In this article, you will find the five best pencil grips for better and more comfortable handwriting. In addition, we included a buyer’s guide at the end of the article.
As adults, we often take for granted how easily we can pick up a pencil and write. We think of a task or name or number we don’t want to forget, and we write it down. Many daily users of pens, pencils, paintbrushes, and more can struggle to hold these items. Young children under 7 are especially prone to having difficulty using a pencil, as they are still developing grip strength and fine motor skills. If they struggle longer than their peers, it can discourage them from performing well in class. You can forget about putting your child’s doodles on the fridge if they don’t have the confidence to draw.
However, kids aren’t the only ones who can have trouble to hold a pencil. Adults with any number of hand-related ailments also struggle with grip strength and control. This can affect their productivity at work and enjoyment of writing and drawing as hobbies. Fortunately, it’s never too late to get a handle on your penmanship, especially if you exercise those hand muscles and fine motor skills every day. For these reasons, it’s likely time to invest in the right ergonomic pencil grips and to learn how to hold a pencil correctly.
Here’s our Amazon shortlist of items we recommend. If that’s not enough, stick around for our detailed product review list to see which pencil grips are best for you and your family’s needs.
Best Pencil Grips in 2021 at a Glance
- Most Reliable Pencil Grip: The Classics 12-Pack Soft Foam Pencil Grips
- Most Comfortable Pencil Grip: Special Supplies Egg Pen-Pencil Grips
- Grip Strength Trainer for Kids: Mlife Pencil Grips – 10PCS
- Pencil Grip with Fun Design: Pencil Grips, Firesara Original Pencil Gripper, Monkey Design (3PCS)
- Best Overall Value Pencil Grip: IVARSOYA Pencil Grips for Kids (18Pcs)
Our Top Picks of The Best Pencil Grips Reviewed
Since most people rarely think about the importance of pencil grips, it will likely be a shock to you how many kinds of pencil grips are out there. Narrowing things down to Amazon options doesn’t help much either, with dozens of designs and brands to choose from. We’ve done the work for you, so take a look at our top picks for the best pencil grips to buy online.
1. Most Reliable Overall: The Classics 12-Pack Soft Foam Pencil Grips
Coming in a classic, long-sleeve shape made to contour to your pencil, this pencil grip continues to stand the test of time. Get it to feed your nostalgia bug or for your kid. There’s a reason why the classics prevail over time. The Classics Soft Foam Pencil Grips will take you back to school days past. Before pencil grips in animal shapes or with finger holes came to onto the market, this simple foam pencil grip was already popular in schools and offices. People still buy them today to quickly improve a pencil’s usability and match the wielder’s personality. This writing aid is made for righties and lefties.
This classic pencil grip endures as an overall quality product due to its size and shape as a 1.5-inch long, narrow foam tube that conforms to your No.2 pencil just right. The contoured cushion provides the right amount of comfort for writers and sketchers who need extra control over their work without finger soreness.
The Classics Soft Foam Pencil Grips come in various colors and are currently sold here in packs of 12. Consider a tried-and-true office accessory that is forever functional, reliable, and pretty cost-effective.
View on Amazon2. Most Comfortable Pencil Grip: Special Supplies Egg Pen-Pencil Grips
This absolutely plush egg pencil grip is a welcome enhancement for your favorite handwriting tools. The egg form of this pencil grip is a great size for kids and adults, insanely comfy in hand, and comes in various vibrant colors. Larger pencil or pen handwriting aids are great for kids and adults who need to prevent agitation or soreness as they hold a pencil.
If a soft cushion is more important than a flashy design, then the Special Supplies Egg Pen-Pencil Grips are an excellent product. The egg shape is simple and utilitarian, but the product’s size provides a near-luxury amount of cushioning between those dominant handwriting fingers. They fit most pens and pencils with ease and come in an array of colors per set.
Kids will greatly appreciate how much easier it is to write with this egg-shaped pencil grip, as they are perfect for those still trying to develop proper form, control, and grip strength. Buy these to help your toddler get used to the feel of pencils. With better stability and control over their pencil or paintbrush, your little one’s confidence as an artist in training will increase.
The material can explain the slightly higher price for this pencil grip. The ultra-plush egg pencil grip is more durable, designed to be reused again and again. The value you receive out of this pencil grip cannot be stated enough.
View on Amazon3. Best Grip Strength Trainer for Kids: Mlife Pencil Grips – 10PCS Ergonomic Training Pencil Grip
This ergonomic handwriting aid encases the dominant fingers to help develop control over pencils, pens, and crayons. Your child will be coloring inside the lines in no time and developed fine motor skills quickly. The Mlife Pencil Grip is an ergonomic claw that holds the index finger and thumb in place around any penning instrument. This pencil grip is perfect for a child with writing posture problems.
This pencil grip will condition each finger to stay in a type of tripod position—the middle, index finger, and thumb fingers aligned to hold writing instruments properly. The writing aid is easy to use for righties and lefties. Adults can get a lot of use out of this item, as the gripping aid combats the effects of carpal tunnel, tremors, arthritis, and other hand-related conditions. For everyone, the Mlife Pencil Grip promotes stronger, smoother, more controlled writing and drawing.
However, control over the pencil does not supersede comfort when the Mlife Pencil Grip is used. The pencil grip is malleable and soft, made from a toxic-free silicone material. Most fingers fit right into the holes, allowing for a comfortable yet synchronized hold.
