Ready, Set, Write!

Parenting constantly reminds me of how many things children do not automatically know how to do. Sure, babies have to learn how to eat, sleep, crawl and talk, but as children grow older, they continue to encounter many other things to learn. Learning how to dress and undress themselves, put on and take off their own shoes, ride a bike, use scissors and write, just to name a few.

Learning how to write is just as crucial as learning the alphabet, numbers and how to read. Cara Burgener, Olathe mother of two and parent educator at Blue Valley School District, says the Parents as Teachers Program begins talking about writing at the 27-month visit with their families. “We often talk to parents about building fine motor skills to help with self-help and later with writing in school. Self-help skills, like buttoning, zipping a coat and pulling up pants, are great ways to work on building strength in children's fingers and hands. Other great activities that develop fine motor muscles are stringing beads, tweezers, play dough, squeezing sponges in the bath and finger plays like ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ or ‘Where is Thumbkin?’” she says. “These fun activities will all help little hands when gripping pencils and give more strength and coordination when needing to write and form letters.”

In the Olathe Public School District’s “Getting Ready for Kindergarten” brochure, the district suggests parents allow their children to see them reading, writing and learning as it applies to daily life. “Share your own enthusiasm for learning,” the district advises. “Also, set aside a special place for learning and for learning materials (crayons, pencils, paper, scissors, etc.).”

Jennifer Farrell, Overland Park mother of two and former teacher, says, “When they start coloring, make sure they hold the crayon with the proper grip. A bad grip is so difficult to unlearn and can result in hand fatigue when they are at a stage that they are writing a lot (middle school).” 

She also says, “Get the thick crayons and pencils because they are easier for the little ones to hold. When children enter kindergarten, they should be able to write their name. As everything with children, it is so developmental, and there is a wide range of normal. Make it fun. Sidewalk chalk outside is fun; drawing in the snow with a stick is too. Lots of experiences tracing with a finger on different surfaces help the child internalize how to write letters. For example, tracing on something rough, on another person’s back, something smooth, etc. If they get frustrated, they aren't ready. Put the instruction away and just let them color or do something different and try again in a week or so.”

Lisa Schonhoff, mother of three and former teacher from Olathe, has some great ideas to incorporate writing with different technology apps. Her favorite app for letter tracing is called ABC Tracing. “Reading to children and telling them stories is one of the most important activities that parents can do with their children to help them become writers. Once children begin imaginative play and telling stories on their own, parents can ask their children to write their stories together,” she says.

Schonhoff’s 4-year-old daughter loves telling her baby sister stories, and whenever Schonhoff hears her telling a story, she asks whether she can write the story with her daughter. This can be done on paper, the computer or the iPad. “The iPad is our favorite because we can use the Book Creator app for the iPad, and it allows us to create awesome books that can be downloaded to ibooks,” Schonhoff says. “I write whatever she wants me to write while guiding her through the story writing process. This is a great opportunity to talk about very basic grammar and mechanics, such as periods and capital letters. She also helps me sound out words. Her favorite part is choosing the pictures to go with the story. We read the stories over and over together until she can read them herself. She is very proud of herself as an author.”

You can find a plethora of pre-writing activities on Pinterest, and I personally have used various worksheets, dot markers, cutting practice, as well as practicing with the A to Z Uppercase and Lowercase Magnatabs educational toys and alphabet dry erase boards. I also incorporate practice writing with thank you cards or crafts to send to grandparents.

Stephanie Loux is the mother of two preschoolers and writes from her home in Olathe.