Should I correct the way my son holds his crayon?

At two years of age, children do not have the muscle control or coordination to hold their crayons using the correct, “three-finger” grip. Instead, you will find that your son using either a “fisted grasp” (when the crayon is held in a closed fist and the whole arm moves from the shoulder) or a “palmar grasp” (when the crayon is held in a closed fist with the thumb pointing down and the elbow out to the side) when holding a crayon. It is not until children are around four-years-old that they have the fine motor control to hold a crayon using a finger grip. One way to help promote the correct grip is by doing fun activities that will help develop his hand and finger muscles, such as playing with blocks or doing puzzles. 

Jennie Ito, Ph.D.

Child Development Expert


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