How Wee Learn

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5 ways to strengthen a pencil grip

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I am excited to partner with Wikki Stix today to bring you this GIVEAWAY and post on how to strengthen a pencil grip through play!

Please leave a comment at the bottom of this post to enter the giveaway.

We all know how important play is for children. Play builds creativity and imagination and it is actually through play that children learn. Play is also critical to later physical skills, such as hand strength and pencil grips.

I have heard of some growing concern that little ones are coming to school with a very weak to non-existent pencil grip. Experts suggest this is because of increased screen time, which is an incredible concern since it means this screen time is taking the place of play.

We need to give our little ones plenty of time to play for so, so many reasons!

To combat the pencil grip issue, and to reinforce how these skills easily emerge through play, I have compiled a list of 5 easy ways to help support the development of a proper pencil grip — all through play.

Simple ideas to strengthen and build a pencil grip through PLAY! #playmatters #preschool #sponsored #wikkistix

To make things even simpler, all 5 of these activities use the incredibly versatile (and one of our favourite toys) Wikki Stix! One package of Wikki Stix lasts pretty much forever, can be used again and again, and is completely mess free. These great Stix are a fabulous alternative to clay while holding all of the same benefits.

Here are my 5 playful ways to strengthen a pencil grip:

Twisting Wikki Stix:

Simple ideas to strengthen and build a pencil grip through PLAY! #playmatters #preschool #sponsored #wikkistix

Do the twist! Grab two strands of Wikki Stix and get your little ones twisting! This twisting motion is excellent for strengthening a tripod grasp, which is a critical skill for developing a pencil grip. Twist a few colours together, twist a big thick rope, see if you can twist a really long skinny rope.

Rolling Wikki Stix into a ball:

Get on a roll! A great way to strengthen the whole hand is by rolling Wikki Stix into a ball. Little hands can put a Stix in one palm and use the other hand to roll it into a ball. This takes some practice and might be easier with a few Stix to begin, as it will make a larger ball. Balls can also be rolled on a table top using one palm.

Creating pictures on a table top:

Simple ideas to strengthen and build a pencil grip through PLAY! #playmatters #preschool #sponsored #wikkistix

My kids love making table top pictures using Wikki Stix. They will create beautiful and elaborate scenes. By holding one end of the Wikki Stix still while moving the other end to create shapes and pictures, ‘bilateral coordination’ increases which is the skill needed to hold the piece of paper while writing.

Thread beads onto Wikki Stix:

Wikki Stix jewellery is all the rage. We love using Wikki Stix to thread beads, as they are quite sturdy Stix, making it easier for little hands to thread the beads. This improves the pincer grasp, which is using the thumb and first finger. A proper pincer grasp is another skill needed for a proper pencil grip.

Creating 3D Objects:

Simple ideas to strengthen and build a pencil grip through PLAY! #playmatters #preschool #sponsored #wikkistix

Manipulating and moulding Wikki Stix is a great way to strengthen the whole hand and get those hands nice and strong for holding a pencil. A great way to encourage lots of moulding is by creating 3D images. Tiny animals, people and things can easily be made 3 dimensional with Wikki Stix.

Simple ideas to strengthen and build a pencil grip through PLAY! #playmatters #preschool #sponsored #wikkistix

There you have them! Five fun ways to get those little hands primed and ready for all that lay ahead. And wonderful and meaningful play and learning for right now as well.

Here is to bringing back play (and pencil grips too!)

I want to thank Wikki Stix for partnering with me on this project. If you are interested in getting some Wikki Stix for your little ones you can find them in so many places!

They are available in many craft and toy stores, on Amazon, and directly on the Wikki Stix Website too. 

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!  Giveaway is now closed.

Wikki Stix is generously offering a giveaway to one lucky winner. To be entered to win a TRIPLE PAK of Wikki Stix please simply leave a comment below. This giveaway is open to US Readers only.

This Giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering and congratulations to Connie!!

Thank you so much for reading friends. I hope you are having a wonderful week.

Love this idea? My store has even more amazing resources! Visit the store at shop.howweelearn.com

Comments

  3. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas! Love trying them out with my little one. Can’twait To try wikki stix.

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  4. Love the idea of this product, never heard of it before! We love to have table time with my three young ones and am constantly looking for new crafts or products to try with them!

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  7. These are great ideas! My favorite is twisting them together, my son will love that. We also like to make pinwheels with them.

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    • Thank you Meredydd! My little ones started to use Wikki Stix when they were about two, maybe two and a half. It is one of those very versatile things, as my teenager still loves creating with Wikki Stix! Thank you for entering the giveaway, good luck!

