Writing CLAW
Pencil Grips
Twist ‘n Write
Pencils
Starter Set
Heavy Pencil
Sharpeners, Eraser
Other Grips & Pencils ↑ (click on images)
The Jumbo Grip Pencil is a nice pencil that looks and feels special. Here’s why we like it:
The pencil has a triangular-shaped barrel. Sometimes, all it takes for a child to establish the tripod grasp is to hand them a three-sided pencil or crayon.- The barrel is thick. The thickness of this pencil is comfortable. It’s like a fat “primary pencil”, but not quite as bulky due to the triangular shape.
- The pencil feels good. It is lightweight and has raised, gripping dots in the holding area.
- The #2 lead is slightly thicker than a standard pencil, putting down a thicker line.
- Made by Faber-Castell.
Our Soft-Lead Pencil is an artists’ sketching pencil (6B). This pencil can help a child lighten their grip. Some children bear down on their pencil with a tight hand, primarily because they want and need to see a darker line on their paper. Rather than letting this become a habit, give the child a Soft-Lead Pencil so that they can make a dark line with less pressure. (Equivalent to a #1 lead.)
Use the Soft-Lead Pencil when
- The child’s hand is tight while writing or drawing (check for white knuckles)
- The child makes heavy, dark lines
- The child’s pencil tends to engrave the table top
- The child traces over their lines to get a darker look
“My favorite is the silver pencil!” — Keith, age 11
Use the Jumbo Grip Pencil when
- A little help is needed to keep the fingers in the tripod position
- The child prefers the feel of this pencil size
See also our sharpener and eraser…
