Many 2 to 3 year olds use what is technically referred to as a “Digital-Pronate Grasp”, to hold a marker, which is
2 to 3 Year Old Grasp
held with all their fingers and thumb pointing downward. They tend to use all their fingers to hold chalk, crayon or pencil in the palm of their hand. Their arms and elbows are usually held up in the air as their shoulders are braced upward toward their ears and their whole body gets excited in anticipation of exploring the use of paper and markers through playful and random contact. In the years ahead they tend to learn how to make a scribble mark and draw lines down and lines across. Typically, they use one hand to do this and their other hand is not as involved as it will become in the years ahead. Under supervision you can encourage your two-year-old to develop their hand skills in play activities such as those listed Below
Activities to develop hand skills
- Stringing large beads on a pipe cleaner
- Folding paper to make a crease
- Use child scissors to snip on thin card or narrow lengths of playdough
