The Preschooler

Learn to Write without Writing

When I was young, my handwriting was atrocious.  (I actually earned a ’D’ in the subject in third grade!)  I like many other children, did not like to sit down and practice writing letters on confining lined paper. 

I have a good friend who is struggling with this issue with your daughter right now.  Her daughter is four, and she feels her youngster should be able to write her name accurately with a pencil.  Unfortunately, children this young are not always developmentally ready to complete such a task.  Many preschoolers do not have the fine motor skills to be able to hold a thin pencil and write with control.  It is also very common to have letters written backwards at this age, something my friend was very concerned about.

When practicing the letters in your child’s name, do not feel confined to paper and pencil writing.  Children may enjoy making letters, but the notion that they must use a specific writing instrument on confining lined paper can be both overwhelming and frustrating.

Instead, try some non-traditional ways of forming letters.  A few ideas I gave to my friend were writing in shaving cream, making letters out of play dough “snakes”, and writing on a few spoonfuls of pudding in a locking plastic bag.  After trying only two of these ideas, she called me to report that her daughter was not only having fun, but that she was already making her ’s’s the correct direction.

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Written by Laura on February 9, 2011