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There are a number of beginning writing activities you can provide for your child to help him develop beginning writing skills. Remember, drawing, painting and scribbling are all early forms of writing. Providing plenty of opportunities for these activities will provide your child with the muscle skills as well as the desire to write when the time comes.
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WRITING MATERIALS
Writing and drawing materials should be available to your child at all times. Large crayons and pencils, marking pens, large thick poster paints, chalk, large pieces of paper and chalk boards are all appropriate for preschoolers. |
SALT BOX
You can make an easy writing resource for your child with a box lid and some salt.
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Let your child help you by pouring salt into the lid until the bottom of the box is covered. |
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Then show your child how to use her finger to print lines, circles and letters in the salt. |
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To start over again, just have your child shake the lid and the drawings disappear. |
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WALL DRAWINGS
Providing your child with a place to do large drawings can really help them develop large muscle control.
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Try taping large sheets of sturdy paper to the wall and let your child draw away. |
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You could also place large sheets of paper on a table, but the wall actually provides a better surface. |
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CRAYON RUB-OFFS
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On a piece of paper, write individual letters, lines or circles. |
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Then cover the paper with clear Con-tact paper or place the paper inside a plastic page protector. |
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Then give your child a black crayon and have him trace over the letters with the crayon. |
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Show him how to erase the crayon marks with a cotton tissue. |
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Then trace the letters again. |
Variation: When you think your child is ready, write his name for him to trace.
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ADD – ONS
A fun game to play with children just learning to write is called “Add-Ons”.
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Sit with your child and using a piece of paper or a tablet, draw simple shapes or objects with an obvious missing part. |
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Then have your child draw on the missing part. Such as;
A square with one side missing.
A flower with no stem
A balloon with no string.
A truck with no wheels. |
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PLAY DOUGH LETTERS
When children are playing with play dough, encourage them to make letter shapes.
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First have them make long ropes with the dough. |
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Then show them how the rope can be turned to make different letter shapes. |
| Variation: Use real cooking dough to make dough letters to bake. |
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ACTION ILLUSTRATIONS
Children can get a lot of writing practice by illustrating action situations in stories, using lines and circles.
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Describe a scene or make up a short story. |
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Have your children illustrate the action, not the objects, in the story. |
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Have your children use basic lines and circles to illustrate the action. |
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Examples:
- The clouds rolled across the sky (Child make rolling circles)
- The rain fell down. (Child draws lines coming down)
- The cars raced around the track. (Child draws large circular lines)
- The bunny hopped. (Child draws lines going up and down)
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