Pre-writing and formation

Handwriting skills, pre-writing and formation (video)

This is video 3 in a 6-part series.

Handwriting skills

What you will learn

In this video, you will learn about:

• pre-writing skills
• letter formation

Pre-writing skills

Your child needs certain skills before they start writing letters. These are called pre-writing skills.

Pre-writing skills include:

• drawing simple shapes
• holding a crayon
• practising hand and finger movements for better control

They can help do this by practising drawing:

• vertical lines
• horizontal lines
• circles
• X
• squares
• triangles

If a child cannot make the basic marks, they may find it hard to learn to write.

For example, if you cannot draw a diagonal line, you are unlikely to draw a triangle. You may also not be able to form the shape of the letter 'w'.

Pre-writing shapes

Here are some tips for teaching pre-writing shapes to children.

You could:

• draw a shape and ask your child to copy the shape
• use your finger to draw large shapes in the air or draw on a chalkboard
• for a multi-sensory experience, draw shapes using chalk outside, in a sandbox or through shaving foam
• draw lines and shapes in context - for example, draw a house with windows and doors
• use different materials to practise pre-writing shapes - for example, straight lines with spaghetti or ice-pop sticks

Letter formation

Once your child is comfortable with pre-writing skills, you can start exploring letter shapes together.

Think about grouping letters to join a shape or a repeated movement. This also helps to separate letters that are often written in reverse.

Ways of grouping letters include:

• anti-clockwise circles - c, a, o, d, g, q
• straight letters - i, l, t, b, h, k
• down, up, and over letters - m, n, r, p
• down, round, and up letters - f, j, s, x, z
• others - e, f, j, s, x, z

Learning the formation and shapes of letters in a clear way can make handwriting easier and faster for children.

Consistency is important

Try to make sure everyone teaching your child to write uses the same approach.

Talk to your child's school teacher about this. School is the main place where they will learn how to write.

Handwriting courses

There are educational courses that can help your child's handwriting development. They can help children build the skills needed for writing.

Examples you could talk to a healthcare professional about include:

• Handwriting without tears - this focuses on simple, step-by-step learning
• Write start handwriting
• Speed Up! - this is a book that you can buy. It's designed for older children who need to improve handwriting speed and ease

Always check that any course you choose is recommended by your child’s therapist or teacher and fits your child's needs.