      Reply

  9. I plan to use these ideas as arrival activities with my four-year olds. We have been doing lots of activities to strengthen our finger muscles, and I keep telling them how important it is to make our fingers strong!

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  12. Great ideas! I’ve never seen these! My son would love these! He would love to twist them together to make things.

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  13. I love this idea for strengthening grip. It’s such an important skill for little ones. My kiddos are super creative so I can’t wait to see what they create.

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  14. Great info; thanks so much! I’ve been so overwhelmed trying to homeschool my 3 year old son (also have a 1year old daughter). We’re starting to work on writing letters, so this comes in handy!❤️

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  17. I have seen these stixs in action! I love them! They are definitely useful tools. Wonderful tips on using them! Such fun and creative ideas!

    Reply

  21. I have seen and used Wikki Stix before but did not think of how good it would be
    for fine motor skills! Great ideas!

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  23. Wikki Stixs are the best. Previous to me staying home, I used them in the classroom to build letters and words. The kids loved them. At home, we use them to build creatures:) Super fun! Thanks for the chance to win!

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  24. Wow these look amazing! I’ve never heard of these! I sure my boys would loves these. It would b a great quiet time thing for my younger one to do while i homeschool my eldest!!

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  25. Thank you for introducing this great idea to me. Perfect for my preschool class. I am always looking for activities that children can do independently that also develop the small muscles.

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  27. Love wiki sticks. The really long ones they came out with a few years ago are great for teaching cursive letters.

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  29. I remember playing with these (or something like them) as a kid. So glad you did a post about them to remind me of how fun these are!

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  30. Wiki Stix are MUCH easier for outlining pictures or shapes to help little one understand coloring snide borders than piping that border with glue and waiting for it to dry! We really enjoy them for many activities in my classroom.

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  31. What great ideas! I love that it is a simple and fun activity with no prep time (or mess!) but yields great benefits. Thanks for the chance to win some Wikki Stix!

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  33. I love Wikki stix! I have 5 kids, 4 of them 8 years and under. We would love to get some wiki stix! Thank you for all the ideas!

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  34. We are eagerly awaiting the adoption of our little granddaughter after years of waiting. I would be thrilled to play with Wikki Stux with her to get her ready to write the Great American Novel!! As a writer myself, I know that developing her motor writing skills is very, very important. Please pick us!

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  35. I would love these to help my granddaughter. She is behind and the Stix would help greatly. Thanks for all you do.

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    • That is wonderful of you Becki, I love seeing grandparents helping their little grandchildren. What a blessing you are! I always try to remind myself to not compare my children to others and instead focus on ‘progress’. As long as my little ones are progressing, no matter how slowly, I know we are doing just fine. I hope some of these activities will help you to see some progress. Thank you for entering the giveaway – Good luck!

      Reply

  37. I love you! I am thrillled to have found this blog. You are such a blessing. Thank you for all your brilliant ideas xo

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    • Aw, thank you so much for your kind words! I am so thrilled you found my blog too and I am so happy I am being helpful! That is the greatest compliment I could receive. Thank you for entering the giveaway – good luck!

      Reply

  38. What a fab idea. I am a childminder with 3/4 children who will really benefit from this activity. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas on how to strenghthen the pincer grips. Sure my charges will love them

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    • It can be so tough when little hands just aren’t ready. These playful activities will help your little guys build their hand strength and with some time and lots of play they will get there!! Thank you for entering the giveaway, good luck!

      Reply

  41. I am a retired Kdg. teacher and used Wikki Stixs as part of our Brain Box activities. The kids loved them. Now I’d like to use them with my grandchildren.

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  43. These are great!! My son would love these, and they would be great to build his hand strength and dexterity. Great to have more options out there 🙂

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  44. Haven’t used Wiki Stix with my special ed preschoolers yet but these sound like so much fun. We would love to get some for our classroom. Love the ideas.
    Thank you

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  48. This looks like it would be great in my classroom. I work with Special Needs and always looking for ways to help strengthen their little fingers and hands. We do a lot of finger activities to help build their coordination etc.

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  49. These would be a great help for my granddaughter who is in preschool. She goes into kindergarten next year and has trouble gripping the smaller pencils.

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  50. These are super exciting. Thank you very much for the opportunity to win. The kiddos would love these. Sounds like it would bring out more creativity. Just what we are looking for!!!

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  51. This is a good idea to tell my preschool class’s parents about so they can “play” at home as well to develop these skills. Thank you!

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  53. This is exciting! I have a very young class of four-year olds this year and we need a lot of finger strengthening! They would love to play with wiki stix!!!!

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  57. I am a mother of one and this idea of finger strength has just come to my attention through your link in my email. I appreciate this insight into helping my little one along. Thank you!

    Reply

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