Improving Pencil Grasp Exercise

Improving Pencil Grasp is an occupational therapy exercise meant to help a child develop the functional skill of holding a pencil in proper form, aiming for more efficient and legible handwriting. This activity will help improve a child’s fine motor skills as well as cognitive skills, such as handwriting abilities, building social skills through sensory movement, building functional skills such as handwriting, cutting with scissors and self-care, helping the development of small muscles in the hands. In order to improve a thumb wrap grasp (where the child’s thumb is wrapped around the pointer finger), a child needs to strengthen the opposition muscle, Opponens Pollicis, along with Flexor Pollicis Longus to bend the tip of the thumb or the Interphalnageal Joint (IP Joint) of the thumb. Strengthening the intrinsic muscles along with addressing an open web space will improve IP flexion in pencil grasp.