When young children are first learning to write, they need plenty of opportunities to explore a variety of meaningful activities that allow them to practice vital skills, such as letter identification, proper pencil grip, and how to form the letters of the alphabet.
Certainly there are a plethora of workbooks and printables available both in stores and online that are specifically designed for such a purpose, but for those of us who are interested in a more hands-on and engaging way of teaching kids to learn to write the letters of the alphabet, this is a great activity.
Materials:
Using a marker, write each letter of the alphabet on a sheet of construction paper.
In this case, I wrote all capital letters for my son, simply because that’s what we’ve been working on. You could certainly do all lowercase, or a mixture of both.
Provide your child with a small container of paint, and a few cotton swabs. Encourage them to trace each letter of the alphabet, using a cotton swab dipped in paint, just as they would with a pencil.
We took the learning a step further, and named each letter, as well as brainstormed several words that begin with that letter, as my son traced each one.
Offer assistance as necessary, but allow children the freedom to make mistakes and correct themselves as they work.
If you have a child who is reluctant to write the traditional way, with a pencil, this might be a fun alternative, to help get them excited about writing the letters of the alphabet.
Not only does this offer a fantastic way for children to practice their fine motor skills, but it’s much more engaging than the worksheets that so many kids tend to resist.
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