Mum, I can write

Personally I don’t put a direct emphasize on writing skills for toddlers. It is more important for a child to learn his alphabets and numbers as soon as he can memorize in accurate detail. I would rather see my child reading at 2.5yrs even if by memory of his books sequence than reciting every pop song and ad commercial.

However as my principal corrected me, a child need to discover, utilize and develop his motor skills in preparation for his school years. And she is half right there. It is not important to prepare a child for writing is he/she does not recognize what he/she is writing.

Im listing what Ive done with my son and a few kids (during summer for a month), please note that they are purely subjective and you should use them in whatever order that works on your child. You know your child best.


Hand Discovery – Start off with finger painting, hand painting, finger puppet. Move on to crayons, color pencils and magic markers. Be free with doodles, squiggles, interpretation. Make an effort to print or purchase coloring books of his present cartoon favorite. Spend quality bonding time, sprawled on the carpet, in the park, making a mess at the dining table – doing together things of coloring.

Holding it right – As you progress and move along, correct him on the right way of holding the color pencil/crayon/markers.

Set Time and Keeping it Short – Have a set time for doing this, they actually do thrive on a schedule and although it won’t always work out, having a set time for learning will give them something to look forward to. Yet keep the lessons short before their attention span wears out, put a stop.

Charts and Trace – Make your own or Purchase if you have to, big alphabet and number charts. Somehow I incorporate identifying, learning and writing with this. At different times of the day, I would point to an alphabet/number, do a trace with my finger and say the alphabet/number aloud. Children would always mimic back, even the most boisterous one.


Notebook – Build up anticipation; make a huge deal of buying him his first doodle pad. Preferably one with his present favorite cartoon. Or purchase stickers and turn a plain doodle pad to a colorful personalized pad. Let him document whatever he fancies, in terms of drawing, sticking bits of papers, etc. You might have to go through 4-5 doodle pads but eventually you will see some form of stick human figures, odd shapes, and eventually alphabets and numbers.

ps: to date, we have at least 53 doodle pads since Harris started writing at 3. And counting each week.

Ready or Not – You are the judge. I started with printing out handwriting worksheets that they will have to trace. Have fun with this, when your child traces a letter accurately make this a huge deal, shout “YEAH!” do a little jiggle, clap your hands, reward him with stickers, draw a colorful star (this is what I do for students). Your child will be ready to do the next one and hear the joy his parents emit with his every success.

Advance – once your child masters the handwriting worksheets, you can move along to writing free hand. Be patient. Boys generally scrawl, don’t correct them with each stroke although the temptation is killing you. Let your child learn the basic and move along slowly in correcting and attempting legible writing.
I have sets of notebooks with lines for writing & number skills alone, along with printed worksheets with no guided lines. I expect him to be able to switch from writing on lines, guided line and free hand.

In conclusion, your child is ready to write as soon as he is able to hold pencil/pen/colors/crayons. Age is not a factor. You are your child’s first writing (and reading) teacher. By making the process fun, you’ll set the stage for a lifetime of learning adventures.

Handwritting Worksheets - here
Handwritting for Kids - here

 

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