Possum is in four year old kinder this year and has now become very interested in writing. She is writing her name everywhere possible (thankfully only on paper though) and trying to write other things.
To foster this interest I have put together a writing box for Possum, so she can take it off the toy shelf when she wants and practice as much as she likes. At this stage of the writing process the most important skill for her to master is pencil control.
Once a child can make straight and curved marks, he/she may be able to move on to making some symbols. All symbols, both letters and numbers, are made up of straights, curves or a combination of both.
So the writing box doesn’t consist of letter sheets, but sheets with shapes to trace and copy so Possum can practice her curved and straight lines. This will help then to form the letters that she is trying to write. I won’t discourage her from writing letters at the moment, but will simply try and complement this with pencil control practice.
I found some fantastic pre writing sheets at KidZone. I have combined some that I think Possum will like and packaged them into the word document below. This allows me to print out more sheets when she has finished easily and also to print double sided. You can download a copy here:
Pre-writing Practice Worksheets
Other items we include in the Preschool Writing Box are:
- Large Triangular HB Pencils – This style of pencils are easier for preschoolers to hold and encourage the correct pencil grip.
- Large Coloured Triangular Pencils – As above
- Blank paper – For free writing and drawing
- Scissors – Using scissors helps to strengthen fingers and hands which are helpful to fine motor control. Many of the shapes on these sheets can be cut out once traced and coloured.
- Paste – Of course once you cut something, you need to paste it somewhere!
- Coloured paper – for practicing cutting and pasting.
By having this box prepared and available, I find that Possum will do this much more frequently. It is also an activity that she will apply herself to for long periods of time, without any involvement from me!
