Pre-writing skills

Pre-writing skills do not have to be developed only sitting at a table and doing writing tasks.

Each skill a child develops builds on another skill. You need all skills in all areas of development to promote and develop writing skills.

Yes, pre-writing skills are considered the first stage of the writing process. However, the path to developing pre writing skills is not as black and white as a child having to be seated and drawing or writing to develop the skills.

Pre-writing is so much more than what we may traditionally think of as your typical writing skills and the promotion of their development.

Pre-writing skills can be developed by a variety of activities.

Development and a child reaching certain milestones is all interconnected. A child playing with blocks has value and impact for a child’s fine motor skills. A child playing at home corner has value and impact for a child’s gross motor skills. Every thing that a child does influences their development.

Play is a large component of their development as they are able to learn, practice and master skills during play. This means they are building muscles, enhancing development all through play.

Developmentally, in order for a child to achieve any success in their pre-writing skills they need to be able to:

• Cross their midline. If you draw a imaginary line down the middle of your body this is your midline. If a child is able to cross over that line that is crossing their midline. So if a child can take their left hand and touch their right ear that is crossing their midline. This is important as a pre-writing skill. Poor mid-line crossing will affect how a child reads (tracking with the eye from left to right) and writes (using the dominant hand across the writing page).
• Bilateral Coordination. This is linked to crossing the midline. Bilateral coordination is a child using both hands or arms together for an activity or both legs at the same time, as well as being able to coordinate legs and arms together.

Pre-writing skills are fundamental in the a child’s ability to write.

Working on pre-writing skills include:

• Finger dexterity and strength
• Crossing midline and choosing a dominant hand
• Promoting proper hand grasp/pencil grasp on objects used in hands-on activities
• Focus on a developing a child’s core strength and gross motor skills. These are needed to promote good pre-writing skills.

2- 3 years: Vertical Line – At 2 they will imitate. At 3 they will copy/master.

2 ½- 3 years: Horizontal Line  & Circle shape– At 2 ½ they will imitate. At 3 they will copy/master.

3 ½-4 years: Cross Shape (+) – At  3 ½ they will imitate. By age 4 copy

4 years: Square Shape 

4 ½  years:Right/Left Diagonal Line 

5 years: X Shape & Triangle

• Draw shapes in the sand. Children can trace over them with their finger or with cars, farm animals or other toys
• Playing shaving cream, goup or finger paint
• Getting them to trace over a shape using the outline with a torch or even their fingers
• Find shapes in everyday places and when you are engrossed in other activities as well. Talk about the other shapes, etc and get them to trace around them and identify them
• Paint the fence with water. You could together draw chalk shapes and then they could wash off with their paintbrushes by tracing around the shapes
• Large person drawing. Tracing around people lying on the ground with chalk or textas. You could even cut them out them and use them for another activity such as collage
• Dancing to music and doing music and movement activities. They could use scarves and move them around. It could be as simple as that or you could prompt them to make a shape or letter by drawing the shape in the air with their scarf
• Make sandpaper shapes and letters. Children can then feel their way around them with their fingers
• Movement is a great way to teach children about shape, direction and other concepts associated with pre-writing. Try to keep the movements large, and talk to the children about what they are doing in order to draw their attention to the movement. This can be by talking about what they are doing such as a square goes down, across, up, across.