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Handwriting: Readiness Readiness Instruction |
| Before introducing structured handwriting instruction, a child should have achieved certain milestones of underlying visual motor skill development. Specifically, children should be able to copy _ | O / \ and + before focusing on writing letters. When should children be able to copy these forms? Normal development allows for a range of abilities, but based on research, children should be able to copy | _ and O at approximately 3 years of age and / \ and + at 4-5 years of age. What should I do if my child cannot copy these forms? First provide the least assistance possible: have them watch as you draw the form, then have them try it. If your child is still unable to imitate, try hand-over-hand instruction: The child holds the crayon/ marker and you place you hand over theirs, controlling their movements. Do this 3-7 times, and then have them try again to imitate you. Still not working? Add some verbal cues, for example: 1. While drawing a horizontal line (left to right of course!) make the sound "Whoosh!" 2. When drawing a +, elongate your words and say "dooooowwwnnn, acroooooosss" as you make pencil strokes down and then across the page. |
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