These training pencil grips come in five bright colors. They fit most penning tools, and you will get a lot of use out of them. For just a few dollars, you could invest in a pencil grip that instantly improves how you or your children work and create.
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4. Best Design: Pencil Grips, Firesara 2020 Original Pencil Gripper Monkey Design (3PCS)
This monkey design pencil grip is as cute as they are functional. The tail-as-handle on this product is unique and makes writing more comfortable for kids as they condition those fingers. The FireSara Original Pencil Gripper functions as a pencil grip and trainer for kids with poor fine motor skills. Instead of the finger-encased design, this FireSara pencil grip has a cute monkey design and incorporates a tail that acts as a type of handle for the middle finger.
The tail has a loop where the middle finger can encourage all three dominant fingers to form a proper tripod position. Kids have stronger leverage over their writing instruments and get something unique to personalize them too. The fun monkey design stands out in three available colors. The material is soft silicone, durable, and malleable to most writing and drawing tools. The monkey pencil grip is perfect for training kids who are right or left-handed and will help writers with special needs.
You get three reliable monkey-shaped pencil grips per pack for a fair price, and your kids will get a lot of use out of them as they mix and match their cute animal buddies across tools.
View on Amazon5. Best Overall Value: IVARSOYA Pencil Grips for Kids (18Pcs)
Get an 18-piece set of quality pencil grippers for a wonderful price. Every level of gripping strength and control is represented in this product. Each of the designs is adorable, too. If you want a set of pencil grips with a variety of styles to help yourself or your child, IVARSOYA’s 18-piece set will surely interest you. The set includes pencil grips with and without finger holes to suit your kid’s needs as they become better scribes over time. A step-by-step, stage-by-stage approach will lead to better handwriting posture and soon better handwriting and drawing control.
This pencil grip is made from a comfortable, non-toxic silicone material and offers several shapes for every struggling pencil holder. Functional designs encourage the correct use of the dominant fingers for proper posture. There is also some fun, adorable shapes to compliment your child’s personal style. From a butterfly pencil grip that encases two fingers, to handle-shaped grips, to shark-shaped contouring grips—there is something for everyone in this 18-piece set. To top it off, the IVARSOYA set includes adorable animal-inspired caps.
View on AmazonWhich Pencil Grips Are the Best?
The best ergonomic pencil grip on this list may differ from person to person, depending on their specific needs. Our favorite on the list would have to be the IVARSOYA set of pencil grips since they provide a few different designs based on preference and level of grip strength, control, and confidence. While we highly recommend everything we’ve mentioned, you will certainly get the value for money if you get this wonderful 18-grips set.
Factors to Consider When Shopping for the Best Pencil Grip
There are a few things to consider before purchasing a pencil grip on your search for the best ergonomic pencil grip product for your pencils. In general, you should have a clear understanding of what you and/or your child’s problem areas are before purchasing the first set of grips you see. We are here to help you find the right pencil grip to use. Here are some specific attributes to consider:
Use
What is the purpose of the item? This is an important question to ask no matter what item you purchase. Choosing the right ergonomic pencil grip is no different. Is this tool ideal for rigorous writing posture training for your elementary grade child? Or can this pencil grip help you hold a pencil without chaffing after a couple of hours? We recommend you think of whose hands will use these pencil grips and what they’ll use them for before purchasing.
Material
The majority of the pencil grips made today are made from silicone or silicone-like materials. This ensures that your fingers are as comfortable as they hold the pencil, particularly with an aid with finger inserts. Something soft, plush, and pliable is best for classic styles of the pencil grip.
Size
A good pencil grip product is large enough to make a difference in your writing and drawing control but not so large as to engulf your writing instrument. If shopping for a child, keep the size of their hands in mind. A pencil grip that is too large will be counterproductive to your kid’s hand strength development.
Design
The design of your ergonomic pencil grip is really up to you or your child’s preference. Designs with finger inserts or holes help greatly with encouraging the correct tripod effect. However, something simpler, like the soft egg pencil grip, may be more your kids’ speed. You may be buying a pencil grip for your job but prefer more subtle designs, as opposed to the butterfly or monkey-shaped finger trainers we’ve mentioned. Also, make sure that the pencil grip is for left-handed writers if your child is left-handed.
Color
All pencil grips come in a wide variety of colors. Get good ergonomic writing aid in your favorite color. Take advantage of special offers on Amazon, and get an assortment of them in a pack. Get them in all black or neutral colors for work, if need be. It’s up to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are pencil grips for?
A pencil grip is an ergonomic writing aid that helps writers to hold the pencil with proper grip and control their hands as they write or draw. Such problems from a lack of strength from preexisting conditions, fatigue from handwriting-heavy routines, or just childhood underdeveloped hand strength. Pencil grip products help the average writer work without developing finger soreness or callouses. Moreover, they help kids, and special needs persons align fingers to create proper handwriting posture and develop fine motor skills as they hold the pencil.
What are the different types of pencil grips?
The most common pencil grips are foam grips, usually a cylindrical sleeve to contour to most pencils and other writing tools. Shapes vary from sleeves to circular foam cushions. Another common ergonomic pencil grip product is the finger claw, which synchronizes fingers into the right finger posture, ideally without causing discomfort. Many variations of this product exist in different colors, shapes, and fun, kid-friendly designs, from the foam accessory to the finger claw.
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