In Montessori, the Pincer grip activities refer to the skill of holding an object or item with perfect coordination between the index and thumb fingers.
Furthermore, to hold an item or object with the tips of our thumb and index finger, it requires precise control of tiny muscles in the hands, strength of our fingers, and hand-eye coordination.
Thus, Pincer grip represents the coordination between the brain and muscles essential for a child to gain increasing freedom.
In other words, you may have noticed children moving solid objects or water between different types of containers by pouring or using tools such as tongs, tweezers, a sponge, or a turkey baster in almost all Montessori preschool.
We call it ‘ Transfers ‘ and these are the foundation of Montessori Pincer grip activities.
As a seasoned Montessori teacher and the responsible father of two children ( 7&5), I always find opportunities ( inside and outside the classroom) to indulge in Pincer grip activities.
Here I have designed a complete guide on Pincer Grip activities, especially for babies (6-10 months), and children aged 1-5 years. In addition, I will cover the various aspects of pincer grip such as its benefits, how to use it in writing, and other necessary details.
Montessori Pincer Grip Activities For Babies (6-10 Months):
We generally see that a newborn baby’s palms remain closed for a couple of months. In this phase, she/he tries to grasp things involuntarily.
This is not his or her pincer grip but as soon as she/he reaches the age of around 6 months she/he uses a raking grasp and within the next couple of months he/she starts to refine the grasp.
I systematically did the following with my newborns to enhance their pincer grip skills and you too can do the same:
Montessori Pincer Grip Activities For Babies (6-10 Months)
| Activity | Tools/Materials | Purpose/Skill Developed |
| Picking small finger foods | Cheerios, pasta, or blueberries | Encourages grasping with thumb and index finger (pincer grip). |
| Using inset puzzles | Small knob puzzles | Strengthens pincer grasp for pulling pieces. |
| Playing with toys on strings | Toys attached to vertical strings | Promotes pincer grip by isolating thumb and index finger. |
| Grasping small blocks | Small wooden blocks | Develops hand dexterity and prepares for stacking. |
| Handling straws or pegs | Straws, pegs, or blunted sticks | Improves finger isolation and wrist rotation for fine motor skills. |
| Turning board book pages | Board books | Enhances pincer grasp through pinching and flipping pages. |
| Pulling tissues from a box | Tissue box | Refines grasping skills in a playful, sensory way. |
Montessori Pincergrip Activities For 1-5 Year Olds:
In the original sense of the Montessori, pincer grip activities begin at the age of 1 and then continue.
I started teaching my infants pincer grip activities when they were just one year old. However, I do not have a one-year-old student at my school but students of older age groups are available.
Following the teaching principles of Dr.Maria Montessori, I carefully designed these activities to enhance the hands-eye coordination skills both in my students and in my children.
Here’s how:
| List Of Materials | |
| Trays | plastic, wood , butter paper, baking pan |
| Containers | normal glass cups, bowls , coffee cups(paper made) , cups with handles, pitchers |
| Pouring Materials | Coffee, salt, sugar, tiny beads, beans, rice , coins |
| Grasping Materials | small oval plastic balls, marbles,pompoms, golf balls, peas |
| Tools | eyedropper, spoons( large and small) Tweezers , tongs |
| Clean up | broom , dustpan, tiny pieces of cotton clothes, sponge |
Here I would like to tell you that all the transfers or pincer grip activities follow a nearly similar pattern and hence the materials we gather will also be the same.
