Is handwriting a skill that you should be teaching your child?
ABSOLUTELY!
In today’s world, kids are used to touch screens and typing their letters instead of focusing on handwriting skills.
I believe handwriting is crucial because it improves children’s:
- phonetics
- spelling
- reading
- grammar
- motor skills
Typing and using technology is our new normal BUT handwriting is STILL essential to teach our kids.
Handwriting can be tricky to teach because kids need to combine the skills of holding a pencil correctly and creating the correct letter formation.
Quick Links: 15 Handwriting Activities for Preschoolers
Worksheet Activities (7 Activities)
Non-Worksheet Activities (8 Activities)
Common Mistakes
How can you make learning handwriting fun but simple, so your child is interested in practicing?
I recommend doing these THREE things!
- Try one activity once or twice a week
- Plan engaging activities to practice their skills
- Stay positive with your children!
From personal experience, I know it can be hard to think of helpful activities to do with your child that won’t bore them after a few minutes.
Luckily, I have developed a list of (15) FUN Handwriting Activities YOU can implement today!
But, before we get started talking about the fun activities that you can do, it is essential to note the first step in handwriting is showing your child how to hold a pencil correctly.
Pencil Grasp Development
Before kids start practicing letter development, they have to understand how to hold a pencil correctly.
Believe it or not, at 3 months, your baby is working on skills to be able to grasp objects that will be able to help them later on when learning how to grasp a pencil!
When your son or daughter is in kindergarten, they use a dynamic tripod grasp which is most similar to what adults use.
Want to learn more about what the dynamic tripod grasp is and what it looks like?
Take a look at this Pencil Grip Site toget some more information!
Handwriting Worksheet Activities (7 total)
The best way to develop proper handwriting skills is for your child to get a pencil in their hand and practice writing on a piece of paper!
Now, it’s not very fun to practice writing on a blank piece of paper.
To get your child interested in practicing their skills, you have to make it exciting for them to want to do it.
Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers have an ENDLESS amount of activities to choose from. Here are some of the favorites that I have come across that worked for us!
Activity #1: Box It Up
Activities #1 through #5 are all from the shop, Super God Not Super Mom.
These worksheets caught my eye because of the images, colors, and games. I knew my daughter would be excited to do these worksheets.
I gave her the choice of which one she wanted to do first, and she chose Box It Up.
This worksheet focuses on having children write an uppercase letter in the box without going outside of the lines.
Writing inside the lines is one of the hardest things for kids to do when learning how to write.
Personally, this was one of my favorites because my daughter struggles with making her letters the correct size.
Activity #2: Rainbow Roll
Add some color into learning how to write by using letting your preschooler use colored pencils!
Even adding something as simple as dice into an activity worked like a charm!
Get one piece of dice out and have them roll it.
Depending on what color they choose first, they will trace the letter in that color as many times that it shows on the dice.
You will repeat this process until the worksheet is completed!
Want to add some math into this activity?
Get two pieces of dice out and work with your child on how to add the two numbers together to see how many times they should trace each letter!
Activity #3: Spin The Letter Wheel
Spin The Letter Wheel is another engaging worksheet because you need a paperclip or a spinner from a board game to do this activity.
We used a spinner, and it worked great for us!
Take a look at how we did this worksheet in action by watching this video.
Activity #4: Lovely Lines
This is a more traditional worksheet, which you need to do with kids, so they do understand how to write correctly.
Kids get so enthralled into the game aspect of the worksheet that they may not form their letters correctly because they want to see what will happen next!
It’s important to incorporate both types of worksheets into your teaching methods.
The Lovely Lines activity focuses on proper letter development and spacing.
Activity #5: Final Four
The final four worksheet wraps up the series for this bundle!
It’s a quick review of all the lessons that you previously did to see their progress!
Activity #6: Pen Control and Tracing
Who wants to spend endless amounts on worksheets and workbooks?
I sure don’t!
This is one reason my preschooler loves using this Pen Control and Tracing Book; it is a dry erase book that allows you to do these activities over and over.
*One tip that I would give is to wipe off the workbook when your child is done with it because the dry erase marker doesn’t entirely come off if you let it sit there for a week without using it again.*
Here’s a look at some of the activities inside this workbook!
Activity #7: Reading and Math Jumbo Workbook
Out of all the worksheets that I have mentioned, the Reading and Math Jumbo Workbook is my favorite.
Why?
The workbook is HUGE, so it has handwriting, reading, and math activities!
Want to see what’s inside of this workbook? Take a look at this video to see if this would be something you would be interested in getting for your child!
Non-Worksheet Activities (8 total)
If you ask your preschooler what they would rather play with pencils or cookie sprinkles what do you think they’d choose?
COOKIE SPRINKLES!!
Worksheet activities are critical to proper handwriting development, but you shouldn’t do them every day.
Here are some fun activities that you can do on your off days!
Activity #8: Salt Tray Writing
The best part about salt trays is that you can use ingredients that you most likely have at home!
I love baking, so I have so many different sprinkles for cookies stored away, so that’s what we decided to use first.
If you don’t have one of these trays, I recommend them!
They have been used so much with all of the art projects or play-doh activities that we have done!
