Three-year-old Amy is trying to make letters with a large pencil. Sometimes she holds the pencil in her right hand and sometimes in her left. She grasps the pencil in her fist instead of balancing it between her fingers as an adult does. Which action should her caregiver take?
None.
The caregiver should encourage and support Amy as she explores and practices writing with both hands. At the age of three, children are still developing their fine motor skills and hand preference. It is common for children to switch between hands and experiment with different grips while learning to write. This is a natural part of the writing process and helps them build strength and coordination in both hands.
To support Amy, the caregiver can provide her with a variety of writing tools, such as different sized pencils, markers, or crayons, to help her find which grip and hand preference feels most comfortable for her. The caregiver can also offer guidance and model the proper pencil grip, using their own hand as an example. It is important to be patient and understanding as Amy continues to develop her writing skills. With time and practice, she will eventually develop a more consistent hand preference and refine her pencil grasp.