What are pre-writing skills:
Pre-writing skills are the foundational skills that help children learn to write. They include fine motor skills that will later help with holding a pencil/pen. The ability to draw, color, form patterns and copy. Teaching a child to write does NOT start with letter formation.
What are pre-writing lines?
They are lines and shapes that help children develop the ability to form letters.
Example: lines down, across, circles, squares, diagonal lines, cross shapes, zig zags…
FREE PRINTABLE
There are many ways to practice these skill.
Age Group:
3 and up.
You are welcome to start earlier if you feel your child is ready. I encourage you not to push too hard as different children are ready at different ages. That may be 3 or even 5 and that is OK.
Lines on a chalkboard:
What you need:
- Chalk board
- Chalk
Step by step:
Draw different pre-writing lines on the chalkboard. You can then have the child trace with their finger over these lines. To keep it more interesting you can also have them hold a wet paintbrush and have them erase the line by tracing over it.
Lines of tape:
What you need:
- Painters tape
- Cars
Step by Step:
With the painters tape create lines. (curved lines, zig zag lines, straight lines, etc.) You can then encourage your child to walk these lines from one end to the other. You can also have them roll a toy car from one end of the line to the other, making sure to follow/ trace the line.
Lines +Stickers:
What you need:
- Stickers
- Paper
- Market
Step by Step:
Draw different types of lines on a wite paper. Then have the child peel off the stickers and place stickers all along the line. If possible try to do this on a vertical surface. Tape the paper on a wall, a window or the fridge.
Sand Tray:
What you need:
- Sand
- Shallow tray
Step by Step:
For this activity you can use this FREE PRINTABLE for the line your child can copy and trace on the tray. Put the sand in your shallow tray and make sure it is spread evenly. Then you can have your child copy a line one by one. Each time they start another line you can shake the tray to reset.
Make sure to sign up and share if you want to see more