes, I have always had an awkward pencil grip. The OT said it was a hyperflexed wrist or something of the sort. I turn my hand upward and tend to rub out words that were written above. When I started teaching primary school I had to learn the correct grip, but it is still a conscious effort, and I always fall back in to old habits when I relax. My son rolls his wrist even further than mine and is left handed. He has hyper mobility, but I thought he might be dyspraxic. Unfortunately the free child health service here is useless and dismiss my concerns regularly.

 

[the_tortoise]

I don't think there is any "wrong" or "right" way to hold a writing implement....as long as you don't hurt yourself and can make the markings you want, whatever way you can hold the implement comfortably is the right way.

 

[Mia]

I think whatever way you hold a pen or pencil and feels like the right way for you, should be important. So that in future you are comfortable writing. Was taught the palmer method in school and still use it. It looks like this:

 

[Kirsty]

I don't think there is any "wrong" or "right" way to hold a writing implement....as long as you don't hurt yourself and can make the markings you want, whatever way you can hold the implement comfortably is the right way.

This is also true with drawing.

 

[pjcnet]

I don't think there is any "wrong" or "right" way to hold a writing implement....as long as you don't hurt yourself and can make the markings you want, whatever way you can hold the implement comfortably is the right way.

I agree, it's a shame teachers at school often don't agree however, especially when they sometimes try to force children to hold a pen in what they see as the "correct" way that the child can then struggle with making writing unnecessarily more difficult.

 

[HidinginPlainSight]

I hold a pen is a different non-traditional way. My teachers and parent(s) would never let me hear the end of it as a kid. Became just one more thing to feel bad about really. My teacher even took to failing me on assignments and making me stay after school to hold the pen "properly". My mother bought rubber attachments that were designed to control where you placed your fingers; they just became things to chew on.

I rest the pen much higher on my middle finger than is deemed proper, and the base of my thumb supports the pen with the pad of the thumb not coming into contact. The pad of the thumb is pressed on the middle phalanx of the index finger to provide support.

My writing is far from perfect, but it's not illegible. I tend to mix printing and writing without much regard for conventions but in a uniform style. There is little to no chance that the teacher couldn't actually read what I was writing as she would claim.

I have tried to conform to the proper way to hold the pen and it really isn't even an option.

 

[Illumination]

My handwriting is not exactly the "normal", rather I would say its a alternative tripod, as I am not sure of the proper name. I move all of my fingers at once, and have my thumb, index, and middle fingers in a match more tighter "tripod" with nearly no gap between them. (The gap that I don't have is pictured below). -- I also usually point the pencil end towards the right of me instead of towards me as demanded by the "Dynamic Tripod Grip". -- Further note in regards to drawing I usually end up doing a combination of that method, and another more unusual method.

-- Final Note, I forgot to include it originally while explaining my method of writing, but the pencil or pen touches my middle finger up much higher than was is to be expected.