Preschool Writing Activities - Fun Ways to Teach Your Child to Write

Put down those boring worksheets!  The best way to teach your preschooler to write is to use simple preschool writing activities that make learning fun.  To be ready for kindergarten, your child needs to know how to cut and paste, copy simple shapes, trace vertical and horizontal lines, trace his or her name, and hold crayons, pencils and scissors correctly.

The first step to teaching the above is strengthening the small muscles in the hands and wrists that are used in handwriting.  This process is often referred to as building fine motor skills.  You can encourage fine motor development by having your child use art supplies like crayons, paints, markers, glue and scissors.  Lacing activities, stringing beads and cheerios, playing with playdoh, scooping sand or rice, and activities like pouring and stirring are also great fine motor activities.

When you feel your child is physically ready to write, have your child use a stick fingers in sand or rice, throw pudding, shaving cream, paint or oatmeal. Make simple lines and shapes, and ask your child to copy. So, let your child practice writing clear, dry on a table, chalkboard or Magnadoodle. Preschool children also tend to have fun with special pens and markers for use on Windows and trained in the tub. Be sure to accelerate this process. Let your child move through these stages at their own pace.

If your child is readymove on to pencil and paper.  Build confidence by letting your preschooler trace simple lines and shapes, then proceed to letters.  You can eventually teach your child to write his name by letting him trace or copy it daily.  If your child needs help remembering how to spell her name, practice with fridge magnets, letter tiles or alphabet blocks.

Keep preschool writing activities relaxed and fun.  Don't expect or require perfection.  Learning to write is a fun process that will give your preschooler a boost in confidence and solid foundation for future studies.