Because, I am a cat. I know what it is like to eat grass. I know what it is like to not have any thumbs and wait for someone to open the door or a can of food for me.
For most children, that first word is her name. But just how do preschoolers make the jump to writing their names and the other letters of the alphabet?
And is there a right and wrong way to teach your child to write? Shaping letters with dough, tracing them on textured paper cutouts, and writing in the sand or salt trays all help children internalize the shape of the letter, while developing their fine motor skills.
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 needs as a beginning writer. 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 her say the letter name or the directions for writing the letter. Pick up your pencil and cross it. 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, and then erase and try another set. A playful challenge will get your child even more excited to write.
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 makes a mistake, she can simply erase what she wrote and try again.
For a non-messy alternative to fingerpaint, put a bit of fingerpaint 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!
When she is ready to move to paper, give her large sheets of paper and show 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.
Name Writing Before your child begins to write her name, she will need some practice identifying the letters in her name. Try a few of these fun name games and your child will master her John Hancock in no time! If your child is young, she may find it easier to identify and write all uppercase letters first.
Most young children do not have the fine motor control necessary to form lowercase letters and can become quickly frustrated. Cut the letters apart and have your child reassemble the letters of her name in the correct order.
Click here for more info on how to make your own name puzzle. Allow her to trace the letters with her finger for a tactile name experience!
When she is ready to begin writing her name, write the letters in large letters on a big sheet of paper. Have your child first trace the letters with her finger several times, then the eraser side of the pencil, and then the pencil.
Use a dab of paint on the end of her pointer finger to add a bit of color and even more multisensory practice tracing over the letters. The exciting journey of reading and writing begins with the alphabet.
Give your child a great start to a lifetime of writing by providing hands-on experiences with writing. These playful interactions will go a long way in creating a positive attitude about writing for your child!
More preschool letter formation and name writing activities:Sounds that are not [yet] words are usually put in quotation marks if made by a person ("Aaagh!") or italicised if not ('The snow made a soft plomp as it fell').
Bear in mind that "The cat meowed", "The cat said "Miaou"" and The cat made a meow of agreement" . Have you ever noticed how closely related the /f/ and /v/ sounds are?
The /f/ sound is made by touching the upper teeth to the lower lip and then breathing out. The /v/ sound is made exactly the same way except for when you make the /v/ sound you “turn on” your voice. Knowing this helps us.
A cat eating his dinner of dried kibble on a dinner plate on the floor. He doesn’t use a knife and fork and there is no napkin to wipe his face with after he eats. A good exercise to notice detail is to write from another species point of view.
Cat’s Say Meow We were probably all taught as children that cat’s say meow. However, there are a number of different tones and styles of this “simple” sound. This page describes how to write Simple English regardbouddhiste.com English Wikipedia articles are written for everyone.
This includes children and adults who are learning English. Articles should be written about notable encyclopedic subjects. A young child begins her journey of reading and writing as she learns to read and write her first word. For most children, that first word is her name.