Teaching your child to write is not as easy as putting a pencil in his hand and showing him the alphabet. Before he can print his name, he will need practice in multiple areas. It’s easy to teach these lessons at home.
Usually any child’s first attempt of writing takes place in the preschool years. Their vocabulary expands dramatically at this age, and they begin to understand that symbols, including letters and numbers, have meaning. They see parents scribbling away at a note or a shopping list and want to do the same, which is why you may catch your child writing his own nonsensical memos full of zigzags, circles, and other almost-letter shapes.
The lines and curves of letters extend haphazardly into each other. Some are backward. Others lie on their side as if they have been pushed over by a schoolyard bully.
1. Get The Grip:
Any child’s first grasp on a pencil will mostly be a tightly closed fist. Encourage a good grip by offering them a crayon or a pencil to practice letters with instead. They will instinctively hold it with their fingertips, which will later turn into a mature grip. Holding the pencil between the thumb and index finger and resting it on the side of the middle finger, but it is okay if your child holds the pencil with all the three fingers. And if he is left-handed, he will face a special challenge.
2. Maintain Proper Posture:
Maintaining the proper posture is one of the most important thing that a child has to be shown while writing. Some children are still learning to hold the paper with one hand while writing with the other. Children require a slanted surface which helps them to extend their wrist where they can properly support and move the pencil.
3. Give Letter Knowledge:
Give your beginning writer lots of alphabet inspiration so they can memorize the shapes. As you play, highlight the small differences between easily confused letters, like B and P, and M and W. Letter recognition doesn’t always translate into letter writing. A child sees the whole form, not the specific parts so they might write the letter E with six arms instead of three. Show them the right strokes with clues.
4. Writing Their Name:
Children recognize their names as they see it everywhere mentioned on their things. When you teach them how to write it, don’t ask them to trace your letters because kids tend to focus on following the lines rather than learning the movements and patterns of the letters. Choose fun activities to give them practice, such as signing greeting cards or writing their names on sticky tags etc.
