Teacher shares hack for teaching kids to hold a pencil and explains why it is the 'correct' way

In their initial years of schooling, kids will require time and patience to familiarize themselves with the practices required to meet their potential as students. As parents, we try to make it as easy as possible to help them develop these habits efficiently. A preschool teacher won much praise online when she shared a hack that will help your child learn one of these habits quickly and correctly. She posted a video on TikTok revealing the ultimate hack to getting your child to hold a pencil properly. In her video, Jess (@preschoolvibes) says, “Teach your child how to hold a marker or crayon.” She then proceeds to snap a wax crayon into two pieces and explains why she did so.

She shows that the crayon piece she would give a child just learning to write would be quite tiny, barely enough for our adult fingers to comfortably hold. However, that itself is the hack. Jess explains: “That’s right. You just need a little piece because guess what? When children are writing, they can’t hold it like a fist grip, they can’t hold it underhand.” Children’s fingers are tiny and the weight of the pencil can be too much for their hands. Hence, when given a pencil to hold, they will try to hold it in a way that feels more comfortable to them, delaying their grip process. However, as the preschool teacher explains, by breaking the pencil or crayon into a smaller size, “they will have to hold it the correct way.” 

The teacher also demonstrated the same with the piece of the crayon herself. Several commenters agreed with her idea. @dbabi said, “Works so well.” However, others insisted that a child should hold a pencil in whatever way suits them best. @zerone21zero said, “There is no correct way to hold a pencil.” Other commenters called out the teacher for naming it the “correct way” and for snapping the crayon. Though the video got millions of views, not many were on board with the hack. Jess then shared another video to counter these comments. 

In her next video, she says: “What I wanted to clear up today is that the tripod grasp is not just the teacher’s whim but a method backed by efficiency.” She then goes on to list reasons why the said method is the better one. “The tripod grasp is designed to give the most control with the least effort,” Jess shares, adding that it minimizes fatigue. Next, she mentions fine motor skills. “The tripod grip is like a mini workout that helps to develop the fine motor skills that are crucial at this stage,” she says. 

Her third reason is future learning. “While we love creativity, penmanship and art, this grasp sets kids up for the future writings that they’ll be doing,” Jess states. Her last reason is comfort. She explains: “The tripod grasp is the most comfortable and natural grasp for most children and adults.” However, Jess adds that if any other grasp works better for your child due to certain reasons, you can go ahead with the same. 

Several commenters were on board with the plan now that there was reasoning in the picture. @mfirst4 said, “I did this with my class today. It was great for kids who don’t know how to hold a pencil correctly.” @ramadesvasquez7 said, “You’re doing great work. This improves writing all the way.” The tripod grasp is a win considering the future writing load in schools and academic life. However, it’s best to look at what is bringing out the best in your child.