Handwriting

Fun Ways to Learn Writing

Fun ways to learn writing letters and drawing shapes without holding a pencil

 

 

Girl Writing

 

1. Allow for sensory experiences such as having a child use his/her finger to make letters in shapes in any of the following:

a. in cornmeal
b. sand
c. pudding
d. foam soap
e. shaving cream
f. colored sand
g. encourage the child to use a pincer grasp to glue beans, noodles, cotton balls, rice, cloth, foam pieces onto paper to make letters, numbers, diagonal lines, or shapes

2. Build letters with playdoh or pretzel dough-hand strength/arches to roll
3. Letter stamps- pincer grasp
4. Air write letters-isolation of finger; kinesthetic to recall letters
5. Finger paint letters or shapes-isolation of finger
6. Make letters with wikkie sticks or pipe cleaners- pincer grasp to peel off sticks; isolation of finger to trace over letter or shape made
7. Alphabet bingo game
8. Write letters on the following
a. Magnadoodle
b. glowboard
c. dry erase board or blackboard
d. use a chopstick to make shapes or letters in playdoh- grasp/strength
9. Trace tactile letters with pointer finger (works on finger isolation)
a. use colored glue and let dry for tracing
b. glue on yarn to make letter
c. glue sand or cornmeal on to make a letter
10. Allow opportunity for children to use a variety of writing tools for practice
a. crayons or markers
b. chalk
c. paint
d. colored pencils
e. vibrating pens
f. number two pencils

Commercial Games that can help increase hand strength and dexterity (Compiled by WriteSteps Pediatric Occupational Therapy)

(Many of these activities should be used with supervision for young children or a child who is cognitively impaired in order to prevent mouthing objects or injury)

1. Don’t Break the Ice
2. Lite Brite
3. Bed Bugs
4. Pop Beads
5. Playdoh (can use toy rolling pins and toy cookie cutters)
6. Topple
7. Stencils
8. Magnadoodle
9. Hungry Hungry Hippos
10. Etch-a-sketch
11. Lego
12. Don’t Spill the Beans
13. Fun pads with mazes and hidden pictures (also works on visual perceptual skills)
14. Pick Up Sticks
15. Hi-Ho Cherry-O
16. Crayola Trace and Draw

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