Two-thirds of Kiwi children are using incorrect pencil grip, new research has revealed.
A team led by the University of Otago put nearly 800 children to the test as they wrote letters of the alphabet in 60 seconds.
While tripod grip was traditionally found to be the most functional, but the researchers found around half were using the thumb wrap grip. The thumb tuck was also not uncommon.
However, research lead Jenny Ward said some of the findings were surprising.
“Some students with a thumb-wrap, if they had good fine motor control and they could really use their fingers quite effectively – without bringing their wrist, elbow, shoulder into the action – they had quite a comfortable, fluent style,” – said.
Two-thirds of Kiwi children don't use traditional pencil grip, study finds - Watch on TVNZ+
While the type of grip doesn’t always determine the fluency of a student’s writing, they can have other weaknesses, the researchers discovered – including speed and the ability to form letters.
Students found some letters more difficult to form than others. The letter k stood out, with nearly two-thirds forming it incorrectly. They also struggled with f and j, with 34% and 28% respectively writing it incorrectly.
The Writing Teacher founder Helen Walls wasn’t shocked by the findings.
"Teachers who trained post-2000, only 10% of them received any instruction in how to teach handwriting in their pre-service training years," she said.
It had flow-on effects for boys in particular.
"This other child's writing looks beautiful and theirs looks babyish so they think 'I'm bad at writing, I hate writing'," Walls said.
And in an increasingly digital world, neuroscientists have found writing by hand beneficial.
"So, when children practice writing their phonics patterns by hand, their words by hand, this pathway lights up. But when they type, it doesn't," she explained.
Caretaker Education Minister Erica Stanford said the refreshed curriculum now sets clear handwriting expectations.
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