Did you know that fine writing skills can enhance a child’s literacy capacities, increase their phonological awareness, improve their motor skills, and scale their vocabulary? It is believed that good writers are also good readers. This is why it is crucial to ensure that your child starts learning the art of writing from an early age.
However, teaching your child how to write can be a little challenging. Toddlers may find it boring and tedious at first, which is why it is very important to make the whole learning process fun by mixing it with engaging activities and games.
In this blog, we will tell you about the effective and easy ways to help your child develop good writing skills
1. Sensory play:
- If you live near a beach, go there with your child and teach him to write on sand.
- If you don’t live near a beach, pour fine-sand or salt in a tray and making your child write the alphabet with his/her finger.
2. Drawing squares
- Draw four big squares on a piece of paper and get your child to draw reasonable straight outlines, within the square box.
- This will help them get a general command over writing and is more specific than colouring the box (or alphabet shape).
3. Palm tracing
- You can make a game out of it by closing your eyes and asking your child to write a letter with his fingers on your palm or arm and try to guess what the letter is.
4. Water pens
- There are many water based pens that can be used on any surface but won’t leave a mark.
- So let your child make a manuscript on your walls! (Get this pen now)
5. Shaving cream
- Sensory play through shaving cream!
- The mess this might create is not for the faint-hearted but it is definitely a fun way to get a reluctant writer to learn and practice!
6. Tin foil
Another new material to write on is foil!
- Take a piece of foil and wrap it around a hard piece of cardboard (or any object to provide a base or fix it on a table so it does not move) and give your child some felt-tip sketch pens and let the practice begin!
- You can also pour some non-toxic paint on it and allow your child to write.
7. Writing boards
- Provide them with a white board or a chalk board (black board) to get them interested and provide a larger (and paper-saving!) space for writing and practicing.
8. Take time
- Make sure your child takes her time to while writing and tell her that there is no pressure to write quickly.
- Speed can be learnt with time.
9. Holding a pencil right
- Watch out for how much pressure the child is putting on the pencil.
- A lot of children put a lot of pressure while writing and this prevents the pencil from moving smoothly across the paper thus making it difficult to write.
10.Gadgets
- If your little one loves gadgets then get him her to write on your tablet devices.
- There are many apps that offer colour ink, backgrounds etc. However, this is not highly recommended.
Final Takeaway
Writing is a skill that plays a vital role in early childhood. This is why most parents ensure that their kids learn pre-writing skills at the age of 3 or 4. Good writing skills not only enhance their literacy and communication skills but also boosts their self-esteem and confidence. They learn to use creativity to solve problems and expand their imagination. Writing helps in reinforcing art and language skills and also helps kids establish a strong base for school.