Provide your child with a collection of small toys, a pair of appetizer tongs and a small box or bowl. Have your child hold the tongs and use them to pick up the small toys and place them into the box or bowl. Since a pair of tongs is held very similarly to how a pencil is held and using the same fingers, this activity will get your child used to holding something in such a manner and help her improve her fine motor skills.
Engage your child in fun, creative art projects like water color painting and coloring with crayons in coloring books. First give your child free reign on how he color paints and let him get used to holding the paintbrush and crayons After your child is comfortable using such items, gradually show him how to properly hold the utensils and how holding the utensil correctly improves his accuracy and the overall quality of his work.
Give your child activity books in which she can use a pencil to do activities like mazes and dot-to-dot pictures. A pencil is correctly held anywhere from ½ to 1 inch from the tip of the pencil with the thumb, index finger, and middle finger holding the pencil. Instructing the child on how to properly hold the pencil while doing these activities will make it seem like a fun game rather than a bland learning experience.
Have your child write words using the pencil, such as "mom," "dad" or his own name. Help your child with the proper way to draw each letter in the word. This will help your child get used to using the pencil to write words as opposed to using a pencil to draw or scribble.