The Development of Appropriate Pencil Grip & Drawing Skills – 1 to 6 Years Old

Year Level: Early Years, Foundation, Year 1 & 2

These milestone and information sheets identify the age-related milestones for hand function, pencil grip (grasp) and drawing skills in children aged 1 to 6 years. They present images of good and NOT good pencil grip and also outline hints for making a good pencil grip easier.

When children first begin to draw using crayons, pencils or brushes they use a dagger grasp. In a natural developmental sequence, they will hold the writing implement in a variety of grasps until they settle on a functional tripod grip for handwriting. The developmental sequence is a result of neurological and physical growth in the child. As we look below at the development of different grasps and drawing skills we can observe that there is a natural progression as the childโ€™s fine motor skills develop. The complexity of the drawing skills increases as the child develops more control over the pencil or crayon in his or her hand.

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