Fun Pre-Writing Activities for Preschoolers

Little kid writing is awesome. I treasure my collection of cute writing samples from each of my children. All their backward S’s and E’s with nine horizontal lines crammed in for extra flair represent a brief moment in time. But, while we’re in that moment, how can we best help children learn to write letters?

Watch for developmental readiness

Like most developmental tasks — walking, toilet training, bike riding—handwriting involves the coordination of many motor and cognitive skills. (Check out the OT Toolbox for a full run-down.) Rushing kids forward before their bodies and brains are ready rarely works and can be frustrating for everyone. However, you can choose beneficial experiences from the ideas below that fit your child’s developmental stage.

Build hand strength and fine motor skills

Adequate hand strength and fine motor skills are essential for writing and myriad other daily tasks — opening and closing containers, fastening clothing, using eating utensils, and many more. The best way to build strength and skills is through play! Here are some ideas:

• Offer playdough or clay. Squeezing, rolling, pinching, and using tools is the best workout for kids’ hands. Plus, there are endless variations on how to play. Bookmark The Artful Parent’s idea page so you never run out.
• Use small building toys. LEGO, magnetic tiles, blocks, gears, snap toys — anything you press, fit, clip, or manipulate is excellent for kids’ hands.
• Have fun with scissors and glue. When kids are ready for these challenges, teach them to hold and use scissors (thumb up!) and cut recycled paper, ribbon, or anything you can handle scattered on the floor in tiny pieces. My kids even love giving the grass a “haircut.” Squeezing a glue bottle to make small dots for gluing sequins, beads, or beans is also great prep for writing.

Practice in-hand manipulation

Activities that require moving the thumb and forefinger prepare kids to grasp a pencil.

• Play fast-flipping games. Race to flip over bottle caps or coins on a long line of painter’s tape on the floor or table, or see how many items kids can flip in a certain amount of time.
• Play pick-up games. Dump out a collection of small items (beads, cereal, vase filler from your local dollar store, etc.) and challenge kids to pick them up with their fingers or small tongs. Older kids like to race, and younger children enjoy doing it methodically. (Always supervise little ones who may put items in their mouths.)
• Roll mini-balls. Rip paper scraps and show kids how to roll mini balls. (This also works with any kind of dough.) Filling a container with different colored balls while listening to an audiobook is surprisingly satisfying! My former students also loved stockpiling balls for animal figurines to have “snowball fights.”
• Use teeny-tiny pencils. Very short pencils or broken crayon pieces naturally force kids towards a correct pencil grasp. Offer them for coloring or play activities like taking orders at a pretend restaurant.

Learn about letters — without writing

Most kids learn about letters before they are ready to write them. To spell, kids ultimately need to know both letter symbols and sounds. Plus, research shows that learning letter names predicts literacy success, likely because letter names are an easy way to call up all that letter knowledge. Enjoying alphabet books together and offering alphabet games, puzzles, and activities during playtime is always a great idea. Kids will keep learning about letters as they work on writing (the motor practice is excellent for forming brain connections), but up-front alphabet expertise is so helpful.

Teach pencil grip and letter formation

It’s crucial that you, as the adult, brush up on the correct way to hold a pencil and how to form each letter. A three or four-finger pinching pencil grasp and consistent strokes, starting at the top every time, are the most efficient way to write letters.

Armed with your expertise, you can introduce your kids to writing letters when they show interest and readiness. Model how to hold a pencil “the grown-up way” whenever kids draw or write. It is also helpful to explain to kids the difference between “drawing” and “writing letters.” There are many ways to draw a flower — being creative is fun! However, there is one correct way to write the letter F: a big line down and two little lines out.

Make practicing fun

Practicing writing can involve mark-making with a pencil, marker, or crayon, but it doesn’t have to. Go for a variety to keep it fun. You can:

• Have your child write letters on your back with their finger. Make it a guessing game if you want.
• Write letters on a foggy mirror, window, or door.
• Get a little messy by squirting shaving cream or paint onto a tray and writing letters in it.
• Get less messy by making a sensory bag. Put a small amount of paint or other colored liquid (dish soap, hair gel, etc.) in a zip-top plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and tape it shut. “Write” letters on the bag with a fingertip or a cotton swab.
• Offer kids letter workbooks. Many kids love to feel grown-up by working on workbooks, and some fantastic ones are available. Make sure kids get a say in when and how long they work and that you help introduce the directions for each page so the practice is productive.
• Watch videos or listen to songs that teach letter formation. Kids love to watch or listen and write letters in the air with the prompts. Start with Jack Hartmann’s Alphabet Workout for uppercase letters. When kids are ready for more, try his song “I’m So Excited to Read and Write.”
• Work on name-writing. Knowing how to write your name is empowering, and it’s what many kids learn to write first. The Measured Mom has a helpful tip page about teaching and practicing name writing.