Task constraints on preschool children's grip configurations during drawing

Traditional accounts of motor development have described the development of grip configurations in terms of a global maturational change from immature to mature grips. We present data that demonstrate that the grip configurations of preschool-aged children are greatly influenced by task demands and are more variable than previous research has suggested. Grip configurations were most variable during free drawing. Three- to 4-year-olds with highly variable grips produced poorer quality drawings in a shape copying task than children with relatively stable grips. It is argued that the study of the development of drawing skills may best be captured by an approach which emphasizes the role of task requirements and various external and internal constraints which shape variability in grip configurations.