For any child that can hold a crayon, and even older kids, having good penmanship is a skill that can be learned with a little practice. Here are a good five activity ideas to help your kids practice writing and have a little fun while doing it too.
For Children Ages 2 To 3
It is always good to know that children that can’t read can still learn to write and practice their motor skills. For young children, they should be given thick markers or crayons that are easy to grasp and encouraged to draw in circles and also scribble in straight lines. These practice exercises can provide them with the skills they will need to write most basic letters later on. There should be no rules, only focus on continuous hand movement and the use of color to keep their attention.
For Children Ages 4 To 5
At this age, children might have little interest in letters and numbers, but almost all kids may express a greater interest in animals. You can draw your kids simple shapes, animals and pictures and have them try and trace or copy them. Tracing paper can be bought at any stationery store and any double-wide notebook paper can be used for copying. First draw the shape as it should be on one line of the notebook paper. Next to it, draw the same shape in dotted lines for the child to trace before trying to copy the picture on their own.
For Children Ages 6 To 8
Children who have been in school for a few years have now gotten the general idea of how to write their letters and numbers. Many bookstores offer print and cursive workbooks that give kids the practice they need, without having to ask mom or dad to create worksheets. If the books seem a little costly, the internet is a great source of free practice sheets and the only cost involved would be the piece of paper used to print it out.
For Children Ages 9 And Up
One way to convince older children to practice their penmanship, is to do it in a way that doesn’t let them know they are actually practicing. Calligraphy may not a commonly used writing style, but it does require more concentration and skill in order to reproduce the letters correctly. A calligraphy pen and instructional book may help your older child slow down and take note in how to form his letters better.