Baby Scribbles

Today I discovered that baby has managed to scribble pen over every page of a children’s library book so i thought it would be relevant to post a guest post today from Sarah Morris about other, more structured ways, to encourage writing skills in your toddler.

Recognizing the Beginnings of Writing Skills in Your Toddler

Children love to emulate the actions of adults, and that includes writing. Encourage your child’s interest. When you sit down to write a grocery list or pay bills, make sure to give pencil and paper to your little helper. The scribbles that early writers produce may not look much like writing, but they are actually helping your child develop the fine motor skills that they will eventually use to form letters.\n\nWhen teaching emergent writers, don’t confuse writing with penmanship. Penmanship simply denotes the shape of the letters on the page. Writing is a way to express complex ideas. Putting too much emphasis on the look of your child’s writing can lead to feelings of inadequacy. Encourage children to doodle in shapes such as circles, triangles, ovals and straight lines, as these shapes are helpful for letter formation. Don’t worry about the primitive nature of children’s early attempts. Continue to praise their efforts and proficiency will come with time.

It’s easy to encourage a love of writing in your preschooler. Here a few simple tips to help you get started:

· Supply children with plenty of coloring books and fat crayons from a very early age. The scribbling they do in these books is preparing little fingers to hold pencils and pens.

· Keep notebooks, scratch pads and scrap paper around the house along with a cup filled with washable markers and colored pencils. Give children the opportunity to write whenever you do.\n· Read to your children daily. As they get older, point out letters, trace their shapes and spell simple words in your child’s books, so that he or she will begin to see the relation between words and objects.

· Sing the alphabet song. Wooden blocks with raised letters or puzzles in the shape of the alphabet can help children learn their letters through muscle memory.

· If you see an old typewriter at a yard sale, pick it up. Encourage your child to bang on the keys. Teach children simple skills like how to type out the letters of their name on the computer. Some research has shown that children who learn to write by physically striking the keyboard become more confident and prolific writers.

· Become your child’s personal assistant. Write captions for their drawings or encourage them to tell you a story and write it down while they talk. It won’t be long before he wants to do it “all by myself.”

· Be patient. Children can become frustrated when learning to write because their brains are more developed than their motor skills. Don’t let that frustration become contagious. Know when enough is enough and it’s time to wait to try again another day.

Thanks to Sarah Morris for Primrose Schools- a favorite of parents for their comprehensive approach to preschool education.