1-2 years old: Fisted grip or Palmar Supinate Grip. Children often hold their writing tool like a dagger, scribbling using their whole arm. 2-3 years old: Digital Pronate grip. All fingers are holding the writing tool but the wrist is turned so that the palm is facing down towards the page.
Typically, a child will develop a whole hand grasp known as a palmar supinate grasp around 1-1.5 years of age. By the age of 2-3 a child will develop a digital pronate grasp where the writing utensil is held in the hand with the tip of the crayon being help on the thumb side of the hand.
From a five-finger grasp, children shift to a four-finger grasp, also called Static Tripod or Quadrupod Grasp. This normally occurs to children 3 to 4 years of age too. Children with this pencil grasp hold the pencil with their thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers.
But basically, it is inappropriate to make a 3 year old hold the pencil the way a Grade 1 child does (ie with a "correct 3 point" pencil grip). They really need to hold the pencil with their whole hand, because that is what they are developmentally ready for.
Radial Digital Grasp (typically developed 8-9 months) – This is the first grasp where more precise finger movements are required and utilized. Your child will begin to pick up objects with fingertips, rather than whole hand, which leads into the very important, pincer grasp (see below).
The Palmar grasp involves your child learning to grab an object with their whole hand – including their thumb. While there's a natural reflex at birth for this kind of motion. It takes some time for your little one to slowly work it out as a deliberate movement.
Here is how grasping evolves: 4-6 Months: Ulnar palmar grasp, palmar grasp, and radial palmar grasp. All build the full-hand grasp, beginning with a few fingers and eventually using the thumb to hold an object. 7-8 Months: Raking grasp and radial digital grasp.
Between two and three years of age, a child's pencil grasp will transition from the cylindrical grasp (this fisted, whole hand grasp) into the radial cross palmer, where the fingers are all pointed down toward the paper, rather than the palm.
The Tripod Grip is a grip using three fingers of the hand - the thumb, index and middle fingers. A child typically develops this grip around the age of three or four. It is a functional grasp which is essential for a number of tasks, such as holding a pencil or fastening buttons.
By age 4, a child may have progressed through several types of grasps while scribbling and drawing, from the “fist” or “power” grasp to a more mature way of holding a crayon or pencil, such as the dynamic tripod grasp. Kids usually develop this grasp between the ages of 4 and 6.
Most 3-year-olds can count to three and know the names of some of the numbers up to ten. Your child is also starting to recognize numbers from one to nine. He'll be quick to point it out if he receives fewer cookies than his playmate.
A three fingered or tripod grasp is when the thumb, index finger and middle finger work together to pick up small objects.
During this stage, children should be able to ride a tricycle, use safety scissors, notice a difference between girls and boys, help to dress and undress themselves, play with other children, recall part of a story, and sing a song.
Types of grips
Your child develops three other fine motor grips — namely fist grip, four-finger grip, pincer grip — before they acquire the tripod grip.
TRIPOD: A grasp where the pencil is held with three fingers touching the pencil (thumb, index and third fingers). QUADRUPOD: A grasp where the pencil is held with four fingers touching the pencil (thumb, index, third and fourth fingers).
The pincer grasp is when the thumb and the index finger work together to pick up small objects. In comparison, the tripod grasp is when the thumb, index and middle finger work together to pick up small objects.
At 2-3 years, average milestones include:
Pre-Writing Strokes – Between 2-2.5 years old, a child should be able to now imitate vertical and horizontal lines, and by 2.5-3 years old, a child should be able to imitate drawing a circle.
Teaching Shapes: When and How
By the time your child is 2 1/2 or 3 years old, they should be able to identify the majority of basic shapes (e.g., circle, square, triangle, and rectangle). From there, you can move on to more advanced shapes (e.g., diamond, heart, star, oval, etc.).
The ulnar grasp, also known as the crude palmar grasp, is a type of power grip that involves the flexion of the ring and pinky fingers around an object (Dosman et al., 2012). A power grip is a type of grasp that involves the thumb and other fingers (Garcia Alvarez, 2017) such as the palmar grasp and radial grasp.
A static tripod grasp will be seen between 3 to 4 years old, as a child is perfecting the tripod grasp. It is a three-finger grasp and includes the index and thumb, with the writing utensil resting on the middle finger, The rest of the fingers are tucked into the palm. Static refers to how the child moves the pencil.
Stack and row: Your child will likely be able to stack two blocks at 15 to 17 months of age, 8 blocks between 24 and 29 months, and 10 blocks between 30 and 36 months.