Pre-writing Skills

What are pre-writing Skills?
When should we see Pre-writing SKills develop?

• Certain fundamental skills need to be developed before a child even picks up a pencil.  Check out these skills in detail by clicking the links below.

              fine motor strength     thumb opposition      crossing the midline      pincer grasp   finger isolation     eye-hand coordination     hand arches      bilateral coordination  
                          upper body strength     in-hand manipulation

• Many children develop these skills naturally, just by engaging in play.

• Some children need an extra boost for a variety of reasons.  The list of activities below will help sort out appropriate activities by age group.

Writing skills begin with crawling

During this first year of life, most infants are working on fundamental movement skills such as head control, rolling, coming to sit, learning to crawl, then cruising and eventually walking.  Their hands are evolving from a primarily fisted position to reaching toward objects and touching them, then putting things in their mouths and transferring objects between hands.  They are learning to grasp with all fingers together, and by age one most will be able to grasp with just a thumb and index finger (pincer grasp).  They can also throw a ball and other objects, drop and pick up toys, and feed themselves finger-foods. Here is what is important during this first year:

• Provide lots of tummy time opportunities when Baby is alert and active.  This will help develop neck, shoulder and core strength.  It helps them to get ready to push up, roll over, sit up, crawl and stand.  Tummy time prepares the arms and hands for fine motor skills and prepares the legs for eventually walking.

• Crawling is necessary toward developing the arches in the hands needed for important fine motor skills. Don't let your baby skip this important developmental step by placing him/her in a baby walker or allowing him to scoot around on his bottom, slither on her stomach or roll across the room.  Crawling provides weight bearing opportunities into the arms which is needed for shoulder stability and impacts postural strength needed for sitting, standing and walking.  Crawling also helps to develop bilateral skills (using both sides of the body) and an alternating "cross-crawl" pattern of movement.

Pre-Writing skills by age

• 1 to 2 years - Kids can

  • Pick up toys from a standing position

  • Paint with whole arm movements

  • Put rings on a peg

  • Turn two or three pages of a book at a time

  • Scribble with all types of media (pencils, markers, crayons, food on a tray)

  • Finger paint: also use other media such as shaving cream and pudding

  • Turn knobs

  • Ball play with small and large balls

    • start with rolling on the floor, then gentle 2-handed tossing

• 2 to 3 years - Kids can
  

  • Turn pages one by one

  • Hold crayon with thumb and fingers instead of fist

    • use broken crayons to encourage this pincer grasp

  • Trace over vertical and horizontal lines and circles in a top to bottom direction

  • Draw in shaving cream, whipped cream, pudding, hair gel, finger paint, sand, etc. to keep things interesting

  • Paint with wrist action, rather than whole arm movements, to make strokes

  • Tear paper and make collage pictures

  • Snip edges of paper or around paper plates with scissors

    • try cutting along a short line

  • Roll, pound, squeeze, and pull clay or putty

• 3 to 4 years - Kids can

  • Throw and catch a ball

  • Drive pegs into holes

  • Draw crosses and circles in a top to bottom direction

  • Put lines together to draw people

  • Draw in shaving cream, whipped cream, pudding, hair gel, finger paint, sand, etc. to keep things interesting

  • Manipulate clay by making balls, snakes, etc.

  • Play with wind-up toys

  • Build with construction toys

    • Duplos, Bristle Blocks, wooden blocks

  • Toy tools such as hammer and nails, screwdriver, nuts and bolts

  • Lacing boards

  • String medium and small sized beads

  • Cut along wide lines with scissors

    • eventually cut around a circle

  • Fold paper for cutting snowflakes or paper airplanes with assistance

  • Imitate drawing vertical and horizontal lines, circles and crosses

• 4 to 5 years

  • Copy crosses, squares and X's in a top to bottom direction

  • Draw people, animals and objects

  • Draw in shaving cream, whipped cream, pudding, hair gel, finger paint, sand, etc. to keep things interesting

  • Use coloring books to color within the lines of the picture

  • Print a few capital letters

  • Practice writing first name

• 5 to 6 years

  • By age 6, most children have mastered the basic strokes needed to form letters and numbers.  

    • Make sure they form shapes, numbers and letters in a top to bottom direction and from left to right.

  • Reinforce learning letters by making it fun:  

    • Try Rainbow Writing-- retrace over strokes and letters in different colors of crayons or chalk

  • Use sidewalk chalk to write and draw

  • Connect stickers or stamps to form shapes, letters and numbers