Montessori Pincer grip Activities For 1-5 Year Olds
| Practical Life | Transferring water using pitchers and basters | Improves hand-eye coordination, develops pincer grip, and enhances control of movement. | Pitchers with handles, pouring lips, colored water, bowls, turkey baster. | Add cleanup tasks to extend responsibility. Move to tweezers and eyedroppers for fine motor skills. | ||||
| Practical Life | Transferring rice or beans between cups or pitchers | Encourages independence, fine motor development, and concentration. | Cups, pitchers with handles and pouring lips, rice or beans. | Use a funnel for transferring. Gradually introduce matching patterns and egg transfers with tongs. | ||||
| Practical Life | DIY scoops and spoons | Enhances scooping, pouring skills, and one-to-one correspondence. | Scoops, spoons, tray, various small objects. | Introduce mathematics concepts such as counting and grouping. | ||||
| Sensorial | Matching patterns (e.g., pom-poms to a tray) | Develops visual discrimination, pattern recognition, and fine motor precision. | Tray with pattern template, pom-poms, or small objects. | Create custom templates for pattern matching. | ||||
| Extensions | Clipping activity with clothespins | Strengthens finger muscles and hand coordination, which are necessary for writing. | Clothespins, a basket, or a tray. | Transition to more complex fine motor exercises involving smaller tools like tweezers or threading. | ||||
| Other Activities | Child transfers objects between two containers using spoons, scoops, or small tongs. | Supports focus, concentration, and independence while practicing controlled hand movements. | Two containers, spoons, scoops, or tongs. | Increase complexity by using varying object sizes or requiring precise placement. | ||||
| Other Activities | Sorting and matching based on attributes like color, shape, or size. | Teaches categorization, critical thinking, and preparation for mathematical concepts. | Colored objects, shape sorters, or small categorized trays. | Use real-world objects like vegetables or fruits for sorting tasks. | ||||
| Videos Suggested | Pouring water using funnels; pouring from pitchers; matching and sorting activities. | Demonstrates practical life activities for parents and educators to implement. | Funnels, pitchers, trays, and various small manipulatives. | Encourage children to watch, then replicate the activities to enhance understanding. | ||||
How To Teach Montessori Pincer grip For Writing:
I have already made you familiar with the term ‘ Transfer’. Now these Transfers play a crucial role in teaching a child Pincer grip used for writing.
In other words, teaching a sequence of Transfers and hand grasp techniques is necessary for a child to learn Pincer grip for writing.
After gathering all the materials you need to follow the given sequence. Here you have to remember that the results of the activities may not manifest in one day, it may take a few days, a few weeks, or in some cases months. Patience is the key here.
Now coming to the activity, you are required to follow these steps:
The Whole Hand Grip:
First of all, I began with the whole-hand grasp, also known as the primitive grasp. When my children grew 2-3 years old, I gave them a bowl ( full of water) and told them to move it with a sponge. Furthermore, I instructed them to do it 2-4 times a day.
However, at school the scope is limited. In a 40 minutes classroom, I gathered my students ( aged between 2-3) and told them to do the activity one by one ( using the same materials)
The ‘C’ shaped Grasp: Next, I tried a ‘C’ shaped grasp. For this, I used small plain cups filled with rice and beans. Then I told my students to grasp it 4-5 times.
Finally, they completed the task following my instructions. I did the same with my son and daughter.
After they had nearly mastered these activities, I followed a series of Pincer grip activities which ultimately helped them to master the skill of Pincer grip technique in writing.
| Activity | Tool Used | Purpose/Skill Developed |
| Moving golf balls | Tongs | Develops the pincer grip by opposing the thumb to all four fingers. |
| Moving small objects | Tweezers | Refines opposed thumb grasp, increasing control and coordination with two to three fingers. |
| Using an eyedropper | Eyedropper | Strengthens grasp by applying varying pressure; other fingers bend for support. |
| Transferring beans | Small spoon | Encourages proper writing grasp; thumb opposes one finger while others bend underneath. |
Here I reiterate these activities not only helped my students ( & my son and daughter) to develop a proper writing grasp but it also helped them to learn concepts like empty, full, positive, negative, space, counting, colors, and many more.
FAQ:
How To Work On Pincer grasp With Baby?
A baby typically starts to manifest its pincer grip-ability when he/she reaches the age of around 6 months.
A number of activities like picking small finger foods, using inset puzzles, using inset puzzles, using inset puzzles, playing with toys on strings, grasping small blocks, handling straws or pegs, turning board book pages, and pulling tissues from a box help him or her to enhance the skill.
Is pincer grip A Fine Motor Skill?
Yes, pincer grasp is a fine motor skill because it is used for developing control and coordination of the arm, hand, and finger muscles.
Why Is Pincer Grasp Important?
Pincer Grasp is important because, without its proper control, a young individual will fail to learn hand-eye coordination, writing grip, and many more.
Sumanta De is an educator. He has been teaching students for more than 16 years following the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. He has a 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter.
He is nurturing his children abiding by the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. His passion for Montessori methods goes beyond the classroom.
Hence, he shares his experiences and insights through a dedicated Montessori blog and a YouTube channel under the name “NewChild Montessori”. He aims to offer valuable guidance to both parents and educators.
Education: M.A. English, Masters in Child Psychology & Bachelor’s Degree in Montessori Teachers Training