May is in full swing and this week we are discussing all things pre-writing and fine motor preparation.
Preparing the Hand for Writing
Before a child writes for the first time, they are learning the proper fine motor movements they need to become successful. These motions and movements are learned and practiced with various works throughout the classroom.
The Sand Tray is the perfect work for the youngest members of the classroom. When children are not yet ready to grip a stylus or writing instrument, tracing with the finger is a wonderful way to practice the motions of writing while receiving sensory input.
Once a child has strong enough fine motor skills to hold a pencil, they can be invited to the metal inset shelf. The metal insets offer a multitude of practice for little hands as they subconsciously learn both geometric shapes and the shapes and movements of writing letters.
Make the work easier to transport and customize with the Metal Inset Carrying Tray and Metal Inset Paper Tray.
After practicing the skill of tracing the metal inset and frame of a shape, you can invite the child to use the pin-punching set to pop the shape out of the paper.
This week's worksheet gives you some additional spring shapes to offer to your students to punch out. Feel free to print them on colored paper or invite the child to color in each shape before beginning the work.
Letter Tracing
Once a child has the necessary fine motor skills needed to hold a writing utensil properly, it is time for them to practice writing letters. tracing letters is a great way to get in the practice children need to feel confident in their ability to form letters correctly and consistently.
Letter tracing can be as simple as inviting the child to write over words written in highlighter on a piece of paper or through the use of a Wooden Tracing Board. This wooden tracing board is double-sided to allow students to practice writing both their lowercase and uppercase letters.
The grooves allow children to practice the movements of each letter with consistency, helping the hand learn the proper movements needed when writing each letter.
Check out the Spring Pin Punching Activity page.
