Today at one of our independent centers the children used Do-a-Dots to dot the letters in their names. The children are doing a wonderful job of recognizing their names when mixed with other names. Our focus now will be on helping the children to write their names correctly.
Young children learn best when they are taught using a multisensory approach, involving as many senses as possible. Try a few of these hands-on letter formation and name writing activities for beginning writers and your child will have all the skills she/he needs as a beginning writer
Air Writing. Have your child write letters in the air first. These large muscle movements will help your child process what she is writing and make it more likely to stick. As she writes the letter, have him/her say the letter name or the directions for writing the letter. For example, for the letter T, you might say, “Start at the top, go straight down. Pick up your pencil and cross it.”
Foamy Fun. While your child is in the tub, spray a bit of shaving cream on the side of the tub or wall. On a hot day this is also fun to do outside, and your patio table will sparkle when you're done! Allow your child to practice writing letters, then erase and try another set. A playful challenge will get your child even more excited to write.
Kitchen Tracing. Pour a small amount of sand or salt In a cake pan or baking dish. Allow your child to practice tracing letters without the pressure of more permanent writing utensils such as markers and crayons. If she/he makes a mistake, she/he can simply erase what she/he wrote and try again.
Paint Practice. For a non-messy alternative to finger paint, put a bit of finger-paint inside a quart or gallon zipper bag. Remove the air, seal the bag and double the seal with some masking or duct tape. Your child can practice tracing letters on the outside of the bag, manipulating the paint with no mess or cleanup!
Puzzle Practice. Make a name puzzle by writing your child’s name in large letters on a sheet of paper. Cut the letters apart and have your child reassemble the letters of her name in the correct order.
Sand Writing. Write the letters of your child’s name on a sheet of sandpaper. Allow him/her to trace the letters with his/her finger for a tactile name experience!
Learn Your Letters. When he/she is ready to move to paper, give him/her large sheets of paper and show him/her the strokes to make different letters. If you can give the letters human characteristics, it will be even more fun! (For example, a letter E is a straight line with a hat, a belt and a shoe.)
How to Practice Preschool Letter and Name Writing
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