Six Methods For Making Learning To Write More Appealing To Pre-schoolers
As parents, we all know that our little ones are not often interesting in participating in activities that aren’t fun, at least not for very long! Fundamental skills such as learning to write require many hours of practice, however, so making this an enjoyable task for your preschoolers is a high priority to set them up well for school. Fortunately, there are so many ways to get creative with this task so that your children will actually relish it and maybe even end up asking you for more time to spend practicing! I’ve compiled a list of tips below to help you establish a fun relationship with writing for your child.
Relevance
Firstly, ensure that your child understands the relevance of writing to them personally. Children thrive on attention, so make writing an activity that is about them. You can start with a very simple and important aspect of their identity which they will love to be able to spell and sign on everything within reach; their own name! This is a word that they are extremely familiar with already so will get them off to an instant win, which always encourages perseverance. You can tie this into other spellings in time by noticing similarities with other words that you see around you. Make it a game, much like “I spy with my little eye”, of spotting signs with familiar letters in them. Next, move on to favorite words and make lists of them, including things like good memories, pets, and imaginary superpowers.
Sensory Experiences
If your child is more of an active learner and needs a greater stimulus than this, try going for more of a sensory experience. Get hands-on experimenting with different mediums. You don’t even need to use writing tools here, which is particularly great for really young beginners as using their hands and fingers to create shapes and letters introduces fine motor skills such as dexterity and strength required for writing gradually. The feel of making marks with different materials such as wet paint, or in salt or sand trays is also highly thrilling for our little ones as they get to play with textures, temperatures, and consistencies. Yes, it’s messy but it will definitely pique their interest and keep them coming back for more!
Tools
When your child is ready to start using more sophisticated implements as their hand-eye coordination develops, make sure that you provide them with interesting tools to use. If normal pens and pencils are a little too big for your child’s hands to cope with, try using smaller things like q-tips dipped in paint, pastels, or chalks, or even seek out some of the half-size pens that golf clubs offer. [easyazon_link identifier=”B001SN8HOY” locale=”US” tag=”chapbrea05-20″]Pencil grips[/easyazon_link] can also help make writing more comfortable, but you can do better than this with a whole range of other options I bet you’ve never even thought of. How about using shaving foam to write with? Or making your own pencil out of playdough? You can use yarn, glue, or when it snows, write messages in the ground!
Journalling
Journalling is something many of us begin as teenagers and carry on for the rest of our lives. Start your child young with this helpful activity, even if it mostly begins with drawing. Children love to record their experiences, so provide them with a [easyazon_link identifier=”197458691X” locale=”US” tag=”chapbrea05-20″]journal[/easyazon_link]in which to do this.
A Special Place
Giving your child a special place to do their writing is also a great incentive to get them keen on practicing. If you can, kit out a comfortable desk with all of their favorite materials and inspiration, pinning up their previous masterpieces to show them how proud you are of what they create.
Gifting And Rewards
Lastly, take advantage of your friends and family in helping you encourage your little ones to write. Suggest making cards for people’s birthdays and seasonal celebrations as gifts. Your child will likely feel highly motivated to do their best work for reasons such as this, and will feel greatly rewarded when their gifts are well received!
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Language & Learning says
Nice advice that parents can follow through for their kids learning needs.