They see mom and dad writing a note or a shopping list and want to do the same, which is why you may catch your kid scribbling their own notes full of zigzags, circles and other almost-letter shapes.
But teaching your child to write isn’t as easy as putting a pencil in his hand and showing him the alphabet.
Before they can print their name legibly, they’ll need practice in multiple areas. Luckily, it’s easy to teach these lessons at home.
The small hand muscles needed for writing aren’t well formed in three- and four-year-olds. But scribbling and colouring provides an intense workout that will help them strengthen up.
Encourage your child to draw as often as possible by giving them a variety of writing tools, such as crayons, chalk and markers.
Your child’s first grasp on a pencil will probably be a tightly closed fist. Encourage a good grip by offering them a small, broken crayon to practice letters with instead.
Your child will instinctively hold it with his fingertips, which will reinforce a more mature grip.
It is recommend pinching the pencil between the thumb and index finger and resting it on the side of the middle finger, but it’s okay if your child holds the pencil with all three fingers.
Some kids are still learning to hold down a piece of paper with one hand while writing with the other. Using an easel can eliminate this problem and also help improve overall technique.
Give your little writer a lot of alphabet inspiration so they can memorise the shapes.
Stock up on letter magnets and puzzles and use shaving cream to spray letters on the wall during bath time.
As you play, highlight the small differences between easily confused characters, like B and P, and M and W.
Letter recognition doesn’t always translate into letter writing. Children see the whole form, not the specific parts, so a four-year-old might write the letter E with six arms instead of three.
Your child probably already recognises their name. When you teach them how to write it, don’t have them trace your letters because children tend to focus on following the lines rather than learning the movements and patterns of the letters.
Instead, write out their name and have them copy it underneath. Choose fun activities to give them practice, such as signing Valentine’s Day cards.
When it comes to letter construction, there’s no wrong way at this point.
They’ll learn the mechanics once they are in school, so don’t sweat the small stuff. Instead, show how exciting writing can be, so they see it as a fun activity, not as a chore.