You do need to use a whole container of sprinkles on your tray, cookie sheet, etc. for it to work the best.
Depending on your child’s writing ability, you can add a paper underneath the salt/sugar, so when they begin to make the letter, they can look for lines to trace it correctly.
We also tried just using sugar, and that worked well too!
The thing to remember about this activity is that your child’s writing won’t be perfect because they are using their fingers and not a pencil, so make sure to encourage them to try their hardest and most of all have fun!
Activity #9: Chalk Board Writing
The first thing that we did to update our house when we first moved in was put a chalkboard on one of the walls of our playroom!
Best.Decision.Ever.
It’s super easy to do this! All you need is chalk paint. You need to put on a few coats for it to work and look the best!
My kids love using the chalkboard, so whenever I incorporate learning with it, I know it’ll be a hit.
I drew a set of lines that I wanted her to draw the letters within, and I did the first letter to demonstrate to her how to do it correctly!
Activity #10: Play-Doh Letters
Every child I have met and taught LOVES Play-Doh.
There are several ways that you can use Play-Doh for pre-writing activities.
1. Individual letters
If your child is younger, this is the best activity for them.
I downloaded some for FREE using this website: Individual Letter Play-Doh Mat.
When I was showing my daughter how to do this, I had her roll the play-doh into a snake-like formation to create the letters.
2. Sight Words
If you have a school-aged child, this sight word activity is perfect for them.
I downloaded these for FREE using the following site: Sight Word Play-Doh Mat.
This is an enticing way to get your kids excited about reviewing or learning sight words.
RELATED ARTICLE: 7 Easy Ways To Teach Sight Words To Preschoolers.
Activity #11: Shaving Cream Fun
Want to win the best parent of the day award?
Tell your kids that they are allowed to play with shaving cream today!
You can have them practice writing uppercase/lowercase letters, writing their name and sight words if they are starting to learn how to read as well.
Again, this tray has been a lifesaver for me with all of the activities that I do with my kids because it keeps everything inside the tray and it doesn’t get on my kitchen table or desk!
Activity #12: Painting with Q-Tips/Do-A-Dots
I have never met a kid that didn’t like to paint! And using different tools to paint ups the ante even more!
To do this activity, you’ll need:
Starting to work on forming the letters in an engaging way will get your child interested in handwriting!
Activity #13: Magic Board Writing
Does anyone feel like they struggle to get their child to do any school-related work?
I DO!
As a parent, I feel like we will struggle with this daily when it comes time to do homework after school.
When she’s not in the mood to do a worksheet, I try to use our Magic Board or My First Crayola TouchPad.
I like both of these boards because I can demonstrate how to make the letter, erase my work then she can try!
She’s instantly is engaged! Well, at least for a few minutes. 🙂
Activity #14: Glitter Glue Letters!
Out of all the non-worksheet activities that I have listed, this was my daughter’s favorite!
Glitter glue is so fun to play with, but you have to make sure you buy the right brand, or it’s too hard for kids to get the glitter glue out.
We had great success using Elmer’s brand of glitter glue!
With this activity, you can have them practice making shapes, lines, numbers, first/last name, and of the course the alphabet.
All I did was write her name on a blank sheet of paper, and she used the glitter glue to outline the letters the best she could!
Activity #15: Bead Writing
This activity can be done in a few different ways!
A. Toddlers/Preschoolers
If you have a younger child just beginning to work on their handwriting skills, you can make letters out of Play-doh cut-outs.
You can make the letters for them; then they can place the beads on the play-doh to form the letter!
B. Preschoolers
You can either draw a letter on a piece of paper or find a print out of a traceable letter that you want them to work on, and they can place the beads on the letter.
Older kids will enjoy attempting to create the letters on their own! Again, this tray saves the day from a gigantic mess!
6 Common Mistakes Parents Frequently Encounter.
Did anyone else’s parents keep some of their work from when they were little?
Well, mine did, and YIKES my handwriting was a mess when I was little.
Handwriting is tough for kids because many small details go into making a letter.
Here are 6 common mistakes you may see from your child when they are learning how to write
1. Forming letters
2. Making letters the right size
3. Holding the pencil correctly
4. Keeping the paper steady with one hand while writing with the other
5. Spacing letters and words
6. Maintaining proper arm position when writing
Ugh, that’s a lot.
Kids handwriting will not be perfect. Keep practicing and encouraging them to try their best!
If you notice some of the issues common mistakes in your child’s handwriting, try some of the activities that are specific to the problem.
For example, my daughter has trouble with the sizing and spacing of her letters.
Activity #1 Box It Up and Activity #4 Lovely Lines mentioned above worked on those skills.
My recommendation is to start handwriting practice early! In kindergarten, kids are expected to be able to write their first and last name, so it’s never too early to start preparing them.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Learning how to write is a life skill that your child will use when they are writing you cute notes, writing letters to Santa, and writing essays in school.
Handwriting is important to our everyday lives, but it can be challenging for some kids to create legible letters.
Thankfully, by checking out my list of (15) handwriting activities, you and your child will be off to a great start to their handwriting journey!
If you decide to do one of these activities at home with your child, I’d love to hear how it went!
What are some of the writing activities that you do at home with your child that have been successful? Please share them with us by leaving a comment below.
