Writers come in all shapes and sizes – preschoolers are no exception! If you have a toddler that loves to tell you stories of how their day way – whether it’s spent at school, or just telling you about their “adventures” with their toys and or dollies, that would make a great case for them to write about it! Writing for preschoolers should be a fun exercise, how else can we expect them to stick to it?

How do preschoolers develop writing skills?

Here are 6 fun and innovative ways to help preschoolers love the craft of forming words on paper!

Name-Writing

“When you first introduce your preschooler to writing, you’ll need to make it relevant to him or her,” says Ezra Jacoby, a writer at OXEssays and PaperFellows. “One of the best ways to do this is to have them practice writing their own name. By teaching them to write their name, you’re allowing them to essentially ‘make their mark,’ whenever they create things like art.”

Here are ways to encourage name-writing:

  • Point out letters in their name whenever you see them in print in the real world. (For example, you can point out the first letter of their name on a cereal box or in a book.)
  • Allow your child to start small – Let them “make their mark” by letting them write the first letter of their name on their drawings, paintings, etc.

Writing for Preschoolers: Some Fun Tools To Help Them

Writing With Golf Pencils

Golf pencils are small pencils that you might come across at golf courses (including mini-golf) and bowling alleys. While golf pencils are smaller than regular pencils, these special pencils can be used to help kids learn how to properly grip a pencil whenever they’re writing.

Alternatives to golf pencils are okay too. You can use things like:

  • A piece of chalk
  • A broken crayon (a dark color, preferably), OR
  • A short leftover piece of a normal pencil

Finger-Writing

Or, you have your child start smaller – have them use their fingers. The truth, writing doesn’t just involve pencil or crayon. Sometimes, children will use their own fingers to do things like draw or paint. Using the fingers in such a fashion helps develop strength and dexterity, which can eventually be used to better grasp a pencil or crayon once they get used to writing. 

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Here are some great ways to get your child started on finger-writing:

  • Sand or salt trays, where children can write their names (or other words, if possible) or draw
  • Squishy gel sensory bags (or make some of your own by filling it with a squishy substance like jelly)
  • Paint trays where children can write with different paint colors

Using A Pencil Grip

If you’d like your child to learn how to properly hold a pencil, then you can have them use a pencil grip, which are sold in many office-based retail stores, grocery stores, etc. Or, to add more fun, you can create your own pencil grips by poking a pencil through a piece of clay that’s rolled up. With the clay, the child can hold the pencil like they normally would, and then push their fingers and thumb into the clay to create indents that they can refer to in later uses.

Practice With Raised Lines And Textured Surfaces

“Sometimes, preschoolers need help finding structure in their writing,” says Johnny Tanner, an educational expert at Boomessays and Essayroo. “Kids may have a hard time whenever they try to write letters. For that, you can have them use raised line paper and textured surfaces to help them in their writing.”

Let’s explore the two options:

  • When having your child write with raised lines, you can have them use lined paper or wide-ruled notebook paper. Once they get the feel of writing on lined paper or notebook paper, you can have them trace the lines with either school glue or paint, and let them dry.
  • When having them write on a textured surface, they can put their paper on top of something hard and bumpy (i.e. sandpaper, a plastic placemat, etc.).

Create A Writing Station

Finally, you can create a writing station that your child can go to, to get into writing. By having a special place for your child to write, and to use and keep their supplies:

  • Paper
  • Pencils
  • Crayons
  • Paints
  • Markers
  • Glue
  • Scissors, etc.

… you’re establishing their own writing center – almost similar to the one that they would see in their classroom.

In Closing…

As you can see, writing can be fun and simple for preschoolers. By keeping in mind these 6 tips, not only will your child grow in their writing, but they’ll also find it fun to do!